Haulin Bass

I put in at Aldridge on Saturday angling for Crappie, and ended up catching several Short Large Mouth, No Crappie, and took off for Greenfield. IT WAS JUST WAY TOO WINDY!

First of all, I lived in Florida for 10 years. And I caught and ate my TUNA RAW. I caught a 37lb yellow fin on a drift boat once, won the $200.00 pot that all the passengers threw in for the pot, and I stopped off and bought some Wassabi and Soy Sauce on the way home from my trip. I ate 10 lbs of SUSHI in one sitting! And Carp/Gar/ Sucker Fish taste good if you cut away enough sh*t to get to the good meat too! P.S. YOU NAILED IT RANGER DAVE,,,, "ALMOST" as good as Crappie. (Good Answer) P.S.S. I'll NEVER get burnt out on CRAPPIE. It's the best tasting fish in the lake! I don't fish to throw back, I catch fish to eat, my freezer is empty of frozen Crappie, and I'll give you all the frozen white bass you can carry! IT TASTES LIKE SH*T.

I'm going Saturday/Sunday. (Sunday looks to be good) I just heard from some of my clients that they caught their limit of Whites last Saturday on the Little Sac in less than 2 hours. (* Unfortunately, I would rather Crappie fish) I will try Aldridge/ Greenfield "again" and hope for a better out come than last week. (o) Crappie (3) Keeper Bass (1) Case of beer that got away! LOL.

I went and I saw. Sorry, but I am not into White Bass. They sure are fun to catch, but they taste like SH*T. I went to Aldridge at 6;00 am, dropped in no problem, and slow trolled to my favorite Crappie hole. LOL, I heard (2) boats hit bottom because they went over the hard limestone flats near the boat ramp. (Still laughing, probably because I did that once.) But we fished for 3 or 4 hours and caught a few short large mouths, and promptly decided to go to Greenfield. Got to Greenfield at 11:30am and there were many people leaving. (overflow was full though). It seemed like the wind picked up, and the early birds were all hanging it up. We fished a couple of brushpiles but got blown off the lake on Saturday. So we pulled into a cove and had a few beers. NO CRAPPIE (yet). But we did catch several Large Mouths, and killed 2/3 of a case of beer in the process. Water was just too darn cold, never got over 50/52 degrees. I'll try again this week, I know we need more rain and warmer temps for the Crappie, but they will turn on any day now~! just watch! CIAO

I have alwasy done well there early in the spring. As for this time last year, I was already into the next phase, with the Crappie on the banks. But since it was so cold this year, I figured it will be a late bloom. I JUST HOPE TO GOD, I CAN DROP IN THERE. I just did like $1000.00 of work to my boat, and I'd hate to lose my lower unit on my maiden voyage. ANYONE HAVE A REPORT ON LITTLE SAC/ALDRIDGE? I saw it mentioned but I can't find the link? HELP?

Cool Thanks, BS. I was just repeating what I heard from the Bait Shop Boys. hell,,,, I LOVE STOCKTON,,,, I hated to hear that it would be kept artificially shallow. But I guess your report trumps my word of mmouth!

Last year I lost a HUGE PIG at the boat! i was Crappie fishing with jigs, and the Walleye hit, and she straightened out my darn hook. I'd guess 71/2 to 8lbs. I faught that thing for 15 minutes, and lost it right at the boat! (Dooooh!) I have seen a handful of 6 & 7 lbs-ers. And I have heard of many big walleye caught while crappie fishing. But if you want to see a limit of huge walleye, you need to go down to Power Site Dam at Lake Tanneycomo. Only problem is that when they are hitting, you'll be able to walk across the lake with boaters. It's elbow to elbow down there right now! But if I could put my limit on the boat with any regularity in Sockton, I would be a happy camper. I've fished "The Bull" and have tried everything for Walleye, and never caught a limit there either. Sorry.

Caught 6 keepers an Saturday. (Large Mouth.) Biggest one one 19-1/2" . These fish were all close to shore and hitting live bait! 5 were female, and the big one was a male. AND ALL OF THEME WERE LOADED WITH CRAB! The one female had 6 crabbs in her belly, 2 catfish minnows, and she still hit my bait! Would have been more fun in 70 degree weather, but hey, it's still MArch.

We caught 6 keepers Saturday, but boy that wind was brutal. I am not going out again til winter is over! CRAPPIE HERE WE COME!

BASS, has a really hardy, thick flavor, it's alot like Shark! I lived in Florida, and also caught Megabass, but the Bass were quite gamie down there. And the Shark were really good, not to mention, it's cheep to buy too! But I fillet my bass, soak them in a milk and egg bath. And I make sure all the red meat on the side is scraped off. But the key is in the cleaning, if you've got crap on your fish when you cook it, it will taste like crap when you eat it! Then I chunk them up like fish sticks, and fry them in Walmart Brand "fish fry" in the blue packs or boxes. My secret is my homemade tartar sauce. But I ain't givin' that up!

LOL,, RECIPE FOR CARP, CHUNK IT UP AND GO FISHIN' FOR CATFISH! OMG,,,that's about as nasty as eating Gar Patties!

Shoot, Turnback was dry as a bone when we drove over it Saturday.

Shoot, Saturday we went to Aldridge and were sent away packing! So we ended up at St. Park Marina. Headed out to the main channel and it was rough, so we sought calmer waters. Funny, we were all geared up for Crappie, but ended up getting our limit of Kentucky Bass on Crappie Minnows! Right in the little coves around the Marina. No trophies, but one hell of a meal!

I have already lost one lower unit at Pommy and would still rather fish Stockton. But if you have ever hit a stump doing 35, you'll never forget it! Aldridge is a great fishing spot, but it the water levels won't be back up in time for spawning season this year. They are pumping the water out and purposely trying to keep it low. And it will stay like this for the next 2 years too. I suggest hitting brushpiles at 20 foot, and working the shorelines closest to those piles as spring draws nearer.. These are the times when all new fishing hotspots are created. Stockton has loads of fish, and they are still in there, they may not be in that same place, but they are still in there! Just take it slow and you will be alright!

WOOHOO, I'm going! I have some Crappie Spots I have been dying to get into. Not necessarily to catch fish tomorrow, but I know the Crappie will be there all through April. P.S. STOCKTON WILL NOT BE COMING UP ANY BECAUSE THE ARE PUTTING IN AN EXTRA TURBINE AT THE DAM! WATER LEVEL WILL BE WHERE IT IS NOW FOR THE NEXT 2 YEARS!

We were going to Aldridge last weekend, and were told at the bait shop "Aldridge was all but closed". He said you needed a flat bottom boat to fish up in there. So we ended up at the State Park Marina, unfortunately, it was too windy to get into the main channel, and besides, we were all geared up for Crappie. Can I get in and out of GREENFIELD ACCESS? Is it too shallow to drop in there too? I like to head up near Crider's Creek, but that is a long haul if the water is dangerously low. Any word there???? Planning on going Saturday AM! Anybody? P.S. we caught several Kentucky Bass in the Marina. (* Not bad for a change of plans.)

When it's cold, the A-Rig is about the best tool in the box. But it sure is a lot like throwing out an ole coat hanger! We laugh our butts off at it, and call it "The Contraption!" As far as tourney fishing goes, just like the other guy said, it's just another lure. But as for being a weekend warrior, the only thing that sucks more than getting skunked, is losing a $25.00 contraption on top of it. So, I rarely use mine, only in times of desperation do I pull out my contraption. (*LOL) One thing I do know is, all this rain will finally tip off some AWESOME CRAPPIE FISHING come Spring Time. Stockton is the Best Crappie lake in SW MO.

Mostly Cloes, Mr. Champs & Roostertails. And "LIVE BLUEGILLS!" that worked the best for Muski.

VERY VERY INTERESTED!

Hey you-all. I am new to the Ozarks as well, but have just started getting serious about my fishing here recently! For years, I would use old baits so as not to ruin my new ones, and would use rotten line so as not to have to buy new line, only to find out, that was the day I nailed a monster,,,and he got away! I would continue to go to "a spot" that someone told me they caught a big one yesterday, instead of finding "my spots" and marking them. And I have finally broke out of my cheepskatedness ways,,,in exchange to experience "the absolutely awesome fishing here in the Ozarks"! I grew up in Wisconsin,(GO-PACK) never taking full advantage of the great fishing up there, only to have my heart broken when A monster Muski swam off with thy trusty Zebco 202. Doooh. Then I moved to south Florida,,,,and never realized "YOU CAN FISH ON GOLF COURSE WATER HAZZARDS TOO?" (*My buddy nailed a 15lb. large mouth in a hater hazzard at Sandle Foot Golf Course AFTER he made an impossible chip shot. He threw the golf ball into the water in victory, only to see a fish the size of TEXAS eat his ball! So he then threw in a small Repalla on an Ultra-Light Fishing pole he kept in his golf bag. He gaffed the fish with his ball retriever,,,but the funniest part was when he realized he'd have to throw the fish back in because it was caught on the private part of the PGA GolF Course Tour! (LOL) But as time passes, my love for fishing only intensified. I bought my first boat only 3 years ago, and have been tracking my successes and failures on Stockton, Truman, Table Rock. I just got a hand held GPS for Christmas, and was wondering if that really works for catching Crappie (locating the brush piles.) And so far, I think I like Walleye fishing the most,,,,because they are so illusive,,,Crappie fishing 2nd,,,,,,and ALWAYS,,,,catching those Big Mouths! But I have just been in awe,,,,of the absolutely fantastic fishing here, and I won't rest until I have mastered "atleast one of them",,,,or atleast die trying! I'll be askin' many a question soon,,,but just wanted to say "hi". Jerry!

I love Stockton Lake,I fish there regularly! And I too am bitten by the Walleye bug! Hasn't been until late last year til I caught Walleye on command. *( AND YES,,,IT'S ALOT OF TROLLING!) First,,,we troll the main channels in 25' of water off the rock bluffs, and in and around the points (in the summer) and use 15 to 20' deep diving crank baits,,,,and finding the right one is the hard part! These fish will only bite a certain color during a certain condition, and you have to try MANY colors to get the right one! But once you catch a Walleye, and no,,,,not just a bite, or a drum! But a keeper Walleye, you'll need to triangulate the school, and the small males will school,,,so you will catch quite a few,,,but many will be 13-1/2". If you are lucky, you'll get 4 keepers, fish may be small, but it could be relatively quick that this happens if you do it right! Once you catch one, throw in a buouye, and then troll back past that spot you caught that fish about 100', and then throw in a second buouye. Then swing out about 50 feet and at 30 degrees from the second buoye away from shore, and drop the third buouye. And there will be your triangle! Then just drift over that triangle with bottom bouncers meanwhile throwing that same crank baits over the top,,,,and you "should" catch about 6 or 8 Walleye pretty quick. Also, Walleye like to hang out in the same spots, so you can mark that spot with a GPS,,,,and hit it again later! Also,,,,look for similar conditions,,,go to the spots you caught fish on clear days,,,and go to those other spots you caught fish on clowdy days! But like Crappie,,,,Walleye are condition specific,,,,you'll get like results in like areas. Then again,,,,don't take my word for it,,,,I am just starting to figure things out! And it's taken me years so far,,but hey, that's why they call it fishin' and not catchin'.