LoweSTX175

We've done well on lake Texoma doing this. We only troll this lake and actually have been known to pick up the trolling pace to about 3.5 mph with lipless cranks. I also love the "sand bass" reference. I always get corrected by the locals down there!

For cranks go and get you some old spark plugs and some swivels to make yourself a "plug knocker".... https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SI9aMpZX22wd PowerDive is also dead on. Make sure to set the drag. I have broke multiple rods trolling. Also I try to be a cordial troller around those who are jig/pitching towards the bank. The funny part is you will be surprised at how many suspended fish there are in the spring in 35 FOW at about 15 foot. Its not uncommon to get upset that too many boats are lined up on that 17 foot contour and being forced into deeper water. Several times I've ended up with people turning their heads because we were the one's putting the hurt on the fish.

I have had great results trolling during the spring and early summer on various parts of the lake. I like to troll the flats using 9 Flicker Shad at 150-175 with a counter reel. That puts them down around 16-18 foot. For some reason going bigger with them has produced both walleye and slab crappie. Also the nice part about the flats is there typically isn't too much to get snagged on. I've also heard the "whopper plopper" has been a good top water trolling lure if you want to get the white bass. I've never used one so I have no comments. I'm going to try a couple of them this spring. With my outboard I can get between 1.5 to 2 MPH. If I need to back it off more I throw out a drift sock to get some resistance. I think you will like those counter reels for trolling because if you have several guys in the boat you can go to various depths to get a pattern. I have mounted several rod holders on my boat. Basically I kick back and travel with the contour of the lake using the map.

War Eagle - I troll with a 60 HP four stroke Mercury. In the spring I have no issues with fish biting. The main reason I use this motor instead of my trolling motor is because I have my higher end chart/graph mounted on the console. I do have a few recommendations (take them however you want). I use counter reels... and pretty much everyone I fish with uses them as well. That helps to really get an accurate feel for where the bait is in the water. If using bottom bouncers you are going to want to slow it down like you mentioned to about 1 MPH to make sure they are on the bottom correctly. Other things to consider is trying out lead core line. I just started that here recently. It gets bait deeper into the water. The biggest problem I have right now with trolling with the larger motor is when someone gets a hang up. I have a bad tendency to stop the motor then go in reverse.... yes I have got line in my prop on several occasions. Once again I don't think the sound really does much to the fish during the spring when the bite is on. It has worked for me over the years.

Launched from State Park at 11:30 AM and went to Hawker Point loaded up the boat at 3:30. Didn't get a bite using various jigs and grubs in 25-40 FOW. Saw lots of fish but had no takers all afternoon. TOW was 50.8 degrees and the water was fairly clear. Not a whole lot of boats on the water today... but the weather was nice and got to spend time with a buddy and my father on the water.

I'll just tie a crank bait to the drone and go to trolling.....

I was planning on doing some vertical jigging using either feathered jigs or spoons. About how deep were the ones you picked up?

At least you had some decent weather and didn't have to bust ice to get out there. I'm going to be down south during the week of Christmas. Hopefully I can catch a few days with decent temps without heavy winds to get out there.

Speaking of Flicker shad and minnows.... for those in the KC area, I went to Scheels in Overland Park for the first time on Saturday. They had a bin filled with both and various sizes (5, 7, 9) for $1.99 per bait. Seems like they have decent prices on their fishing equipment. Also their gun area is pretty impressive. Unlike Bass Pro and Cabela's their new rifle and shotguns aren't behind the counter. You can simply walk up to the display and shoulder them on your own. So no waiting in line to look at something real quick. Their pistols are locked up but very accessible by the Scheel's staff. Also this weekend I was talking with the guy I sit next to at Arrowhead during the Chiefs games who has claimed that the new "Whopper Ploppers" by Larry Dalhberg are the new thing to be using. I watched a few videos about them. I was wondering if anyone has used them before I purchase any... they are fairly pricey ($14-20 per bait). They are a top water bait that probably could be trolled in areas where you don't want a deep diving crank (around some timber).

I purchased a handful of Hot-n-Tots yesterday on the way home from work at Cabela's. I was wondering if anyone trolls these around the lake and knew any precision trolling techniques (speed, amount of line out, depths) that they run. For some reason I decided I should start getting ready for spring fishing right now. I had the urge to have another "tool" in the box to present on the days when other things don't seem to be working. Anybody have any reviews/complaints/praises for the Hot-n-Tot?

I hope MDC continues to stock the Walleye and I'm very grateful that they lowered the size limit to 15 from 18. I think this is the reason we are seeing great numbers. As far as bass is concerned. I'm going to try and identify Kentucky bass and keep all legal ones from here on out. Hopefully I continue to release all LM unharmed. I take pride in getting them back to the water as quickly as possible with very little handling and no injuries. I understand that the majority of Bass guys are into catching them for the sport and return them for future anglers to enjoy.

Just did a search. I can tell the difference. When I get back on Stockton in this spring I'll take all the keeper Kentucky bass out of the lake when trolling. I'm starting to think that I'm picking up several of them and never really realized there was a difference. I just tossed them back. I assume the size on Stockton with the Kentucky bass is 12 inches?

I might need you guys to educate me on which ones are Kentucky. I don't mind doing that if I knew I could properly identify them. I actually had a meltdown this fall when one of my buddies tried to put a 19 inch bass into my livewell. I threw him back after we had a verbal exchange.

I hope I'm helping get the bass sizes up in Stockton. I'm personally a walleye, crappie, or white bass guy. I turn all LM Bass back no matter what size. I personally don't like to eat them and want to help the bass guys get bigger fish in the lake.

That thing is huge... I agree sure beats getting excited because you though the leaves rustling was a deer... but turned out to be a squirrel. I don't miss dear sitting....

Walt - I really hope someone could answer this for everyone. I have fished Stockton my entire life. Have really taken it serious over the last four years. I can tell you all about the fishing in the Spring... but when it comes to the Fall I have always been puzzled for Crappie and Walleye. The LM Bass in the Fall hit aggressively in my opinion. Just really haven't had any major luck on the Crappie and Walleye either by trolling or simply jigging. I will admit that in the Fall I do spend the majority of my time on the flats with no real "tear em up" day the last three falls (about 14 trips) coming from Kansas City area.

Just an FYI for everyone. Quail Unlimited no longer exists. Evidently they shut the door in 2013. Sort of shows how long it has been since I have had Quail on my mind. Former members were encouraged to join Quail Forever. I just paid my membership as well as Pheasants forever.

All this talk has me sort of fired up. I'm only a Ducks Unlimited member at the moment. Only thing I know to do for me is to join Quail Unlimited or Quail Forever today. Anyone have thoughts on which one is better? Or should I just do both?

I grew up with German Shorthaired Pointers...we had one when I was in college who loved to drink beer. Birddogs will eat and get into anything. Chocolate isn't going to hurt a birddog.

Another thing people don't realize is when a covey is busted right before dark it can be a challenge for them to covey back up. A single bobwhite doesn't really stand a chance unless they can get back to the covey. Lifespan is short on them as well. A 2 year old bird is considered old. I also believe they only have 2 clutches per year in the wild. Having the right habitat is the only way for survival. This probably isn't the right forum for me to rant about how I don't think these birds have been taken care of like they should....but oh well.

You are correct. I attended the first "Missouri Quail Academy" back in like 1995. It was put on by the MDC and Quail Unlimited. There was an exercise where we looked at the canopy of certain plants/grasses. Quail like pheasants prefer to run or move on the ground and must survive in a covey. The covey provides warmth and the ability to find food and cover as a team. The agricultural practices are also causing issues as well. I've heard all sorts of people suggest "stocking" much like fish in our lakes. Pen raised birds don't survive and can cause disease spread. Its a very touchy subject from experience when you speak with a farmer about trying to save a bird that they really don't care about. I wish I had the solution as well as the $$ to put some pressure somewhere to really get a real initiative to help bring back the population of this precious bird that most people cut their teeth on as a kid as their first hunting trip.

I used to quail hunt growing up in SW Missouri. I remember there being two or three coveys for every half section of ground. I believe it is the hardcore introduction of fescue into the Ozarks, fence rows being taken out, and not enough food/cover after combining. Quail are a very finicky bird that have a very short life and if the habitat they require to survive isn't maintained they don't have the ability to adapt. I now live in Kansas and I'll say the quail and pheasant population has declined greatly as well. Not intending to throw stones at MDC or KDC, but there really hasn't been a push or initiative for farmers to adapt their practices to change their farming techniques to help encourage habitat for these birds. It personally saddens me to see their numbers dwindle to the point of it being rare to see them.

Ruark you can camp. No restrooms, shower, water, or power I believe. There were several RVs there on Sunday afternoon.

Good work guys. I also fished south of Mutton around old point 9 all the way up to the power lines. Trolled cranks as well and also drifted some leeches on road runners. Caught some dinks but ended up with one 17 inch walleye and right at a 2 pound white bass.

One bait that I have tried that I would NOT recommend is the Live Target BaitBall. I decided to buy a couple to give them a try at $15 per. Of course I trolled them. To this day that bait has logged about 3 hours in the water. I have yet to have anything touch that bait. Not even a drum! I'm still sold on Flicker Shad and Shad Rap. Two weeks ago I was getting hits when the cranks were literally bouncing off the bottom. Only problem is I lost several of them in the process. I'll be on the water on Sunday. I'm probably going to stick with the Mutton Creek/Ruark area and post a report Sunday or Monday.