Bigfishscott

Oh sorry, black is the color for Muskie. Any shad color anything for bass. If the bass won't hit that then go way off color of shad. Like fire tiger.

Hey Rd, the bass can be caught everywhere around the lake they are in there fall pattern. Shad everywhere fish busting them. Watch the weather we are expecting rain, not sure how much. But if we a lot then the upper ends will be out. If there is a lot of rain just stay below the mud line. If you want to catch some Muskie that should not be a problem. Last time I was out I caught 4 of them. If you want to target them the best bait I have ever used in the fall is a black inline spinner bait. Like a meps spinner but way bigger. Good luck and great catches!!!

I called my buddy. He already has someone going with him.

Thumbs, my buddy Matt is going I call him an see if he would want someone to go with him. Let you know. You might seen him at LOZ you really can't miss him being 6'-7".

I wasn't saying that you wouldn't catch fish. Fishing will prob be good but on average your prob going to catch a lot of little fish, with the best five going 8-9lbs. If you get the right conditions you could do better. We have had very little to no rain here so the river is at a trickle. And has been most of the year except for one brief period this spring. The small and mean mouth population up the river used to be really good but seems like its kind of went away a little. I think the effect of the draw down a few years back might of hurt the population. 15 years ago when March fishing was tough on the lake you could always go up there and catch a limit of them. We use to go break ice to get to them. The best I ever saw caught was by my partner back then was 4lbs. It was always great to see the guys face at weigh in you would bring a sack full of them brownish fish to the scales, you hear a pin drop. But as always word would get out and you would have everyone up there with you. I used to love the days in the summer when all the guys would run up the river in the morning and al but be gone by 10. That's when we would go up there and wack'em. The river has changed so much, it just doesn't produce like it used to. Not saying it won't ever or can't ever again.

The lake is about 1/2 foot low. You prob can not get above the corner above cave hole, and maybe not through the riffle below the bridge without alitte work. As fishing the river there is very little water running in to do much cooling. With these temp I would say the water temp is in the low 90's up there. The water temp at bolivar landing yesterday afternoon was around 87-89 depending on the wind. I love to fish the river but on years like these with out the big pushes of spring rains it seems to hurt river fishing. There is always fish there but with out high water most of the fish are resident fish, and no new fish moving into the river. Last winter did a number on the big shad. Even though there was enough left to have a big spawn of little popcorn heads. Most of the big schools of shad are from weatland to the dam. From what I have experanced this year the fish have been relating more to the bluegills than the shad just because the are more of them. The fishing is pretty tough right now. There are some nice fish to catch if you can make them react to what you are throwing. They are there but not eating very often. About a month ago they were on fire you catch one and the whole school would fire up,but now you might catch one on a spot and sit there another 3 hours and not catch anything. You can fish the brush piles and catch several fish but most are smaller keeps and on the lucky occasion a nice one might move up and decide to feed. A month ago I fished a tour and had 21lbs 15oz and caught roughly 30 fish over 3lbs that day. Now you really have to work at it to catch 13lbs or better.

No I'm not loading up. I'm just saying that most fisherman or woman waste more than 13 bucks each trip out. Running farther down the lake than they really wanted to, eating up gas. Or stoping to getting breakfast when you brought food with you on your trip just because it sounded good. We as fisherman waste money on all kinds of stupid things that we don't need every year. I have tried to fine tune my selection of lures that I use over the past 20 years. But because it's new or different doesn't mean that it won't work. I buy new lures every year to try them out on different lakes that I fish. If I can't make them work for me then I don't buy more just because other people are catching fish on them. I'm just saying buy one or two try them out fish them in different ways try to make them for you. If not hang them up in the hall of shame. I have 400 buzzbaits at least, that I have made over the past 20 years. In a pile in the garage that are wore out beyond repair. I've made and fished this bait for 25 years and made it myself for 20 when the man that got me started on it gave me the mold. I've fished the bait all over the country and caught fish on it, some lakes better that others. But over time you figure out how and what the fish want. By the way I like wooly buggers smallmouth eat them up in the Niangua river.

What is even more amazing is a guy will go to the bitter end not to buy something, bitching all the way about the price. Saying it won't work. But when his buddy kicks his butt on it, he'll go buy 200 dollars worth. 13 dollars isn't much. Most people will eat a 30 dollar steak dinner and to just crap it out. Buy one and try it. If it doesn't work for you,your not out much. You can't grip if you don't try. Just like don't bitch about the president if you don't vote.

I'm amazed!!! People will gripe about price of a bait,but will go out of their way to pay 50 thousand for a boat just to look the part!!!!!

Bill I actually fish the Duo this spring on Pomme right after the spawn when the fish were starting to move deeper to summer haunts. The hook up ratio stunk several times I had 5 or 6 fish chasing it when it would start coming up toward the boat. You could feel them hitting at it but one out of every 10 cast I would catch one. So just like on about every hard bait I use I changed hooks to the same size Ewg mustad. The hooks are a little bit heavier but the hook up was much better. The bait would fall just a bit faster and help to keep it down. You might try this. I did not experiment with different size but you might try. As long as it doesn't effect the wobbling action on the fall and it gets down faster I don't see what it would hurt. If the hooks start hooking the body I would just go to a short shank or extra short. Just my thoughts.

I talked with Mr. Medley that caught 28lbs last weekend, he is a good friend of mine and he said that all the fish were healthy that they caught that day. If there was ever a big fish men him and Mr. Clift are it on Stockton. Mr. Clift's brother had 27 lbs last weekend. Those fish were all healthy.

Ok I'll ask the question. Who has caught bass with cut up jaws??? We know Mr. Dprice and dirtracer35. Who else??? Not broken jaws that's from eating crawfish and making beds. If you have caught a bass with a cut jaw I'm talking to you not the ones that we know, any one else

Good bye mike

Hello catch and release in the grease, I mean fillet o' yum!! Lol

Hello walleyedmike see your on here.

Bring who?

Dang it!!! My popcorn is getting cold!!!!

You hear the crickets????? Sure is quiet!!!!

Sure is funny the pic was taken after the sides were slicked off. Mighty odd??? Like to see a pic of one just caught. But seem like this is the only pic there is.

I read the fourm a lot but I never have posted before. But before everyone gets in a uproar. Let's think about it with common sense. Have you ever watched a bass make a bed? He doesn't just use his tail, he will use his mouth also. He scoops out any kind of debris he deems unfit for his nesting site. Ever watched one chase down a crawdad? He will rub his jaw on the bottom on the chase up to the point of sucking him in. When you see the most broken jaws is just after they start making beds and when the bigger females start chasing crawdads to get the protein they need to recoup from laying eggs. But what is in the water that makes it that way? Bacteria! I'm sure with very little rain the last few years and less water movement in the lake to flush the lake, With the turbine down so long. One little cut or scrape could turn into a big sore, and start eating away at the flesh and bone. You wouldn't stick your cut finger into some thing that might infect it. Bass really don't have that choice. Sorry I'm rambling, but that's my two cents worth. So if you catch a six pound bass in March with a bloody tail does that mean their starting to nest? I'm sure you have all hear that one. The answer is, NO. Females full of eggs have to lay on the bottom or cover and and move their tail back and forth to stay up right. They rub their tail raw because of it.