S&M

Thanks for the reply, Don. I'll try Ahoys tomorrow, if not I'm sure I can find a place to launch. Would really like to find a spot closer to the Dam. I bet all the water being pulled has some of those big females stacked on the points feeding up.

No not kidding. I see nothing wrong or unsafe with fishing the arm of Ahoys. Don't even need to fire up the big motor.

I can't take it anymore and need to get out on Table Rock for some much needed bass fishing. Was looking to get out this Friday. Does anyone know if the I can launch from Ahoys out of Kimberly City ? Thanks,

The west bank of lake taneycomo about a 1/4 mile down stream from table rock dam, the natural creek is located between a campground with electrical hook ups and a building that is all boarded up. It looks like they are starting something on the bank of the building that is all boarded up. The campground recently finished putting rocks on it's bank so I'm assuming the rocks in the creek came from them. I always stopped and fished infront of that creek because it always had flowing water coming from it. It was a killer spot when no current was flowing from generation at table rock. I beached my boat last week and climbed up the rocks to take a look. What I saw was someone had filled up the natural creek with pretty big rock, 2 and 3 foot sized rocks, choking off the creek. The creek is nothing more than a beaver dam now. Maybe this is nothing more then a storm water creek, but it doesn't make sense to me that someone would dam it up ?

Thank you for your suggestion. I will pursue that avenue to correct a wrong that has been done to Lake Taneycomo. All the best to you and yours.

Is it against the law to alter or change, an active waterway that feeds Lake Taneycomo ? If so, what agency to contact to file a report ?

Someone has altered an existing creek wash that feeds directly into Lake Taneycomo. The Corps of Engineers doesn't care. I wonder who would care. Any suggestions ?

All the best to Champ for a speedy recovery. Donna, If there is any chores ( mowing, weed whacking, firewood, ect )that need to be done while Champ is recovering, please don't hesitate to ask. I know you don't know me from adam, but my name is Mike and I'm trust worthy and honest. Only looking to lend a helping hand at no cost to you. My services will be free. 417-724-1142

Here's a KILLER deal.....My link

If you would like something new, I would suggest the Lowrance X96 for $199.00 If you follow ebay you can find some good deals. Here's a Lowrance 332C color with GPS. My link

Pretty slick product. For a guy who launches his boat by himself 99.9% of the time, this product would make things a lot easier.

Lots of folks enjoying themselves today. The wife, dog, and myself went from Kimberly to the James. Had a peaceful lunch and caught a limit of bass with a few shorts mixed in. The 2 and 3 pound bass are becoming more abundant again. Heading out tomorrow morning for a few hours since the bite was so good today. Saw Bill Beck and Pete Wenners out today, most likely on a guide trip.

"The masses have never thirsted after truth. They turn aside from evidence that is not to their taste, preferring to deify error, if error seduce them. Whoever can supply them with illusions is easily their master; whoever attempts to destroy their illusions is always their victim." Gustave Le Bon (1841-1931)

Until you are approached and asked point blank if you are cheating, don’t worry about it. Hearsay is playing upon your emotions and it’s working. You wouldn’t have mentioned this incident here unless it was bothering you. Don't let anyone control your emotions, especially with hearsay, ever. Here’s what you do in this situation, “absolutely nothing”. Put this out of your mind and go about your business. If you start approaching people about hearsay then you are “escalating” the situation. If you are approached about cheating, then deal with it in a mature and civil tone. Explain that you do not cheat, have not cheated and are more then willing to take a lie detector test at there expense to remove all doubt on their part.

I was on the lake at Mill Creek when I looked up to see some serious rotation. It tried to drop a funnel, I could see if forming, and I'm surprised it didn't. Once I saw how fast the rotation was moving, I fired up the big engine and high tailed it back to Ahoys to get the boat on the trailer. As soon as I had the boat tied up to the dock, the storm hit. A bunch of teenagers, maybe 30 of them, standing on the docks started screaming and running. Lots of debries flying in the air. I'm really surprised the metal roofs on Ahoys floating docks didn't come off. Those where some powerful winds. Next time I see any rotation I'm heading in. I waited way to long to seek shelter, very stupid and foolish of me.

This is an interesting rule under "WEIGH-IN SPORTSMANSHIP AND CONSERVATION:" "( c ) Trailering a bass to weigh-in site during tournament hours will be permissible. Bass must be alive to be weighed in. However, any contestant whether trailering or not, shall be required to bring their boat and respective partner or partners, if any, with them to the official weigh-in site for a boat inspection when weighing bass in at any respective hour." Can you clarify this rule. How does an angler go about this process?. You weigh in your fish, then what ? I'm wondering how much down time an angler is to expect waiting for a boat inspection after weighing in their fish. How many staff members will be performing boat inspections?. I'm inquiring because I have seen 10,20, 30 up to 50 anglers weighing in during an hourly time slot. Thanks for your help,

Here are the rules posted on www.oakleybigbass.com. Are the additional rules you posted above "revised" rules that have not been updated on oakleybass website ? Official Oakley Big Bass Tour Rules ELIGIBILITY: (a) All Local, State & Federal penal code laws shall apply at all times. (b.) All Local, State, Coast Guard, and Federal boating regulations shall apply at all times. © This tournament series is designed for amateur anglers only and anyone who has guided for money on the hosting lake of this series within ninety (90) days will not be eligible to compete. (d) Contestants must have a valid state issued fishing license on their person unless exempt. Each contestant must also have a valid state driver’s license or some additional form of secondary picture identification. (e) Each person in boat must be a paid contestant of the tournament and abide by all tournament rules & regulations. (f) Non-contestants are not allowed in paid contestants boats at any time during official tournament hours. (g) All bass caught by contestants fishing together will be disqualified if any of the said contestants are found to be in violation of any tournament rules & regulations. (h) Any contestants found to be in violation of any tournament rules & regulations will be subject to disqualification from the tournament and all future events. (i) Anyone who has failed a polygraph test and been disqualified in connection with any bass tournament shall not be eligible. Tournament officials have the right to refuse any entry. (j) Participants under 18 years of age must be accompanied by a parent or adult with written parental permission. REGISTRATION AND ENTRY FEE: (a) Entry Fee must be paid before fishing. (b.) No refund or substitution of entry fee for any reason. © No late fee. ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES: (a) During tournament hours no alcoholic beverages are to be consumed by tournament contestant or allowed in contestant’s boat until the tournament is over. (b.) No firearms allowed in boats during tournament hours. SAFETY (THE FOLLOWING IS MANDATORY): (a) All boats must be equipped with some type of emergency ignition cut-off device (kill switch) on any remote steered outboard while main engine is in use. Ignition cut-off device (kill switch) must operate properly, which means when the kill switch is activated the outboard main engine must stop running immediately. The ignition cut-off device (kill switch) must be attached to boat operator at all times while the outboard main engine is in use. However, kill switches are not required on boats or hand-operated engines that were not manufactured with one. (b.) U.S. Coast Guard approved life jackets are required for each person on board. Life jackets must be worn and fastened while main engine is in use. © No boat shall have a motor of higher horsepower than the approved Coast Guard maximum. (d) Anyone taking medication should notify tournament officials prior to fishing. PERMITTED FISHING AREAS AND HOURS: (a) Fish must be caught on the tournament lake during official tournament hours. (b.) Tournament(s) off limits for fishing begins 8:00 p.m. the day before the event and ends at tournament official start time. © Contestants may leave from any launch site on tournament day at any time, but may not begin casting until tournament has officially started. Official start time will be determined by the Tournament Director and anglers will be notified when to commence fishing. (d) No fishing within 50 yards of a marina gas pump. (e) No one may leave his or her boat to fish or land a fish. (f) Contestants are limited to use of a primary boat only. No canoes, rafts, or flotation apparatuses. (g) No fishing allowed within 25 yards of a non-anchored boat or 50 yards of an anchored boat without that boats permission. TACKLE AND EQUIPMENT: (a) All bass must be caught on artificial bait by casting only. No trolling with big motor. Only one rod may be used at any one time by contestant. Other rods may be in the boat for substitute purposes. (b.) All bass must be caught from a legal motorized boat. © No electronic tracking devices (implanted microchips) may be used to locate fish for tournament purposes (depth-finders and graph charts are the only exception.) WEIGH-IN SPORTSMANSHIP AND CONSERVATION: (a) Sportsmanship, courtesy, safety and bass conservation are required from every participant. (b.) All bass weighed in will become the property of the tournament and will be released back into the lake alive if possible. © Trailering a bass to weigh-in site during tournament hours will be permissible. Bass must be alive to be weighed in. However, any contestant whether trailering or not, shall be required to bring their boat and respective partner or partners, if any, with them to the official weigh-in site for a boat inspection when weighing bass in at any respective hour. (d) For conservation reasons, all bass brought to official weigh-in station must be in a weigh-in bag with water. (e) No contestant may weigh in more than one bass per official tournament hour. More than one bass per weigh-in bag is prohibited. Bass entered in the big bass of the hour do not carry forward from hour to hour. Your biggest bass is registered into the final overall standings. (f) Bass must be weighed in by the contestant who originally caught the bass and it must be in said contestant’s actual physical possession at the weigh-in line when said contestant declares ready to weigh. (g) Any artificially weighted or preserved bass will be disqualified and the contestant will be subject to prosecution under federal law. (h) Any questionable fish will be subject to inspection by a marine biologist or similarly qualified expert. (i) This is a big bass tournament (one bass). Only largemouth, smallmouth and Kentucky spotted bass will be weighed in. Specific lake minimums and/or slot requirements must be followed and it is the responsibility of the entrant to abide by all local, state, and federal rules for the host event lake(s). (j) No contestant may have more than three (3) bass in their possession at any time during official tournament hours. This is a mandatory catch and release program during official tournament hours. All bass when tournament is officially over each day must be released back into water. POLYGRAPH: (a) Polygraph tests will be given on a random basis and must be passed. (b.) Each contestant, by signing the entry form, agrees to submit to a polygraph. © All contestants who have placed during said hour, their respective partners and boats, must remain at the official tournament site until said hourly winners are declared official. If not present, contestants will automatically be disqualified. (d) Any contestant determined by the polygraph examination or other tournament officials to be intoxicated or on any type of illegal drugs at the time said contestant is required to take the polygraph examination or in violation of tournament rules, will be disqualified from this and all future Tournaments. (e) Any contestant found to be in possession of any illegal substance will be subject to disqualification and prosecution. BOAT INSPECTION: (a) All contestants, by entering this tournament(s), hereby agree to allow their boats to be boarded and inspected by tournament officials at any time during the tournament(s), to include, but not limited to, their boat registration, Coast Guard horsepower rating plate, live well, rod boxes, closed storage compartments, tackle boxes, life jackets, PFDs and safety equipment. DECISIONS: (a) All decisions of the OAKLEY BIG BASS TOUR, its Tournament Directors and Staff are final. (b.) All protests must be registered in writing with the Tournament Director within fifteen (15) minutes of the designated weigh-in.

Tim, Always a pleasure to see you. As far as Mrs Techo is concerned with bathroom duties, that is not a problem. The business card issued to the anglers with your boat launching # during registration has the tournament directors phone numbers on it. All the is needed is to give them a call and I'm sure she would be granted permission to leave the boat. For a woman, I can see this as an emergency. In my opinion their is way to many unknown variables with allowing anglers from one tournament to leave their boat for another tournament held on the same day. I'm not saying anyone would cheat, but by not allowing anglers to leave their boat removes all doubt for the situation. You did very well Saturday, I'm proud of you. You brought in a good sack.

You should read the AIA rules before misleading AIA anglers. It is a rules violation to leave your boat during tournament hours. The exception to the rule is an emergency or boat break down. I was planning on fishing your event on Saturday, but have withdrawn due to your obvious attempt of self promotion at the cost of others. Not a very smart business practice.

I feel so blessed to not have these issues on the water that you folks speak of. Now you have me thinking why that is ? If I can come up with an answer, I'll let ya know.

You have a PM Enjoy,

Here's three locations in Aunts Creek that are within paddling distance from the launch ramp. Location "A" has a row of trees sitting in 45' of water with the top of the trees at 20'. Location "B" has trees and brush piles also sitting in 45' of water with the top of the trees varying from 20' to 25' deep. Location "C" is a really good spot because it has three major attractions about it. 1st it's a channel swing that come close to the bank, 2nd there is a floating dock that sits over that channel swing, and 3rd, there is trees and brush piles next to that channel swing. This spot sits in 40'water. Bring along some Rapala Ice Jigs. I've had some really good success in Aunts using these. THis is the type of bait you can keep in the strike zone forever. This is the type of lure that you don't jig up and down, rather you you move the lure in tight circles with your rod. Maybe I'll change the title of my thread to " Table Rock is on FIRE for me" the BLF guys and Babler need to step there game up, LOL

smallmouthjoe, Heck yeah you can catch bass in 10' to 15' right now. That's about the depth I'm catching them in. But I'm sitting in 50', 60', 80, of water. These fish are in the upper water column. You don't need to be in the middle of the lake, but a deep cove with timber is what you should be looking for. What area are you planning to launch from? I'll pull out my lake map and give you areas to fish from your launch site.

If you can get out this weekend I highy recommend it. The water temp has climbed 3 to 4 degrees since last week. I'm finding water in the 45* range and the bass are biting. First thing in the morning I'm getting them on a stick bait with a 30 to 40 count. This bite is lasting until about 11.00am. Then I'm throwing a 5" grub with a count down of 20 and a slow roll back to the boat. This bite is working well into the late afternoon 3:00-4:00pm. For the last hour I threw a 3/4oz lipless crackbait. All of these presentation produced today and I'm sure there going to produce the rest of this week into next week. Look for broken up bait balls about half way back in timber coves. Enjoy gentlemen, the lake is coming alive again.