Pat Magee

I fished a small creek on Sunday and I would get all boned up seeing them from a distance....then after countless "perfect" casts I would finally walk upstream to see I was casting to a carp. I guess I am better off throwing a few casts on the off chance that is actually a big bass but boy does it suck.

That river was one of the most frustrating experiences of my life. Me and a buddy floated it and fished it hard high and low and maybe caught 10 between the two of us. I did everything that was suggested and I figured we would catch a ton but man that river fishes tough! It was especially scary not knowing where were were at times. I could have sworn that we were fishing in a constant circle because that river snakes so much in such short distances. I packed everything but the kitchen sink when I floated that river too! The only thing I forgot was straps for one of our kayaks for the ride back from the second car. That means I had to put one on the roof and another one jammed into my hatch. I still have gravel dust all over my car from it!

This is the best I have seen you guys do in recent years. You will have to fill me in on where you are pulling them out. Looks like you aren't fishing from the kayak in most of the pics so you have me curious. Keep crushing em!

That emerald green color is a perfect way to describe the water recently. I took off my Costas and was shocked how many things I would have missed if I didn't have them on.

I floated the Meremac on Thursday as well but with some different results. I was able to catch 31 with the biggest being a little over 15". About 1/3 of those were goggle eye, the rest were all SM with the exception of the one LM I caught. Fish were actively feeding in the shallow water and they inhaled the Arkie centipede and Zoom Super Fluke in my "special" hard to find color mix, Red Magic. I couldn't pull a fish out of any of the deep holes to save my life. There seemed to be only gar in the deeper holes. I did find a long stretch of the section I floated to be full of this (sorry I can't figure out how to get this pics right side up!) I really wish I would have concentrated a little more on fishing this area because there were some good sized smallies and largemouth hiding beneath them. I just was running a little short on time.

Seen in the wonderful state of MO.

Awesome, can't wait to see it. That is the right way to send someone on a good trip (via PM). Hopefully your report doesn't leave any clues as to where the creek is!

Where did you wind up going? Hopefully you got out somewhere! My brother in law had a sub-par weekend at the Buffalo and said a lot of stretches were pretty crowded.

I an leaning towards just getting a go pro hero 4 silver. I know that may limit me but I can honestly say some of the gopro pictures are just as aesthetically pleasing as ones taken on a DSLR. I also wouldn't have to worry about it getting wet either!

Great pictures. I always want to bring a good DSLR with me on my trips but I am so worried about it winding up in the drink! Sounds like a good trip aside from the mouth-breathers who set up camp next to you..

You should try Jesus sandals. They are perfect because you will actually walk ON the water! All kidding aside. I have a pair of Simms zip up wading boots that are fantastic on just about every surface. The only downfall is (like Al said) they smell after awhile but so did just about every pair of shoes I wore as wading shoes. I think the worst part is the ridiculous tan line you get after a day of wearing them!

I feel you on the weather sh@ting on you. Mosmallies and I have had a few rained out and it always sucks. It is good to make back-up plans, we never did and it always sucked if the river was up because we would just cancel or try and reschedule. My brother in law is going to the Buffalo River in Arkansas this weekend. He said the flow was looking pretty good there from what he heard. Fishing reports were also pretty good!

Maybe I should devote my time to finding the next Vixen or Wiggle Wart so I can cash in down the road.

I want one of these so bad but putting it on my original Coosa would be a PITA. Great deal for someone!

I just scoped out ebay for these after seeing this . $175.00 for a barely legal?!?!

Bill....is that you?

I get a lot of weird looks with the way I rig my flukes but I have never had a problem eye hooking or losing any fish (although if you are distracted or not watching your line it can be easier to gut hook a fish this way). I still enter the hook in the center and come out before the "flaps," I then pull the hook until the eye of the hook is inside the tip of fluke I then guesstimate where I want the hook and then bring it though the top and recess the hook tip barely in the top of the fluke. I do tear up flukes but they are do darn cheap I don't really care. If I am running out of them and they get a little torn up I will just wacky rig them.

**answer from an amateur** I typically throw either a black or white buzzbait in 1/4 oz size. I prefer the Cavitrons as they stay on plane nicely. I still haven't caught a ton of buzzbait fish but I am looking to improve on it this year. I fish almost exclusively flukes and they are always my go to plastic. I use a 3/0 offset hook and I will actually let it dead drift in the current giving it some subtle darting actions as I retrieve. I find that almost all of my hits come on the slow descent when fishing a fluke so I try to keep that in mind when reeling it in. I will also slowly work them through cover and let them fall in slowly....if there is a fish there, I usually nail them. You can also wacky rig them. I will do this sometimes on pressured water to give the fish something different to look at. WTD lures are fantastic and always a blast to catch fish on. I will say that the more expensive ones are easier to walk right out of the box but with a little bit of practice I was able to WTD with my 10 dollar Zara Spook. I struggled with it for a long time until I got a rod that wasn't so stiff and had a faster tip. I like to throw mine on spinning gear with a medium fast action rod.

20lbs of max drag on the Stradic FK will be just fine for me. It is also one less thing that can break too!

Do you think the opposite is also true? I fished Simpson lake awhile back from my kayak and caught all dink largemouths and a few cats. My thought was that another flood would go a long way in replenishing that lake with some new fish.

I agree with Ham, the hull design on that boat is like pushing a barge through the water! The width makes it stable bu it really sacrifices speed to get there. I have paddled around in one of the Hobies with Mirage Drive and it was amazing how quick it was. They are a hell of a lot heavier and are pretty spendy but I want one!

I can't say anything bad about my Stradic FJ. I have had mine for over 6 years and I have never had a problem with it other then the paint job wearing off. I even had the Stradic take a swim in the Meramac and after a quick dry and lube, it worked just as good as before. They are pricey little reels but mine has been bombproof. I am even adding the new Stradic FK to my arsenal this year.

Looks great!

Great deal!

Fantastic job as usual Mitch! I am still excited about using all the flukes and senkos you made me this spring.