mjk86

Precision trolling suggests using a braid with a long moderate/slow action rod. The zero stretch is needed for having almost 200 ft of line out, but the floppy rod absorbs much of the strike impact. That book is probably not too current as it makes no mention of the new copoly or hybrid type lines though. Agree 100% about the low drag, also saves you when you get snagged. Ya, i tie a fluoro leader (alberto knot) to the braid, then a snap swivel to the leader. Typically though, after an hour or two ill get snagged and it will break off, then i just tie a snap directly to the braid (out of laziness) and havent really noticed a difference between the two.

Lol it's sad that when I go walleye fishing around here I never actually expect to catch a walleye. My first thought was gar.

I use the same stuff. 15/4 but what you got will be fine.

I fished at the valley park gravel bar this morning for 45 minutes before work..rain...mud...threw a white bandit the whole time. Caught 1 fish....wait for it....a walleye prolly 15-16" or so.

I do, but probably just cuz thats what im used too. I love metered braid, and I have "limited but positive" experience with metered leadcore. I use my outboard for trolling also, usually 2-3.5mph. If I could fish all the time id probably experiment more with different lines, but I instinctively use what i know works for me. I usually do tie a fluoro leader on when i start trolling...but inevitably i break it off and am too lazy to retie it on the water.

Those things stick out like a sore thumb....usually all of the cigarette colored paint is worn off after a month. Just a cigarette unless she bought it that morning.

idk I've trolled 7cm flickers and shad raps side by side and flickers won big time. Granted that was just once so who knows what other variables were at play but same size and color of bait.

A flicker shad (7cm) will hit 17-18ft with 180ft of 15/4 braid. Some have claimed 20 ft with over 200ft out but I've only ever hit 20 with my painted ones (very heavy paint). 6cm and 9cm run a bit shallower/ deeper respectively.

My deep spooning setup is a 7ft MH fast action casting rod with a 7.1 gear reel. I spool it up with 15/4 # power pro depth hunter, it changes color every 25 ft and is metered every 5 (i use the same line on my trolling rods). I will measure out 5 ft of 12# fluoro leader at the end and attach a small snap swivel (some guys actually prefer no swivel and twisted line...because of the spin it imparts on the spoon...Its not for me though).

and next year this time youll have at least 4 tackle trays full of various sizes and colors of flickers shads. I have 10-15 tackle trays full of reef runners, hot n tots, wiggle warts, wally divers, shad raps, minnow raps, every rap ever made....they all just collect dust...flicker shad purple tiger, blue tiger, and chartreuse silver, and a few custom paint jobs is all i use. If I need to go deep ill use leadcore..but ill rarely stray from the flickers.

Yowzers!!!! two spoon threads at once?!?! That is neat! Although....my boss would frown if i spend anymore work time typing up a book on how to fish with a chunk of lead. :/

I would imagine that generally going vertical but if your dropping it straight down over infinity feet of water, youll need to either use metered braid or be able to see your spoon on the graph. Casting would work too...but i would get in where i want and cast parallel to the bank and work the spoon back.

Spoons dont get used nearly enough IMO, i love spoon fishing. I think that a white/chrome 3/4-1 oz slab jigging spoon is as versatile a lure as there is. They are super effective on the deep clear lakes in the ozarks...i use em with success at table rock and stockton, also a few illinois lakes,as well as even smaller lakes and rivers around me. Most often I use a spoon as a vertical lure. Heres how....I drop the spoon straight down the the bottom. (another trick....if its a hard bottom, slam the spoon really hard off the bottom a few times..attention getter) Ill then begin working the spoon by using long slow sweeps then allowing it to fall on nearly slack line. Nearly slack is the key...almost all of your bites will happen on the fall, and its important to recognize a strike quickly as its very easy for a fish to sling a spoon cuz they are so heavy. YOull have to experiment with short hops (less aggressive), long sweeps (aggressive fish), ect to see if there is any preference. Also...sometimes fish will hit the spoon as its sitting "motionless" I say that cuz when your not moving your rod, the spoon is still twirling and spinning (more of a finesse presentation). Another great thing about a heavy spoon is that you can work it very effectively in a "trolling" situation moving about .2-.5mph, allowing you to cover water. The slab spoon is also a great casting/horizontal bait. If you see suspended fish....you can cast a very long ways...count it down to depth then start a pump and reel retrieve. You have to reel very quickly in order to get the heavy spoon to stay horizontal, but the act of doing that, couple with the erratic movement as the spoon drops when you reel your slack will generate explosive bites. That spoon will get hammered while your crankin in your slack. Also they work well in surprisingly shallow water, and because you can cast them so far you can keep your distance from surfacing/shallow fish. Shallow water slab spoons.....take the treble hook off and put a weedless hook on it. Find some rocks/gravel and hop it along the bottom. Fish will pick it up right off the bottom (works in cold water when shad are dying and falling to the bottom). An example of this was this past summer at table rock. Normally I fish deeper water for suspended fish with spoons...this year, we were catching very nice fish by pitching/skipping the spoon as far back into the dock slip as possible, then opening the spool up so it fell vertically to the bottom under the dock, as soon as it stopped sinking youd set the hook. The odd thing as that we were targeting boat slips that were only in about 15fow, so dont overlook shallow fish with it. I think the beauty of the spoon is in its simplicity and versatility, on heavily pressured waters where fish have seen every lipless crank and deep diver ever made, most people will overlook the spoon. If fish are eating minnows....which they usually are...fish will eat a spoon.

Anything that is rubber/plastic/petroleum based needs to be replaced on the regular imo. This includes tanks, hoses, and bulbs. I doubt that will fix your problems...but anything plastic and rubber will deteriorate over time...fragments come off and solid particles cause carbon build-up. A small piece of rubber or plastic will act as a "seed" and attract partially combusted fuel (also solid/semisolid), which builds up in all the little recesses of the engine. These build up slowly over time and will gum up your engine, then it cant breathe. Then it wont idle properly....then people mess with the carb screws even though the problem is engine goo. All that said....this seems like a question for the guy that you just paid 700$ to "rebuild" your carbs. He should at least have some suggestions.

The walleye whisperer in action. Great report, great results.

Welcome....Youve come to the right place.......In order to learn how to fish the above species youll need to do a THOROUGH search of the forums old threads. Not just the bull shoals forums but the other white river and similar impoundments. For stripers look here, and at the beaver forum. Also there is a striper/hybrid forum (walleye too). For walleye, search here, stockton, table rock, and beaver lake forums. Look for posts (regarding walleye) from RPS, stockton lake guide service, mike worley, powerdive, imt out. For stripers look at feathers and fins posts. There are loads more, but thats a good start. Posts from those guys alone will teach you how to effectively get both walleye and stripers just about any time of year. Good luck!

Even if the fish show a preference to a rattle vs no rattle on any given day, its most likely not the rattle that is the deciding variable, at least in my opinion. Just have to experiment to find out. There will be other things at play that nobody could ever even think of. Bass have no trouble finding brown crawfish in the weed chocked, mud bottomed, chocolate milk water of many lakes. As a fisherman we just catch the dumbest, hungriest, most aggressive fish anyway. Most are smart enough to realize that dumb jig is not prey. That said...never used one...didnt even know they had em.

This exactly....with any paint job there will be an unbelievable variance in color from one piece to the next. Its painfully obvious to the trained eye. All paint looks different when changing the Light source/viewing angle/pigments/resins...ect... Working in automotive coatings i see this all the time. Next time your out take a look at where the bumper/trim/mirrors of a car meets the body. If its a "metallic" type color, the as the viewing angle changes the colors will be night and day. Its very difficult to Its even more obvious if its an aftermarket bumper. Lure manufactures are even more inconsistent than car makers with their paint. I have 3 rc stx in "pro blue" and they are all different shades of "pro blue" lol. Its probably better with a megabass or something very pricey, but the cheap lures are all over the board. Rapala shad raps (probably all rapala cranks) are way inconstant too. Good thing that fish have a brain the size of a bb.

The problem with pre rap warts is that the ones that look good are worth like 100$ on ebay....ya right, like id ever actually fish with a lure thats worth 100$. In fact...I have a bunch of old timey warts that wont catch any fish at all, ill catch 10x more on a new wart cuz id be willing to fish with it, and cast it into places i might lose it....something id never do with a 100$ lure. The classic megabass paradox...wiling to lose cheap lures by casting them to fish holding areas, or "safety fish" with expensive ones.

Sounds like ya just gotta have lots of boats!

under normal conditions you can make it up to the 141bridge by prop (mine is 17ft mod v with 40hp prop). AAlthough there is a questionable stretch where 44 crosses the river.

great report! I think the bluegill fishing on table rock is silly. The average size is just phenomenal and when you find some big ones there are bound to be more around. Seems like you dont hear much about it though? Maybe cuz gills arent "game fish"? Or maybe its a secret...

Must.....bite....tongue.

Lol at this. That top one is funny, i love how tw gives you the option to ship to your work address lol. Unfortunately id still get crushed on my home lake unless were fishing for8" crcrappie. In which case look out!!

Im thinking alexs report has everybody wishin thats what they did lol. Not that very many people could do what he did with a deep crank.