vonreed

I promised my son we would try this year to get some of them bigguns off of Tablerock this year. I've never caught one out of there, but I know sometime soon that they will be biting good. My question is where and when is the best to catch em?

Oops, it was my mistake, sorry.

No, I thought they were at the station actually in Cape Fair.

I was at the store in Cape Fair yesterday and they were all gone. I guess they were popular.

Awesome report. I gotta admit, it makes me jealous.

I was down at Swan Creek yesterday from 6 till dark. I saw 3 boats and a kayak fishing on the bluff by the bridge and it looked like they were just killing the whites. I'm pretty sure one boat had a huge stringer of whites. I may be wrong though because I wasn't close enough to see them and I didn't talk to them any. I caught a few by the bridge a few days ago and released them. I'm sure there are some around to be caught somewhere between the mouth of Swan on up to the first riffle somewhere. Or up towards the dam.

The ground has been warm so far which I believe will have already started the growing process underground. All they need is some moisture, which they got last night. I think they will pop up today some even with it being colder than ideal temps. Last year was my best year ever and we had a snowfall after the morels had already started growing so I don't think tonights low temps will hurt them. I have found morels in all places. Next to roads, in ditches, on bluffs, in yards, in red clay, under cedars, sycamores, ash, dead elms plus I'm sure more. This time of year I would be looking at the mostly south facing hills which will collect the most warmth and get them started earlier than on the less sunny parts. My buddy found a 3 inch morel Saturday afternoon down at the Blunk Hole on the bank. I bet there had been hundreds of people walk right past it. He drug the kayak down the bank first and turned around and found it. You just never know where one will be. All I can say is good luck and walk a LOT.

I have caught several real nice walleye at the Y bridge when the water was higher. I've also seen a couple walleye caught way upstream also on the James River, but not as common.

If that had been me witnessing that I would be down there tonight in my boat in that spot. Were they up at Taylor Shoal?

It's nice to hear one of these reports again. I sure wish I could of had some luck yesterday with the boys. We was down around Beaver creek in the boat yesterday an didn't catch much.

I was also down there from 6 till almost dark( forgot our headlamps across the river and we waded across the riffle then walked down below the boat ramp to the gravel bank) or else we would have stayed till after dark. We had 20 fish and left before the real bite even started. Big sows and small males.

I'd love to have that motor for a little gigging boat, but don't wanna split up the good deal you got. A good idea to me would be to go to a local place like Blunks in galena where lots of people fish off the bank and watch for a family or person struggling from the bank with kids and give it to them. Awesome gesture on giving it away.

I have fished all those locations before off the boat. Luckily I have a boat now. Your best best would be to fish around Blunks hole, either downstream or up to Taylor shoals about a mile above Blunks. I would defintely put my time in that area if I was you. White Vibraspins and small jigs with white bodies during the day or purple bodies at night would be my first try.

Awesome report. It's hard to believe you didn't catch any on minnows and caught them only on the others. Gosh what a great freind you'd be. Someone to catch walleye and guide elk hunts, lol. That walleye made me hungry for fish this morning. Thanks.

Nice report. It gives me encouragement to go down. The last time I went down, they were shocking walleye for the hatchery. I never even got a bite. I think a bait fishing trip from The Barker hole area on down might be in order. Thanks for posting.

That is a great report and it's awesome to hear a report from that area. There is basically no reports from the area and it's my favorite to fish from there up the Powersite dam. How deep was the water you were fishing? Was you bobber fishing with the minnows?

I didn't care, it's not my forum, lol. I just thought it might help you sell

I think you posted in the wrong forum. This is Table Rock section.

I know where you're talking about. I've floated every section of the Finley from highway K down to the James and the James River at Northview on I44 to Tablerock many many times. I'd say the only person who knows the river better would probably be RSbreth. It's always good to have a clue where animals are though. Like jmidwest said, all of Missouri was locked down in ice for too long to have a good trapping season. We usually average over 20 otters a year around here, this year we got 1. Only floated 1 float and we got froze out due to ice after a couple days.

You are right about those emotions. Most people hate them that fish. But they are part of nature and no less or more important than any of the other animals. If it weren't for people and their selfishness to be the only one to catch fish, otters would be perfectly in tune with the ecosystem. We are the ones messing things up, not them. On the other hand, I love trapping em to, maybe I will get him next trapping season. They are a one of the neater animals to see on the river.

If you do lauch at the boat ramp by pt15 you will have to back your trailer several hundred yards to the water. There is nowhere to turn around down by the water. It's a really rough ramp but puts you close which is nice with smaller motors. That's where I launch all the time.

Nice. I wish I would have been that smart. I fished all the way up Flat to the old bridge pillars and turned around. I did notice the water was up to 51 degrees up flat creek and only 48 down at pt 15 I ended up only catching 2 small crappie from 4-6:30. I wanted to find you just to get help, lol.

Yeah I've been over there, just didn't know it was peach orchard. If I get desperate for something to eat I will go after those big slimy whites. Now if they were little whites I'd be all over em. Thanks though for the education.

I'm not very familiar with the local names. Is Peach Orchard upstream or downstream from Pt15 I'm not after whites to much, but I am trying to learn to local names for later conversation. I want your crappie spots though, lol

I would imagine tomorrow morning would be an excellent time to be out. A low in the middle 40's has got to get some fish moving a little bit into some shallower water and being a little more aggressive. You're right though, lots of lurkers and not lots of contributors. I always figured if I posted pictures of my stringers of smallmouth I would get banned, especially when using live bait, lol.