top_dollar

For the better part of a decade I talked about hiring Buster Loving to teach me how to catch walleye on upper bull. Now that he is gone, I really regret talking about it for so long and never actually doing it. Now, when I want to do something, I am just going to do it and not be all talk. I really regret not going with him just once, and I don't know of any other guides who fish that way. Anyway, I finally pulled the trigger and came down. Its the first time I had ever been on bull shoals. My brother and I stayed in Forsyth and fished out of K Dock Saturday and Sunday. The water temp was 38-39 on Saturday, and 38 warming to 42 on Sunday. I could see the bottom in probably 6 FOW. We threw jerkbaits and swimbaits up on the mud flats. Saturday between the 2 of us we caught 5 bass and 1 walleye all on a jerkbait. My brother did better than me throwing his jerkbait on a spinning rod with 6# while I was using casting gear with 10# line. Sunday we did the same thing and didn't get a bite all day long. We never left sight of K dock ramp, but the flats we found dropped off into the channel at about 10-15 FOW, so I think the spinning rod was getting that bait a bit deeper. Buster's seminar said to target 6FOW dropping into 35, but we never found it, so we just made due with what we could find. Saturday there was only other boat out all day, but Sunday there were multiple rigs in the lot. A few guys were out on the drop offs, but most seemed to be way out in the channel fishing for deep stuff. I'm sure they all had way better electronics and know how to locate and catch those fish better. I just found the creek channels with a 5 inch 2D sonar, a paper hot spot map and marker buoys. I put 1 buoy in 10FOW, and the other in 25-35 FOW and casted from one to the other. I'm sure there are way more efficient ways to catch them with better electronics, but unfortunately for us we fish like its 1980. We graphed lots of stuff in the channel, and I tried to drop a spoon on them, but couldn't get any bites. I cant tell the difference between species and such though on the graph, but nothing rose up to even look at my spoon, so maybe they weren't game fish. It was tough fishing for 2 days, but I wasn't expecting much so I kind of feel like the trip was a success. I'm already planning for next winter, and will get better each time I go. We also fished a bit on Taney for trout, @Big Keene posted about what we did there.

Yeah that figures. I'm coming down to fish upper bull the end of next week, so murphy's law dictates it will be record cold. Hopefully its a bit warmer by the weekend.

Coldwater to Sam Baker is good for an overnight, maybe 10 miles or so. Sam baker to HWY 34 bridge is short and good for a day float. I don't consider it to be too slow, but I fish the big river mostly, which doesn't have much current.

I doubt you'd get any trouble from anyone for launching a pond prowler.

I fished the Coldwater access down to Sam Baker back in the end of November. This report is a bit late. Bass were biting really well. I caught fish near winter areas, but they were surprisingly up in spots with more current. I didn't bother crappie fishing, I just threw jerkbaits, jigs, and swimbaits for bass. With the exception of a 24 inch walleye, and an 18 inch largemouth it was all smallies and spots less than 15 inches. I released the walleye so maybe it will grow to be a real giant!

I've only been up to Busch a few days this winter, mostly around Christmas time before everything froze up. Fishing has been about the same as usual, at least for crappie. I haven't really tried for other species much. You can catch little ones, with occasional eaters at lake 33 off the dam. Jigs under a float, usually 1-5 feet deep. Other lakes have generally bigger fish, but you'll have to work for them. My best luck is at smaller lakes with south facing dams. There are brush piles off the dams of most of those lakes and that is generally in the deepest water. Clearer lakes they tend to be deeper. It looks like you can launch private boats up here now. I had not noticed this before, and maybe it had been like this for some time, but certain lakes you are allowed to put your kayak or canoe on. I'm excited to bring my kayak up there and be able to fish those lakes from a boat in the winter time.

Of course people on here agree with you...it is a fishing forum in rural Missouri. Most of the people reading this haven't ever left the county they were born in. The difference is most people on this forum are decent enough people, and don't think about political stuff 100% of the time. It is unfortunate, but you are in that percentage of people who simply cannot have a discussion without steering it back to your talking points. For some reason it just occupies 100% of your brain space.

Yeah I bet you do. Probably Hondurans from St. Ann. 🤣

Unfortunately that will never happen because certain people are ONLY here to argue politics. Mitch will continue to post political stuff and start arguments. Like was said earlier...he is the problem. I would assume that every internet forum, regardless of topic, has a handful of people that ruin it for everyone.

It's not.

I don't care that much. Its honestly pretty impressive they can stick that many big smallies. The huzzah must be doing pretty good!

This was not done by illegal Hondurans lol. You or your "friend" is making stuff up. This was 100% white missouri hillbilly.

That is so true! I have to (get to) break the news they still got a few miles to leadwood. The poor guy usually has to do all the work while the gf just pouts.

Mounts is several miles above Cherokee landing, which is closer to the state park. The mounts access is just above where HWY 8 crosses the river (big river outdoors now). The highest I have put in was hwy M bridge, and it is floatable on down from there. One thing worth mentioning is that you will be doing some serious paddling as there is barely any current. From mounts to leadwood is about the longest 8 mile float imaginable. You're mostly paddling through long slow pools, and dragging boats over 6 inch riffles. Almost everyone who does that stretch overestimates how far they have gone, and still have miles left when they are wanting to take out. It is usually some frustrated guy, and his very unhappy spouse. 🤣

I think per car, but it's not spelled out very well.