Jadesjigs

Mntransplant I would really enjoy to float with you sometime. If you can catch those taneycomo trout, then you can catch these fish no problems. I've had great fishing trips on the James all the way from Wilson's Creek to Galena. I mostly catch small fish, but occasionally I'll get some pretty nice ones. I just like to catch fish and be on the river so I really dont care about the size. The main factors that help me are the water levels and the time of year. I enjoy fishing the most when the gauge at Galena reads 400-600 cfs. The standards I prefer are a little off now that the lake level has affected the galena gauge. I have caught some really nice fish when the water is higher, but it's more difficult with my fishing style to stay in one hole. I love to be on the water at daylight this time of year. Not only do you beat all of the crowds, but the fishing gets extremely tough for me once the sun gets bright. I really started catching them more consistenly when I started to stop and pick the holes apart that you were describing in your story. Sometimes I'll eddy out with my kayak and sit in the still water and sometimes I use an anchor, but I really prefer to get out of my kayak and fish on my feet. I can usually catch a couple of fish out of each productive spot. I use all types of baits and lures; however, the Ned Rig is money in these areas. If you can get a natural drift with a Ned Rig on the bottom, then you are golden - similar to trout fishing. In fact, I've learned a lot about finesse fishing from fly fisherman. I prefer to use a 1/16 size jig with a small exposed hook and the standard Ned Baits. I often cut the baits down to about 2.5" Don't be afraid to fish those swimming baits or a grub the same way. Ive caught fish on all colors. I think the presentation is most important. I can spend 8 hrs fishing 3-4 miles of river. I know this style of fishing may not be preferred by some, but it's just the way I enjoy the river. We are very fortunate to have this fishery in our area.

Great story! Experiences like that are why I love float fishing in current so much. There are so many dynamics involved and such natural, untamed beauty on the rivers. Please keep the reports coming and thanks for sharing!!

Had a nice trip in the Kerr area a couple of days ago. The water level is getting really nice for floating and fishing. I caught a variety of fish including small mouth, rock bass, and a white bass. I had approximately 24 fish total. The majority of the fish were small; however, I had 3 - 4 fish that were between 12 - 14 inches. I used 1/16th size ned rigs paired with 2.5 inch robo worms In Aaron's magic and morning dawn colors. I also used a 1/8 size ned rig using a 3" watermelon colored grub. The majority of the bites on the grub occurred as the bait was gliding back to the bottom. Most of the ned rig fish were caught in current seams and eddies while letting the current provide most of the action on the jigs. I also caught several fish on a craw patterned wiggle wart crankbait in the areas of faster moving water with structure nearby. I had a few blowups at daylight with the whopper popper, but none of the fish truly committed. Please practice catch and release and happy fishing!!

What size heads are you guys using with your baits? I initially started with 1/4, but the 1/8 produced much better in the shallow water and let me slow down my presentation a lot. I'm wondering now if I should downsize even more.

I pretty much have the same report, except in the Aunts Creek area. You explained the bite perfectly. I was using 1/8 size Ned Head and I didn't start getting bit consistently until I put 3" grubs on them. I was initially using a straight stick style plastic. One of the grubs was a pumpkin color and the other was a watermelon/red color. I would let the jigs glide to the bottom with very short pauses and then slowly swim them across the rocks. I was catching them on the inside of points and throughout 2/3 of the way back into main lake coves. It seemed like the banks with the sun on them were the best. All of the fish caught were in less than 10 ft. of water.

Now that you mention it the bite did seem to be better when I was trolling with the jet motor vs the trolling motor. Never thought about that stirring them up. I also wonder if the weight tapping on the rocks ahead of the crankbait triggers a reaction. I really think it was a reaction bite because I would stop and start casting jigs immediately with no bites. Then I would fire the motor up and troll with the crankbait right through them again and catch another one. Looks like I need to do some more testing 😃.

I've been having some success lately fishing for white bass in the river arms with a technique that I wanted to share. I've been following the Lilley's Crew on their reports about drifting crankbaits with added weight to get them to the bottom during high flow periods on Taneycomo. I thought this would be a great idea to locate and entice the staging white bass on their way up river for the spawn. I've had the most success using a #5 sized flicker shad in natural colors tied to 6# leader about 30" long. My main line is 10 lb braid. I put on a sliding snap on style weight that is 1/4 oz. on the line above a swivel. I tie the 30" leader to the other end of the swivel. This is pretty much a Carolina rig set-up. This rig has allowed me to keep a #5 flicker shad consistently on the bottom in 10-12 ft. of water trolling around 2 mph. I've tried using bigger crankbaits without as much success. The bite seems to be better when trolling down river even if there isn't much noticeable current. I've found most of the schools are concentrated in areas where 6-8 ft. of water in the main channel drops off into 10-14 ft. of water. I've tried using jigs in the areas where I've located schools of fish, but they still seem to prefer the crankbaits. The smaller males are up river, but if you head further towards the lake the big females can be found as well. I still prefer to catch the bass with a jig; however, this is a very good way to get them to bite and locate them. I've also had the opportunity to really learn my electronics and the river while trolling around. If you go far enough up river you can get the smallmouth to play with a Ned Rig and the deer to jump in the boat as well. I love this time of year! I hope this helps some of you. God Bless!

Thank you for all of the wonderful support Mr. Lilley. I have learned so much from all of your insightful posts and videos. One of the greatest things about starting this venture has been having the opportunity to meet and talk with fellow fisherman across the country. I use a bismuth and tin alloy. The bismuth is beneficial because it has a density close to lead; however, it is soft and expands when cooled which makes it difficult to cast. The bismuth / tin alloy is about 15%-20% more expensive than lead. The tin is added as a hardener. This alloy also melts at a lower temperature which can make powder painting and curing difficult. The alloy is approximately 20% lighter than lead. I think this is definitely beneficial in finesse jigs because you can keep a larger size head that pairs with baits well yet maintain a slow fall rate. Please feel free to let me know if you have any further questions, or if you have any suggestions for me. Anybody can call, txt, or email also if they have any questions and I will return any messages as soon as I can. Thank you! Joey Doza (417) 841-7997 jadesjigs@yahoo.com

https://www.ky3.com/content/news/Bald-eagle-survives-lead-poisoning-Dickerson-Park-Zoo-nurses-back-to-health-566450791.html The recent story above about an eagle that was found in our local area with lead poisoning had a great impact on me. I always knew that lead had the potential to be dangerous to the environment. You always hear about how lead-free tackle is very beneficial in protecting the loon birds up North, but I never realized how much it affects the wildlife across the whole U.S. I'm not against lead based tackle. In fact, I personally purchase and fish with a lot of lead jigs. I just wanted to let everybody know that there are alternatives available. I have one of the largest variations of Ned Rigs and finesse jigs available at https://jadesjigs.com/ All Ozark Anglers members get a 10% discount at checkout using code: OA10 It is very challenging being competitive in a lead-based market. However, knowing that I may be making a small impact on protecting the precious resources that we have been given the responsibility to care for - motivates me to continue making lead-free jigs. Thank you for all of the support!

The water is pretty low right now and I haven't had my jet on that part of the river in a couple of weeks. However, I usually put in at the next access downriver off the road called the Blunks. It's a pretty rough access and parking is limited, but I don't have any problems with a front-wheel drive vehicle. I'm pretty cautious with my boat and I don't run too far up river from there with the lower water levels. If you go downriver from here you are pretty much in the lake and won't have any problems navigating. There is some good fishing in this area, but I don't know if it would be worth passing the Meramec or Gasconade to fish it. Please let me know if you have any other questions.

This is a great post loaded with so much useful information. I usually start early with topwater poppers. The Murdich Minnow is also a great producer for me. Once the topwater bite slows down I do something a little different than most. I make a "Super-Finesse" Ned Rig that is slightly lighter than 1/16 oz. head paired with a #4 size sickle hook. I use a 2" plastic bait and often cut it in half horizontally. There's just something about the combination of a natural drift that you can achieve with a fly rod and a lighter version of the Ned Rig that the Smallmouth love. I can usually catch 2-3X more fish using this set up than I can using traditional weighted flys. I use a 7wt. rod paired with 8wt floating line. I recently posted some videos showing this technique on my facebook page if interested: https://www.facebook.com/leadfreetackle/

That's awesome!!! Looks like you have a fishing buddy for life now. Maybe some day your grandkids can have the privilege of catching their first smallie out there with you. Thanks for sharing!

I just got my own boat about a yr ago with the sonar so I'm still learning. It's nothing fancy, but it gives me the ability to extend the fishing season and go places where I couldn't before. I spent the last year looking at that fish finder seeing stuff that looked really good, but this is one of the 1st times I've really been able to catch what I was seeing. It's amazing just having an idea what's under your boat. I would feel blind without it now when fishing offshore.

I've been lucky enough to get out on the lake around the Hideaway area a couple of times over the last week. I took this time to really work on drop shot fishing and found a consistent pattern. I also learned a lot about my electronics considering that I was finally catching fish that I could see!! It was almost like video game fishing. I would fish the long points early in the am. I would get out at first light, but the bite was more consistent after the sun had been up for awhile - somewhere between 0700-0830. I think the sun would help concentrate the shad off the points. Around 0900 the bite would slow down considerably. The best depth seemed to be the 20-25 ft. range. Each point seemed to have a "sweet spot" where the shad and bass would congregate. I would troll around the point. When I started seeing bait balls in the 20-25 ft. range, I would drop a marker buoy. Then I would work on adjusting my sonar and down scan. I would increase the gain until I could see my fishing line drop and rise. I increased the contrast on the down scan until I could see good separation between the bait. Lastly, I would zoom the screens to the bottom half of the lake so I could get a better picture in the 12-25 ft range. It is amazing how these adjustments improved what I could see in the targeted area. I used a drop shot rig with a 3/8 ounce weight and a #4 hook with live worms cut in half. I would thread the worms onto the hook and let half of it hang off of the hook. I kept the nose of the boat in the wind towards my marker buoy so I could control my drift around the area. The fish seemed to prefer the rig to be vertical and slowly dragged across the bottom. I tried casting and jigging some without very much success. The bite was very light and reminded me of crappie fishing. I would watch the bait balls come into view on my screen with the arches under them. I could almost time the bites and watch the fish as I reeled it up to the boat. When I started catching fish I would drop a second marker buoy and this would give me a very good reference of my drift and where I was catching. The shad would move around so you didn't have to stay in the exact same spot. The depth seemed to be more of a key to look for. This was such a fun way to fish. I caught several species of fish. I just like to catch fish no matter what. I would catch very large bluegill, bass, catfish, and walleye all in the same area. It's also a very relaxing way of fishing just drifting around. Can't wait to get back out.

Here's a little green pumpkin and orange that worked well for me this am around hideaway 😀

JCreek I recently put one of those fuel demand valves on my gas line because my tank was building too much pressure also. The fuel demand valve keeps over-pressurized fuel from getting into your motor, but it doesnt vent your tank unless the pressure rises very high. I have a 2009 4 stroke Yamaha 40hp and had to replace my fuel pump this spring. I don't know if the extra pressure previously in my tank had anything to do with the pump going bad, but i was nervous that it could do damage.

I've been using hideaway marina ramp lately and really like it. I've got a season pass, but I think they charge $5.00 per day. You may want to call if you are wanting to launch early before they open. Y HWY is pretty curvy, but I think it's worth the drive. Pretty quiet during the week.

Mr. Babler, Your reputation proceeds yourself as an individual and as a business. The fact that this is bothersome to you proves how much you care about your customers. Please don't let this stop how you interact with your customers. I have never met you in person, nor have I been to your place. However, I've been reading your posts on here for years now. You have proven time and again that you genuinely care for others. You unselfishly give so much Information to help fisherman like myself gain so much knowledge. I am blessed to have both a union and non-union job. There are definitely pros and cons to each. I support you 100% and will hopefully have an opportunity some day to stay at your place and fish with you! Keep being who you are! Joey Doza

Blazerman, I thought this one may have been the infamous river 20" smallie that I have yet to achieve. You know it's a big one when you put pressure on the rod and and you can't even turn the fish. I've caught several smallmouth in that 16-18 range on the river. Most of them have been super healthy. It really makes me wonder what it takes for them to get to that 20" mark? How do they get that fat and not grow longer in length? I wonder if it's a genetic thing? I hear of many of you guys catching 20" fish on the gasconade and meramec. I wouldn't be surprised if it was just operator error either. My skills can definitely be improved! It takes more than luck to land a 20" river smallie.

That's a great story! My parents bought that hat for Jade awhile back. She knows that's her "fishing hat" and she wears it every time we go. It's sweet what children grasp onto, and the little things that make these trips special. The thing in her hand is a fish counter. I bought one the other day because when I start catching fish I get too excited to remember how many I've caught by the end of the day. I let Jade see it before we left for the river and she did not put it down for the rest of the day! She wanted us to catch fish so bad just so she could click the button! Looks like I'm going to need to buy another fish counter 😃

Jesters I've got to get out with u sometime on one of those nighttime Taney trips. I'm ashamed to say I only live about an hr away and have never been out there at night. I'm a river fisherman at heart and hooking into those trout at night sounds like a blast. I can barely catch them in the day when I can see what I'm doing! I love reading your reports. I didn't even know you could catch trout like that at night!

Thanks Johnsfolly. I always enjoy reading when you post about your fishing trips with your daughter also. I would like to try that microfishing sometime, but I wouldn't have a clue what I was catching lol.

My daughter, Jaiden, and I went to the river today. I was mainly expecting to go on a boat ride and enjoy the beautiful day with Jade. I didn't think the fishing would be very good with the water being high and in the middle of the day. We jetted up river and then started to float back down. Oh yeah, Jade likes to listen to music and sing too which usually doesn't help with the fishing!! I skipped a 1/8 oz #2 sickle finesse jig paired with a 2.75" orange and green pumpkin Z-Man worm under some overhanging limbs by the bank. I watched my line as the jig drifted down river skittering on the bottom. All of a sudden my line stopped drifting so I reeled into the pressure. My line started swimming up river and the fight was on. Then the smallmouth got in the current, headed down river, and started pulling drag on my reel. Luckily I had my fishing buddy Jade with me to grab the net, or I don't think I would have ever boated that fish. I'm sure it was less, but it felt like it took 5 minutes to get that beast in. The fish was just shy of 17." The smallmouth seem to love that green pumpkin and orange combo around here. If you look closely in the mouth of the fish you can see a craw that she had eaten just before she took my bait. The pincers on that craw still had a orange hue to them. This may not have been my biggest smallmouth, but it is the best one I have ever caught because I got to share it with Jaiden. After we released the fish and drifted around the next bend, I saw an eagle fly over us. I thanked God for another wonderful day that I got to spend with my daughter in his beautiful creation! This post has been promoted to an article

I've only had my Garmin for about 1 yr so I'm still learning. There are multiple color schemes to choose from that seem to help in different light conditions. The original default settings seemed a little sensitive to me. It was picking up everything in the water so I turned most of the sensitivity settings down to auto low. I would really like to figure out the side scan, but I usually just stick with the sonar and down view split side by side on the screen. I feel like I can pick out the bait balls and fish arches better on the sonar and then I use the down view to confirm what I'm seeing.