Macsimus

Forced as I am to live far too close to the concrete jungle due to nearby grandchildren, I love those southern MO and northern AR two lane roads. Of course, with almost two years of retirement under my belt, I'm not quite in the same hurry as I used to be. My apologies to the locals stuck behind the old guy with the boat lollygagging down the road enjoying the scenery. 😁

Thanks for posting. I've been looking for a tool like that. 👍

Dock, I just can't understand how you can catch 'em without 9K of electronics on your bow. j/k. I enjoy your posts.

Bo, does the Tour Pro come with a remote? If yes, have you tried it and what do you think of it?

Good info here. https://www.in-fisherman.com/editorial/five-fish-lures-ultimate-ned-jig/360813 I really like the weedguard and the hook size. Found some on the tackle rack in the K.C. Harter House last spring before I left for the tundra. I had to laugh when I found them. I can guarantee you there is no fishing tackle in any grocery store in my neck of the woods. 😄

+1

But, what if you're getting on in years, it's a nice sunny afternoon with no wind, fishing alone, and you've been up since the crack o' dawn? Spot lock would allow a brief little snooze, no? 😄

Bo, what TM did you replace? Some of these new TMs seem a little on the hefty side. Have you noticed anything regarding the weight of the Tour Pro, good or bad?

Thanks Bo. Please keep us updated with how it goes with yours. I've been wanting one ever since their announcement.

Since you have the inside scoop, did your hear why it took so long for them to become available?

Happy Birthday James. My condolences on the loss of your Dad.

Sigh...I wish. Been going since 1988. It was off the radar then but hasn't been for years. There's been a steady stream of TV fishing shows that have highlighted the fishery and of course, the interweb in more recent years. The only thing that has saved it is the protective slot. Even so, the fish get hammered in the spring. Large areas of the bay aren't suitable habitat (giant, shallow featureless sand flats) so the fish concentrate and get pummeled. There was a move to require barbless hooks but it never got turned into a regulation. Had some absolutely awesome trips there but have never experienced schools of 5s. Weather is always a factor. Any wind from the north comes across frigid Lake Superior and feels like someone opened the freezer. Wind from the S dirties up the Bay. Last but not least, local commercial operators have removed a portion of the submerged timber from old logging days which provides important cover since the bay is mostly just sand. As I said at the beginning...sigh.

If you're after SM, especially big fish (who isn't?), take a look at Woman Lake near Longville. Late May (other than the weather) can be very good.

There's some very good river trail info on the MN DNR site. Here's a interactive map that shows accesses, camp sites, etc. https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/watertrails/interactive_map/index.html https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/watertrails/index.html Both the Upper Mississippi and Rum rivers are excellent for SM. But, their scenery is not that of the northwoods and the Arrowhead areas. It is more rolling and agriculture in nature. The North Shore is beautiful but I believe it to be more trout country than SM. Other suggestions to check out are the Root and Zumbro rivers in SE MN. This area is Mississippi River bluff country and it is beautiful but in a very different way than the northwoods. The terrain can be rugged, especially closer to the Miss River and it's more of an ag/mature forest mix vs the northwoods which are more pine forest. Feeders to these rivers are most likely trout streams but the rivers themselves are warmer and very good for SM. I wish I could be more specific in recommendations but I have spent very little time stream fishing. There's just too many lakes to explore. Over the years, I have found the folks at the DNR Fisheries Offices to be extremely helpful and a call to one or more of them would be well worth your time. https://www.dnr.state.mn.us/areas/fisheries/index.html For the SE MN rivers, I'd contact the Lanesboro office. For the Rum and Upper Miss, the Little Falls office. I should add that for most, if not all of these rivers, if they've got SM then they more than likely have Walleye.

Yes, they never closed. They have the plexiglass windshield in front of the counter as does Extreme Outdoors. Hoping you just need some oil.

Does it have to be a Missourah bass? 😁

http://www.bassfan.com/news_article/9902/horne-not-forced-to-dig-out-of-hole-this-year#.XqBT5chKhPY

+1. Absolutely perfect Spring day.

Pair of beauties right there!👍

I was last there Apr 5, the level was at 681.17 and I was still able to launch. But, as I was launching by myself, a pair of knee boots came in quite handy. Up to 683.56 this morning.

Fantastic day. Congrats. And I wholeheartedly agree with the title - the only thing better than whacking a bunch of fish is to have someone you care about, in the boat to share in it.

State Sen. Mike Shirkey, a Republican, offered a similar remark, writing, "In Michigan today you can buy weed but not seeds." As of Sunday, a Change.org petition to have Whitmer recalled from office had more than 122,000 signatures. https://www.washingtonexaminer.com/news/pushing-too-far-michigan-governor-criticized-for-aggressive-social-distancing-orders

Extreme Outdoors in Kimberling City has some.

You bring up a good point in that I'm not entirely sure it matters that it's a chatterbait when its worked that slowly on the bottom. The Z-Man Originals that I've been throwing seem to get out of tune rather easily and the blade frequently doesn't activate without the snap of the rod tip. I've played with it trying to re-tune it but can't seem to get the right formula. I suspect that the slow bottom bites I'm getting are more due to the super swimming fluke trailer.