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Not my meaning at all Gary, and if anyone else took it that way please know that. I don't watch NASCAR for wrecks either as I've had a wreck myself and understand there is not one thing entertaining about them. As a long time slow boat owner I was, as I wrote, honestly impressed by the show that was going on. Had just popped up to Aunts after dinner to look at some different lake than out the back of the cabin and ended up watching a boat blow down that creek about twice as fast as I usually do. It was a super fast rig, and fun to watch. It captivated me for about 15 minutes until I finally went down to talk to two complete strangers and compliment them on their boat, in my Ranger gear no less. Not surprised to hear it is made in TN, believe that is also the home of Bullet, Blazer, Bumble Bee? Allison at one time? For a fast boat it looked pretty well laid out for fishing, which is what they are all for in the end. But it sure did look like it could go over. We had quite a bit of wind that day and evening, and running into the wind it looked like some serious driving was required. There were a couple of runs where I was concerned for boat and boater, but maybe I am nervous in the service on that sort of thing. If impressive or impressed are descriptions no one likes I can't help it. Am even more such knowing it ran 96 in that wind and handled as well as it did. Hopefully everyone is unruffled, but I still wouldn't get in anything like that. Used to get in an old 340V Ranger with a hot 150 Merc that seemed about twice as big as the boat...it reminded me a little of the look and sound that ride had. That boat did nearly go over once, but a good driver saved the day. Good news for Techo is I didn't see them fishing in Aunts .

I can run those baits, or a pop-r / prop bait and not look at it, wait for the load. But I can't quit watching the fin to make sure it is waking right. Drives me nuts. Pretty sure if I get into any kind of yoga up front I'll end up getting fished out by Water Patrol.

Told me they could get 80+ out of my 521VX with a 250 Hammer on the back. No thank you. I'd rather be able to run wakes and waves at 50-60mph and not feel like the boat is coming apart under me. That's why I bought it. Think the brown fish like that I go slow, makes me look less serious, less threatening. Had it 5 years and only turned hour 76 last week. I left when they started unbolting the TM to try and get a few more mph. Impressive show, thought maybe the wind would flip it on over a time or two. It had that crazy fast hull sound to it.

Appreciate the answers. Intend to look for them a bit, will post what I learn. Ones we caught were eating little shad in with the brown fish. Little shad.

Saw a couple of guys running a Stroker (?) back and forth in Aunts Cr last week back by the second ramp. Would have been last Fri or Sat eve about 7pm. Had a big Yamaha with a funny cowling on it & I walked down to check out what the motor was, didn't think of it but may have been the Dyna Prop guys. They were running for speed, boat, motor, gas, batteries, TM, and said something like 100# to simulate tackle. Could tell boat was quick from the parking lot, but it GPS'd 90MPH on their best run . Know my Ranger is a barge, but there is no way I would ever get in anything like that. Boat was barely in the water, could see the wind catching it and moving it around. Not familiar with the brand, but reminded me of some Bullets / Blazers I have seen...long, pointy, and abut as heavy as a sugar wafer. Not for me, thank you. I want about 20' of Champ, Ranger, or similar under me.

Sudden change in direction works sometimes. Not meaning a jerk/stop/twitch, but a hard left/right, if you can do it. Think this is why you sometimes get a blow-up boatside, slash at a grub/jig/blade boatside. Bait makes a sudden directional change when you yank it out of the lake. Hey, at least they are fun to watch. Prefer that to the other kind of sight fishing.

Would like to hear an answer also, if anyone has one. Would love to get my kids on some next month. Do they just pull out farther on the gravel places, or is this one of the fish that run for the bluffs?

Bill, How much wind do you think is too much for the fin? Have always put it down and picked up a spook or something else when I can't see the wake well enough to know it is running right. Am I missing fish by setting it down too early? Thanks in advance.

Sorry got the places pics mixed up, PC crashed about 3 times while trying to get the uploads. Basically postcard looking water for the fin, flat nothing stuff for the grub fish.

Won't bother with fish report info, except to note grubs/fins were the hot tickets. Lighter grub heads seemed to work better, especially if the wind laid off. Fish were caught on about everything and everywhere all within a few miles either way of Kimberling. Deep fish, suspended fish, shallow fish, bed fish, dock fish, school fish...and on grubs, fins, spooks, flukes, senkos, big and little rigs, shakey stuff, jig spoons around deep shad, hair jigs, whirly bees, Mc Sticks, hard and soft swimbaits... Fished 4/19 to 5/9 in the longest consecutive stretch of days I have spent at the lake. Ah, to be a full time fish bum. Had company 5 of those days, a buddy from Leavenworth who is /was a Truman guy, and my wife's cousin & his girlfriend doing the Branson thing from Omaha, NE. Went through bags and bags of grubs, wore out gamak heads setting on fish, had a brown fish break a $20 swimbait. Crazy. Always expect to have some good days at the Rock, but usually they involve a ton of work to make happen. This trip it was like a farm pond. No idea how many were caught, but there were definite 100+ days, triples hooked up with Joe and Amber in a storm shortened half day trip. If you love this lake, or are in the other camp and have had tough days here, now is the time to go. Just get your head around the clear water. John with a nice one on a fin. Left him way too many fish. He started to like smoke grubs and clear water. Couldn't get him to drop down to 6# though. This was the Sunday after the tornado. Some Mc Stick fish. Kind of late, but with wind and sun they were into it. The kids were great to fish with. Easy to see why some trips are more memorable for our guides than others. Was a little apprehensive since I usually fish alone, and was not sure of their skill level or interest. They beat me to the ramp, both took to the grub instantly, she whacked him most of the day, and she takes her own fish off. Can't get my wife to do that and she's been around bass for almost 16 years now. Average grub keepers, some a little better, some not. Types of places fished most of the week. To answer one of the inevitable Q's...fish we boxed for pics were all post spawn as far as we could tell. Any obvious nest fish went right back. All were swimming when last I saw them. Do a search for Glory Bags if you want to see a neat way to keep fish calm in the livewell. Minimizes handling, thrashing, makes them simple to cull. Color coded individual rubber mesh zip bags for each fish. http://www.basstackledepot.com/glorybags.aspx Thanks to all of you who post here, especially when things do not work as planned. Have a new respect for the physical and mental beating our guide friends and the fish every day guys take. Will be back in mid June, hope some TW fish hold up. If not then it will be on to rigs, fb igs, and spoons.

Was fishing the buoy point about midway back in Schooner when that one blew up. Waited out the earlier am stuff, watching out the cabin window as my trailered Ranger filled with rain and was emptied by the auto pump over and over. Like a moron, decided it was good to go out, fished through several of the downpours (better understanding of "tornadic rain" now) and hit some nice ones on grubs. When it lightened up I ventured out of the no wake and started working down the buoy point. At first crack of thunder I quit concentrating on the grub and looked towards the mouth/bridge and saw the dark stuff coming. Bailed for the resort dock, loaded up and headed up the hill. Didn't think the hail was as bad as the day before. Watched who I think was Bill Beck come blowing up the road from the Schooner resort ramp shortly after I did. Right after I did hear what I can only describe as sort of an organic grinding sound which must have been the bad cloud. Dumb thing is this scenario was almost identical to when I was tornadoed off the Rock the first time, Easter weekend, 1998 or 99. Basically same pattern and timing of weather, temps, etc, except the Schooner Ck resort dock didn't blow loose in this one. This was the third, and every time I swear there won't be another one. Trickier weather on this lake than any other I have fished. Storms are much less straightforward, and their speed is hard to judge. Have some impressive video of the storm path shot from around Gobblers Mtn...can see the line it took by following the downed trees.

Was down 4/19 thru 5/9. Seemed like after a storm or front they were just a little less on the topwater than before the front, or a day or 2 after. More follows than munching, but we had some pretty solid temp drops then.

That swivel idea is very nice. Kind of like the extra hook up the line on jig spoons.

Tie my own on #2 EWG gamaktsu. Usually some flashabou or about 6 white feathers. Ties very fast if you are at all handy with a vise and thread. Same idea for other sizes, but use the #2 on the back of fins.

Caught a bunch of rockies from 4/20 to 5/7 on grubs, rigs, shakey heads on the same kinds of places around Schooner. Impressive little fish, some real solid ones in the same sizes described. We caught them in all depths though. My kids love the little guys. Buddy described them as a mouth with a tail.

Take all the factory hardware off and throw it far away. Replace the split rings with smaller, front treble about a #4 Gamak, rear a feather or tinsel #2. Slap a couple of suspendots on the rear of the front belly (by the joint) on top of each other. Even then, as Mr. Babler once replied to a Q of mine, about half work right if you are lucky. Can drop to a #6 up front if you get a bad one, sometimes helps. EWG's seem a little lighter than the RB, but have not weighed to verify. Big mono helps, so does playing with boat speed etc. Started throwing the small Tru Tungsten floater swimbait in the last 2 weeks and really like it. The brown fish absolutely despise it, I mean hatred in their beady little eyes.

Caught a bunch of good fish last week around 13HWY on the chrome McStick, mostly suspended posties in the same place as grub fish but with more sun, more wind, clear water places. Just felt right for a stick, even with the messed up temps. Just back to real life yesterday, will try to get a report up today, at least for recording purposes.

Bill, those gar were thick in the little coves around 13HWY. Made me wish for a bow and arrow, or maybe a shotgun.

The little swimbaits have their moments, like the 3/8oz Sebile, also the smaller plastic swimmers. I will say I caught more small fish than good ones on them last year though.

As I understand it, the water that is released from most dams comes from the bottom of the water column, thus the cold water fisheries below Beaver, Rock, Bull, Norfork, etc... Could probably find out how cold that usually is from Phil or from someone on the trout pages.

Thanks again to Phil for getting the stickers done. Got mine in the mail Sat, will get them on tonight or tomorrow am. Pic of the sticker free ride is below, if fueling, trailering, at Harter House, etc she will be strapped to a white Ford Excursion, KS tags. Feel free to say howdy.

Any day they will eat the fin all day is a good one. Great to hear it.

Fins will be in the local shops or in the topwater or striper section at BPS...they are the big jointed version, about 5 1/2 or 6". Throw 'em ahead of the boat and wind them back sloooowly so they don't dive and do leave a V wake behind them. Helps to change out to lighter hooks, rings, and add a tail. All you need is a chrome and a shad color. Not all of them will run right, some dive too much. Should start up soon and just get better as post spawn fish start to pull out. It can be a real big bite.

Can also c-rig, t-rig, shakey, and a pretty good dead sticking wacky worm for bed fish. Oh, and it drop shots too. I usually run it on 8# fluoro with 1/8 to 1/4 mojo weights and an EWG or G-lock 1 to 2/0. The 2/0 helps with the brownies described by Gitnby. They will just take off hard with it, don't leave it in the water and the rod on the deck. Centipedes work too, but that darn doctor seems to get more bites.

No negativity intended OF. I've seen the spring thing in person in Iowa, going from gin clear at ice out to gunk a day or so later. My impression reading thru all of it was just that it would need to happen earlier. Ice out in southern IA was usually a late Feb kind of affair. Maybe someone who does the scuba thing can chip in with info on the temp variation of the layers. If wind plays a role, is it safe to assume water flow would as well? Always the possibility of getting cold water dumped in from the bottom of Beaver.