kazoobass

What type of spinner bait? Drool...

Champ have you seen the new rapala waking bait? Think it's about 5 1/2 inches. I picked up a couple. Might not use them down there but I got a couple perch imitators for when I get back home.

Unless... I can't catch anything. Then look out... I could be using the a rig mentioned in the other thread with the crazy stuff on it.

Good advice champ. I am confident with several of the techniques that have been mentioned and the red fin is not one of them. I appreciate the help. Slowing down will always be in my head and it will probably take me the whole trip to learn the ned.lol... cranks, jigs, shaky head and I have to throw a double willow if I get a shot and a spook (I like my spooks). Everything else will not likely see the water.

Champ that's what it is like for me at home. But new state and new water and no way to grab what I forgot at home. So over pack, over prepare and just going to enjoy being on the water. If all goes well next week they vote in Michigan to open catch and release non tournament fishing april 9 instead of April 24. So I could be back on my home lake the day I get back home with all these new toys.

Mixer I resemble your plan And hope for wind but I will be in a 17 foot aluminum rental so not too much wind.

At the rate I am packing not sure I can bring the family... the deck will hopefully clear up the first morning. Then start out a mess the next morning and repeat.

Question for next week. If you only had six poles on your deck. A ned, rockcrawler, a grub and what would your other 3 be? I like the swing jig head with a menace. Double willow spinner bait. Stick bait. Split shot rig (would need to pick up some fish doctors). A rig. A deeper running crank bait. Football jig with craw or menace. Shaky head. Drop shot with a dream shot. Swim jig. Lipless. What do you go with considering I am down by big cedar in a rental. So Beardsley clevenger Jake's branch area most likely I would guess.

I get it. I am just trying to Over prepare. At this point I will probably forget to bring clothes. Hope the wife packs something for me. I am already pretty easy to spot being 6'3 a former linebacker who now looks like a lineman, with redish hair and a goatee.

I would have been lost without this forum. I will post each day how I do. Not sure I have figured out pictures yet. That might have to wait until I get back from the trip. But I will be posting updates as I walk off the dock. I always post on my home forum reports so I can go back and use them as data for future trips. Thanks again

So is the spro little john similar to a dt 10 type mid range crank bait? I have a ton of square bills which are great up here in Michigan in the spring. Will there be a shot at using the square bill around trees? or stick to more deep diving stuff?

If I get some wind will I be able to get bit with jerk baits and spinner baits? Or stick to wart and rock crawlers?

I have put fluro on all my rigs except my flipping stick and a couple mono for my son. 6 lb on most and a couple 10 lb for crankbaits and jigs

So has any of your advice changed with the high water? I will be fishing next week Tue wed and thrs. I have a couple rock crawlers now. Need rig, wiggle warts, rock crawlers, 4 inch grubs, drop shot,shaky head and what else do you suggest? I prefer to fish less than 15 feet of water if possible. I will not have great electronics on a rental. Rock crawlers and ned rig seems to be all I am reading about.

I have a couple crawler coming for my trip to the rock but all I could get was the mud something color from tackle warehouse.

Sorry I missed this post. I played linebacker at Western Michigan University. I lettered 4 years from 1992-1995. My son is right in that 70-80 game range also. He went undefeated as a pitcher last summer. Its a ton of fun

Hand to god, I will report back here as soon as I get off the water the first day. I will not have pics yet(assuming I catch something) but I will post the good, the bad and the ugly... This board has been great for me setting up my trip to Table Rock. I have been on many message boards over the years but I have never found a more nice and helpful group of people than I have on this board. I haven't even made the trip yet and this is already going to become at least a yearly event if not more. Thanks to everyone on the Table Rock forum who has given me advice. You are correct about the depth of information on this board. I have done search and have found hours of reading without even scratching the surface...

So they stock those fish to be snagged? Does it pay for itself? Michigan screwed up in the mid 90's by restocking from their own gene pool. Fish got smaller. Had to go back out and get them from the west coast. At least that was the story we were told back then. No internet to confirm it. But we saw a huge slump around that time.

Edyer thank you. I am a texter so I hope u dont mind texting. I did order my jigs from dave. I had already bought some All Terrain jigs that claimed to be for ned rigs but when ib got them all the heads were crooked. Other than that they looked good wothwith mustad hooks. I have several of their skipping jigs and they work great. I am sure I can use then if I get desperate. I will take any info you can give me. Not having a gps is going to be tough.

I dont care about it either way. I grew uo fishing for salmon and steelhead on the great lakes and their tributaries. I believe they used to and maybe still do have certain times of the year and places you can snag salmon in Michigan. Not sure. I didn't like it around salmon because you could catch them without snagging. Only time I have ever intentionally snagged something I was 12 or 13 and we would snag 20-40 lb carp in a celery pond off the main river. Dont think it was legal butb I was a dumb kid. Growing up on lake Michigan and have my own boat at age 14 was awesome. I won my first Derby when I was 15. I was a big kid with a deep voice and when I won they didn't want to pay me. But they didn't realize I knew and worked for many of the charter fisherman during tournaments. So it was either pay me or get beat up. I am sure I wasted that 800 bucks really fast.

Abk... I will stay out of there if you let me follow you around one day...lol if not I will spend 3 days in there right where u want to be but probably catching nothing but some sun....

Ok Bill. I will be hitting you up more when it gets closer. I am way more comfortable fishing 20 feet of water or less. How much pressure will those creek arms get during the week? I will be fishing Tuesday Wednesday Thursday And maybe Friday. I don't have to do a whole lot of deep water bass fishing up here. I have one lake that I catch smallies on steep rocky banks down to 30 feet on drop shots, football jigs and tubes. I spend two weeks on that lake each summer and I will be adding the grub and ned rig this year. We can't bass fish in Michigan until the last weekend in April (I think that is the date) but I will be fishing some Indiana lakes when I get back from table rock. I am willing to listen and learn. I will also not have great electronics on the rental from big cedar. Can't imagine they would have anything other than a base model. Should I buy one of the topography maps I see online? Its hard to see the depths on the one you made and linked to this site. If I should buy one does anyone have a suggestion of which one???

Is snagging a big thing in Missouri? Frowned upon by most up here. Big fish

I just found it. Thanks... Those were the two places I thought I would fish. Looking at the structure map. Since I see just about everything I would want in those two areas and not have to go to far.

I see cLevenger is on creek arm north where is Beardsley? Looking on the maps linked here