fishinwrench

Schools of 1 1/2 to 3 lb. Channel cat make what seems to be a migratory run up the creeks in the early Fall every year. Matter of fact it is going on right now. Every September they move up and cruise the deep clear water pools in tight schools and you can sight-fish to them if you stay out of the water and out of sight. I don't know how you'd flyfish for them up in this clear water though because they are real-real spooky. I use Bowker's original or Sonny's on a 3" red dipbait worm. Toss it out on the gravel flats where you can see the bottom near a hole and stand back away from the bank and wait for them to cruise by. You'll see one or two break away from the group to inspect the bait. When you see one "stand on his head", Set the hook.

Oh....Yeah. LOL Good point. Wow, we have really taken a fork in the road here. Do you consider Honey to be a natural product ? At which point in it's refinement does crude oil escape naturality, the instant it is removed from the earth, or after other elements are added/subtracted ?

Zach, concentrate on points that have a ledge (shelf). That always seems to be the ticket for Hybrids.

What would be considered forage for Stripers in a tailwater ? Shad wouldn't make it.

The difference there is: We (non-native Americans) were not placed in this country by a higher power. Our forefathers migrated here on thier own and we evolved from there (survival of the fittest, albeit not very democratically). I guess you could say that WE are the "Spotted Bass" of the human race.

You are definately living right. Congrats on the catch....all of'em. BTW....Is that a White or a Hybrid ? Just looking at the lines (all the way to the tail).

Sounds like you had a pretty decent day. Awesome ! Wanna swap soft hacle patterns ? This one always comes through for me on the Niangua.... TMC 3761 #14. olive 6/0 uni-thread. Rib: gold wire. Body: lt.olive uni-stretch. Thorax: peacock Ice Dub. RN pheasant hackle. With the conditions you had Friday I would have had a #4 shot about 2ft up on 5x, and feed alot of line into the swing. The toon is perfect for the Niangua when the river is between 2.0 and 3.0, but I know how it is when it's down below 1.5 (I have an 8ft. Outcast that's hard to keep straight in slow water...and God help you if the wind picks up). Personally I'd go Canoe before 'yak...but that's just me. I use a OT147 Guide, it's a bit heavy but it's solid as a rock, floats shallows great, and solo's just fine. I like to pack a lawn chair, cooler, and some backup spinning gear for Smallies. Plus and I have to have room for my fishin'hound so a 'yak or little solo canoe would never work for me.

First off, the smaller primer bulb in the bilge compartment is OIL , not Fuel. You don't need to be squeezing on it. Remove the cowling and pump up the FUEL primer bulb. Squeeze the bulb hard and hold pressure on it while looking/listening for leaks. As for anything further, If you aren't confident or somewhat knowlegable about what your doing I'd recommend you just take it to a qualified tech.

Phil, I think diplomacy was practiced here by all. [u]Cowboy diplomacy

Oh yeah...I seperated a couple of ribs once... it's a MF'er. By all means do nothing that might trigger a coughing fit, or uncontrollable laughter, cuz you'll pass out. Hope you heal more gracefully than I did.

I just want it noted that I did not enter into a "Jesus" debate with Scudz... although I really-really wanted to. Phil would be proud of me.

Pump your primer bulb up tight before cold starting. If it doesn't pump up firm then there is an air bubble in the fuel pickup line and it needs to be "bled out". Or you have a fuel leak somewhere. If the primer bulb pumps up tight but the engine is still hard to cold-start, check to see if your fuel tank may be equipped with an anti-siphon valve. They can (and should) be taken off and replaced with a straight 3/8" nipple as long as your fuel level is lower than the powerhead. (Which includes just about every boat design, except for pontoons). Those are the initial troubleshooting steps for a hard cold start. I'll mention one other thing, just because I see alot of people doing this on steep ramps. If you are starting it on the trailer (before shoving off the bunks) be sure that the exhaust relief on the back of the lower cowling is not under water.... The motor needs to be level, and it needs to be able to "breath". When the exhaust relief is under water it causes the sensors to indicate a "too rich" code to the ECM, which in turn shortens injector pulse width in attempt to adjust the fuel balance. Pushing the boat the rest of the way off the trailer and allowing the boat, and engine, to float more level should keep all the sensors in line for a smooth cold start. Wrench

Winter drawdown. Pulling the lake level down during Winter exposes the shoreline and freezes it which always killed the milfoil down to 5-6ft. But when the water was clearer the aquatic weeds grew deeper than that in spots....so they were able to "come back" each year. I guess the reduced clarity compounded by the winter drawdown totally eliminated ALL the weeds. They also used to spray something that smelled like diesel fuel along the shoreline around the resorts, either to kill mosquito's or kill weeds, not sure what that was all about, but they don't do it anymore. If anyone remembers when there was milfoil on LO, there was an inside and outside edge to them, they never grew right up to the bank. And the fish used to LOVE those inside weed edges in the early Summer. We'd cast a spinnerbait, Moss Boss or inline bucktail buzzbait over the weedbeds to the bank, and there was 10-20 foot of clean gravel before the weedbeds. The fish would blow up on the bait right at the weed edge and you'd have to "hoss him" over the strip of weeds into the open water ....it was a blast ! I wish we'd had Sluggo's or Horny Toads back then We even used to catch the occasional Pike, Pickerel, or Muskie (we called them Pike, but didn't know the difference back then) and I haven't heard of anyone catching either from this lake in a LONG long time. As a kid I used to walk the banks with a texas rigged Smitty's Special "grasshopper" colored 6"ringworm (fishing that inside weed edge) and literally kill'em. Docks were spotty and not near as close together. The bass fishing on LO was awesome back then....but the Crappie and catfishing sucked compared to what it is now, and I didn't even see my first White Bass until I was almost 20. So things evolve I guess, some naturally and some because of the impact of humans. It's sad though when you remember, or even just see pictures from back in the 60's and 70's...God this place was gorgeous. Everyone wanted to be here, now they are...and this is the result.

Gives new meaning to the term s#!tfaced doesn't it ? Oh Make no mistake Cricket, Big brother will figure out a way to legislate taking a crap. I'm sure they've been wanting to for quite some time... Now they have a valid media-friendly excuse. While we're on the subject, is the milk crate I carry in my canoe still legal, or did we loose those with the last law-making session ? I'm not sure which poly-sumthin' it is made out of.

I've heard of the dye tests, and you are right. There isn't enough "earth" between the septic laterals and the shoreline to filter out the wastewater. And with more and more homes becoming year'round dwellings vs. strictly Summer/vacation homes it has gotten worse and worse. When I was a kid this water was clear/blueish-green, beds of Milfoil, Hydrilla, and Lilly pads provided good fish cover, along with some docks, stumps and brush, this place was beautiful. By my twenty's the water had turned a shade of dark-green (the color of a clay bottomed farm pond) aquatic vegetation was scarce but present in certain spots. Now that I'm in my 40's the water is taking on more of a brownish tint, there is no aquatic vegetaion anywhere that I am aware of, and regardless of the reported "ok" surface water testing I'm convinced in my own mind that E-coli levels are off the charts BELOW THE SURFACE. And frequent transfusions of slightly better water from Truman and the Nianguas only improve the surface layer slightly, it cannot scour the bottom of all the settled sludge. Enter Zebra mussels,... maybe they will flourish until they are no longer needed, a balance will be reached, and then their numbers will decline along with their food source. Anything that can reduce the amount of solids in the water HAS to help. Hopefully by letting Mother Nature do her thing....it'll all work out. Last year during the fall turnover there was a wicked stench in the air (off and on, depending on the wind) for more than a week ...It smelled like you were standing between a hog farm and a truckload of burnt popcorn (best way I know how to describe it) LOL I live here and work on the lake and I'm not really "afraid" to get in the water, but I don't let my kids swim in it, and I don't jump in unless I have to. My family and I do our swimming, watersports, and most all of our fishing elsewhere. But that's for more reasons than just the pollution factor.

Quite a bit of activity on the mid-upper Osage, not too much action on the "surface" but they are slammin' Rebel fastracks and Rattle-traps around the long points and islands....when they are up on them. Heavy overcast days, or late evenings are obviously best.

It should be one of the three year/class I posted earlier (1937 - 38 - 39) I think that is the only period they were made. When I ship powerheads or complete outboards I build a pallet out of 2x1's, strap the motor to it, and wrap it with cardboard.

No problem. please accept my apology as well. Thanks, wrench

I'm over the top? Did I not say that I wasn't attempting to refuel the thing? I believe I did. I never said anyone was lying or giving bad info, just said that what they were reporting wasn't the ONLY bite on TR. Geeze Phil, the dude acted like we had really stepped on his toes....as if the temporary hiatus of a few reports was gonna put him out of the fish catching loop. I was actually clueing him pretty darn good for your information, in an attempt to make ammends for my part of it the only way I knew how. I mean, since I don't have the personal clout with you that PD obviously has. By the way, A PM and a deletion of my post would have been fine if you truly thought I crossed the line. Scolding me like a mouthy stepchild in front of everyone here is pretty much over the top, IMO, but I'm big enough to get over that. Have I not "contributed" selflessly, and PLENTY to this congregation for quite some time ? I think I have....and will continue to do so....unless you'd rather I didn't. Is "guide" info the only information of any value ?

Can I bring something up, without refueling this dying debate ? When the "guides" got picked upon, or "trolled" as you are intent on calling it, they weren't in the act of posting reports....They were pissin' and moanin' about some of the actions of average fishermen. Who obviously are people that they feel are "below" them. They were basically doggin' anyone that fished their holes without hiring them first....on a public waterway. Nobody ran them off, a few here (myself included) just thought they were being a bit too full of themselves and unloaded on'em. I don't personally know Eric or Don or whoever else was feeding into it, but I didn't say anything to them that I wouldn't say to a good friend or a brother. Other than the lake level, a good weather report, and how much weight it took to get a check in the latest tournament...What else do you need to know before fishing Table Rock ? Seriously. They were telling y'all all this ultra-deep structure crap anyway....but if you must know, the really good weight has been coming out of 5-15 ft on spinnerbaits, swimbaits and worms all Summer long.

Heaviest 4....looser cooks em. deal ? well, wait a minute... you do Cook better than you fillet, right ?

The only thing that I dislike about Fall river fishing is having to decide whether to wet-wade, or put on waders. Either way you're going to be uncomfortable for part of the day. Al, cranking trebles is definately a pain during the leaf period. Do you put away the crankbaits then, or just deal with it ? For several years I've been deadsticking BIG tubes in the late Fall when the leaves are thick, and it seems to work better then that at any other time. Just pitch it where you think a fish might be, let it settle, tighten up on it, and wait about 20-30 seconds for the bite. If no bite reel it on in and shoot for the next spot. During one trip my buddy did the same with a big single colorado spinnerbait and had fish picking it up while motionless on the bottom. I think a big bait falling vertically amidst all the horizontally moving leaves and debris really gets their attention. Since then I've use a similar technique with heavy overdressed clousers on trout at Bennett when they are running the weedcutting boats and it works on them too. Just show them something thick and meaty, moving in a totally different direction than the floating crud and they jump all over it

Oh goody.....can I have a piece o'that ?

I guess it's all about who ya know....ya know ? "Contributes no value" ? oh come now..... nothing has been "destroyed", all the fish are still in the lake, and healthy as ever.