fishinwrench

That's where I do most of my white bass fishing, Champ. So what I posted above applys to there moreso than anyplace. If you are gear-fishing in a 20' bassboat then the long flat mainlake points are your best bet cuz you won't be able to navigate the backend flats very good. But if you have access to a Jon boat or small aluminum rig then you're in business.

Are there any large shallow flats near the confluence of Bryant ?

Both outboards simultaneously need starters ? I have to question the troubleshooting on that one. But if you truly need them go with "ARCO" aftermarket (available through O'Reilly auto parts), or have yours rebuilt. Merc OEM replacement units are gonna be outrageous.

Never fished them on Norfork lake but up here on LO and Truman they gang up on shallow flats in the upper tributary arms, and that's when they become good flyfishing targets. The schools of whites further out on main lake points and such aren't nearly as dependable as the schools that have committed to the extreme upper ends of a lake. By looking at the map....if I were you I'd start below Tecumseh, like maybe the shallow flats near the confluence of Lick cr. Cover water quickly with fast strips and fly's that you can see (crease fly, big streamers, ect.) and try to get one to chase or flash on your fly, just like you do for those browns on the river, then once you have found ONE you know there will be more close by. Then start switching fly's and presentations until you figure out what they'll EAT. They will pretty much chase, flash and swat at anything that moves quick and erratic in their vicinity and that's the best way to find them when they aren't actively busting on the surface or giving away their location in other ways. Just watch for those silver flashes behind your fly and when you see one anchor down and start actively trying to get them to bite.

Several nice stripers get caught from the HHT area every year so one over 30# wouldn't surprise me.

Awesome! I found some way up on a shallow flat (2-3') before the cold snap but they became inactive over the weekend for me. I'm pretty sure they are still there but getting them to bite after the water temp took a 16° plunge was not happening. I'm guessing that where you got into them was over deeper water ? I found a nice walleye amongst them also. I love chasing Fall whites with fly gear, look forward to it all year.

Yep, minus the front legs. You cant get enough lead on a size 12 hook to get the right sink rate unless you cut back on the rubber some.

Yeah I've no idea what part of which river/lake you were fishing at but schools of 1" juvenile shad are everywhere now on the bodies of water that HAVE shad in them. Oh, and count me among the near-skunked for yesterday as well. I was right in the middle of them and could only get a few to chase or bite. BUT a buddy less than 3 miles down lake from where I was at took a solid limit on buzzbaits. Figure that one out !

Shad ?

I always kinda thought that a true patriot was one who displayed undying trust and support for their leaders. Even if they didn't "vote" for them in the last election. They hide any reservations they may have and swallow back their ability to free-think. Doing everything in their power to remain a 100% Team player. Ya know.... A 2 flag flying, blue pill taking, Ford/Harley driving, crucifix wearing, muslim hating, Time magazine subscribing, Elks lodge/Lions club bingo promoting, programmable drone.

This little number here always does the job for me. Big gills love something dark and fuzzy slowly sinking next to some cover. Seems like I never catch anything but little farts if I try to impart any action to a fly. I just let it slowly sink and check every 5-6 seconds to see if something has eaten it yet.

LMAO! You're lucky to have escaped a body cavity search over that one.

Yeah I wouldn't mind a lightweight pair of stocking foot hippers. I would hate to take a dip while wearing the heavy rubber trappers boots that I use for slogging around in ponds with.

Yeah well, that kinda kills the suspense and excitement of the WI so I'm afraid that type of format will never gain enough support. I was in a B.A.S.S. federated club that scored on paper during regular club tournaments but the federation rules demanded that we couldn't qualify anglers while using that format. When we asked "why not" we were told that the possibility of catching/scoring the same fish twice existed with that type of scoring system. Couldn't argue with that, since I myself had seen that happen numerous times in the past. And to be totally honest I had attempted that as a strategy once during a late April tournament by returning to a 22incher on a bed that I had caught earlier in the day. So there is THAT.

I'd love to put you on some one evening. When it's on it is a tee-total blast, but when they don't want to cooperate it is nothing but a lot of casting practice. There's always some green bass on the flats to take up the slack though. I'm pretty flexible so anytime you think you might be in the vicinity just give me a shout.

It's always a mental battle for me during this time of the year. I usually spend more time wading than fishing from the canoe during a float. I hate wearing waders when I am in the boat but I'm the biggest puss in the world when it comes to being cold. I wanna go play with the smallies tomorrow real bad, but until it warms back up a bit I think I'll stay in a nice dry bassboat and chase some white bass around. I'm burning the dust off the furnace elements tonight !

Cool! Did you wader-up or go wet? I had to break out the jeans today.

Reminds.... http://youtu.be/4MYjyLg8bbo

I think so too. For a guy that can't fish for $#it you're pretty sharp.

Good point, Jimithy. I mean after all....are we 100% sure that it was an "unwarranted" attack ?

The return trip however.....

OR.... you could just stay out of their business from the git-go and request that they do the same. Those big oceans that separate us are there for a reason. Same with the languages. We aren't even supposed to be communicating with each other.

Yes there is, but just like many other 4-stroke outboard issues there is no need discussing it because IF there is an oil pressure problem nobody is going to be willing to pay what it will cost to fix it properly. Trust me, once you hear the estimate you'll simply decide to snip the horn leads, run her til she blows and then scrap it. If you have by chance followed any of my original 4-stroke rants on here and wondered why I spoke so badly about them....maybe now you understand. You have gotten 8 good years out of it, and you'll probably be able to limp it through a couple more. That's better than a lot of them for sure. Don't get sucked into a thousand+ dollar cobble-job on a over-engineered little 25hp.

I hear ya, but even at that it seems a lot of aspects are jumped over, leading to an end conclusion in many minds that is far from reality. If by "learned" you are referring to the appreciation of life and loved ones then I agree totally. But if folks think the people of this country "learned" anything about who their true enemies in this world are, who they can trust and who they can't.... I'm just afraid that too many folks may be wrong.

Inspiring, Fins. But how can anything be learned when so many facts are unknown and/or assumed ? The recorded and accepted "history" of so many events are often highly inaccurate. Garbage in/Garbage out.