5bites

Absolutely. I tried to get them to jump in at Beaver but they declined lol. It was a much needed good weekend. As if we don't have enough people in a 20' bass boat our lab is becoming quit the boat dog. She does really well and we are extending her times in the boat. I think she was in it about 7 hours Sunday with a few swims of course.

I'm definitely jealous then. An hour and a half isn't to far but it could be closer lol. What was the water temp at the ramp? On the south side of the island it was 75ish and at the state line it was 82. When I say it was 75ish I mean it was 67-75 actually because it changed that much in a 100yd stretch due to the current. That was the first time I've been up there when they were releasing water I believe. I hope to hit that right this summer.

Great. Thanks again for the advice. I hope we can go down to the lake again this weekend. If so hopefully I can try it out.

If I tie to a tree is it ok to have a weight at the front also? That way all the bait is down by the bottom the length of the line. How much weight does a guy need usually?

Very good stuff! Thanks for the tips! What are you tying to? I assume like mentioned above that you are anchoring with a rock. How heavy do you need? How are you able to check your deeper hooks if it's anchored out there. I wouldn't think you'd want to pull up your weight when you run it. Or do you run a lot of line out past the last hook so it stretches? Like I said it's been so long but I miss doing it. I'd love to show my boys. We set jugs a few times and had fun. This would be better.

No doubt! So far that's my biggest. The thing hit on the drop. I didn't jig once. I thought man they're here! Then after some furious jigging he was it lol.

We got down to our friends cabin Friday night but to late to fish. Our family is very very grateful they let us use it. I stayed up to late so we got on the water late around 930am and decided to start in owl creek flipping bushes. We caught a few but nothing crazy. At least one came on an isolated standing tree. I saw a good one chasing either a shad or perch behind a dock in the shade very shallow but couldn't catch it. Then the thunder started... So we ran real quick to a walleye gitn spot and first drop with a spoon I caught a 25.5", and that was it lol. After that the lightning ran us of. I don't like taking chances with my boys in the boat. So back to the cabin for grilled burgers and brats. Thst evening we went back out around 430 and ran down to beaver town just to take a look. We made it to the bridge and the current was pretty strong and the water temp was 52 degrees! Obviously beaver was getting rid of some water. We took a few pics and ran down stream a little, maybe a mile to where the channel cuts back across to the west side. We tried flipping bushes in this area on both sides of the creek with no luck really. 75 degrees here. Then off to the MO/ARK line and fished more bushes. Water temp was 82 degrees here. So that's a 30 degree swing! Again little action but a few and my son caught one on a spook. This was on the flat pocket on the west side right at the line with the long point with bushes. I expected them to be there with the current etc but nope. With all the trash in the water I decided to head back before it got dark and hit the walleye spot again. Nothing. In a few weeks I think they'll be there. Sunday we got out again later than I wanted at 7 but it was plenty foggy so it didn't matter I guess. I started with a Ned at the mouth of a pocket and no luck. When the fog lifted I ran just past roaring river to flip bushes because I freakin like flipping bushes ok! And I'm hard headed. There were fish schooling here but they were up and down so quick it was difficult to get on them. Anyway into the bushes I went and started catching fish finally. It wasn't until I started pitching back in the deeper harder to get to thicker stuff that I started getting bit. The thicker and darker shaded the better, so be brave about it and use good line. I lost a good one way back in it on an actual willow tree. That fish was buried and in the darkest place it could be and was my biggest bite all weekend. I pulled it over quite a bit but then it came of on a limb that surprised me but that part of this type of fishing. It still stung though lol. One thing I learned is I really need to go down the lake marking legitimate willow trees. There is tons and tons of buck brush but few willows comparatively. I'm sure it gets better further down lake. For some reason I've just never put a whole lot of time on it at Table Rock. Anyway I noticed the traffic picking up so I went up the creek and caught several on a shad colored h20 square bill. The bigger sized one. I actually caught two at once which was pretty cool. They even had a third following them. While in the creek I started pitching isolated lay downs and they were loaded! I caught 5-6 of a single tree. After this it was getting hot and my wife was getting uncomfortable. When we hit main lake it was insane with traffic and stupidity. Jet skies slowing down in front of me without even knowing I was around, a pontoon turning right while pulling a kid in front of me. I was gonna hit the walleye spot one last time but I was a nervous wreck and just wanted to get my family off the water. I was welcomed to a teenager sun bathing on the courtesy dock with her top undone, people drinking wading around the ramp so I couldn't even beach the boat. Finally we told my boys to close their eyes and I went to the dock and the girl that thought she was blessing the world got an earful. I'll have to pick and choose when I use the ramp I guess. Anyway despite that it was a great weekend. I wish I could have had a more productive Saturday but there's little I can do about the weather. The smaller fish was 14.75". Sorry I'm not better looking.

That is very cool. I wish I knew how to do this. I did my whole childhood on table rock but was never taught if that makes sense. Glad you guys had a good time!

When the libs jump in it's pretty much going to crap guaranteed. It could be about anything good at all and they'll twist it around backwards. I'm glad for the officer that local businesses stepped up. I'm glad for the winner as well. Heck I'm glad for the exposure lews got from it because maybe they can do more stuff. They help with other stuff too. I wish I used their products. Good stuff but I prefer Daiwa reels is all. For now. I haven't tried the higher end Lews products. That's another topic completely.

Agreed

It wouldn't if you could trust people. It's bad enough with a regular weigh in. So to answer your question, in this world we live in very very hard.

Exactly. It would be fine with me but not possible. I don't mean to imply that I don't like weigh ins either because I do. If we get to carried away with this though we won't be able to use hooks to catch fish but will be required to ask the fish nicely to come to the boat. There's a point were you have to stop and there's always people that don't think that's enough. That's were I am with the cleaning fish and the tournament fishing critics. If it hurts your feelings that bad boys then just quit fishing because after all you are impaling an animal with a hook and that animal could die as a result every time you do it. So watch how loudly you complain about others. It may come back on you.

The guy got hurt sticking his neck out for our safety. That's more than most of us do. I'm glad someone stepped up to help. It they were helping someone else most that are griping about this would gripe about that too. If you think you can do a better job put yourself in their shoes.

Well said

Yep this exactly. And it kicks out more and heavier bags. Look back through my posts (I believe in this same thread) about comparing it to table rock. I love table rock though. Today it's a freakin zoo around eagle rock though. I assume the holiday island traffic is up here due to the trash in the river. If I was driving like the lake lice was I could have killed two jet skiers, and a family on a pontoon pulling a kid all in a one mile run back to put it on the trailer. The ramp was a disaster itself. I need to retire so I can fish during the week.

Well maybe I misinterpreted it to a degree then. It sounds like we agree to a point. It sounds like we agree hypocrisy abounds in these discussions and definitely when it comes to spawners. I do look forward to sight fishing. I thoroughly enjoy it. I do think it is bull crap to jump down anyone's throat for keeping any species of fish anywhere if it's within the law. I don't have to like it either but knocking someone down about it is bull crap. We can discuss it in a dedicated thread without pointing fingers. That's what chaps me more than anything about the butthurt displayed on here about filleting some fish. If people wanna talk about it fine. Start a topic. A fishing report isn't the place for it I dont care if he would have had pics of them on a bloody metal stringer flopping on a fillet board. We don't have to want to keep them ourselves. We don't have to want to bed fish. We shouldn't say a thing to the ones that have the right to though.

Sweet! set 2' deep in 10' of water?

That is awesome and a hilarious description of what transpired! I was reading it to my wife lol

This is to many loaded arguments in one topic that should have never happened anyway. This was a guys fishing report. The bottom line is people's feelings and real life and proven fact aren't lining up.

I just don't like the idea. The lakes are getting good spawns as it is. It's obvious because we are catching fish that didn't hatch and grow over night. The people that keep fish aren't hurting it nor are the sight fishermen. Guess what, neither are the fishermen that pretend to be taking the high road and not look at them yet still catch spawning fish but think if they didn't see the thing it couldn't have been spawning. Refer back to my report in April about jerkbait fishing. Those fish were moving over 10 and 20 feet of of bed to hit a jerkbait. Anyway as I've said the lakes are doing great right now. Also as Phil said the conservation has a pretty darn good clue what's going on and what needs. My other gripe is you are punishing guys like me that enjoy and work at being a better sight fisherman. If it did hurt the fishery I'd be against it but it's been proven over and over by studies that it doesn't hurt a thing. Do some homework. It's out there. Also as I've said history and time proves it's not detrimental.

Your lakes got decimated by poor management and a conservation that either didn't give a crap about bass or had its hands tied. Other parts of the country are thriving with more pressure.

Why is one species more important or special than the other? Because you choose to like it? Are you special? What if I were a trophy crappie or catfish fisherman and got my feelings hurt every time someone fillets one?

If it means what it sounds to me like it means.

Maybe I don't understand the process trying to be outlined here but I don't see how this would be any better than spreading the pressure out. All this does is put the pressure in smaller areas.