Bitethis

Thanks for that formula, seems basic enough (basic enough that I should know it;-). How do you decide which brand to use? I have a thing about NOT using basspro brand, but other than that I just tend to stay away from cranks over $6, usually. I have a hard time justifying spending more than that.

Although there isn't a ton of different ways to use a crankbait (slow retrieve, fast retrieve, pause and go is the extent of my uses), there are a lot out there. I can narrow them down to a few colors....but I struggle with the variety: Flicker Shad Wiggle Wart Bomber Livingston Rapala (and so many variences here) Bandits Megabass Luckycraft Norman Strike King Jackall Yo-Zuri Spro X-Calibur Then there is: Square bill round bill Short body Long body Flat Fat Silent Rattle Etc. Then there are the new ones that hook me more than I hook fish: Lifetarget Shadball Crankbait Gary Yamamoto Yo Zuri Storm Arashi I think to your point, I whittling it down to what you have success with is what I need to do...but what if <insert newest/hottest bait here> will outperform my standby's? Then I accumulate and rotate, and the hobby continues and turns into something like my wifes spoon collection.

thats a nice layout, thank you! I noticed in your surface bait box that it appears you don't have any buzzbaits. I also don't see any spinner baits? Are they hidden, or do you choose not to mess with em? I would assume you limit your excursions to panfish and wallays, except for the arig/swimbait box?

So now i am thinking I need to invest in Flicka shads....am I missing out? I think I have 3 or 4 total...but I don't troll fish that often.

When I think about it...i can narrow my success down to that (about 10 lures). And regardless of lure, it boils down to 3-4 color choices depending on environmental factors. Maybe I should be content with the success i have (for not being a pro angler, or on the same level as some of you old timers) and accept that I am really good at fishing cats, and whites...mediocre at Crappie and LM/SM stick with what I know and stop gettign excited about all the newest crazes, etc. TOP 5 List: A rig (2 color plastic choices) Pop'r (2 kinds) Spinnerbait (3 colors) Lipless crank (3 colors) Med dive Crankbait (2 colors) Outside of that, my success tapers off significantly. All you need for cats is some hooks, bait net, and a 5ga bucket - Game on!

So that is an interesting philosophy I am leaning towards after this years frustration. I have a tackle box soley for catfishing, i take nothing else except that when i go fishing for cats. Same for crappie. I was thinking of making a "stockton tackle box" for LMB and Whites, as that is usually all I fish for there. on occassion, I may swing for the fences and "target" walley, but it will be luck that I catch one. Walleye are not in my wheelhouse of expertise, but I do love eating them...maybe one day I can focus on that. I fish stockton 90% of the time, Pomme 1-2 times a year, and TableRock I will hit once with a buddy...if he asks me. I don't think 1 lake is ebtter or worse, I just know stockton best. twice a year I hit Osage arm of LOZ for crappie (30 minute limites last 3 years, same spot, same lure, same time of year) But stockton is my go to, and I don't have much success with 1/2 my tackle there. (confidence my be a contributing factor). I hear a lot of other guys having significant success with this or that, and I don't want to miss out. My fear is I will go somewhere with 7 lures, and my partner will be killing it on one of the 20 others I left at home. I think I need to take that plunge and force myself to do it. Suspending stick baits is another lure i have plenty of, but fail at using effectively. (again, I feel like im missing out because i know alot of successful fishermem using stickbaits)

So...as March begins, i find myself breaking out all my fishign tackle. (Yes, I put it away in the winter, because I don't like fishing in the cold [under 40f]). Every year that Bpro does their Spring Classic, I like to go see some of the new stuff in person, get a good eye on it. This year, I have seen some new crank baits by Gary Yamamoto (Chikara Crank) that have caught my eye. At $8, it is the MOST expensive crank I have ever purchased, but I thought I would give it a shot ((silver/black, Chart/Blue, and Firetiger). I also and adding a couple Rick Clunn trickster spinner baits into the tackle, 2 RC sticks, a Gary Yamamoto popper, and 2 Z-man Chatter baits (of which I have used before, with no success), and 2 scatter raps(i know they are not new, but I thought they looked dumb lastyear) My question: Do you ever just go through your tackle box and ask yourself "how long am I going to keep this in here without catching fish on it?" With all the new stuff that comes out, my tackbox doesn't get any bigger despite my quantity of tackle growing. I have things that I have never caught fish on, but don't want to junk because i spent my hard earned money on them. One item in particular is Wiggle Warts...I was told so long ago to not even start a tackle box in MO without wiggle warts - well to me, they are almost worthless. I have never caught a fish on them. I fish em between 45-60f water, bounce em off the bottom, reel em fast, blah blah blah...not sure what the hype is. I catch more fish on a 1/4 oz rooster tail. I know, I know...user error. I believe ya...but still, not my cup of tea. Hot'N'tot....gotta go, no luck in the heat of summer with these. I have plastics running out my $%&. If I am real honest with myself, I have caught fish on A-rig, Zoom/StrikeKing plastics, H2O med diver crank bait, lipless cranks, roostertails, and grubs on a jig. Model A Bomber is a great crank for me, and XCalibur I have had significant success with (lipped and lipless). Spinner baits in about 4 colors, and 1/2 oz jig/trailer in 2 colors (Blk/Blu & Pumpkin)....everything else i keep JUST IN CASE! And I want to try all the new stuff, especially the new LiveTarget crank that has 3 shad in once glass body....but at $15 I will pass for now. There are other things I will try first.. WTH is wrong with me? Why do I need 64.8lbs of tackle when I only use 4-5 lures in a day? I feel like I have a problem...I need to clean out my box, only take why I have had success on, not what I want to have success on...am I alone in my personal issues? I feel like mty wife and her justification of keeping 14 pairs of sandals...she only wears each pair once a year?!?!

just my 2cents - A-Rigs are very situational. Time of year, water environment, etc. I have my best luck with an A-Rig (Flashmob Jr, by YUM). I use 3 wires for berkley havocs on a Bass Pro ProJig (1/8 oz), and 2 wires I attach 2 willow leav blades to for more flash and vibration. I connect it to 50lb braid, Med/hvy rod (rated up to 2oz baits, min), and solid reel with good drag. With this set up...I catch more white bass during the spring than I can handle. I usually limit out in <45 minutes, then cull for the rest of my outting or until my shoulder is numb. For LM/SM bass....I have had good luck at Pomme on an A-rig, and Table rock....never at Stockton.

thank you guys, this is good info to get me started. I appreciate the response!

I am planning a fly fishing trip to Powersite sometime in 2014. I haven't fly fished since I lived in MT back in the 90's. However, I would like to begin fly fishing here in MO as it seems I am the odd man out by not participating in such a prestigious aspect of the sport With that said, I have caught trout, whites, SMBass, LMbass, and walleye below the dam...on less prestigious gear (eggbeater/baitcaster) If I were to fly fish this area, I would love to learn from some of you experts on fly selections for specific species and which times of the year are best for that specific species. I heard that November was an epic time for trout down there, based of recent news. Any insight you are willing to share would be much appreciated.

so when I go to looking at reels, is there anything specific you guys think I should look for. I imagine if I get into flyfishing like I did in MT, I will use the rod for trout, as well as White Bass. I know less about the reels than I do anything else.

Thank you! I was thinking Clouser/Bugger, as it seems standard and looks most like a Wardens rooster tail (which I have great success on) 8# would seem stiff, but I guess you could target Whites and LM on that, eh? I was thinking 6# or 7#. I love catching whites on anything, and have caught my fair share (rooster tails, jigs, a-rigs, lipless crank, plug, pop'r, swimming minnow....the list goes on) Never on a fly, and it just seems like it would be a lot of fun. #rollcastontheriverfromaboat

thank you!

I used to fly fish a long time ago...when I lived in Montana (can you blame me?) When I moved to the mid-west, I picked up a baitcaster and an eggbeater and have been hooked (Pun intended). Whitebass is probably my favorite fish to catch...and I would like some variet, or an edge (depending on how you look at it). I was wanting any pointers you could provide on Rod weight, line, and flies to use. I was looking at 8.5' 6# rod...and thats as far as I got in assuming I knew what I was doing, lets face it, im not in MT anymore. On a side note, I wouldn't mind trying a fly on LM bass, and trout...fully aware of the different rods needed. Thanks in advance.

Damp was the least of our problems. I dont own my own boat, so I go fishing when my buddys can, and depend on thier boats reliability. I will make a LONG story short...Sheer pin broke on prop, had extra, replaced it....carburator got water in it, motor wouldn't start (happened at the first bridge up the river from CC) Used trolling motor to start heading back...while working on the motor. Trolling motor batter died just when we got the motor started. Ran out of gas 3/4 mile from launch...batter recooperated slightly, wind worked in our favor...was on water for 4 hours, fished for 20 minutes, caught an achey back. Grand Scheme of things - I feel like a bad a$$ since it was raining the whole time and toughed it out. Got an awesome story I can tell with some embelishment, and it will only get better the farther that memory gets from the day it actually happened :-) Cant win them all!

Thanks for the details and report! Sounds like you zeroed in quite well!

He was fishing 8-12 FOW for cats, im going today....will report back tomorrow.

Fished River this weekend, nothing...not 1. Buddy of mine went catfishing sunday though, caught 19 catfish between 230pm and dark....not a bad day. I am going Wed, I will let you know what I find.

So went again...I will give it away now Spring patter was in full swing (as of 10/19)! Eggs in the fish, and all. Was really wierd, lasted about 6-7 weeks. May still be that way, but I am going to start looking for them to come out into the main lake now, since the river is a whopping 47 degrees. As Wuteversbitin mentioned, wind blown banks and flats, or rock embankments that have a ledge with swift drop off. I don't think trolling with a 1/4oz rooster tail will do you as much good as tossing a 3/8oz chartuese lipless, or chrome lipless (on sunny day), as you move down the banks. When you get hit by 1, there are 5 more just like it in the same place, throw back! To your earlier question though, Fishing Preacher, this isn't best fall to get into white bass fishing if you want to see what a normal fall looks and feels like. I would either go out with low expectations or wait it out till spring time for the whites. I will say this though about whites, once you get them figured out...they are a hoot to fish for. And once you have determined a pattern, they usually stick to it for a while. I fish whites with approximately 5 variations of artificial lure...i have no need for anything other than the 5 things i use. Of those 5 artificial lures, I typically use 1 about 60% of the time, i use 2 of them 30% of the time, and the remaining 3 about 10% of the time. Doesn't matter what time of year it is. So once you find out what they like, dont deviate from it much or you will just confuse and frustrate yourself "trying to figure them out". ***my 2c worth***

I can't give away too much, but what I will say is this...they are following anything except fall patterns. Whatever you would expect in the fall, do the opposite. They are so out of whack, and I suspect is was the mild summer combined with higher than average water levels. Im not a biologist, so its just speculation. No they were not busiting shad, which dissappoints me. I really enjoy fishing for whites on a pop'r. I haven't found any on wind blown banks yet this fall, not once. After the fall, I will reveal all :-) I am going again tomorrow, let you know how it is.

one of the reasons I love Stockton lake is that it is a "Fishing Lake". When I go to Pomme (Especially last couple years), it always has tubers, skiers, and cruisers. Table Rock is the worst, boat traffis is insane. For the most part, most everyone at Stockton is a fisherman/woman. And they understand/respect the unspoken rules of not flying by your boat within 10 yards at 60mph. They can see you fishing a bank and will go WAY down the bank, if not to another. (this all "most of the time" of course, there are always a$$holes out there) I just hope that over time Stockton doesn't become a "party lake"...

On stockton lake ;-) I put in at Greenfield. Went again yesterday, Caught about 30 whites to find 15 keepers.

You must have been at LOZ or Pomme...Stockton is a horrible lake to visit, very ugly. Tell all your friends!

Well - went with my pops for a Father/son day of fishing. Haven't done anything with him in ~13 years (he lives overseas). So we set out to catch some fish...and boy did we! Between the two of us, we landed: 24 whites 1 LM 16" 1 Crappie 12" We also caught: uncountable Dink whites 2 Smallmouth - less than 13" and ~6 dink LMB Was a great day, great weather, and glad I found some whites!

1st things 1st - shad should be the only bait you use right now, they are very plentiful. if you don't have a net, get one that is at least 4ft (8ft dia) with 3/8" mesh (1/4" is preferable). Fill your bucket up with a couple hundred shad - 2 to 3 nets. Use 10-12# test, if you are fishing at night use flourescent blue line and rig up some black lights for ease. Use 5/0-8/0 circle hooks, I like 6/0. I use 1 (a singel one) #7 splitshot about 12" above the hook. Get your legal limit of 3 lines out of your boat with 6-10 shad on each hook, keep the bail open and let the line come out a little bit and allow shad to sink to bottom. Flats can refer to different terrain, could be mud, could be pea gravel, sand, anything but chunk rock as that will present some challenges with drifting. Flats refers to water that is anywhere from 6-12'. Shallower water. Best in morning and evening, go a little deaper in the afternoon. Some good spots would be north of aldrich, in the first big bend on the east side of the lake. Anywhere along that bank. Try drifting at 10', then go deeper if you need. If the wind is blowing right, you can drift from 10' to deeper water, then look at your depth finder. Mark how deep it was then try and stay within 2' of that range. South of the bridge is nothing but flats...either way, 1 good 30-45 min drift will tell you if there are fish there. Been out about 7-8 times on stockton and pomme in the last 8 weeks...haven't missed a limit but once, never fished more than 5 hours, and fished as little as 90 mins. hope this helps