nomolites

I notice Wrench is silent. That is his water up there, that, and the upper end of Indian Creek. Coconuts is on the west side right about where the screen cuts off the bottom of the map. Plug is correct, anything main lake between there and the Osage is tough to fish on a summer weekend. Your back, your equilibrium, and your electric motor thrust will be tested. Mike

Nice fish guys! Seth you have the same decorator I do - my garage is papered with hang ons and climbers as well.... Mike

Nice buck. I am actually headed out with black powder(MO)in just a few...I will be pushing 240 grain Hornady xtp and they don't go far. Mike

Have had my share of those, usually involving a good sized hybrid and a crankbait. Ouch! Have always removed myself - have a really good set of sidecutters capable of cutting off heavy hook points if possible and a first aid kit handy. This ALWAYS happens when the bite is good, at least to me.. and I hate leaving fish. I have to say that this year I finally bought a pair of those plastic locking fish pliers and went through the year with no major damage just using those rather than grabbing a lip during hook removal. My Weimaraner did pinch hit for me there getting one hook of a big treble buried in each of her nostrils after trying to get a sniff of a big cat that had just come aboard...I wish I'd have had that extraction on my GoPro as I had her connected to this 15# blue by a #9 flicker shad and(neither one was particularly happy with the arrangement) me trying to contain both. Amazingly after yanking those out she was fine in just a few minutes( guess I've had plenty of practice on ME..). although she no longer has an interest in assisting me with landing fish. Merry Christmas all. May go fishing in the morning and will let you know how that goes. Mike

Agreed! Very nice Lance. Mike

I have a box of CCs in 3/4 or 1/4 silver or gold but I swap upgrade the hooks and swivels and add eyes and sometimes flash out to the stock spoons. I have a box of Binks in 1/4 through 1 oz as well that I use when a white or colored spoon is a better choice. Those are my mainstays, but I also use jigging raps at times, especially vertically in cold water, and other spoons in trolling or other situations. On LOZ I have definitely caught more fish on 3/4 silver CCs, but I am growing more fond of Binks painted spoons the more I fish them - I always have a couple tied on. Jointed spoons catch fisherman, not fish. I know, I have a few hook marks from them as well..... Mike

This is how I vertical jig in warmer water; when it gets cold and they ball up I slow it w a y down and often go to jigs. When horizontal jigging, a summertime favorite, a snap a hook set and then stay in contact with the spoon and let it flutter down - they always hit it on the drop and you have to rare back pretty good to get a hook set but this is a great way to cover water and a blast when you are on fish. You never know what you will pull up, every game fish that swims will eat them. Mike

That graph is what it's all about. 30 minutes of that makes up for a day of searching... I am a spooner as well if the circumstances permit, although dragging cranks is a hoot too when you find suspended fish and I do a lot of that as well. I won't be able to get out until next week but you can bet I will have a few tied spoons on. Mike

Nice. Classic LOZ dock fishing; didn't take you long at all to load up. Mike

Yes, I run and gun until I find active fish, then again to like spots looking for more active fish if the bite slows. For stripers and walleye I tend to work the water column more thoroughly before moving on while in search mode and instead of hitting 20 spots in a day I may only see a half dozen. Mike

Very nice, Wrench's end of the lake is pretty good this time of year as well as early spring. The best thing is now the wave makers are winterized and one can fish in relative peace. Mike

I heard there were some good sacks in the BWS derby today too. Toad time. Mike

Nice! Mike

All the shad were either on the surface or deep in the channels with not much in between on the lower end - had to go deep or shallow. I was not bass fishing but picked up a few working channel breaks..

Never heard of the place....? Mike

Bow buck vacuum sealed and put up as tenderloin, loin, roast, jerky meat and grind. I have not seen a good buck yet while gun hunting and will be out again in the morning and ride a stand until the storms hit...may be the day. Will likely take a second deer(doe)with the bow later. I leave my cuts in larger sections too like Seth for flexibility(and I like fresh cut chops, etc.) and do all my grinding at one time at season end, make/stuff my own andouille, sweet Italian, breakfast, brats and goat and mild summer sausage the same day I grind. The andouille and summer sausage get smoked to finish the "work" portion of the process. The rest of the year it's enjoy.... Mike

Beautiful bucks. Nice. Mike

Half white vinegar, half water in a spray bottle and a soft cotton cloth. Mike

Yes, but they are recently stocked(the last few years) by the look of them and all in the 12-15" range. Years ago(20+) they were regularly stocked but until this year it had been that long since I had caught any. Mike

That is a stud! Mike

Hopefully the first of many. Congrats ! Mike

30 yds, which is the longest shot I've ever needed to take with my Mathews. No worries as I practice at 30+ yds almost exclusively. Aim small, miss small. Mike

Alternate methods, yes. I have caught many larger from LOZ(up to around 15#) on pole and line. Mike

You can get the same bait a lot deeper trolling than casting is my guess. Glad you got out and caught some! Mike

It will be fine after 3pm today; be a different lake. sounds like you are in the Lakeview area; enjoy your week! Mike