powerdive

I haven't tasted any perch since last week (in Minnesota)! Super-easy to fillet, never an ounce of fat, firm white flesh. Yep--perch are great!

Hey, I hail from Wisconsin, and I've caught maybe 8 or 10 yellow perch in Bull Shoals over the last 5-6 years--even when fermented malt beverages weren't involved. Several were caught last weekend by anglers fishing the MSW walleye tournament in the Tucker Hollow and Peel areas. Most of mine came from the Kdock area, a couple from the lower lake.

TFW, try 15 to 20 feet....the mouth of the Kings would be a good place to start.

WR, watch yerself. The next one might be rotten... There's a lot of investigation yet to be done, on both lakes. Where do the really big gals go, after the spawn? Gary Parsons said the record class fish probably spend virtually all their time way down deep. Johnnie Candle said the biggest walleyes in the system likely behave totally different from the rest of the population--ya might need to put musky baits in front of them, to match the hatch they key on--or you might need to fish where no other walleye angler has gone before. There's certainly plenty of water to cover out there.... As Johnnie said, pray that you're ready when that fish of a lifetime hits--because it'll probably be the only chance you get.

On this lake, Bass = common, average size = decent, top size = nothing special. Walleye and crappie = fairly scarce, average size = excellent, top size = record class. Some folks prefer the challenge--so have fun, all ye Romans!

Yep, that's the one. Thanks, swellcat!

Marty, my mother-in-law sent me a clipping from the Janesville Gazette newspaper back home in Wisconsin--a story by outdoor writer Ted Peck about his recent fishin' trip to Missouri. The story included a large color photo of you hoisting a chunky walleye on a Stockton shoreline... I assume you've seen it, but hey--cool beans!

With all the sharpshooters on the water throwing stickbaits and jigs to the shallows, has anyone heard of any big walleyes being caught? Just curious...

Very cool!!!

Sam, I think it's more a matter of which part of the lake you're fishing than technique. Get upstream (Kings, White, probably the James), you've got a better shot at finding some. Definitely a much smaller population at Table Rock, so location comes more into play. We had a couple good days last June, but the rest of the season, we couldn't find very many. No idea where they ran off to...to me, Table Rock is very much a work in progress, and so far, the fish are winning most days.

Bull Shoals fishes a lot like Table Rock in the summer. Look for the same types of spots, and the fish will respond to the same tactics. There are better numbers at BS, though.

Jason, Welcome. Sent you a PM. Mike

I'm from up nort, ya know der, hey. Had to take my outboard into the shop--I scorched a cylinder. When it was done, the nice lady at the counter told me I'd need to "dobble earl it fer awhaal." Huh? Is that Swedish, or what? I made her repeat it and try to define it 5 or 6 more times until it struck me. She wanted me to put some extra oil in the tank the first few times out... Cost me a "purty pinny" whether I could communicate with them or not. That part I understood quite well.

Hey Sam... The weather being what it was, some folks who'd been planning to fish stayed home. We had 6 boats instead of the dozen or so we expected. And they didn't really miss anything. Fishing was very tough for our group (except for bass, as usual). The breeze got your attention, and the sun came out about mid-morning. Only one walleye brought in--a 22.5 incher caught between Powersite and Swan at high noon. They were trolling cranks on leadcore, banging bottom through a 12-foot hole.

Last year I caught and released a 4-lb. rainbow near the mouth of Bear Creek in May. Trolling a crank at 30 feet. I imagine there are at least a few trout in the lower story of the lake pretty much all year.

I've actually caught two of 'em in the K Dock area. Believe it or not, I was trolling cranks both times. They are rather spirited...

Nice going, Doug!

Oh, but I do! Wanna play bumper boats? I've gotten 3 double-digit eyes, but The Rock hasn't given me any. Yet.

On second thought, this thread should be deleted until I catch my first 15 pounder. Is it legal to use bass for bait? Bravo, Martin. Good stuff!

Heck, for another $10 or so you can forget the add-on gizomo and pick up a cheapie LC reel. The Cabela's Depthmasters aren't great reels, but they'll get you started. On sale for $24.88 right now--why not? http://www.cabelas.com/cabelas/en/template...rset=ISO-8859-1

Absolutely. It's not so much the depth thing--you can get there by trial-and-error--it's the repeatability. When you DO score, you'll be able to do it again. ie, that last fish hit crankbait X running at 2.2 mph in 17 feet of water, with 116 feet of line out. Now you can duplicate the winning presentation precisely. Sonar, GPS, line counter--all contributing parts of your trolling "system"...to help you dial it in.

TFW, This should keep you busy for awhile. By the time you get thru all this you'll be a trolling dynamo, well-versed in all major trolling techniques. These are the article archives at offshoretackle.com, the manufacturer of the world's most popular walleye trolling supplies (planer boards, snap weights, etc.). Yes, they're done in support of their product line, but these articles contain tons of great info, going back several years: http://www.offshoretackle.com/articles.html I have a set of snap weights, but seldom use them. I probably should get them out more often, but leadcore works for me. Besides the depth factor, and the fact that you don't need much in the way of specialized gear, the other big advantage of using snap weights is VERTICAL SWIM. Every time you speed up, slow down or make a turn, the effect on the weight and your bait is immediate. And walleyes react to lures that suddenly sink or rise. Leadcore is also speed dependent, but the effect is more pronounced with snap weights. Do you have GPS? It helps to know your actual speed--while it's not totally essential, it can help to eliminate some of the guesswork.

Hey rps, the easiest way to slow down is to toss out a drift bag on each side before you start trolling. (Maybe not good inside the timber, though!) You don't need the mongo units--the 24" to 30" will handle things just fine. Just run 'em off cleats just ahead of your console. You'll only need 4-6 feet of rope for each--just enough to get them under the surface. Not only will they slow you down, they'll make boat control much easier. The wind won't be able to push you around, and your hull won't bounce so much in the wakes and waves.

Yes, of course, use your downrigger. It's more precise than any other system. But what are you gonna do for your other rod(s)? Walleye trolling is a whole new ballgame for most folks down here. It's easy to get overwhelmed by technology and new approaches. Here's the deal: You need to know approximately how deep your bait is running. Otherwise, you will seldom, if ever, catch a walleye in this lake. There just aren't that many in there, and they tend to stay at a very well defined level during the daytime. That level may change some day to day, but RPS has told you the general seasonal trend. In this clear water, walleyes WILL come up to take a bait. But not very far. They don't have to, thanks to the abundance of shad. If you absolutely, positively want to know how deep your Hellbender will run, you can a) test it yourself on a deep sandy flat, or be real nice to Martin and maybe he'll tell you.

I've always wondered about dropshotting a Sabiki Rig for crappies...should work...IF it's legal to use 6 lures on one line in Missour-ah.