Jack Jones

Yeah, I went down there today. You ever put a yak in there Wayne? Looks like it'd be a bit rough to try. I'm not the biggest fan of trudging through the overgrowth. Been bit my too many snakes, and had too many ticks in my day.

Was reviewing my map of the James today, and peeking at Google Maps. Is there an access point near the Rivercut area? What about near 160/AA? I know there is nothing official, but I was wondering if you could slip a yak in, or simply bank/wade fish. I don't care to trespass or cause issues. I may drive around that way if I get a chance today, just to see the area, but I would welcome anyone's experiences there.

Last time I was there was last weekend. It was tough fishing. If I get a chance, I may head there in the evening tonight. We'll see. There is the bull riding deal this weekend so it's guaranteed to be packed with no where to park.

So many more new lures since I was a younger guy. Tell me....is the short striker something you can get at BPS? You fishing it on a spin cast? It looks a little small, but I suppose ultralight gear could handle it. I've got the Rebel Wee craw in my collection, plus a few Bombers. Still find it a pain to lose a $4-$5 lure. Especially if it never caught anything for me. If it's been productive, I just consider it a casualty of war.

Looks like a good trip. I see the rooster tail caught some bait. What cranks were you using? Also, how fast was it flowing?

Love the idea. I hope you can get other shops involved so that money and raffle tickets can be purchased in many areas. I'm not always in or close to Cassville. Maybe set up a link here on OAF or your website to allow for Paypal donations/purchases. Of course, I may be unncessarily complicating things (as I and my profession tend to do)

Yeah, I was throwing the Teeny Wee-R in the brown crawdad pattern. Maybe I'll pick one up in the baby bass pattern. Sorry that the post took a wrong turn at Albuquerque. I'll get it back on track in the next one!

Absolutely loved it. A great reminder. I have friends who don't fish and just go on float trips. When its as hot as it is now, they sometimes float bare-chested. Add in some beer and other libations, and it's usually a recipe for trouble. I've gotten past the point of looking cool while sacrificing safety.

Interesting thoughts on falling rivers. I hadn't ever thought about how it affected the food chain. I guess I always figured that fish would be as freaked out as I am if there was a flood on. But...as I've always heard, if you want to catch fish you need to start thinking like a fish. I'm with you Al, when the going gets tough, just float along with it. In those situations I throw out some nightcrawlers. If I can't get anything on them, then I know I ain't getting any.

I tended to fan cast. I dropped anchor in the middle and would cast from one side to the other, changing the direction by about 10 degrees. I went from the rock bluff walls to under trees. I tried to fish the edges of the lily pad beds.

I tried the following: 1. Bomber A square 2. black beetlespin 3. white beetlespin 4. Rebel crick hopper 5. 3/8 oz. fire tiger with gold indiana 6. Finally...........night crawlers hoping something would bite. What about you? What was your luck and lure?

Hope you did better than me RS. I went to the Finley today and had fun paddling, to a point. It got pretty swift upstream. I did get a few nibbles, but nothing hit at all.

Went fishing at the access. The water was quite up. Unfortunately, I got skunked on the boat ramp. Tried everything in the box from plastics, cranks, to spinners. Even went so far as to go buy some night crawlers and toss them. Nothing. I ended up with a baby bass (about 3 in long) on the worm and that was it. Saw some kayakers though who mentioned that they had gotten snagged on a downed tree up river a bit from the access point. The water was flowing at a good clip. Oh well, it beat mowing the lawn. Maybe I'll have better luck today taking the yak out.

I recently called the Springfield Nature Center to pick one up. I was told they had none and that there were none in Jeff City. That MDC was in the process of updating it. They told me there were three at the Springfield Regional Office on Kearny. I picked one up. At the Regional Office, I mentioned the updating and the lady did say don't wait or hold your breath. The MDC sometimes says that, and then changes their mind, especially with all the internet related maps and such. So......two left at the Regional Office as of last Thursday for those who may want them. Paid about $7.00 for it, and loving it.

As to the shaft, most mounts have adjustable shafts. Unless I'm in really shallow water, don't know how much an issue that will be. Might have to play Stretch Armstrong and reach up to the handle. My plan is not to keep it always mounted, just to whip it out when needed. I'll have my paddle for other times. Haven't considered steering, don't know if I need to, LOL. I'll just bounce off the banks like a pinball. That's another one I'll work with. As for weight, I'm a lightweight myself. I thought about the weight issue, but since I figure the battery will be right behind the seat anyway, it would just be like I was 20 lbs or so heavier. As time and disposable income permit, I'll give it a shot. I do like the idea of just picking up a car battery at the salvage yard for a test run Cricket. Something I can turn in when done, after seeing if this is worth it. If and when I do this, I'll post pics and what the experience of it was.

It may need to be licensed. I'll cross that bridge if I ever come to it. My goal is not to keep it mounted per se. Ideally, I'd like to float downstream, whip out the trolling motor, and zip back up when I'm done. It's a dream at this point. We'll see if it becomes a reality. Maybe if I get real desperate, I make something like the cordless drill outboard I posted a video of in the general angling forum. Or maybe I'll just bolt a prop onto my weed whacker, LOL. Ham----I agree with you 90% of the time. But as someone without a boat or trolling motor, the dream of being able to be more mobile is important. One day, I'll have a vehicle capable of transporting one.

Nice colors to him. What's that lure in his mouth?

I've considered PVC piping as well for the mount. I don't intend to necessarily fish with it. I figured since I solo rivers, I could float down from an access and use it to run back upriver. Also, maybe to get around the shorelines on some of the local lakes. Any suggestions on low price batteries given my description of activity above?

Here's a video of someone who rigged a cordless drill outboard. Thought is was somewhat ingenious, and the size is cool, but I figure most cordless drills wouldn't last. Maybe a regular one connected to a DC/AC inverter and car battery? This is almost as funny as the weed whacker trolling motors and lawn mower outboards I've seen online. Homemade ingenuity at its finest.

My lazy summer project (e.g. no time frame to complete) is going to be attempting to put a removable trolling motor on my yak for those times when I want to toodle around a lake or head back up river. From my research, a 2 x 4 will suffice as a mount. I can grab a BPS trolling motor, or find a used one, fairly inexpensively. What's killing me is the cost of deep cycle batteries and the chargers. Can someone with experience advise me as to whether there is a cheap way to solve the battery issue since this is just a trial run? If it works well, I'll invest, but for now I want to keep the experiment as cheap as possible.

Still got the yak, and loving it. Just wanted info for the times I don't have enough time to pull it out, cartop it, and head out. Also, for if I was taking my 11 yr old with me. She's primarily a dabbler in fishing and so I figured a little banking wouldn't be horrible since the James is close.

Anyone know a retailer who sells that in the greater Springfield area? I can always order online, etc... but would like to have it without the ridiculous mark-up if I can. I'd take a used copy if there's anyone seeking (willing) to part with theirs. Also.....looking for a Paddler's Guide to Missouri for less than the $35+ I'm seeing online. Both recommended by SmallmouthJoe and I was looking for them.

Guess it's time to strap on the waders. I was a bit concerned about the depth with regards to wading. Thanks to SmallmouthJoe for the PM that addressed that.

Anybody have any luck fishing the access points at Shelvin, Hooten, or Delaware strictly from the bank? I've thrown some smaller beetlespins and pitched a black 3" grub on a 1/8th head at each but never had any success. Your topic guys...................

Nothing specific about Pomme. I usually bank fished and most pulled in panfish of various sorts. I would certainly advise reading through all the relevant forum posts in this section. There appears to be nine pages of them. It can be a slog, but you can really learn a lot hidden in many of the responses.