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Ok Tim, now I know how you feel about Aunts

Have found the mouth way easier also. Just aim between the crushers and watch for bubbles as you hold the fish in the well. Figure it has to be better than feeling for the sweet spot thru the side, couple of good tools for it are available from the Calif websites. Have had to do it to FB jig fish, rig fish, even some fish I would have called schoolies that apparently zoom up from the depths to get a bait. Not always just the fish you know are deep.

Have to like the spook idea...even if not a good bite, or a good day for it with that many boats someone should hit one 5+ on a spook.

I'll bite... 1) 6'6"-7' Med Lite St Croix spin rod, reel as you like it (large spool 3000 size Daiwa's for me), 6# seaguar fc, 1/4oz round head with single wire guard & 3/0 gamak, 4" smoke single tail (chompers, yammie, whatever). Good every single day for catching something that swims on this lake, from school fish to vertical fish, whites to crappie. Wire guard makes it a practical drag bait. Good bait in wind. 2) 6'6" Med Hvy trigger, whatever reel (mostly old curados for me currently), 15# seaguar fc, 1/2oz-3/4oz jig spoon in white or chrome, gamak RB treble. Good for school fish, vertical fish, can flip it in docks, hop it down gravel points. Like the grub it is multi species, maxi opportunity. If pressed, guess I could narrow it to a chrome spoon, seems to do better when you hop it. Don't always have these both on the deck, but they are both 100% always tied on and in the rod box, at least. Would go with a jig, but have seen too many times fish get locked into "looking up" to feed. Was hard not to put a C-rig in as #2.

My only Q is...How did you manage to throw the rocks and levitate / run / plane off all at the same time? That is great stuff, esp since you are still able to tell it.

And true to boot. Sometime I will have to go into detail on Wife and the view of the Northern Lights from Kimberling City

I thought the snakes were worse last month than I remembered. Lots of them around the docks/banks a mile or 2 either way of 13HWY. Seems like they would be worse with higher water, but I didn't have any issues in '08. Does remind me of a clasic Wife story...about 1997 or so, a friend from my club was telling me about how bad the snakes had been at Truman a week before. When I asked him how he kept them out of the boat he said "When they swim up by the motor, just tap 'em on the head with a jig rod and they'll swim off." Next weekend was at Pomme with Wife when a snake followed us from the bluff by the island clear around the other side of the island. When she asked what to do I gave her his advice. It worked (insert stunned). Then she asked how I knew it would work. "Well...Dave said it would work, so I thought I'd let you try first."

Bill...could the fin to spook switch have something to do with the position / size of the shad in the area? Glad to hear about the drag fish. Will be down 13th thru 20th out of Schooner. Around there we are usually driven off by the big boats around 930am or so. That is with kids in theboat, but wouldn't care for much more if I was by myself honestly.

Usually do fairly well with my kids on the deeper docks around 13...using sort of a "junior" version of a drop shot. Obviously there are lots of small fish around the docks, but we usually manage a few solid ones by fishing under them, and in nasty places. Bonus for them is the odd small K or black that tends to show up, and not getting too pounded by wakes running up and down the lake. Have to keep it fun.

Wow...you'd sort of think anyone willing to put the time and $ into hiring a guide would want to get after it. 7AM this time of year is time to slip it and head to Ma's for taters and eggs, then maybe back out for bluegill with the short people before the big boats cut loose at noon.

That is one of the neatest tmt ideas I have ever heard of. Hope it works out for all.

+1 for me. Especially the spoon bit, that one is still on my to do list.

I wonder if the stick is just turning some of the fish that will look at TW and not eat it. Seemed that way a few weeks ago. Good news on the rig and jig bites. Thanks Bill.

Hard to see it not being the end of any spawn activity. Question might be what it does to the shad.

Kind of expected that. Maybe if it gets up and COE leaves it there for a bit. Has the wet done much to the color? Much trash coming down?

Is the water up in the bushes enough to make any difference? Up long enough for any bait to get up there?

Ok, we couldn't quite get an answer on what causes it, does anyone know what makes it break up? Water coming in / thru? Temp?

Try to think of the grub like slow rolling a blade. Some days they will be suspended, usually around bait, & want it swimming, others they will want it scrubbing along the bottom. That zoom bait is a good grub to throw any time you are winding it back vs vertical fishing. Points are good, so are little places with some water and some pole timber for the fin. Kind of looking for the first place fish can stop, suspend, and eat after they pull off the beds. Brown fish will sometimes get in the middles of the cove mouths (hope that description makes sense) with some depth under them and run bait there after the spawn. Just a couple other places to look.

Just found out BPS now has a rubber wade net. Will have to give them another donation.

I have 2 both work, but I hate them both. Both are BPS...one is actually a larger wading net with the short handle, very handy, other is a mid size basic alum handle that I swapped nets out so it is rubber. If I had to pick I would go with the wading net, but could not find a rubber no tangle net for it. Keep in mind, I usually fish alone, so handy is a key for me.

Think you could probably throw silver flitter or the blue shiner and do as well as any others most of the year. Also like clear with ribs and red head, black, chrome for bright days, perch or frog colors sometimes around docks. You might just have foud a "pet" spook that works a little better than some of the others.

Bill, your meaning is to hit the wake more or less bow on? Have been trying to visualize and keep coming up with different images, maybe I need to get out my toy boats. Thinking less bow on, let more of the wake hit more of the length? Watched it several times, couldn't make out the brand of boat. Bullet?

Glad to hear he had a good time, and thanks for the report. Too many days on this lake are tough for the kids.

If you find out let us know. Just hope I don't have to buy a new Chevy to see it.

Have seen a couple of those, but seems like they are never mine. Did have a nice late kicker at Smithville about 10 years ago. Stuck one around 4# with minutes to go, through it in the box and started weaving thru trees back to W. Threw them in a sack for weigh in and she still had pieces of spinnerbait skirt sticking out of her mouth/teeth. Looked fierce thru the plastic bag. Would have looked better with about 2 more just like her, but sadly... Had some good spots found in the back of Little Indian in Nov 2002. First year I really learned to deep fish. Could put a limit or 2 in the boat with a spoon in an hour or so every morning if you got there first and early. Would go out, then be back to take the family to Branson for play day by 930 or so. Those fish stayed there and in Trace Hollow for a couple of months.