top_dollar

Since I do fish table rock does that mean Im allowed to opine? I didn't realize those were the rules. By your metrics, you and all the C&R folks shouldn't get an opinion because you don't keep any bass. I do fish table rock, and I do keep the bass, so technically Mr Bush and MDC should regard my opinion the most. Anecdotes dont equal evidence. The article very clearly states that the spotted bass population has increased yet the size of 15-inch fish has decreased. As i already mentioned there are too many c&r anglers anymore for it to make much difference, but there is no denying that removing smaller bass will result in a higher % of larger fish. Its just basic math. Bass fisherman just love bass too much to bring themselves to harvest one, but it is against their best interest in most cases. If they did limit the length to 12 I'd keep more of the 12-14 inches and throw back the 15+, but the current regs force me to keep the bigs that I'd rather toss back.

I think the following quote is a direct result of more C&R fishing and less folks keeping spotted bass to eat. “We have extensive data going back to the 1980’s that clearly shows the decline in the number of 15-inch spotted bass in Table Rock Lake,” said MDC Fisheries Biologist Shane Bush. “This data also shows a steady increase in the spotted bass population since that time, and it’s increasing every year.” I think the length limit should depend on the management goal of the fishery. If the goal is as many spotted bass as possible, keep the 15 inch limit, however, If the goal is trying to make the spotted bass in table rock larger on average, there is no doubt removing more smaller fish will accomplish that. There is only so much forage to go around, so if you remove smaller fish, there will be more forage per fish, which = bigger fish at that age class. Personally I don't think enough people keep and eat the bass for it to make much difference at this point. There is such a cultural aversion to eating a bass anymore that if you do and tell someone about it, they will certainly let you know how offended they are. The general consensus seems to be that bass are for sport, and other species are for food. I personally don't feel that way, but I am certainly in the minority there.

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.