RSBreth

I'm lucky to live close enough to Springfield that I can go to the outlet store a couple of times a month. Better than the main store. I don't know how many times I've got Lucky Craft or XCaliber or whatever at 50% off. Right now there are rods ranging from the store brand stuff to GLoomis marked waaay down. Just make sure it isn't one with a broken tip. A 7' rod that is actually 6'8" and has a different style tip then the rest of the guides should let you know. I wish there was a Cabelas down here in SW MO. I think the competition would be good for us customers.

You never said what line you were using, it's harder to dig deep when using 15-lb Big Game vs thin superlines. I don't usually go much deeper than about 10 foot or so in rivers during Winter. When I do go deep in cold water I like a tighter wobbling crank instead of a wide wobbling one, just seems to catch more fish. One I've been using the most since it came out is the new XRap Shad. Shaped like the old Shap Rap, but with the XRap finish and long casting, suspending Xrap properties. Sorry about the "info-mercial" but it does show the action well. Most of the time I do much better on suspending jerkbaits in cold water than cranks, but I have had days where the crank did catch some when nothing else was really clicking.

Riverside bridge closed. Personally I haven't driven across it in a couple of years. Did not trust it.

I've tied many jigs with GOOD silicone collars, and they still are going strong 4-5 years after tying them. Where are you getting your skirt collars at that dry rot? I get mine from Stamina Tackle (Skirt collars ). Like was said earlier, I lose mine way before the collars rot. The only jigs I "tie" on are bucktails.

That's a nice river Largemouth. Maybe you'll get #2 before the year is done.

You've never caught a Largemouth Bass, or never got a picture of one?

I saw that too, just waiting to see what's happening.

I can't wait for Phil to shut this down. This thread reminds me of when the teacher was gone out of the classroom (in elementary school) and everyone decided to do "their own thing". Or the Drake.

Awesome report and pictures, I just wish you'd posted it sooner! At any rate I'm glad you guys had a great time. Trips like this are why the Ozarks are such a great place to live, even if you are close to civilization you can go and get a little taste of the wild, if only for a few days. Thanks again.

I can see paying a couple of bucks depending on how choice the water is, but for 10 bucks I'd expect to come back to a washed and vacuumed car.

I don't think you have to keep Taney secret. Nice trout.

So, can anybody guess what I did to get those stubborn rod sections apart? Nothing! I don't mean I left them stuck together, I just put the rod on the front deck of the boat in the garage, and left it there for a couple of days. After it sat there for a few days the sections pulled apart easily. I've done that before on this rod, and it has a history of being stubborn when you use it hard in hot weather - I was throwing medium diving cranks and cranking them hard for several hours. I keep my ferrules clean and use the little thing of wax St. Croix gives you with multi-piece rods, so they usually come apart every time, but this rod can be stubborn, but it packs so nicely I still use it. So, there you go, my answer is to do nothing but leave it sit for a couple of days in the shade and cool. That won't work when you fish your 4-piece Spey rod in Alaska right up to a minute before you have to jump in the bush plane to get back to catch your flight home!

Hey that's fine, I like those guys, but my favorite is "Thousand Dollar Car". Great obscure reference, by the way.

Why are they hassling you about such trivial stuff when I can send them pictures of a ski boat buzzing me (complete with their AR registration #) about 20-yards away when I'm in my canoe, and I get ignored?

If you could paddle whatever model you're looking at before you buy it would be easier making a decision, but I realize that probably isn't possible. I still love my Pack, but I portage a lot, and most folks would probably be happier with the 119 Guide, as it's tougher and will take more abuse. I need to put skid plate on my Pack right now, but haven't had time nor money to do so.

Getting up to that bluff hole and back is an easy trip - in a canoe or kayak. Doing it in a john is a little harder. Glad you didn't have too many problems and caught a few fish.

If I was a moderator on a board I would have locked the thread after the first post, just to be ironic.

I have a travel rod that has the upper two pieces (it's a 3-piece rod) really, really not wanting to come apart. I think I know how I'll get them apart, but I'm wondering what everyone else does to get those stubborn multi-piece rods apart?

It really wasn't too bad until I went out yesterday after posting that report. I fished from about 7 A.M. until almost noon. Lots of traffic, and lots of wind. I did catch a few decent Black Bass of all three varieties, and even a nice Walleye. I'll put a long report up on my site when I have the time. I sure would have like to have kept the Walleye, but it wasn't going to be easy logistically (I had no fish cleaning supplies with me, and the In-Laws aren't fishermen) so I let it go.

If there were that many fish I kind of doubt they were caught there, but even if they weren't it's still a big mistake for someone to use that area as their own fish cleaning station, whether they were legal on the amount and kinds of fish they kept or not. Like Ham said, take pictures, and include them when you report this kind of thing if you can. I do.

I've been fishing out of the solo canoe the past couple of mornings. The Bass have been mostly coming to the boat on shaky head finesse worms (1/8-ounce Strike King jighead w/Zoom Trick Worm in Pumpkin) and finesse jigs (Terminator Tiny T or Booyah Baby Boo 3/16-ounce) in PB&J type colors. I have caught a few on topwaters early, and then a few on jerkbaits or wakebaits, but as soon as the sun is up they're back down deep. I have found the best Bass action around docks on pea gravel banks. Not much size to the guys I've been catching, but still lots of fun on spinning tackle. I've been fishing around the point five area.

Now I know your accent, I though it was Chi-Town but wasn't sure 'til now. Anyway, yeah, wear your vest. I don't as often as I should, but I should. I always wear it in the "big boat" when the motors on, but I need to get in a habit like I have in cars: Seatbelt on, all the time.

So, what line are you spoolin' on that Loomis?

I've seen them but I don't know what exactly is different in it's design that supposedly makes it "birdnest proof". The jagged "geared" lip of the spool? Looks like a gimmick to me. There was this thing invented more than 20 years ago that pretty much eliminates problems with spinning reels, it braided or fused superlines.

Pulled up and portaged a stretch of Beaver Creek Sunday. (sorry, to busy to post report until today.) I saw a covey of Quail as I neared the access point right as the sun was coming up, which was definitely a better omen than the rain showers I was experiencing as I loaded the canoe back in Ozark. As I drove East and South I escaped the rain, and only received a few sprinkles the whole day, but the humidity was pretty bad, despite the slightly cooler temperatures from the cloud cover. The first couple of small pools held some fiestly 10" to 14" fish, that came to hand mostly on topwaters, but I did catch a few on the new Rapala Flat Rap in Clown, too. Matter of fact, the biggest fish of the day came on that Rapala, but most fish were holding near cover, so the treble hooks got to be a nuisance. I tried a couple of different soft jerkbaits, and the wouldn't really commit on them, slapping and taking half-hearted swipes, but not really hitting them. Finesse stuff (jigs, soft sticks) brought nothing in those same spots. I also caught a nice Spot on a spinnerbait in a backwater slough. It was a great day to be out, despite the confusing attitudes of the Smallies.