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Right now, it may actually easier to catch a keeper walleye than a keeper bass. But the water temp makes both difficult. This summer as been "different" all year long. Sure makes me feel I haven't learned as much as I thought.

You can insult Bill all you want, but when you start making fun of the river fish you're on the wrong track.

"I have a deep V Lund and I love it. It is very safe and I can go any where I want on Tanny. I bought it last August. It is a 17.5 Ft. with a 50hp motor. I just spent a week with it on Tanny. Love that boat. Jeff " Nice boat. A person can't go wrong following his lead.

Not in Table Rock. I caught some in the northern lakes my Dad used to take me to fish. I understand they are in Bull Shoals.

I fished in the fog this morning here on the upper end. NO top water activity. Pretty much stayed with the skirted twin tail on a jig head. I fished bluff to chunk rock transitions. Threw into 6 feet of water and dragged out to 25/30 feet. Caught four, had one other on, and missed several bites before 8:30. No real size, just 10 to 14.5 inch fish. What I did well was catch perch. Every time I threw too tight to the bank, a bluegill, pumpkinseed, or sunfish attacked the grub. I could have baited a full trot line off my catch. After 8:30 I stopped getting bites so I trolled for walleye. Caught one 24 inch keeper at 18 feet in stickups. I was off the water by 11:15.

Yes, the spoon plug. Those things looked for ways to hang up. I am proud you still have several. Somewhere in the years mine went away.

There is a good alternative to buying a line counter reel and a new rod. Find a older casting reel that still has a smooth drag and retrieve. It does not have to be pretty, a good caster, or palmable. For example, that red Garcia Ambassador in your closet will work just fine. Load it with the Cabelas metered braid in 10# test. No backing is needed but if you do, use old monofilament. Learn to tie an Alberto knot (it's a modified Albright) and add 6 to 10 feet of high grade 10# co-polymer or fluorocarbon to the end of the braid. When you are ready to troll, put the reel on a medium power rod and use the colors to determine how much line is out. Each color is 10 yards/30 feet.

SKMO - Buck Perry would be proud of you. Is Fishing Facts still alive as a magazine? Just googled it, and apparently it is although I haven't seen one on a news stand in a long time. Some of the younger crowd may not get my references here. In the late 70's, early 80's, a small magazine, Fishing Facts, went national. It's POV was educational articles for fishermen to actually use, not travelogues. One of the authorities it often quoted was a scientific type fisherman named Buck Perry. His mantra was the fish would use structure (like roll offs) as a permanent base and that fishermen needed to find the break on the break to find the fish. Sorry. I momentarily fell into lecture mode. You can have the thread back now.

GREAT NAME

TRRANGER: Sounds to me like you are experiencing what most of us are finding. No solid patterns, just a few trends and clues where to start. Right now on TR? Things are sorta, kinda tough. Good fishermen are catching fish. They are just not posting pictures. What does that say?

Good on you. Enjoy and report back for the readers.

I have not had my Ultimate in anything resembling fast/tricky water. Can't help you there. In all other respects it is a wonderful boat. Stable, dry, and very comfortable.

be careful what you ask for b4 = before b/c, cuz, bc = because 2morro = tomorrow 2nite = tonight BTW - when they send lewd propositions or promises, or naked pictures of themselves, it is called sexting

Larry: I've had a good year so far. Only one embedded hook and it was a through and through - it pierced me through the skin on the top of my knuckle and all I had to do was cut the barb. Of course, I managed to do that even though I use a Boga grip. I began using the Boga after my hooked and out of the boat experience of a few years ago. (The story is posted on my blog page) flytier: I am clumsy enough to expect a jab or two, but those stinkers were cutting grooves like they were blades.

Last Spring Bill Babler was touting Daiichi Deathtrap trebles. I paid attention (I always do when he talks fishing) but did not rush to buy any. I had a good stock of VMC Barbarians for my hook exchange needs. I recently ordered some #4 trebles for a project. The last several days I have been tying feathered treble trailers from them. Now, I am no Lee Wulff, but I do own a vise, a bobbin, and I have tied many, many feathered trebles, among other things. I say that so you realize the impact of the next statement. My finger tips look like someone made me pick up broken bottles by hand. I have repeatedly nicked and cut myself on the sharp devils. At nearly a dollar each hook, I won't rush to replace all my walleye crankbait hooks, but if it really matters, they are the stickiest I've ever found.

Since I teach the addicted generation (I actually caught one girl texting by touch inside her purse!)I have had to learn many of the abbreviations. Here are few more that you may see (hopefully some not here) ROFLM__O = rolling on floor laughing my blank blank off BTW = By the way K = ok Prolly = probably BRB = be right back

When the lake was way down 4 or 5 years ago, a very industrious person (not me)placed 15 or 20 of the pvc "brushpiles" on points and channel breaks. I logged them and then lost the map. I only remember 2 but they produce when fish are at the right depth. The problem is they are normally too shallow.

As always, thank you for the information. We don't like it when the fish do what they want instead of what we want, but they are what they are.

Don't fish Stockton (understand it's a great lake) but wanted to thank you for the reports and tell you how lucky you are to be there instead of Lake of the Ozarks or even Table Rock on some days. I have become convinced most people are not inconsiderate or malicious. Instead they are thoughtless - as in not a clue. If I thought it were intentional, I might have to hunt them down and change their minds.

You say that like it is a good thing. I know, it empties the lake of rec boaters - a real plus for many of you. For me, it puts me back at work.

Fished both mornings from early early until boat traffic. I followed my usual routine and started by trying to scare up a few bass for fun. Friday I caught 9 and Sunday I caught 8, but the quality was better on Sunday. I actually caught a keeper and a near keeper. On Friday I tried to anticipate where the scattered fish would surface next on the baitfish. (Champ's whack a mole game) When I succeeded the fish were small. Sunday I fished a stretch where the channel sneaks up to a nothing bank. The only other people I have ever seen fish it are the types that put the troll motor on high and try to set new records for casts thrown at the bank. They don't seem to plan, they are just there to seine the water. Anyway, like I said, I caught 8 with a little more size. The last week to 10 days I have been getting a lot of those drive by bites. No explosion, no attack, just suddenly your bait is under water and moving laterally. Anyone else experiencing this? Friday while trolling I caught two undersize walleye. Today, Sunday, I caught 6 fish, two of which were legal. Today's fish came on a purple tiger wart at 20 feet on 140 feet of Power Pro 10# at speeds between 1.8 and 2.6 mph. I was nicking stickups in 22 to 28 feet of water.

It hasn't. See my latest post. :-/

Champ: Sorry you have to deal with the cancer, although I'm glad to hear the odds are way in you favor on this one. You have my thoughts and best wishes.

No. There is no reason to "here we go again." Let it go.