rps

You dog. Posting pictures like that when you forgot to ask me to go with you.

Left Gavin's name off. Sorry Gavin. Look how similar his list is.

If you have a yak and are willing to use it, I suggest you do the following research. Search this forum for Al Agnew, Chief Grey Bear, Zack Hoyt, and RSBreth posts. All fish rivers and streams in this area and have posted detailed reports on the baits and methods they use. Others like Wacky Worm and Gotmuddy add material too. You will be surprised how many large fish are available on rivers and streams within an easy drive of Springfield. You will also find an enormous amount of information on the tackle they prefer and recommend. They are experts at fishing you can do from a yak in your area. I will add a start point so they can critique/supplement/or laugh. I mostly kayak with my wife for pleasure but if I intend to fish I prefer a 5'6" or 6" baitcast rod with 8 or 10# line. I make sure my tackle carry bag holds 4" tubes in crawfish colors, 5" senkos, black and chartreuse/blue twin spin spinner baits in 3/8 ounce size, a white buzz bait, a walk the dog top water (see my avatar), and cranks designed to run 3-5 feet (rebel crawfish) and 6-8 feet (wiggle warts). Oh, a subsurface jerk bait - either soft or hard plastic - needs to go in there. Now, if you really want to fit in, there are other matters we can discuss. Do you like chitlins?, ever eaten squirrel?, can you smoke a pork butt?, can you play euchre?

Welcome, and yes that catch in this heat was awesome.

I was seeing fish at 15 to 18. Caught fish at that depth three days ago. May be a clue. However I was also marking fish at 24 -26 about two feet off bottom and caught one there. I may never get this all figured out.

I went out this morning, early. I ran down lake to top water fish several good spots near Rock Creek. In 1 hour and 20 minutes of the best time of the day, I had one strike. It jumped and I could tell it was an iffy keeper largemouth. Of course on that jump, he also disengaged himself. That was it. One bite and no fish. I crank trolled the backbone at 18, 22, and 25 feet. Nada. I dragged a nightcrawler harness through the same 18 to 25 foot range. Three small blluegill, two small bass, and one 19 inch walleye. I made myself drink water throughout the morning. Despite that, by 11:30 I could tell I was becoming dehydrated and decided to motor back to Holiday Island. I have a deep, safe boat, an Alumacraft Navigator. I am glad I do. On the way back I was twice boxed in by converging bozos in wake boats making big S turns and pulling children at that perfect tube speed. You know the speed. The speed that makes the absolute largest wake. Now down lake there is more traffic but you can get away from these bozos. Up here where the lake gets skinny you sometimes have to just stop and let them cut across or whatever. It creates some of the most impressive waves as well. At any rate, I had no choice but to take a rogue wave broadside rather than head on. I didn't take in any water but it dumped my ice chest over so I had water in the floor anyway. May I suggest that safety first means you need to be off the lake by 11:00 unless you are part of the bozo crowd. If you are a part of the bozo crowd, go ahead and play in the traffic.

After some of the days you have had this year, I am sure you welcomed yesterday morning. I agree with you about Falcon. Even their cheap stuff is good quality, and once you are into the Cara T7 level, the rods are phenomenal. (Can't believe I just spelled that correctly) I am afraid I am too cheap to be able to comment on the Steez versus Chronarch comparison. Curados and Revo SX are as fancy as I've ever bought.

We all hope you have many pictures to post. I must get over there some time soon.

I will fess up. I once fished after I had a limit of ten on the stringer. I even culled one off the stringer. Is everyone cringing or vomiting? I was younger, much much younger, and I was meat fishing. I was also very proud of the catch and would post the picture if I had one. Things change. Rules change. Self imposed expectations change. Would I do the same now? No. The goal should be to enlighten through example.

Watched your video links. Thanks.

Both are Cara rods. Just built a little different and about ten years apart. The old rod is a touch softer (slower) than the jerk bait rod. What it feels like is that the jerk bait rod was cut off from the bottom so I have the top 6 feet of a 6'5" rod in my hands. Does that make sense?

wtr dogs: I snell my harnesses with Yo Zuri Hybrid clear in 12#. It's a copolymer with fluoro part of the blend and gives me better knot strength than pure fluoro, cheaper too. The author of Precision Trolling, Mark Romaneck?, has a face book page. Post him a message about book availability and he will tell you who still has stock. I have yet to learn leadcore fishing.

A few are up there all the time, just as I regularly catch rainbows as far down river as Holiday Island.

Hmm. Thought it was a brown? Does this tell us something about what fights best? Actually, I fish both trout and bass, so I am just funnin.

I won't say better, but I will say I prefer a baitcaster. I learned over 50 years ago on my father's hand me down knuckle duster, so I am very comfortable with one, and can fish amazingly small lures and light lines with one. Obviously, not everyone has that same experience. Now that both Power Pro and Suffix make high quality metered braid, you don't have to use a linecounter baitcaster to know precisely how much line you have out, so that reduces the argument in favor of trolling with a baitcaster. I made the switch to metered braid last year, and I stopped using my linecounter reels. I have a Shimano Citica on my crank trolling rod, and an Okuma Serrano on my nightcrawler harness rod. Both are spooled with Power Pro Depthhunter braid in 10 pound test/2 pound diameter. I would say you can use either, but I will caution that whichever you choose, make sure you buy a model with a high quality drag. When you have over a hundred feet of line out (or more), you want a drag that is smooth and won't stutter. If it stutters, that one little weak point in 100 feet of line will give. Hope this helps.

For walleye? I was having trouble with fish pulling off. Several people suggested I lighten up on the rod. I am now using 7' medium power rods (8 - 15 pound line rating) with moderate or moderate fast actions. Strong enough to put pressure on the fish but limber enough to flex when the walleye does its head shake or lunge routines. Since I run braid, I still have good feel despite the more limber rods.

My father took me to Ontario and Manitoba 5 times between 13 and 20. Wonderful memories of fishing for smallmouth and pike, as well as walleye for shore lunch. Your pictures brought it all back. Thanks.

I have an Optima as a starting battery, but I have only had it a month. So far so good.

With high water there are better bait drift choices than power bait. Personally, I would fish red worms if I were fishing bait on the drift. Thread the worm on a number 4 hook so it looks like a J and leave the end dangling. The 1 or 2 size spinners work the best but I urge you to pay heed to earlier posts and fish Rogues or Rapalas instead. In high water you will do much better.

Precision Trolling publishes a dive curve book for common lures. I use it as a guide to determine how much line to let out to reach the depth I want. Try the link below. http://www.fishing411.net/ BTW - Don't mind FC. He can't help himself.

Mepps, Shyster, Panther Martin all work. See if this link works: http://www.agfc.com/resources/GuidebookDocs/trout2011p25-39.pdf

The hits came traveling upstream. At that location some days are upstream days and some the opposite.

Actually, I am beginning to like the hide the face schtick. I may have to make sure I always do it. Tickles me to have two ten pound club pictures up at Walleye Central and no one can see my face.

Good advice above. If you must have a cast and reel back lure, in-line spinners work well in fast water. Of course with high water you won't see riffles at Redbud Shoals (above Rim Shoals trophy area and below Cotter) or at Ranchette. I am partial to gold and to pink. BTW, my favorite stretch of the river is Cotter to Ranchette. White Hole and Sportsman Hole are good, especially for browns, but I've always caught larger bows below Cotter.

Check out Lee Creek down toward Fort Smith.