MrGiggles

Haven't had much yet, today or yesterday in Collins. About 20 minutes ago the wind starting blowing out of the north and really cooled off nice. Was on Stockton last night, a little shower went through for 45 minutes or so, that was it. Seems pretty overblown so far.

I caught one on Pomme a few weeks ago. Looked like someone drew a line all the way down his back with a sharpie.

If I had 400 bucks to spend on one of those coolers, I sure as heck wouldn't be cleaning fish on it. Good recipe though, worth a try.

Creeks are flowing now. Lake is up about 6 inches so far, likely still rising. Had a good rain today.

Will take a hard rain to get the creeks flowing again. The rain we got was just soaking rain. Great for crops and the grass, but creeks are still dry here.

IIRC most tank outlets are just 1/4" pipe threads. Could buy a male/female quick connect set and put them on the tank. I prefer Mercury twist lock connectors over anything else. You may also be able to unscrew the barb on the motor and install a quick connect there. If it's pipe thread, should be no problem getting a connector.

Went out tonight, that was a mistake. Jet Skis, ski boats, pontoons, everywhere, blaring music and doing what they do. Wheatland parking lot was full with trucks parked along the road at some point during the day. By the time I got there a couple spots had opened up. I get that they're just having a good time. But it sure makes it hard to dip a jig when you're bobbing in 3' wakes. Truman will always be the best lake to avoid pleasure boaters.

Been seeing more bucks this year too. There's been a couple fork bucks hanging out in the driveway pretty regularly here.

I was still a couple months from being born. I have seen the graffiti on the 83 bridge over Truman. It's incredible to imagine the lake being that high.

No excuse today.

Working on the boat, been chipping away at the project now for a while. Extended the front deck back to the middle bench seat and added a side console with a storage area, and a livewell. It's been one of those projects that makes you wonder if it'll ever end. Anyway, bilge pump is plumbed, half of the side console is carpeted and has the switch panel installed. Livewell timer wired and working. Hoping to have it done today, or at least done enough to use. It'll never be "finished".

According to the Crosman website it's classified as an airgun, not a bow, and falls into the alternative methods season. There's still a bit of a gray area though, as a legal airgun for big game needs to be .40 cal or larger, I don't know how a bolt fits into that, although Crosman says it's legal here. IMO, anything used in the archery season needs to be powered by limbs and a string. I really don't care either way, there's too many deer in this area.

They were tearing up the shad on Pomme last week too. Drop a spoon in the shade wake and it was a guaranteed fish on.

You ain't the only one. I went up last night, ran BB and crawler harnesses from Cedar Ridge to Maze on bluffs and points, and along the flats before dark. Caught a bunch of bluegills and a drum. Pulled cranks briefly and caught a small crappie and another drum. First drum that I've caught this year, actually. Stockton has always been feast or famine with me, and the 'pickins have been pretty slim for the last month. Not sure if the fish have moved further up the main lake, or the evening bite has just been lousy.

Made it out again tonight. Caught a couple of keepers on timber, then went to trolling flats again. That bite was pretty hot until the front moved through and the sky cleared. Right before dark the whites were tearing up the shad in shallow water on the surface. Caught 6 in about 15 minutes casting a Fle fly spoon. No big ones, but still tons of fun.

I fished pomme tonight, first time in a couple weeks. Caught one short crappie dipping trees, then got tired of fighting the wind and decided to pull cranks around the flats. Caught two more keepers in 30 minutes, then hooked something big at dusk. Saw that it was a 30" musky when it shot out of the water like a torpedo and spit out my crank.

I have been having a tough time. Two weeks ago I had two keepers in the bit right at dusk, and I caught several other decent fish. I went last night and caught one crappie about the size of my hand. No walleyes. Same areas, same presentation, which is crank baits. I'm am going to rig up some bouncers and slow death rigs, and try it this week.

Dayson's in Fair Play is supposed to have them.

I did a little more playing around. Lowe, Crestliner, and Tracker only offer Mercury, so that puts them lower on the list for a package deal. The G3 Guide V167 and V150 are very attractive, but they don't show the price online. The Alumacraft Summit 165 is also a great looking boat. Makes me wonder if it would be worth it to try and buy a Lowe or Crestliner without the motor, and buy it separately. It's not like installing a tiller motor is a lot of work.

Shortly after I bought my current boat the thought of upgrading has been on my mind, and it looks like it could be in the cards later this summer, maybe into fall. I have a 14' Alumacraft Semi-V with a 25 Johnson. It's done everything I've asked of it and has been a great boat, but I'm looking for something a little bigger, and definitely a deep V. Something easy on gas, easy to load with one person, and easy pulling. As far as layout goes, I just want an open floor, casting deck up front, and a Livewell. I'd like a 30-40hp outboard, Yamaha preferably. Electric start, power trim is nice but not a necessity. What are some good brands and dealers to look into? I have spent some time looking at G3, Alumacraft, and Tracker. They all seem pretty decent. My budget is looking at 10k, give or take. New seems like the best option. I haven't seen much at all that meets what I want locally, mostly just flat bottoms and bass boats.

I find that hard to believe, this hasn't been a particularly hot or dry year yet. It's been warmer than average, but the rainfall has been pretty steady.

I'm not enjoying it in the slightest. Today was especially bad, until the storms rolled through and took the edge off. I can bare the "cooler" days in the afternoons on the water. I'm hoping that maybe this summer will be like last winter, brutal in the beginning and mild afterward.

Talked to a guy at the ramp, pretty slow, he says. Well it was my first time ever catching more than one walleye in a short after work trip. I've caught plenty, just never more than one per trip. Dipped jigs around bridge pilings first, caught two short crappie, one keeper, and a small white. Screwed around for a while next, did a little trolling, caught another short crappie. After that I played around with a jigging spoon in the shade until dusk, then went back to trolling in a spot that has produced in the past. First fish, 18" walleye, then a good sized white, and another 19" walleye to end the night. All on lead core, ~22 ft down in 25-30 fow. #7 flicker shads. I finally bought a dedicated trolling rod with a line counter, it was worth every penny. Gotta get another. Now I just need to get my livewell put in, so I can keep a few for dinner when the weather is hot like this. My 5 gallon bucket days are over. 85 degree, water, still very clear.

I have done it before, but it kind of takes the fun out of it. 90 degrees is about my limit, even then I have to be in the shade until dusk. I might make the trip Sunday morning. I'll have to find time to put my motor back together first.

I went to lake of the woods in March 2004. Was a blast, monster jumbo perch and big walleyes through the ice. Would love to go again some day.