fishinwrench

Quit talking crazy. Seriously though that Targa doesn't mind the rollers that's for sure, and if you keep a boat on a hoist where you have to cross some roughness to get to the fish then it's about as perfect of a boat for this lake as any I know.

Having spent a considerable amount of time in all shapes and sizes of boats I have come to the conclusion that the #1 most versatile fishing boat is a 16' jon boat. It will do it all and last forever. Customize it a little to suit your needs, and if your needs change you can re-customize it. Or hell, Own two....or THREE for the cost of one factory rigged boat. I currently have a 16' Lowe Olympic(wide Mod-V) set up as a flyfishing boat with uncluttered decks, and I have a 16' Lowe 1636 (plain ol'jon) for smaller water/rivers. And when/if I sell them I will definately make money. While it's true that really rough water is gonna be sketchy.....How much time do you really want to spend fishing in (or driving through) 3-4' rollers? Even if your boat can handle it you'll be avoiding water like that anyway unless you compete in big money events regularly, or you're the type of guy that has to fish the opposite end of the lake from where you launch from.

Amen!

Maybe they were barking squirrels and scouting for a future deer hunt.

How many in the group? If you're in NW Mo. You might consider going Northeast. Driftless.

I caught one crappie that was no bigger than my dock this evening.

Gotcha! I'll be up on the hill if you need me.

You can do your thorax "in the round" then flatten with a pair of these... AFTER the thorax is wrapped. Or you could do a woven thorax. Or you could make up a chopped herl dubbing brush, then trim it flat....And squeeze if you REALLY want an exagerrated flat/wide profile. Or you could scrap the hassle all together since in reality I don't believe you'll catch a single extra fish due to this tweak.

They are supposed to be Americas best trained engineers, surely they knew what they were doing. Unless there's a wicked quake I think it'll stay plugged just fine.

Oh I dunno. I wouldn't mind having all those hybrids dumped into LO, and the shoreline scrubbed real good. Maybe relocate ivy bend to down around tan-tar I didn't read the article but now I'm wondering just how a drill/practice goes for stopping a 40 foot wall of water.

Yeah last year the camdenton area "heros" got properly geared and trained for the zombie apocalypse too. Laurie even aquired a tactical Hummer that nobody in the area even knows how to change a tire on. Add to that a 200mph armored Mustang interceptor for a police force with a jurisdiction of 3 miles in any given direction. Totally rediculis. Although I suppose when the opportunity to flirt with the girls at the Break Time convenience store present themselves an officer has to get there pronto. They are obviously bored and have excess funding as well as embarrassing imaginations. I mean it took all of the personell from 3 counties, plus two helicopters, almost a month to catch a kid on a jet ski.....Yet they "are prepared" for apocalyptic events. Yeah, ok. LMFAO

Oh Pffft ! Just when I thought he'd converted to a respectable warmwater guy he backslides and starts chasing slicks again. Looks like Joe has been eating good

My first wife was one that would finish my sentences all the time. She'd get pissed because sometimes "I wouldn't do what I said", but in my defense it WASN'T ME that said it! Chick would ask me a question....then answer it for me ! And I was expected to stand by that answer. It was madness! OP, do as I did and divorce that iPad before it gets you in trouble

Awesomeness!

I know but someone has to break it to children that not all fast shiney things are just super cool expensive toys.

I guess I feel the same way about war-planes as I feel about nuclear missles, assault weapons and small lightweight firearms..... they are only good for one thing. When I see any of the above I think of death. Kinda hard for me to be fascinated about that.

Few questions.... With the motor level, how far below the hull is the cavitation plate ? At mid-range throttle does the steering torque feel balanced or does it tend to pull a bit harder to one side? Can you see a scum line around the boat to indicate how it is drifting loaded, or have you washed it since the last time out?

Have I got a deal for YOU! ..... This needs a home.

I have, both in the classic design and various "variants" Weighted (as per the original) they are no better than anything else of the same shape/size.... But UNWEIGHTED on a sink-tip they come to life really well. Weighting them kills the side-to-side darting action. Tie them unweighted, attach with a no-slip loop knot, and the magic will happen.

A mandatory test was pushed for rental craft here but the Marine dealers assoc. got that idea shot down pronto before it even got openly discussed. Turned out that an hour spent reading a book/watching a video, coupled with 15 minutes of multiple choice questioning was too much of an inconvenience for tourists wanting to rent a boat or PWC.

Just remove the top plug with the motor level and stick a bread tie or end of a zip strip in there to see where the level is. If it is within 1/2" of the plug hole you're fine. If you ever need to add just a little you can tilt the motor up and turn it so the top plug is facing up. Dribble in until full then lower motor and allow the excess to run out before replacing the plug. You don't want to overfill a Merc/Mariner/Force lower unit because expansion pressure can pop out the cheesy little shift shaft seal.

Blend it wet....then let it dry.

Suddenly? Where do ya reckon they were a month ago? LOL

Fishing dry patterns wet definately works. I got spanked bad on the Niangua by a guy nymphing a #16 Adams, and as soon as I changed up it was Game On.

I haven't been out much, just a few short jaunts in the evenings. I'm still finding lots of super shallow crappie, and like the rest of you I am seeing the average size go up. So since I can't seem to stay on the whites this Fall I guess I should load up on crappie so I can have a few fish frys this Winter. I find it interesting that Wharfrat's bites were coming 3' under the floats because that's exactly the depth I am finding them up on the flats. It would actually be better for me to wade than to fight the wind in the boat. I don't know if they are up that shallow all day or just in the afternoon/evening since I've only been out from 5pm til dark, but there sure is plenty of them. One little twiggy piece of brush can give up 10 or more on a #4 clouser. All bites are on the pauses.