top_dollar

Just like fishing certain rivers and creeks in st louis and jefferson counties. Keeps things interesting.

There is not much pressure on table rock compared to crappie factories like reel foot. Crappie are the rabbits of the fish world. Their fry are defenseless and get eaten in huge numbers, but they reproduce so abundantly that a few will always survive. They do well in lakes with low visibility and/lots of shallow vegetation as predators have a harder time finding them. Table rock is just poor habitat for crappie numbers (clear water, little vegetation)....but its perfect habitat for very big crappies. The few that make it to adulthood grow very fast and consume large forage. Lake kincaid in southern illinois is a perfect example of the perfect crappie lake, relatively clear water and lots of shallow vegetation, good mix.of hard and soft bottom..which is why its full of huge numbers of good sized crappie and 2-3# fish are not unheard of. Mark twain in northern missouri is a good example too many fry surviving. Its a generally muddy lake, with lots of shallow debris and vegetation. As a result there are 7 to 9 inch crappie anywhere and everywhere on that lake.

Good to hear jills is still in buisiness. Been a few years since i ate there but loved it.

Quite the ethical sportsman you are. That line should be in the poachers code of ethics.

Your flat wrong...no question about it. Your logic with wasting spotted bass is the same as if I were to keep a limit of legal smallmouth out of the river just to toss em on the bank, cuz they compete with the walleye im targeing. I would guess you dont condone that? Or if I was pissed at all the deer and turkey eating all the acorns off my farm. So every year, i shot my legal limit to let em rot. The coyotes gotta eat too right? Just because you dont like the fish doesnt give you the authority to waste them.

Excellent post

Great fish. 36 is a good lake. Normally this time of year its freakishly clear, but the last few weeks its had some good color and the fish have really turned on there. It also sets up very well for bank fishing. Boats will probably be out in a few weeks.

6 or 7ft light power, fast action spinning rod is your best bet...tons of options for less than 100$ and most are more than sufficient. The 7ft air stream says ultralight, but its more of a light, i have a 2 of the 7 footers and really like them, although i have a 6ft 6 and its definitely an ultra light rod and not as stout as the 7 footer. Fenwick river runner, and st croix blank with SC2 and SC4 graphite are also good, but expensive. I have a 2 cabelas light, fast, and they also good rods for the money. I prefer size 30 or bigger reels. Pfluegers, diawas, shimano, whatever brand you like they all work fine.

Yup...although i dont have consistent success. Nothing is consistent for me there though. Eh nobody has said anything to me yet. I cross it all the time and have yet to fall to my death. I guess its a possibility though.

I bank fish the lower meremac and its tributaries fairly often from valley park to george winter. Its a nightmare....quite often youll get covered in mud, and your going to lose lures my the dozen....its very snaggy with various rocks, and pipes, and appliances as well as trees that have fallen in. Thick mud, steep banks, and the overall gross factor of the lower meremac (sewage smell, garbage, amd such) make it largely unpleasant. About half the time i go...or even more i curse myself for going and feel like ive just wasted 4 hours, 10 lures and need a shower. Sometimes though....you hit it just right and its all worth it. Those fish are really finicky it seems meaning they are either biting well or not at all. After a good rain, or when the river is coming up will get em going sometimes. For the most part the lower meremac fish eat shad and crawfish (balck bass, white bass, hybrids, drum, walleye, crappie and sunfish...youll catch everything there). Normally i use a flicker shad on a casting rod with 12# mono. When you snag it usually you can bend out the hooks. A top water walk the dog bait, and squirrel tail hair jig with a small chunk of brush hog as a trailer. Im sure any shad or craw imitation works well....but youd be wise to use cheap baits. When your on the bank and get snagged up your gonna lose it or bend the hook out. Ill give you a few good spots to check but as i mentioned its so hit or miss that i normally hit several places. In valley park where the 141 bridge goes over there are two big gravel bars amd a creek that flows in. 1 gravel bar you have to get to from buder park, the other is on the little bike trail side wjere tje creek flows in. Thats a great area. There is a deep hole in between those bars as well as below and above. Just this past weekend i caught 4 whites/hybrids amd 3 drum from there on a flicker shad. Also you can walk that trail down to where simpson lake dumps into the river, that little creek mouth is also good fishing. Also unger park is kind of a do nothing area of the river but ive caught fish there from the various debris that blocks current. Emmeneggar park where 44 goes over is another great spot. Ive caught lots of fish from the gravel bar there and the creek that flows in. Then if the river is low you can walk that rock ledge down to the golf course...another good spot (thanks smallie bigs for mentioning that like 3 years ago....its become one of my favorite river spots). Other spots....Castlewood is good. There is a creek that comes in where the rr is and the river makes an s shape, ive caught fish there before. Then there is a bike trail that follows the river up a good ways. Ive never fished that area but have walked the trail and saw some good looking spots. Also sherman beach park has good current, riffles and holes. The best spot is right there at the parking lot from my experience. Long story short....its frustrating mostly, but if you waste enough time not catching anything down there eventually youll be rewarded with a really good day...or at least a really good 45 minutes until they quit biting for no reason.

The splashback is a cool bait, but its not the same as the top dollar. The splashback (possibly due to its better constuction) is more consistent in its retrieve, whereas top dollars have a tendency to walk underwater a few inches, and is more erratic in its walk in general. Also the belly on the splashback is straight on the bottom, as opposed to curved. Probably to make it walk better. Cool bait...but apples and oranges.

Im working on a few new molds that are pretty much identical to a top dollar. Its my favorite top water bait as well. Once i get a few poured, painted, and the weight transfer the way i want it ill send you a few freebies to play with. Thats a unique lure that just doesnt have any alternatives, and now that its not available there arent any other brands of it. My only option is to make em myself...but this way i plan on alleviating the inherent difficulty in casting a flat sided lure.

Bass: this winter (nov til yesterday) bass have been very easy to catch on medium and deep diving jerkbaits along south facing rock dams. Clearer lakes are best. Long cast, very light and quick twiches back to you. 5-15 second pause. Also 3-4 inch swimbait on 1/16th oz jig works well, with an occasional slab crappie. Best lakes have visibility of 6 feet or more, some are clear as 10 or 12 feet. Flukes, small crankbaits, crappie jigs, and wacky worms have also worked for me in the winter, but jerkbaits are the ticket for consistent success. Lakes that have less than 3 feet of visibility in the winter time are a complete mystery to me. I cant catch em at all. Crappie: after a very good october and november for size and numbers, they have gotten much more difficult to catch up until this week. October and november they were about 10-30 feet off the bank and 3-6 feet deep. Any sort of vegetation and/or wood that reached out off the bank a ways would produce. I use a 1/64 and 1/32 oz jig with a 2, or 2.5 inch swimbait. With rod tip an 10 o'clock ,slow swim back about 1 turn of the reel every 3 to 5 seconds. Watch your line for a light "tick, or jump" then set the hook. That pattern stopped dead in december and i couldnt find em. Then, just this past week they started showing up again in those same spots (execpt lake 33 that works all year for 6-8 inchers). I have noticed that the clearer the water the larger the average crappie in that lake. Trout: no idea, but guys catch em by the hundreds on small jigs under a float. Talking to some fellows up there it seems they use little scuds and various other flies under floats, or they use a similar deal on a split shot rig dragged along the bottom. I occasionally catch a stupid one in a jerkbait or swing impact. Other species worth targeting catfish: no idea Hybrid whites : catch several on crappie jigs every year from lake 33, 34, and 35. Never bigger than 15 inches, but id imagine there are bigger ones in there if one were to target them. Musky: lake 35, there are lots in that lake, most are not big, but some are. If your a musky fisherman youll be able to catch one there. Bluegill/redear : i never catch em in the winter time, but fish for them in may-july. Most of the fish in a particular lake will be the same size. My suggestion is to fish lots of lakes and find the ones the have good populations of big gills. There are a few good lakes up there. Lake 34 is a good starting point.

Panfish implies that they fit in a pan....those have officially outgrown the panfish designation. Yeowzers i thought a 10 incher was a giant. Great pics.

Do you guys use the predator molds? I have had excellent success using the 110+1 knock off and painting it myself. If you make it suspend at at 4°C then it will float at all other temperatures so you just have to have lead strips to make quick adjustments on the water, but youll never have one sink without being able to quickly remove some of the lead tape.

Best of luck to you fellas. Pretty sweet looking baits!

Mouth of schooner creek down to the bridge. And steep side of point 7. Xraps in scoop color are killer (or jerkbait of choice). The 110+1 hits the best depth if your willing to pay for it...if not...find knockoff blanks and paint em yourself. Other baits work well too. I tie up 3/32 Oz 4-6 inch bucktail/hackle jigs in shad flavor. Same boat position as mentioned above. Let it sink to the bottom. Shake it. Then slow lift and drop back to the boat, make sure to shake the rod tip a little bit when it hits the bottom. Try this and see what happens! go get em!

Use one that works for you. Lots of different options and lots of different opinions. I don't care for the long rods most are opining. My go to is a 5ft 6inch trigger stick bps tourney special. It's a med heavy, fast action. My dad bought it probably 20 years ago for like 50 bucks. Im6 graphite. I cut the trigger off of it and sanded it smooth. I also sanded down the "power hump" grip so it's more comfortable. Neither of those help me catch more fish, just a personal preference. I spool it with 12 or 14# trilene, on a lews casting reel I got on sale. For smaller (2-4inch) jerkbaits I use a spinning rod, med power, fast action...again less than 6ft, spooled with 8# mono. I believe with jerkbaits it's about finding a balance of bait control to manipulate the lure, and cusion to keep fish hooked up. Using a very short stiff rod, and braid line will allow the angler the most control of the lure. Consequently it gets me more bites. The trade off is with a treble hooked bait there needs to be some line stretch and or rod softness to keep the fish hooked up after they bite. I think you just gotta find the proper balance that works best for you. I find myself liking the stretch of mono and the short stiff rods. Seems to give me the best of both worlds. One thing I don't care for on jerkbaits is fluro line, but I'm a line watcher and a lot of cold water bites I get I just see the line jump or tick. I'm sure though that some folks are excellent jerkbait fishermen and use fc line. Just a preference.

The stiffness of the fc keeps the baits from tangling as much.

If your that worried about your spots or baits or "meat hunters" I'd suggest not posting any reports or pictures, unless of course you just wanna brag about how awesome you are but not post any actual help.

What price will i be paying exactly?

I have the same rod paired up with a daiwa legalis size 3000. Its a nice little setup, i also had a pflueger supreme size 4000 on it in the past.

Its not so much that i took offense...but when he says to me in reference to a comment i made to Mitch F "the lower meremec is now a dangerous place for you" Thats enough to intimidate me into not wanting to run into him. That was not a thinly veiled threat, or an intimidation tactic....its a direct threat to me. Im no tough guy, so i dont wanna get into a fight or worse with this guy. Him and I both live in the same general area...and he is clearly a bit off his rocker...and if i had to guess he is also armed to the teeth. No thanks, im not hip to getting into a fist fight with a guy cuz im willing to eat a smallmouth, im sure he could kick my butt and thats something i do not want.

Your preconceived notions of the MDC doing nothing.

I have 2 avids and 2 aetos (4 now), 1 med fast and 1 med light of each, and ill say that the aetos is light years better. Its lighter, more responsive, the reel seat and handle are more comfortable, less tip heavy, and casts better. I dont have any 500$ fishing rods, but for something in the 150-200$ range those aetos rods are really nice. Id like to fish with the new World Class rod they make. I think its a different blank.