merc1997 Bo

bill thanks for the post. you worded it much better than i ever could have, and i hope that more people will listen to you than me. it has always been over the years that people will never believe what you tell them about catching bass, but you can lie to them and tell them what they want to hear and they believe every word. in deep clear water lakes, it is not often that bass are shallow. one other factor is do you want to fish for a single bass that is hard to get to bite, or fish an area of many bass and competition alone makes them much easier to catch. i am not a very good fisherman, so, i always figured that i needed to be fishing where they might be easier to get to bite. even on grand lake, that has a lot more color than table rock, i have caught lots of bass there off- shore and deeper than 15 feet. falcon lake is another one to add to the list of catching way more bass off shore and deeper than 15 ft. than what i have caught there fishing above 15 ft. i used to know of a few good farm ponds that only had slightly over 6 feet of water. i can not remember ever catching many bass on the bank in any of them. believe me, when fishing off shore, you do not have to be a casting guru. just get it out there in the general vicinity. bill, thanks again for the great post, and maybe the message will get through. bo

nice trip for a cold day. you are right about seeing some 4's show up with more regularity now. but, i still do not believe the entire lake is blessed with them. there seems to be certain areas of the lake that are more fish rich than others. linda and i got out for a couple of hours saturday afternoon. she gave me a spanking with a nice 3 and another fattie keeper. she caught her first bass while running the troller too. i told her to not get too good at that or she just might inherit doing the guiding while i just fish. bo

silicone will take care of that. bo

well, sometimes. bo

there are a few pieces of property on the lake that did not sell their property rights to the government when the lake went in. in those few cases, the owner still owns everything to waters edge. if the ramp is on corp property and you park within its take line, you are legal to do so. case in point is the emarld beach ramp. bo

i get along fine with power pro, spider wire or stren braid. i DO NOT use a leader, and i use 10/2 or 15/ 4 for crappie and fishing finesse applications. i go down to the 10/2 when using stuff down in the 1/16 size or when the wind is really blowing. if a fish is put off by your line, then what about your hook, split rings, brush guards, and every other phony thing about any lure?? the a- rig with all of its big heavy wires, big barrel swivels, and 80 lb. test braid pretty much says it all to me. but, if "invisible line" give you confidence, then stick with what works for you. bo

that is a good day of catching for this time of the year. it was pretty darn windy yesterday too. bo

i am one of those that is not hung up on one brand of crank bait. why? because of different wiggle or vibration patterns. true, warts and crawlers both will produce, but neither may be the best one to be throwing on any given day. you will have to ask the bass why, but i have knocked them dead on a wart one day, and go the next, and can not draw one bite on a wart, but just slay them on a model a bomber. the bomber has a much tighter wiggle than a wart. i go with which crankbait is right for the particular day. do you fish a jig or worm the same way all the time?? or with the same size sinker?? or the same size worm or other soft plastic?? the answer should be no to all questions. different days it requires a different vibration pattern to trigger the most strikes. crawlers and warts both will catch bass, but most likely one will produce better than the other one on different days. i will always choose a crankbait with the right wiggle over color any day. bo

bill, good luck with doing them both at the same time. for some, they breeze through it. you just have to tough out the pain of rehab for the best results. a stationary bike is a big help in getting range of motion back and in getting swelling out. i have only had one replaced so far, but the other knee will have to be at some point. i know you will feel better on down the road and will be able to get around much better. i have been where you are and know what you are dealing with. i will definitely keep you in my prayers for the best outcome when you have your surgery. bo

actually allen is doing part of our production now, and eventually will be doing all of it. he is a joy to work with. bo

i am with you donna. champ is snagging them and you are catching them, and that makes you the best basser in the the boat.. sorry champ, but you know what they say, "proof is in the puddin'". bo

sorry to hear about the knee. hope all goes well with the repairs. bo

some really nice fatties. bo

toby thinks anytime the boat leaves he is supposed to be in it. he loves to watch the fish. bo

got out to enjoy the day and did a bit of catching in the process. numerous shorts and 8 keepers. best 5 13 to 14 lbs. best depth was again 18 to 25 feet right on creek bottom. attached is pic of the same critter that has lasted through two trips it is ate to pieces and still hanging in there. yes, that is braid tied straight to the bait, and yes, it does not have an adverse affect on getting bites. those that like doing so can tie on a leader, but i still have not found a need for it. i included one of toby on point of one of larry's brownies. bo

i have two phone call into him already, but have not had a return call. bo

good choice, but of course, if the pipes are pulled out, how many times will they put them back in to be able to have a gate?? just sayin. bo

one less than what will sink the boat. bo

something that some of us seem to have known for years. just take a look at how bill dance has held big bass for eons. but, some people need something to complain about. thanks for posting and hope that those none believers will at least read it, and we can talk more about how to catch these darn green and brown critters. bo

well, actually we the tax payers own it. need to do what we did over at H highway when they tried to block it off. a couple of 4 wheel drives and some chain, and we had the ramp back open in a few minutes. had to do it twice before they left it alone. there are just times when the tax payers need to take a stance. bo

you are right about the flat incline of the viola ramp, but it is nice to put in there and cut down on a lot of miles running when fishing up the kings. i have also noticed that someone made a hole at the old sweetwater ramp. that ramp get lots of use when the white bass start, but right now, you can only park a couple of rigs and after that you have to start going back around up the hill. good way to get a good warm up walk in before starting fishing. bo

sportmans corner over here at cassville keeps minnows. sure do not know who around kimberling would keep any. seems like you have to own a big wake maker in that region to find anything you might need. seems as though fisherman do not fit into the picture over there much. bo

i hope by the picks that people will quit gripping about me hauling those brown upstream to enjoy catching. bo

very well done, and it goes to show how often the bass are not on the bank even though many want them there. got to fish where they are to catch them. bo

great job, and very nice quality. too bad the cold is moving back in, but we are not far from spring. bo