nomolites

I travel 2-3 wks/mo for my job and am knocking on some serious wood here... Mike

I don’t believe anyone is zero, although my picks are sure trying...🙄 Mike

If you want clear water mid way in the creeks is the best place to find it; pretty good stain up and down everywhere I was last week. Mike

Si is a game changer - look out fish! Mike

ConorSixta and I bass fished the north side of Soap Creek Saturday and the crappie were scattered all over the first large shallow flat toward the back on that side...lots of guys fishing below it but it would have been easy pickin there with the float and jig rig. I caught a couple good ones on the jerk bait before moving on. ConorSixta had the only decent bass of the day below that on that dang a rig. Mike

25 is a good sack anytime. Have seen a few 8s but none of the 9s I hear about this time of year - they are definitely in there. Mike

I catch lots of whites and crappie in 45 degree water...don’t do much good on walleye and stripers until 65+. Mike

I mostly fish LOZ but usually whites and crappie can be caught easily trolling once the water starts warming in the upper ends of the creeks. They will suspend and feed in the upper basins on the way in and out of their spawning areas. I usually don’t do well trolling for walleye until after they finish spawning. Mike

Correct. They were a bit cheaper a few years back..

I run 2 series 31 AGM batteries with my Ulterra and a 27 AGM cranker; have never run low on juice with them and that’s why I run them. Just had to flip a switch on my MK charger when I went from wet to AGM. I bought my batteries at a wholesale club for a good price and have not been disappointed. Mike

AFGC did as well...do a search for last year. Mike

Driftmaster Pros. If you go this route make sure to order reverse thread for your port side mounts and you will have no worries even with a 50# Blue Cat or 30# Striper trying to steal your gear. They have numerous angles and duals - I run neutrals on each side and angled in the front(boards)and rear. Easily removed and stowed. Mike

Most stock props are marginal at best unless you upgrade from the start; if you appreciate good performance you won’t be sorry to invest in a spec’d prop for your rig - what works for one may not work as well(or at all) for the next due to boat weight, design, or boater needs. I run a lower pitched larger prop on my rig(and love it) so I can maintain good lift and control on Lake of the Ocean but I give up top end speed - an excellent trade off for me. Mike

Looks like I fantasy tournament fish about the same as on the water.......not so well. Mike

This is what I do, but after a few actual vs map comparisons. Mike

If you want to fish Udall or Tecumseh area you would be better off trailering...38 miles from Quarry to Udall and a couple more up to Tecumseh. Agree if you want walleye that would be the best bet, some hybrids and stripers may run up for a false spawn too depending on weather. Mike

They are less sensitive to boats, but fishing docks in rough water can be a losing proposition - for the finish on your boat for sure. That doesn’t mean you can go clanking around and not spook the fish though. I am no professional biologist but my observation is LOZ is simply more fertile than some others and sustains a larger population of forage and therefore healthy predator fish as well. I have been on all of the major reservoirs in the Ozarks and the difference there is it is hard to find a place on LOZ without shad, but finding those quality fish is more about locating the RIGHT forage at the right time and place. They have plenty to eat, catching them is connecting the dots. Mike

X2

I would also add that there is a full moon 03/31 and there could be a night bite for walleye and stripers in the dam area...again wind blown banks with a mix of rock. Mike

I have fished that area in warm months but not that early in the year. There should be catchable fish but Norfork likes to make you work a bit; I would definitely be prospecting in wind blown pockets and banks....find the shad and game fish won’t be too far away. I would start farther back in Big Creek looking for baitfish. Maybe have a few size spoons tied on for sure, grubs, and bottom bouncers for walleye. If the shad are shallow in open water I would troll cranks with a couple out on planers...be open to whatever you find. There could be warmer colored up water back there that can be good near the transition to clear. For crappie trolling/strollingin those areas may be the best bet, but on that lake you best be prepared and have the drag very light - you never know and there are lots of hybrids and stripers about. Mike

a.k.a. “mooching”...or so I’ve heard it referred to and works with salmon and most other predatory fish as well. Mike

I catch a lot of big hybrids on crankbaits and and such and have had hooks buried in flesh multiple times - one flip while you are handling is all it takes. Have mitigated this issue for the most part using locking plastic pliers the last two years. They work surprisingly well. I also carry high quality diagonal and needle nose pliers in the first aid kit cause “stuff” happens. My last unfortunate patient was my 80# Weimaraner with a # 6 Triple Grip in each nostril and a 10+ # blue cat attached to the other hook on that crankbait. Some lessons come hard. Mike

The Northshore is usually about the last place to get ice except in the backs of the creeks, especially if you have open water to the southwest. Mike

It is good for snapping a spoon; you can pick up slack much more quickly - that’s the primary application for mine. Mike

Nice area, but like the upper Gravi it ices in. Just sayin. Mike