MNtransplant

Yep! I know the guy, he changed his handle to ShowMeFishTales and his stuff is great...he seemed to always be throwing some sort of Z man soft plastic swimbait...I picked up a few and plan to give em a try in the next couple weeks

I have a good gut feeling that you guys will find a beast tonight..

So I've read enough of the past forums to know that this Lake Springfield has got some great bass to be had. Couldn't find any on my first outing but it's got all the makings of a great bass lake/river. Most of the reports talk about targetting steeper bluff banks and/or fishing in the channel...since I'm definitely not a good deep water fisherman, I'd love to learn from someone who knows what they're doing. Most all of my experiences growing up bass fishing in Minnesota are all frog fishing in the lilleys and throwing spinnerbaits along shallow grasslines. If anyone would be willing to show me how to deep crank, fish jigs, or what to throw along these bluff banks I would love to get out on the kayaks with you sometime. Shoot me a message! Have a great week!

Thanks for the tips! I wanted to puowt in at the Marina but when I got there the gate was still closed, so I went over to 65 and went down from there. I had 1 blowup on the frog but missed the hookset..then a lot of nothing. I went down to where the Lake starts and then turned around...found a HUGE crappie dead floating...measured at 15" I thought about throwing a jig but didn't..maybe should've...tried the frog, a spinnerbait, and a swimbait...really didnt know what i was doing but was fun to get out.

Hey Guys, I'm headed out tomorrow evening to put my kayak on its maiden voyage and I figure what better way to do so than throwing some frogs at some bass. I've never been out on Springfield before so I'm asking for a general area to start. I'll only have a few hours from maybe 4 to 7 or so but anyone is welcome to join too! Thanks in advance!

Got the anchor trolley installed and the rear drag rope with pvc handle. Rod holders are showing up this week and now I just need an anchor and I'll be ready! Thanks for the input guys.

I lucked into a kayak a few weeks back and would like to get it setup very basic for fishing the James this fall. Its a little 10 foot Ascend sit in style that has nothing on it except front and rear drag handles and some cargo strings across the back end.. I plan on getting it setup with the following, anything else you guys would recommend? 1. Milk crate with 3 rod holders 2. Stand assist/drag rope 3. Anchor (might add a simple trolley) Excited to access so much new water!

Amen...i think my wife pictures me wading thru class 5 rapids that are alligator infested and then getting in the car and driving thru gang territory to get home....ill just need to bring her with one time.

Another successful trip with @JestersHK! This time I brought my coworker and his son, and DJ got his daughter in on the action. The kiddos kicked our butts and landed 4 or 5 fish before any of the "seasoned vets" got hooked up at all. DJ's daughter also landed the big brown of the night. The combo of the signature series jerkbaits and some smaller floating rapalas seemed to be the ticket. Water was off and it was a beautiful night to be out there. Some colored up rainbows, a chubby smallmouth, and a dandy brown. DJ has a knack for teaching the newcomers (including me) and gave both the youngsters some great memories!

Sorry to hear about your wife's gall bladder. See you guys in a few hours! Im stoked!

Great job DJ, on the fishing and the artwork...i think I need something like that for my office someday. Wish I could've joined you and Rob but I will be headed down on Saturday Lord willing and I might try the pre dawn bit you mentioned. Little one is feeling better and is thru his crud.

Coincidentally that corner you're talking about is where I fish most of the time 😊 I would like to up my trout success tho...maybe I'll throw in the flyrod next time and try the scud game by the outlets...ive definitely gotten rusty with the flyrod...used to be the only stick i would bring down to Taneycomo for close to 3 years..then I heard about jigs and Jerkbaits and with all the highwater Ive gotten used to leaving the flyrod at home.

Made it down for a quick 2 hour outing. Committed to throwing a jerkbait for 90% of the time. Caught a white, a pretty spot, and a little smallie all on the silver shadow rap. Noticed a bunch of small baitfish in the shallows and decided it was time for a bucktail jig..about 3 casts later scored the big fish of the day...a chunk smallie I've probably caught 3 to 1 warm water species thus far in 2020...maybe the trout are more discerning or maybe they're more focused on scuds up near the dam...tough to know.

I knew I was forgetting something! The peanut wouldve fixed it.

Well this report is a little late but I managed to sneak out for a short trip on Sunday afternoon...normally I don't ask to go when the wife has the kids to herself but I told her I was going and didn't ask. It had been one of the roughest weeks I can remember in a long time and I needed to go fishing. It started last Sunday with my very first Kidney stone...kicked my butt for the better part of 3 days and then took another day for the meds to wear off...that wrapped up in time for me to find I had made a HUGE mistake at work on my first project with my new company...luckily I work for a great company and a major disaster was avoided... but after you add all of that with the continued Covid stress I was at my wit's end and I don't ever get like that.. I got down around 4:30 and fished til 7:30. I tied on a brand new white Shadow Rap and threw it for about 10 casts when all of the sudden I was twitching it in and it simply fell off my line...I say that because my entire loop knot came back in completely in tact...the only explanation I can think of was that the line worked it self into the o ring and with the side to side action it worked itself all the way around and off...bummer there went $10. Threw a bunch of different stuff but I just don't seem to know what I'm doing when they are running 4 units. I did manage 1 pretty smallmouth on the black and Silver Shadow Rap and missed probably 3 or 4 swipes on the little Lilley's 762 signature series in French Pearl...what a great little bait that is! Has a great wobble even when retrieved slow and gets down 4-5 feet and suspends well. Super paint jobs too! I noticed while I was there this time that the water seemed extra clear...i spotted a nice walleye probably 30 feet away and 7 or 8 feet down and could see its coloring like I was at the aquarium...could have been part of the reason it was tough to get bit too.. A good relaxing trip but man I'm getting Corona-fatigue. I have a bass fishing trip to MN planned in a few weeks so maybe that'll help. Hope everyone is hanging in there!

Well, after fishing every Tuesday night for the past 10 weeks I'm headed back to reality for a couple of months 😊 I spent the first trip up at the Little Sac River catching the end of the white bass run and since then it's been 9 trips in a row to Taneycomo. Had some great trips some not so great, but that is fishing (and life) in a nutshell. Got down a little later than normal and started fishing by about 7:00. 10 casts in I started experimenting with my pause length on my Silver Shadow rap. I started counting out loud..1...2...3...4..and my line started swiming away from me 😊 landed an absolutely beautiful 17.5" smallie after some acrobatics. I wish the picture could've done it justice but just beautiful markings on this fish A little while later, I caught a chunky little rainbow on a berkley cutter 110+ in a darker color pattern. This time I was working it with shorter pauses. Then it got slow until DJ, Blake, and friends showed up after dark. I'm so glad I finally got to have someone show me the ropes on the night bite. Learned some tips and tricks that I never would've thought of on my own. Got whacked on my first cast but missed in the hookset. Next cast produced a walleye and two casts later another small bow. The one fish guarentee lives on! Then things slowed a little so I had a chance to chat with DJ some more. Thoroughly enjoyed it my friend! Cant wait to setup another trip together!

What a blast getting to fish with these guys! It's amazing the amount of information I learned in just a couple hours. Here's the walter and one of @JestersHK's chubby rainbows.

I've noticed almost everyone saying that they've been catching less numbers but more trophy fish. Does this have something to do with how they've changed the stocking practices? I remember a couple years back I was approached by a game warden in the Trophy area and they asked survey questions basically trying to decide whether people would rather catch numbers or trophies. Jist wondering if we're seeing that start to take hold.

Hey man, thanks for the offer that is very generous! I think my wife and I may have kayaks coming our way around the middle of August. My parents live in Minnesota and have a couple of Ascend sit in kayaks that have collected dust for years...they hinted at sending us home with some stuff thats "too hard to ship" when we go up to visit the weekend of the 15th. If thats the case we'll definitely have to setup a trip together. I have a 4x8 utility trailer we could use to setup a shuttle as well.

Happy 4th Everyone, Wondering if any of you spinning rod experts out there could answer a question for me...I purchased a BPS PTC Airstream Rod a week ago and I love it, mainly due to the feel and fit of the reel seat in my hand. I'd like to find a medium or medium lite rod with the same style of reel seat but the Airstream only come in UL and the only ones I've seen that are similar are the high end rods from St. Croix which are way out of my price range right now. Does anyone know of a make or model in the $100 range that looks the same?

Ive had really good luck with my pflueger trion reels, i have a size 25, 30, and 35 and they all are great. I bought a Pflueger president once that i thought ran rough so i returned it bit I'm convinced I just had an unlucky experience because everyone else I hear from loves them. A tip I learned from @fishinwrench is to make sure to match the reel size to your rod length. If you have a 7' rod or longer you may want a 30 size or larger to balance it out weight wise.

Right above Kerr to JRO. Wish I couldve fished more towards the takeout but I got scolded because this was a birthday float for my wife and I and "not just a fishing trip" so i put the rods down for about the last 1/2mile. 🙃🙃

JJ, id like to try to go with you sometime. I'm sure floating with someone that knows the river well would be a huge advantage. I feel like I wasnt throwing the right stuff half the time...I've been so Taneycomo minded over the past couple of months I almost forgot how to bass fish..😊 Next time I'd love to get out and wade some of the fishier areas, I'm sure that would have help too. Forgot to mention that 14"-er absolutely inhaled my 3" swimbait...he was mad! I 100% understand the appeal for these river smallies now that I gave it a shot. Such a unique way to chase them compared to the northern lakes in Minnesota that I'm used to. Its got me seriously considering a kayak, like pawn my deer rifle kinda serious 😊

Hey DJ, yes I'll be down next Tuesday...might have the same guys with me if they aren't too discouraged from this trip 😊.. It might be my last trip for a while as our main babysitter help, my mother in law, will be down recovering from knee surgery for a few weeks so i wouldnt mind making it a little bit longer trip. Shoot me a text next week if you think you'll make it.

Good call on the tip heavy 7' rods. I think 6-6" is my favorite length on spinning setups.