jackman724

ZOU!!! A win is a win…lost enough close ones this year in spite of ourselves. Let’s enjoy this one for the next year or so!!! Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

I'm in for another year...looking forward to throwing some darts each week!

We spend a ton of time in the Aunts Creek area and even fish their association tournament. That is really disappointing to hear. The folks at Edgewater are great and we have been staying with Ed and Ruth Rose at Four Seaons Resort in Little Aunts for years if you’re looking for another option. Feel free to reach out if you’d like more info.

Please PM me your PayPal for Fantasy Fhishing...thanks!

I used to stop by Fin and Feather in Springfield on my way down if I neglected to get in touch with Dave personally to get my Ned Heads prior to my trips to Table Rock. Wondering if there are any other local shops between Springfield and Kim City that might carry them since my joint is closed temporarily. I am heading down later today and didn't get my prework done...any help would be appreciated!

Aunts Creek Buddy Bass is only $50 but have to stay in one of their resorts. 2 days...Sat/Sun 30/31. I stay at Four Seasons with Ed and Ruth Rose. Super reasonable and really good folks!

Clearly I meant loons not lions...that would’ve been a little scary.

Posted on another topic that we stayed close to the lions all weekend and caught a 3rd in our derby out of Aunts Creek. Never left that area so saved some mo way on gas too! Similarly, they were eating the Ned, small swims, jerkers and they really liked the a-rig too especially when that sun showed itself. Funny what those little creatures will tell you if you listen...

Fished a 70 boat tournament this past weekend and never left Aunts Creek but once. Color is good with 3-4 ft of visibility. Water temps in the very low 50s Sat/Sun. Good amount of breeze and cold snap had them chomping a-rigs, Keitechs and jerkers. Really liked the a-rig with some high sun and even found a few on the bottom with that high sun. Definitely still relating to shad right now. I too chased the loons all weekend. If I was in shouting distance of one, seemed we were getting bit. Shockingly aggressive bites given the big weather change Friday night into Saturday. Seemed liked everything that worked Thursday/Friday during prefish held on the weekend too. Finished 3rd in our tourney to some “hammers” so I think we were on the right pattern. Just didn’t see the kicker on the weekend like the couple of 5+ pounders caught Thursday/Friday. Heading back down the 20th for 10 days. Timing should be perfect! FISH ON!!!

I feel terrible for the way that post was worded...had no idea he was going thru nor do I get how I missed that post. My need for jigs pales and feels ridiculous at this point...you all cannot imagine the joy that those little jig heads have brought to countless members of my family and close friends who journey to TR with me each year in the Spring including my Dad who was in the middle of a big health battle last year but insisted on making the trip anyway. Colorectal cancer was a bear (and a surprise for him) last February and as of December he was declared cancer-free! Those little guys put a smile on my Dad's face last Spring that I hadn't seen in months. Thanks to everyone who participates on this forum as it is truly one of the best sources of information, and is quite obviously filled with some of the kindest, most genuine individuals I have encountered in my lifetime. A sincere thanks to all of you on the forum and prayers out to Dave and his family in this trying time.

Looking for some of Dave's Ned Heads...anyone know if he's around? Probably out slaying them with the little turd somewhere...

Mike- We literally fish out of a rented tin can in the Aunt's Creek area...would love to join you guys on the 22nd but just don't have the resources to get ourselves or the boat up to Eagle Rock/Big M...would take us half of the day. Hope the weather is nice and everyone has a great day!!!

@EDYER - That was a beauty of a fish...shame you weren't entered in that 500 boat deal...would have taken it down with that fish!

Got down to TR and on the water last weekend and felt inclined to share in an effort to help anyone I can as I have gained a ton of insights from being a bit of a lurker on the forum. Fished Thursday and Friday from Viney down to the James/White junction. Water color really good up the James but didn't have a ton of success, Water much clearer but still good color down around Point 8. Water temps consistently b/t 53-54.5 everywhere we fished. Primarily had success just inside or outside the points leading into spawning pockets-plenty of success ON the points but fish seemed to be abundant but much smaller. Fished underspins, small Keitechs, jerk baits...jerk bait by far caught the most and the bigger fish. Usually had to have some wood around and kept the boat in 20-25 casting to 6ft or so and working the bait all the way to the boat. LOTS of fish came farther out than we expected based on what I had been hearing and reading about. Late on Friday with the sun out and wind slowing down, the JB bite seemed to slow dramatically. Picked up a Menace on a wobble head and got hammered! Hadn't felt a bite like that in two days. All of the bites had been pretty soft, fish was just there after a short pause on the JB and the underspin/swimbait fish just slowly loaded the rod. Wondering if that was a signal, I picked up the varmint and threw back out to the same location and promptly boated a 2 1/2 lb SM. Continued to work the Ned the remainder of the afternoon and caught 15 more with 4-5 being keeper size. My brother meanwhile kept the JB in his hand on the front of the boat and caught just a single fish the rest of the day. Had a Buddy Bass derby on Sat/Sun that started off slow for us Saturday morning. Both of us had the JB in hand and we had some trolling motor issues that were very discouraging. Managed to find 2 keepers in the morning before I started dragging around the little guy again. Immediately started boating fish and would up catching 7 more keeper prior to weigh helping to put us in 2nd place leading into Sunday. Fished about a 150 yard stretch of main lake "nothing" bank on the outside of a point in between 2 big spawning pockets. All but 2 of our 9 keepers Saturday came from that one stretch. Solidly believe we were on a bass highway that just kept replenishing itself. Kept the boat in 16-20 feet, floated the bank pretty briskly with the breeze and just kept dragging the little dude through about 16 feet almost directly behind the boat. Deeper than I usually like to fish the Ned but it was working so we rode it. Water was 54 at launch, 55.5 when we weighed in at 4pm. Went into Sunday with some confidence but had troller issues out of the gate and didn't throw our first cast until 35 minutes after launch. With a noon weigh-in, we were more than a little puckered. Pulled up on a new spot and promptly boated a 2.75lb SM. Moved back out to our "goto" spot and it was on again. Only difference was that there were a lot of small fish. Had to go through about 25 fish Sunday morning before weigh-in and wound up with 4 keeps for 9.5 lbs. Turns out, Sunday was pretty tough for most and that was enough to win the 70 boat, 2 day derby. Super excited and had a blast fishing with my brother and figuring things out as it was like 3 different day in about a day and a half. Typical Table Rock I guess...Cloudy and cold Saturday morning, bluebird and 73 degrees by 4pm, cloudy and nearly calm on Sunday morning. My brother fished as a Co-angler today in the BFL deal today and I just heard he finished 5th (his best ever finish) dragging the little guy around from the back of the boat. Told me that although the water has warmed up a couple of degrees since last weekend, the pattern was nearly identical to what we got on last weekend. Thanks to all who contribute to the success, sharing and positive vibe that is exuded on this forum. Aside from the insights and information I gain, I thoroughly enjoy following the genuine conversations that the folks on this site engage in. The banter is enjoyable and brings a smile to my face frequently. Can't wait to get down there the last week of April and spend 9 days. Fishing should be on fire by then and I will be bringing a friend who has never been to TR and my dad who is battling colon cancer down to show them that beautiful body of water that we are so fortunate to have the opportunity to enjoy. FISH ON!!! Gary

What kind of stuff should I be looking for? Heading down this weekend and would like to do a little night fishing. Will be in a rented boat with limited electronics but can get around ok. Staying in the Lower James River area...am I looking for bluffs, bluff ends, flats, points, main lake, secondary? Not looking for specific spots just structure type, etc.. I see catching in 15ft, pretty flat - how deep are you sitting the boat? Any and all input is ALWAYS appreciated. I will post over the weekend if I am able to figure anything unique out. Thanks to all!

Got down to the lake to fish a small Buddy Bass tournament with my brother this past weekend and apologize for the late report. I am an avid reader but rare contributor and wanted to share what we were able to figure out if anything... Got down to Four Seasons late Wednesday night and got out around 7:30am on Thursday morning in our rented boat. Found quite a bit of wind right off the bat but had no idea how that would increase throughout the weekend. Didn't venture too far as we wanted to see if we could figure anything out close to home. Within a couple of hours we had several keeper SM on multiple baits (SB, Ned, Wart) but quickly figured out that the little Varmint was getting a lot more bites and the fish were of good quality. Old haunts were holding fish so we headed up the James to between pts 11 and 12 and had a hard time getting bit at all. One here and there on a SB but not much so we headed back down short of pt 10 and the bite was back on. In all, 24 fish with 11 good solid keepers. Nothing over 4lbs but 6 or 7 healthy 2.5-3.5lb fish (all SM and LM - no spots). Friday was much tougher for us...fished some new areas down river and caught about 25 with only 4 keepers - none were anything to write home about. Threw everything at them including all the things that worked so well the day before. Could not come up with a pattern. Saturday was derby day and we started out at a few of the Thursday spots...wind was howling early and never stopped. That being said we had 2 nice keeps in the first 30 mins on the Ned but the bite shut off as soon as Mr. Sun came up. Bluebird conditions like no other but we had wind so we started pitching the little guy into some empty dock stalls near where we were fishing. Action was fast and furious but most were undersized. They were just stacked up in there and caught 7 fish from 4 different stalls in about 30 mins...on nice keeper smallie and a juicy 15 1/2" spot. So sitting on 4 we ventured out looking for more. Wound up catching one more 16" LM around 3pm on the SB and that was that. 5 for 11.5lbs was all we could do. Turned out that had in 4th spot out of 60 boats heading to Sunday. Started Sunday right back where we started Saturday and BAM! 2 good solid keeper on about 5 casts...both on Ned...Sun up...then nothing. Tried the docks again...nothing. Started moving around the lake thinking we had ideas on how to fish that building gale and high sun and still nothing but small fish. Caught 14 undersized fish by noon weigh-in but no more keepers. Turned out, everyone struggled as only one limit turned in and we only lid one spot to 5th with our 2 keeps for 5lbs. Overall, a great trip with my brother...cant wait to come back down on the 15th for a relaxing week of fishing after that full moon and not tourney to fish. Fished mainly from Point 9 up to Point 12. Most fish came shallow (5-12 ft) on SB and Ned with some cranks (squarebill, wart) and a few on a 1/2oz underspin rigged with a small Keitech. Water temps started out at between 52 and 54 each morning and warmed up to 56-57 each day. Not much change despite those two very cold nights. We did find some 59 degree water where it was just getting murked up and smashed against a really windy bank but only managed a couple of small LM on a SB in those areas. Thanks to all on this forum for the information you all share. It gives an angler like me who can only get down there a few times a year somewhere to begin when we come down which ultimately makes it much more enjoyable for us. Kudos and CNR! Gary

Somebody will get one of those Rock Pigs just waiting to move up shallow slow rolling a swim bait. She'll weigh 7lb 8oz...unfortunately I can't make it down so get get her!!!

Looks like you had a beautiful day and found some nice water...some good lookin fish too!!!

I found I didn't have look too far from the main lake/arm to find productive flats or pockets. The farther back we went, the less success we had. Mixed rock and gravel both worked well for us.

Biggest swim we threw was a 5" on a 1/4 oz head. Had a blast with it and really need to learn more about that bait. Don't have much experience throwing swims...seemed like every time I picked it up I caught a fish. Just love the way the rod loads on that bait...very different from most of the fishing I do.

This report is long overdue with many THANKS going out to all of the awesome folks on this forum...please hang with me as I have a lot to share. Got to the lake on Friday the 24th with 8 days ahead of us along with great expectations based on all of the reports. Spent the entire week with my brother (both of us from STL) and had the good fortune of getting my dad out in the boat with me the first few days. My dad loves to be out there, but is of the ilk that could care less how many fish he really catches. He likes fiddle around with various lures and typically fishes pretty casually. I insisted that if he was in a boat with me, he would fish hard and would have a Ned Rig on the line until it stopped working. Let me tell you, he NEVER put it down. APR 25 - We headed up the James to the area around points 12/13, and it was on!!! I was fishing a Biffle Head with adjoining bug and he was throwing the Ned. He proceeded to catch over 30 fish (including a slam) including 6 keepers while I caught only 4 fish (all keeper LM including a 3.5 lber. I told myself I wouldn't throw the rig until he left as I was fishing the front of the boat and just didn't want to take anything away from his opportunity to slaughter them. Sunday and Monday the 26th and 27th were tougher days for us but we still managed to catch close to 30 each days with several fish in the 17"-18" range. My brother who was fishing in another boat with a friend switched to the Ned after a tough Saturday and proceeded to catch 15 keepers mostly SM in a very tight area and was also hooked on the Ned. He also proceeded to fish with the Ned without interruption the rest of the week. After my dad departed, I jumped in a boat with my brother and his friend for a couple of days and the fishing went nuts! We boated 60+ fish both days (again mostly SM with some spots....few LM) Our keeper % was unlike anything I had ever seen. We caught 20-25 in the AM went back for lunch when the fishing slowed and then went back to the very same stretches of water as we caught 30-40 more each afternoon and evening. My uncle came down and I fished with him Thursday and Friday as began his annual Lake of the Ozarks trip a couple days early. He too tied on a Ned and never put it down. At this point, I cannot keep it out of my hand either other than the occasional cast of the swim bait into the schools of spots crashing bait in the evenings. Again we caught close to 60 fish between the 2 of us each day and even got a little late evening/night fishing in as the moon came closer to full. I picked up an Jewel old skool black and purple jig both evenings and caught 3 keepers each night using a zoom speed craw trailer on the end in about 25 FOW. Finished up the trip with my brother and his friend on Saturday the 2nd and had our best day yet. We had caught so many fish that we decided we would play a game of "pic or flip" and count the keepers via the photos we took throughout the day. Without exaggeration, I have 37 photos of keeper bass (90% SM) that we caught in two very small pockets on the lower James around Point 10 and up. It was the most amazing fishing day I have had in my lifetime and will never be forgotten. Water temps: 59-63 degrees early in the trip when it was SO windy, and closer to 66 degrees later in the week. Depth: We caught Ned fish from 2ft to 28ft but the bulk of our action came with the boat in 10-12 and parallel casting that depth zone whether it was a point or a cut. We also got away from dead sticking it so much and sort of kept the bait moving ever so slowly shaking it almost constantly. Seemed the keeper size fish were almost exclusively in that zone although most were smallies so not all that surprising. If we casted deeper we generally caught spots and meanies...if we casted shallower, we seemed to find the LM bite. Had so much fun with those keeper size smallies that we just couldn't leave that zone. Size: We had several LM in the 2.5-3.5lb range and caught in the neighborhood of 30 or more SM in the same range. Seemed like if it was a keeper SM, it was 17" or 18" almost every time. Biggest spot was 17 1/2' and was just fat as can be. Baits: Ned using Dave's heads (had to run to the Kayak shop south of SDC for more at one point) and mostly ZMan Zinker Zs in PBJ, GP, Craw and WM. Also had success with the Biffle Bug on the Biffle head in WM Candy, just about any swim bait we threw (as long as it was white or shad colored), Pop-R in the mornings, Jewel 1/2 oz jigs in black/purple scheme and a shortened speed craw in GP Candy. In all, it was our most successful trip every and my brother aptly coined it "The Year of the Ned". My uncle took the little rig up to LO and had much success there as well where he found some cleaner bottom cover areas, and my brother has been catching fish back here in STL at the local pond as well. I had a memorable time with family which is what it is all about and many of you on this forum helped to make it such an awesome week for us. The information shared here is so valuable especially for folks like me and my brother who do a lot of fishing locally but only have the pleasure of fishing that beautiful reservoir about 4 times a year. If you have some experience and can figure out how to apply the info offered here, there is no reason to think that everyone cannot experience what we just did. We simply took the info and tweaked it to the conditions and put our own little twist on it. Thanks again to each of you who contribute and especially to locals and regular contributors who so selflessly share their local knowledge and experiences. THANK YOU and FISH ON!!!

Water has a nice green color with 6-8 ft of visibility. Temps are 60.5-62 and the fishing is "ON". You should have a great time. Ned and dead sticking the fluke have been great for us. Good luck!

Just went by and retooled. Been killing them on your nedheads Dave!!! Still has tons of ZMAN stuff in the "right" colors. Looks like he's getting smacked on the heads though. Said he'll be calling Dave for some custom made heads. Great guy, nice to talk to and has a nice selection. Give him some love if you get a chance!!!

Nice bunch of fish...leave a few for me. Getting down there Friday for 10 days. Can't wait! Staying in the Little Aunts area and usually fish from the 13 Bridge up the James to Pt 15. Any current updates would be appreciated. I will certainly add what I can during my time on that part of the lake.

Beautiful smallie...love that CHUNK of a spot just as much. Can't wait to get back down there the 24th. 9 more days!!!