Johnsfolly

Very nice bunch of fish buddy. You had the baits that thise fish were looking for!

Looks like you'll need some tartar sauce 😀.

Just got to eat those just to thin down the population😀!

You should have hired a biologist to move the tree . If there is not a continuous strip of bark from the roots to the leaves, that tree is going to die. if it does live it will not be very pretty for a long time since most of the branches will die back without adequate nutrient flow from the roots.

Definitely a milestone post! You're currently 31st in terms of reputation. Just 29 likes to move into the top 30 ! Not that I would pay attention to that stuff !

Had our first hummingbird show up here in Columbia. Always amazed at how small they look like early in the season. Quickly got feeders out.

Glad that Pat caught some fish! Sounds like a great time buddy.

Congrats on a memorable day! Would have loved to seen that flathead. Sounded like a nice fish.

I added my two cents on gigging regulations.

I don't know about the southern stream smallies. It serms like the spots I fish in central MO they are frequently spawning into June. I find much more active post spawn fish around the 4th of July and later.

That was really great! When you see a crossing like that one most of us would never think that there were that many different animals using that crossing. Very cool. Thanks for posting.

I thought of a hybrid when I first looked at the photo. I know that coming from myself a guy that wants to be accurate as possible, if he wants it to be his first smallie or hybrid that would be great! He did a great job catching it himself. If you remember how to get to where you fished with Livie and I, I know that this won't be his last smallie! Have fun.

Neither are natives so don't tell BilletHead!?! I would try to catch one.

These shows just continue to grow my bucket list of fish I want to catch!!! I read up on these guys when we were planning our Alaska trip several years ago. Never got after them.

The opposite end from the docks. Last night I got out with my daughter. I tried to get on the big fish that I saw in the shallows on Sat. As I mentioned above no sightings or opportunity at a big fish in the shallows. It was also a n off night for the crappie as well. Livie caught the first fish, a small largemouth bass and the sun was starting to set (not made for a great photo). This actually was her first bass of the year. I put her in the spot where I had caught those nearly black male black crappie Sat evening. On her second cast she hooked a big black male and it threw the hook just as she was lifting the fish. She never did land one, but lost at least two more. She did end up landing a female black crappie and some bluegill and green sunfish. I did land a couple of the males, but none were as dark as the two that I caught Sat evening. Still they were striking fish.

I never got to Day two on my shad fishing. I ended up back at the confluence Sunday afternoon. I had picked up a second rod, a medium weight, and put on my reel with the nanofil #6 line. felt that I would be able to get my casts out further as well as having a little more backbone to control these fish a bit better that the ML rod with #4 fluoroclear line. I also had a few shad spoons, #13 Tony PET spoons (now sold by Luhr Jensen) and a Nungesser spoon. I had used a green highlighter marker to add some green to a #13 chrome PET spoon with yellow feathers. The Nungesser spoon was green and yellow. I tied on the Green/chrome spoon with a green/yellow 1/8 oz dart as the top lure. There were at least 10 people in the spot that I fished on Sat, but the spot that I fished from was open. With the tandem combo I was able to reach the seam between the fast river flow and the slower flow of the creek. The first cast and BAM had a strong hit and after a nice fight I landed my first of the day. I had another strong hit on my second cast and then nothing. Somehow I broke off above the top lure. I hate losing lure and especially losing fish. I tied on my other #13 chrome Tony PET lure and a red/white 1/8 oz dart. I got a couple of bites and landed two on the chrome spoon, but not at the pace of the other fisherman in that area. I switched back to a green/yellow dart and the Nungesser spoon. This combination was the ticket. I ended up catching 5 shad on the dart and 12 shad on the spoon. In just over two hours I hooked and landed 20 hickory shad. What an amazing fish. They hit hard, fight hard, and are plentiful when they run the rivers/creeks. I could only reach the productive water two or three times for five or six casts and would get bit half the time I got it in the sweet spot. The guys along the bank were catching fish after fish as well. What a great time !!

Good luck buddy. No help from here in Columbia on western trout fishing.

Not this evening unfortunately. Had a south wind blowing from the dam out into the lake. Seems like a northeast or northwest wind brings out the beast. I'll keep an eye on the wind the next couple of days. Took Livie out tonight. I'll set up a post after I get a couple of photos edited.

Daryk - Great Job with working with the boys! I hope that you guys enjoy the fish!

I finally got back to Missouri Sat morning. I decided to get out in the evening to try to catch my first crappie for 2018. It's been a weird year and I didn't know what to expect. Would they still be near the banks, have they spawned yet, who knows. I have fished this lake for many years and this was the first time that I did not see brush piles at the attractor locations. Usually the piles are big enough to break the surface. Fishing along the riprap on the dam side could be hit or miss without that brush congregating the fish. I only had a 7' Microlite rod with 4# Pline Fluoroclear line. I also had a couple of 1/64 oz beveled jig heads and a dozen or so plastic bodies. I have had great luck with a black and green jig body on this lake. Though some might think that this jig setup looks like crap , I consistently catch crappie with it. I put on a float about 14 " above the jig and was in business. I headed to the far side of the dam because there looked to be a bit of cedar brush in the water. That cedar brush was a remnant from last year's attractor pile and was right on the bank. The wind was blowing towards the dam. A windy day can be tough on my float and jig combo. The water was very clear for this lake. I made a couple of casts and just got one or two light curiosity nips. I cast out in front and past the brush, got a solid bite, and reeled in a bluegill. Not what I was hoping for but I wasn't getting skunked. I fan casted out from the brush and beyond. I caught six more bluegill all from a 6 by 6 foot area just off and beyond that small cedar. At 7 pm I caught sight of a sea monster just off the bank. With my light line I did not try to entice this fish. I did not get a photo as it cruised past me but I did make a call or two to discuss this encounter. Apparently the fisherman that came down the bank tried to hook it and it broke him off. I don't know if he snagged the fish or it bit his baits. I was planning on going out Sun evening with heavier gear and hoping that this guy did not spook this fish too much. Back to panfishing. I moved down the bank and fished where there was a brush pile last year. As the sun was setting the wind laid down. It was prime time. I made my first cast over the old brush and caught a small white crappie. Then another on the next cast. I don't rely on coloration to id white or black crappie. I actually look at the shape of the head of the fish and count their dorsal spines. Whites have a narrower head and black crappie head tend to be more rounded and look more like bluegill. Whites also have 5 to 6 dorsal spines and blacks have 7 to 8 spines. I typically catch nearly all white crappie on this lake and most range from 6 to 8 inches in length. So I was surprised when I caught two black crappie in a row. Then I caught a nearly all black male. Looked like a Raiders fan! Pulled the phone out for a photo but not enough charge for a photo. I know that there are those that state that if there are no photos then it didn't happen. Since one of the OAFers that insists on photos helped drain my battery when I called him earlier maybe he would give me sone slack on this post ! After that first all black, I caught four other dark males two of which were over 9 inches in length and three nice females full of eggs and also over 9 inches. The sun had set and I was still getting bit whenever I cast over that old pile. I needed two more crappie for an even 20 but the last three fish caught iver the pile were sunfish. I headed to the dock. Just before 9 pm I caught two more white crappie and two bluegill off of the dock. I ended the night with 15 bluegill, 2 green sunfish, 4 white crappie, and 16 blacks. And had an encounter with a sea monster that is still out there! Not a bad evening bite!

Congrats Phil! Thanks for the report. Nothing like the rewards of putting in some time to catch a limit of nice crappie!

Congrats on getting the boys into some crappie! Great smiles says it all. They must have had a blast fishing with dad!

That would be some dirty rice indeed! Great job on your second turkey!

Congrats on your two birds! Great job! I was going to comment that I never give another hunter crap for shooting legal game then I read your post about that second bird. So jealous from the east. Again great job Seth!

That woman is a downright killer! Tell her great job from all of the Folly family!