Haulin Bass

my experience with ICE is it can flow reletively soon. (Like a week of warm weather). Depending on 1) how thick was the ice before.? 2) how bad do you want to go? You could probably launch by Monday afternoon, but you'll be pushing ice chunks around, and the water will be colder than hell. p.s. if it's still frozen over then that meant the answer to question #1) was that the ice was thicker than you thought!

How did that guy do ice fishing? (ANYTHING?)

I've done a lot of ice fishing in Wisconsin. Pulling a Norther Pike up thru the ice is QUITE THE RUSH! Caugh an eel looking fish called "Lawyers" up in Door County's Sturgeon Bay. Went Rainbow Trout Fishing in Green Bay! AND,,, I have gone Sturgeon Speaing in Lake Winnebago in January/February. (*I fell thru the ice screwing around and not being carefull too.) And i remember catching 40 or 50 Walleye in one day on a lake in Minnesota one winter too, even thought that was the best day of my life. (* But none of them were more than a foot long!) until I moved here! You know, the Blue Gills and Green Perch are the fish we went after up there, and they were much smaller than the fish you catch here in MO. There is no length limit on Crappie up there either, and I never remember catching any that were ever bigger than 6 or 8" long! I don't miss ice fishing either, not at all. I missed getting drunk and hanging out in SHANTY-TOWNS. But I don't rememeber catching anything like we catch here. Hell no, you can have a bad day here, and pull in a 3 lb bass trolling on the way in, and still make dinner. You need to fish all day, and catch 15/20 blue gill to equal one largemouth! But fishing is fishing, if all you have is a frozen pond,,, then go fishing! As for me, I'll wait until I can take my winter coat off and hit my favorite fishin' hole here in SW MO! (* I still ain't found a better place to go fishin' in this great country than RIGHT HERE IN SW MO!) We are spoiled rotten, and I'm loving every minute of it!

I usually see the locals fishing by the bridge at the CC access. If you can get your jig out far enough, just pull it in real slow,,,, and you should have "some" action. But i think it will be a slow go where ever you go this weekend. This cold snap will send them DEEP! P.S. last year this time, we caught several BASS right off the shore up by State Park Marina. And you'll be sheilded by any high winds too. good luck

WOW, HUGE HELP GUYS! I saw some fishfinders last year that I was interested in, but the money was never there. NOW,,,, i hope to get one with my tax returns in time for Crappie Season! I liked the 859 and the 597. (* But i also liked the idea of 2 fishfinders that work together like the 520/ and the 522.) ALL these are excellent suggestions. THANKS GUYS! And for anyone who might want to throw their 2 cents in,,,, go right ahead,,,, i won't get my tax returns for a few more weeks anyways. (I am also waiting to get my motor overhauled in my truck as well,,,, I may be more than just a couple weeks in getting a new fish finder!)

I have an old boat, that is perfect for Crappie Fishing. I have recently rigged it for Walleye trolling as well. I can get my 115 Merc to run at about 2 MPH, and do really well with those Walleye in the fall! (* But that's another story!) My next project is to look into these "Spider Rigs", I have one buddy who swears by them, so much so, he said he went over the exact spot that I fished last spring and pulled in his limit where I didn't catch anything, just minutes after I left. (* But I never actually saw him catch any that day either!) LOL, but my question is,,,, i need a new fish fider. I want one that I can view from the front, but I want a better view of the landscape than the one I have! I'd like to sneek up on the fish instead of just seeing them as I drive over them. (If you know what I mean!) I don't have tons of money, but I don't want a piece of junk either, (I already got stuck with one of those a few years back!) I thought I'd get a really good buy at Bass Pro Outlet Center, and I paid too much for a fish finder that was missing the GPS attatchments, and I got a fish finder that only works when I sit still, and it beeps like crazy whenever a stick floats by. I have an OK front finder, it's a Humming Bird 521 (I think) that is on the trolling motor, and that one has been surprizingly reliable for $99.99, but I can only see directly below the trolling motor. So, if I'm not familiar with the landscape, I never see the same thing twice! (* You know what I mean?) And I have a Spinner for a depth finder that I have on my dash board. That thing actually works well for trolling, but you can't see any fish, you just see what depth you are in. I got that fish finder for free when I bought the boat,,, and that was a LOOOOONG time ago! I'd like to get a down sight for crappie fishing, but they have all these new Chartplotting features (Not sure what that means, but it sounds nice!). And I hear guys say you want one where you can see your lure going by. (*REALLY, really?) (You mean you can see your lure going by?) Sheeze,,,, I may as well get a GLASS BOTTOMED BOAT! Anyway, I can't afford the $2500.00 price tag for a super-duper fish finder, hell, if I could I'd just get a brand new boat! But i don't mind spending 4-5-6 Hundred,,,, I guess I am just trying to get some input here. WHAT DO YOU CRAPPIE FISHERMEN SWEAR BY? And is there anything new that I can get in my price range? ANY SUGGESTIONS?

heading out to salt my spot with ye ole yule logs.(Christmas trees) Not expecting anything, but since I'll be on the water anyways, has anyone got anything reports around CC access?

Ouch, I blew out my shoulder last fall. The Doc gave me a cortisone shot and sent me on my way. What I have the biggest problem with is trolling. I steer with the busted wing, and it's hard to do with only 60% range of motion! BUT,,,, we had an exceptional fall trolling for walleye. You'll figure it out! Makes the pain go away! As does just heading out to your favorite spot! HB

LOL, Give me those gps numbers, I'll tell you if he's still there! Good One! What little I do know is that if you have a spot that has produced fish in a certain spot, you can go back there when the conditions are similar, and you "should' find fish there again the following year! It's more to do with that area (if stable) should create a spot those fish want to hang out! Although Walleye are fairly rogue, they all look for favorable conditions,,,, and they will frequent the same places! But i have rarely found big schools of big fish! *Actually never have! Now, i have caught multiple walleye in an area,,,, when it comes to BIG WALLEYE? you'll usually only find ONE in an area! It's because they eat their own! We caught a 7lbs Wally a few years ago,,,, and there was a 10" wally inside of it!

I go as slow as I can in idle with my 115 Merc. I have a 19" stainless steel, cupped prop, and I think I can get down to 4mph. as long as my boat is running properly. But trolling into the wind will definitely help you! Last year I had some timing issues on my motor, and I couldn't hold a slow idle, so I had to go faster. I guess I was between 5 & 6mph. Not many bites, and yes,,,, you are running deep at that speed,,,, but you will get the active fatties that are hunkered down deep. I think I would have done better last year, accept for the drought definitely sent the fish really deep in the heat of the summer. But,,,, remember,,,,,you may only land 3 or 4 fish in a day,,,,, but they will all be BIG! It's now 2 weeks ago, I used my 15" prop and headed into a nice 10/15 mph head wind and was at perfect 2.75 mph. But when the wind died, I was going just way too fast, and I had to throw out my drift sock. Now I hook my sock to the front clip of my boat, and let the sock inflate under my boat, it is harder than hell to steer, but we got all the way down to 1.5 mph into the wind, and 2 to 3mph with the wind. I like my 18' deep diver cranks to get down into the 20'-22' range,,,, and you'll catch the FAT Crappie,,, and some Nice Walleye. And if you can get her slowed down enough, you'll catch Channel cats too. I even caught my first Small Mouth this last trip, It was short, but it was my first trolling. Just a foot note, the slower you go, the more fish you will catch, but the more fish you will lose too,,,,, You'll lose them right after they strike, and you'll not see as many Largemouth, as if you were going faster. But you'll get bites going slower, but you'll catch a lot more shorts too. And you'll have to fish in the shallows, making it difficult because you'll be going around all the swimmers, and bass hacks who are throwing rubber worms at the shore. But I was trolling one day,. on Mutton Creek Side, and we saw MANY people trolling really fast (I was surprised how fast they were going) and they were catching the Whites like crazy. (* But if you know me, you know I am not a white bass fan!) I only catch what I can eat,,,, and I only eat good tasting fish! (* LOL)

So, at the Recycling Center, you can get an old Christmas tree, and sink in lower than 10' deep, and anchor it with some concrete blox? And then you have to put the Long/Lats on this website? That's it? REALLY? Anyone know what is the best for Crappie?

HEY YOU TWO VI-QUEEN FANS! I'm from Wisconsin der hey. A tru blu cheese head yah no! LOL,,, (And a Packer Finatic!) LOL,,, Nice to see yooz two. I have been here for 13 years via Miami (FLA). Grew up in Sturgeon Bay (that's up yours,,,, peninsula I mean.) "The County Of Door!" And when my wife and I got married in KC, we honeymooned in Branson, and settled down here in the Ozarks. But my experience with dat der night fishin' has just been a GREAT EXCUSE TO GO OUT DRINKIN! I use 2 lanterns one in front, one in back, and I usually park in a cove, or under a bridge,, (CC Access is great for this). And you just fish like normal. (* But get a headlamp with a blue or red light, or you will be chewing your beers!) Bugs so dam thick you'll need a respirator!

I was having trouble finding the right combination. I actually believe that it is the combination that brings the fish to the boat. Because when I would put the same crank baits on my poles, I would get a different result. So I have come to the conclusion that it is a combination of (1) Brightly colored shallower crank. (* Like a 12-15' Sexy Shad) and then I go with (1) Dark Shad Wrap for my deep divers. 18' plus. But more importantly, it's the speed of the boat, sometimes, fast is better. I have a 115 Merc, and I'll throttle down and use a drift sock. But when it gets hot, I like to speed it up,,,, and that will get the bigger fish hanging out deep. Lil secret, I will actually change my prop and I can get my boat to literally crawl, but on a hot day, you may not be doing yourself any favors. Drop that big prop, pull up your sock, and troll deep. (* Caught a HUGE largemouth like that last year, trolling a 20' suspended Clown Stick Bait.)

Caught a few Crappie, and few Walleye, and more shorts than we have in the past. Started out at 11:00am, and we were doing well right off the bat. Put a pair of nice 14" Crappie on the boat. Then it got hot, and the fishing died. So we jumped in, had a few beers, and started trolling later in the day. And it really started to pick up again between 7 and 9pm. We had many a bite and put a few more crappie on the boat, and the last fish of the day was a nice fat 19" Wally. Like I said, a few Crappie, a few Walleye, and just an AWESOME day to be on the water! How's that for a fishin' report?

I use to go to Top Gun, but if you have an older boat, they'll just tell you your motor is blown, and whisk you out the door! I have been running my Tower of Power for 4 years, "SINCE TOP GUN TOLD ME MY MOTOR WAS BLOWN!" LOL,,, they told me they scoped the cylinder, and saw that my #3 cylinder had water coming in, and that the cylinder had ZERO compression. What they did do was look in the spark plug hole, and saw that it was a 78 Merc, and told me to take it someplace else! Sorry Top Gun,,,, but I have more compression now since TOP NOTCH Marine fixed my motor, and all they did was time the darn thing! (* Cost me under $200.00, and I am faster now than when I bought it!) Unfortunately, TO NOTCH (on state line) moved to Washington State back in April. Top Gun isn't bad if you have a new boat, but if you have an old piece of crap like me, don't bother going there.

Went trolling Saturday June 15th. we got there at noon, rained like crazy in Springfield, got to Stockton it was sunny and warm. Would have been an EPIC outing, caught 3 HUGE crappie, and a short walleye in the first 30 minutes. Then the rains came, we would have stayed but the lightning scared us off. Went back out 2 hours later, caught 2 more, but we were soaked, and the fun was gone. We were getting hammered on Shad Wraps in 25' of water, Fishin' them 15-20 foot down. It was rough out there for a while, (heard someone drown too) but I thought for sure we would miss the rains heading up there. Dag-gone Sprint Weather apps. (Worse than Ned Reynolds on sports.) It was one of those "day of days" where you tell the next guy, "You should have been here yesterday!" WOW, we were getting bites every 20 feet. Dang,,, I wish I could have put 2 more miles behind me. Shad Wraps, and those "green on top and pearl sided" cranks, I forget the name of that one. But we were getting bites on EVERYTHING before it rained. Definately going again this weekend.

I was going to go trolling tomorrow, but my kids want to ride the new roller coaster at Silver Dollar City, I guess we can troll next weekend,,, I would rather ride that new wooden coaster than fight the wind on Stockton,,, knowing it will be tough out there~!

Hate to break it to you guys, but the Crappie are still there. The big females just never came to shore. I caught my limit twice this year, and yes, it was a workout, I will grant you that. BUT,,,, they big females were staging on the brush piles near where they would have spawned. (But they didn't this year.) We looked and looked for Crappie on the banks, and only found some rogues feeding out of the small river mouths after heavy rains. But when we went deep, tooling around the very same coves, we found (deeper than normal) huge schools of big females, and boy were they finicky! One brush pile was in 24 foot of water, and we found Crappie on it all thru May! Some looked like they may have spawned some, but almost all of them had eggs in them. But we had to throw every piece of junk at them to catch them. One day it was Chartruse Curly tails, the next time it was green and black slabs. (Those long tailed tubes that they sell up at Truman Lake.) Other days, all they would hit were naked minnows. Then the next day, it was tipped jigs (Minnows on your jigs). And that one day, we were practically under the brush pile fishing with Bobbers in 22 foot of water, where there was a 24 total depth. The lesson I learned this year was once you find them on your fish finder,,,, don't leave, because they will bite on something,,,, you just have to figure it out! Trust me, once you get a bit,,,, then it's game on, and when the bite slows, wait for a 1/2 hour, they'll be back. And when they come back,,,, you might have to try a different approach. But when you are on a brush pile with 13" & 14" fatties,,,,, "STAY!" Don't leave, don't drive around, because they will bite on something, you just have to figure it out! I'm telling you, it sure beats catching dozens of shorts, and pissing away all your minnows. Hang out and wait! But as for now,,,, the Crappie are heading into their "after spawn" mode of going deep. Nice thing is,,,, these fish will be very hungry come July! You might still get a few this weekend on the brush piles near the points "in the coves where they would have spawned", but my guess is that they will be moving on any day now. Full moon is gone, and the water will be warming up. Next approach is trolling! (BOOOYAH!) I love trolling! Ever catch a 15" Crappie on a 6" deep diving crank bait in 30 foot of water? I have,,,, and it trips me out every time! darn fish won't hit a minnow when it's hanging right in front of their face,,,, but they'll chase you half way around the lake to hit that crank bait that is just about as big as they are! LOL. I will never underestimate Crappie ever again!

WooHoo, i have my annual Crappie Day with my daughter this Saturday. I even named a Crappie Cove after her. I don't know the real name of it, but I've been calling it Kaitlin's Cove for the last 5 or 6 years. So when my youngest daughter found out there was a cove named after her big sister, she wanted something named after her,,,,. So I named the Brush Pile next to the Cove,,,, "Sarah's Bush!" I think I had a few beers in me when I came up with that one! (LOL) Good thing my youngest daughter is only 10 and has no idea what it means to have a "bush". But I'll just forget about it before she's old enough to know any better. But in a house of all women accept Daddy, you find ways to make yourself laugh. But I'll be there in my 1978 Terry. We'll be putting in at Greenfield Access, and fishing downstream. So if you see a Father Daughter Crappie fishing in an old boat,,,,Stop in and say HI! But this cove has produced many a limit for us, and I will be there Saturday and Sunday! (* Haulin' Crap-pies)

p.s. "Haulin' Bass" is the name of my boat. But since I finally got it fixed up right, her new name is "THE MILLENNIUM FALCON!" And Crappie Fishin' is my Mission'.

HELL NO! I EAT EVERYTHING I KILL! I follow the law, respect the water, and measure my fish. (THEN EAT!) BEST TASTING FISH (WITHOUT ALL THE DAM PREP WORK!) #1) Mid sized WALLEYE! (* But that darn things are so hard to catch around here, it's hard to have a good fish fry) #2) ANY AND ALL CRAPPIE! (Black/White/Big/Bigger, it's all "the other white meat to me! AND DARN GOOD EATING!) Booyah! #3) It's hard to pass on a nice mess of Blue Gills. (*They taste closer to Crappie than White Bass do!) #4) Large Mouth, Small Mouth, And Kentucky. Bass are pretty dag gone good and tasty to me! #5) TROUT,,,, any and all trout, the Brook Trout taste the best. Rainbow and Browns are pretty good too! #6) Catfish, if fillets are cut right, and the crap cut off, I can almost eat Catfish, Channel, Flatheads are better than the rest. #7)Then Maybe White Bass, when cut up right. Don't get me wrong, I'll Eat It! I JUST DON'T LIKE IT! But i never said I don't like to catch them. And when I do, I THROW THOSE WHITE BASS BACK! P.S. i never had Stripped Bass, never had a Paddle Fish/ Spoon Bills, so I can't fairly rate those! But this list is exclusive to MO. And of all the fish I have caught, Salt water fish KICK butt! Tuna, Snapper, Flounder, Mahi Mahi,,,, even Eel tastes better than White Bass. #7) And Finally, all the rest, Carp, Gar, Muski, Drum,,,, now, those fish I will throw back!

We were going to go to Stockton Saturday, but decided on Table Rock when the weather looked crappy. We put in at Cape Fair and fished from Piney to Peach Grove cove. Fished for Crappie all day, and didn't get a bit until late afternoon, we switched to the man made fish attractors in the main channels. AND WE CAUGHT SOME FAT CRAPPIE. We ended up with 12 total, but it was a work out getting that! I too caught a HUGE BLACK, he was almost 15" And it was a MALE! All the females were small, and FULL of eggs. And the fish eggs were still small. I heard that the warmer water swells the eggs, and then that triggers the spawn. Don't know myself for sure. (?) We found that the water was 57 to 59 degrees, and that the fish were about ready to start staging at the points. But the eggs still have another couple of weeks to mature yet. If we have 1 solid week of warm weather, these crappie will piled up on top of each other at the deep points next to the coves, and be ready to pop by the full moon at the end of the month.

I was going to go to Aldridge on Saturday, but we were worried that the weather wasn't going to be as nice as it was. (* SO WE WENT TO TABLE ROCK!) First time for me Crappie Fishing at Table Rock. We dropped in at Cape Fair, and fished all afternoon and didn't catch any crappie. Then at about 4;00pm we moved to the man made fish attractors in the main channels, and we caught some NICE CRAPPIE! I caught the biggest BLACK CRAPPIE I've ever seen, it was 14", and we left with almost a limit between us. Not bad for catching them all in 2 hours. So, we thought we would load up on them on SUNDAY. (SUNDAY?) It was so Gosh darn windy, we got "blowd" (hillbilly for blown) off the lake! We fished all day, and only caught 6 Crappie, 2 bass, and a HUGE Bluegill. I'M HEADING TO STOCKTON NEXT WEEK.

Another annalogy? It's like wishing you had a case of Cold Corona with lime on a hot day, and all your fishin' partner brought for the cooler was Natty Lite! (* Get off my boat!) LOL!

Can you elaborate?