merc1997 Bo

well, number 1, there is a reason that man has eradicated some animals. would you want a pack of wolves living in your back yard, or a yard full of rattle snakes? but, lets reintroduce something that is destructive. that makes really good sense. so those that love otters, do not gripe or wonder why you are not catching any fish. believe me, they are way more destructive to all fish populations than someone that keeps a few to eat. man has dominion over the animals for a reason. there are some species that do need some stocking and those that are an endangerment do not need to be stocked. kind of like we do not stock flies or mosquitoes, right? bo

the dang things are every where, and they are not good on fish populations. the do not just kill to eat. they kill for the fun of it. go take a look at the creeks they are in. they are devoid of everything. many dock owners that have put brush out to keep fish around are complaining that there is nothing around their dock. one look at all the otter poop around is all you need to see to know why there are not fish around the dock. another one of the wonderful things the mdc has done for fishing. and yes, they are in beaver and surrounding areas. one of the few coves in kings river has a whole pack of them in it, and it is just about impossible to catch even a crappie in there anymore. the other bad thing is there is not much trapping anymore to keep their numbers in check, and we are beginning to be overrun with them. hope they do not ruin some of your fishing areas. bo

doug, the tech that runs the shop is really up on any brand of the newer engines. they even do prop repair. bill does not work in the shop any longer because of age, but i have done business with bill and dean(bill's wife) for decades. bill used to be next door at sportsman's corner and was one of the biggest mercury dealers in the country. they unloaded mercury engines by the trailer truck load, and dean had as good of stock of fishing tackle that you would find anywhere. back then, it was known as fin, feather, and fur. needless to say, by the name, they also dealt in guns. it has always been nice to have boat repair service right in the back yard, so to speak. bo

pretty good day, and i am thinking that shallower bass are going to be the ones to go after because it is looking like the deep shad schools are breaking up. plus, we have another bad cold spell coming to further drop water temps. could be time to go looking for some river smallies somewhere. bo

i watched one of the afternoon segments while they were competing. we just picked one out from a distance and followed them. it turned out to be shyrock or something like that. if you hear a honk after the catches one, it was us. bo

i would say you still had a successful day of catching! very nice! bo

nothing on the defensive, and i totally agree with figuring out the bite or not. i would say that i am one to try to force feed the bass because i am always trying to figure out speed, how i am moving any particular lure to trigger a bite, and hope that i remember exactly what i was doing when i do finally get a bite. those darn green critters can sure be very picky at times. if it was easy, we would get bored with it, right? bo

i think you always have to force feed them with something. we really do not fish with anything that exactly is anything like the bass's natural forage. fronts this time of the year really have an affect of shallower bass, and because of the colder water temps, the bass feed way less because of the time required to digest their food. that being said, there will be post front days that the bass are simply asleep on the bottom and nothing will wake them up. looking out the window, this appears to be the day to go fishing for those shallower bass. it is cloudy and some wind blowing. bo

yep, with 43 degree water temps, it is time to change tactics. i have followed the deep bite down the lake on table rock because of falling water temps. when it falls apart because of water temps getting too cold, i will have to change up or do some fishing around k dock with mike sowders. he has been busy working, so, it is hard to find a day he can go, and one that is better one to go on. since you mentioned catching them on mud, it is funny that there are so many that will never get out off the flat banks and fish. guess they have never figured out that the dinner plate size is bigger on a flat and can hold larger numbers of bass. of course, there is a time to fish more vertical structure. bo

it might just be called using better fishing tools, more versatility. bo

jig for one, and for the second, i will not say spinner bait for the fact that i can attach a jig to a spinner bait frame and have a spinner bait. by second choice would be spoons. bo

back when flood control was the #1 priority of the corp, the lake was 900 to 905 every winter. power generation is now the #1 priority of the corp, and that is why the lake levels for the most part are high. the more water the better and it does not matter what gets flooded. we are somewhere around 6 inches short of normal rainfall for the year. bo

contary to popular believe, i do fish all winter, and have for eons. of course i start out with a good set of insulated underwear, ski skins or duofold. then just jeans, flannel shirt and heavy sweatshirt. the final layer is a down jump suit, which is also very wind proof. the down suit is very light and nothing warms like down until it gets wet. i do not even no if you can still buy a down suit and how much it might cost. keeping your core temperature up is the most important factor in keeping your hands and feet warm. most people that have problems with their hands and feet being cold do not wear enough clothing to actually keep their core temps up. here is the best hint i can give. you can take cloths off but you can not put them on if you do not have them. i agree with lightness and not being cramped up being a plus. i did have a gortex set of bibs and coat with 150 grams of thinsulate. it was still heavy and did not provide enough warmth for me without another jacket underneath. gortex or something similar is a plus to keep out wind and hold heat in. bo

i would agree that saturday would be a day to try for a shallow bite. and yes, the plummet that the water temps took does not lend itself for a good consistent shallow bite. but, any day that anyone can go fishing has to classified as a good day regardless of the catch, and even better when spent with your best friend. bo

no, i did not take your post as being offensive. yes, i do somewhat choose better days to go fishing. right now, right after these fronts, and with several days of no sunshine, it really scatters the bait fish and can make conditions to catch bass not the best. however, right now the bass really have the feed bag on and even on the not so good days, it is fairly common to catch 6 to 8 keepers. we are not up on the bank fishing. i will say that. i commented to your post because it afforded to explain why i have quit putting up posts on fishing trips. i will say that i do not get to pick and choose days to fish on fridays as that is linda's day to fish and i get here out unless it is too cold. get out when you can right now and fish everyday that is tolerable. the catching is just about as good as it gets anytime of the year. the bass are not everywhere and it takes time to go looking for them, but they are really bunched up. bo

like i said before, i am tired of the insulting remarks, pretty much saying that i do not catch what i reported, and i do not have to tell anyone anything about how to catch bass. i will compliment those that post and leave it at that. and just for your info, we have been catching the heck out of them all fall and winter. the video that was mentioned was taken at the time when 13 lbs. won the big tournament held at that time. kind of the same old thing, the actions of a few ruin it for everyone. hope you get out on the days that are fit to and enjoy winter fishing. bo

any day one get to fish is better than working. with all the fronts we are having and the sudden drop in water temp from the cold temps, bass are on the move and are the bait fish. you just have to go looking each time out and keep looking until you find them, or keep the trolling motor cranked up and chunk and wind. tedious process either way, but chunking and winding all day just doesn't appeal to me as it once did. still, i would say your day of fishing was not that bad. it is always fun to just watch the eagles this time of the year. bo

quillback i know first hand what you are going through. be more than diligent with your PT. they do not call it pain and torture for nothing. the more you put into your PT the better the outcome with be. here are prayers for a speedy recovery and the best of outcomes with your new knee. bo

i always say, "call it what your want, but you can't argue with success". i think you moved exactly the right way to make it at least swat at it, and you were quick enough on the draw to hook it. bo

just got to keep looking and trying different things until you find something that works and you did. right now, you have to go find them everyday. bo

fishing is somewhat like deer hunting. never know what hour the deer, or the bass in this case, are going to show up or at least finally find them. bo

yep, the lake is still behind a month. got to think water temp instead of where we are at calendar wise. bo

some really nice bass! nothing like dealing with 30 mph winds. those are the days one wishes for a chunk and wind bite, seems to never work out that way. bo

they are actually biting shad colored ones 40 to 50 feet deep. have not had a bite on anything crawdad colored. but, that will change as it gets colder. bo

you get out on the water way earlier than me. it was pretty day out on the lake today. fishing was not too bad, but they sure were not just everywhere. bo