crazy4fishin

Interesting topic and opinions - sorry MoBass I to come here for insight but I have to chime in - here in Nebraska we also have Cabela's and they face many of the same issues and perceptions and they carry Ranger boats....kinda.... at least here is Omaha they are not well trained in the art of the sale i.e. during the heart of the season they keep them covered.....gotta touch the toy before I buy.... But what I do like about both BPS and Cabela's and even Scheels is that you can usually get equipment at what ever level you are at (read $$$ to spend) whether you are hunting, fishing, hiking, camping or god forbid a race fan, just kidding.....like amboyduke I have a mutts choice of rods, reels, lures etc. and I do look to this board for recommendations, suggestions and then look at all of the outlets both brick and mortar and online and buy when they are on sale or close out....heck even used if the price is right. It really is a non issue who owns the stores as it is the management team and the floor teams at each location that make the difference...I have been in many mom n pop shops and have been treated as bad if not worse because I was not part of their circle of guys that come in daily to shoot the bull. But I have also been treated like one of the family, same way at the chains...once again it is the people that are at that location. I run a business here and finding help much less good help is darn hard right now. Full disclosure - I do run a Nitro 901 and am pretty darn happy with it and am looking to trade this year. I really do appreciate the guys on this board and all of the information....at least those of us far away can live vicariously through you. C4F

This should be a good one and I agree that Evers could have a real chance...I am able to Marshall this year - I have been watching the weather and I am bringing down my cold gear as the ride one the water might be a touch cool first thing in the a.m. C4F

Holy smokes that is one HUGE carp! That thing could eat my wife's ankle biter...if only I could get her closer to the water

WD just posted what we were all thinkin...didn't Iconelli try to sell that laser lure thing? I always thought that was like sharks with lasers on their heads..obscure Austin Powers reference there. C4F

Gatorjet - I thought that was you as I was up stream from Trout Hollow listening to the quiet of nature and then I thought I was teleported to a Nascar speedway and expected cars to come around the bend three wide!!!! As I looked downstrean to see Tony Stewart or Dale I realized that is was just you making your way up the river for some trout :] Take care C4F

boy that is a little chubber! If you squished all of my fish together it might add up to that one. You are right that is a great fish given the conditions C4F

I took a couple of days off and decided to come down and fish - I figure that I trout would be as good to eat as turkey for the holidays....good thing I brought bologna other wise I would have starved to death. Not really....I did put on a few extra pounds just in case something like this happened Not that I didn't catch any it was the ones that I caught were few and far between and small - also I decided to challenge myself and not use any power bait or live bait. ( I noticed a couple of guides were using worms and there were a couple of boats using red/white power bait and were catching quite a few) I started out Wednesday in the p.m. jig fishing from Falls Creek to Cooper (this is where I fished the entire time) jig fishing staying on the bottom ( tan / orange head) there was no generation and I only managed to get a couple of strikes - I knew it was tough when the dock guys told me that they had fished all day with only 2 fish. Thursday I wanted to work on jig fishing with a float and tried olive micro jigs, watermelon flake trout magnet, then I went to white all with limited success - it did get better when they started to run water. I did change up often and I picked up a small white and brown jig and caught a nice brown before he snapped me off at the boat (DANG that 2lb line!!!!) Friday was brutal with the wind, combined with the cold made for a very tough day - only three to the boat using the same colors as Thursday before I had to come in and warm up and watch some football. After the game I couldn't bring myself to get back out - then the wuss factor kicked in as I did see Bill earlier in the day with some clients heading up lake - I didn't think to much about it until I was on my way back from getting coffee around 4 and he was just pulling out of Coopers.....holy thermal underwear Batman that guy is tough. I bet it took him until this morning to it thaw out! I hope this helps those that might be going out the next few days as I see the weather is going to warm a be a bit warmer today - Happy Thanksgiving everyone! C4F

How blessed you are to be able to take your grand son fishing and it looks like he has the knack to be a good fisherman! Great report also. C4F

The comments are right on - Bill I agree with what you say....we create our own luck by the hard work and passion that we put into each day. And my wife and I could tell that when you took us fishing - well prepared and organized...but you have to stop opening the door for folks, now she expects me to do that. If you love what you do then it really isnt work - sure there are bad days like when MO loses to SC :] Or when NE only wins by 70 points...just like my business, we are rewarded by providing the best that we can each and every day. Jason - I can relate to what you are saying - I cant tell you how many times I have offered work to people and they have just turned me down for what ever reason...from it isnt enough money, I have to work how many hours? to they dont work in manufacturing, to noisy etc. etc. absolutly amazing! Well enough rambling - C4F

Jack - at least you caught six before you had to call it a day....I was in a boat with sweat running from my neck to my nether regions and wish I could use the excuse that I had broekn my rod...it took me five hours to catch four! It was a togh bite for me at least...let us know if TFO comes through with thier warrenty...sometimes there are "rules" C4F

That is awesome it is pretty cool to see how the fish act under the water. That unit is pretty slick

I can tell you that TableRock is not alone regarding this issue.....here in Nebraska we have way smaller water and I see the same thing. Just this last week on the 4th I decide to fish....now I have a 20' Bass boat but I didn't feel like fighting the crowds so i decided to bank fish. While at one of the few lakes that has an open speed limit I watched a guy unload his boat, held it while his wife got in it....drove up to park the truck and while he was gone the boat floated away from the dock...the wife just stood in the middle of the boat with a perplexed look on her face. Then their little boy comes to the dock yelling for her to come back and she tells him that she doesnt know how...by this time the husband comes to the dock and tells her to start the boat - she had no clue how to do that and flooded the engine. He then told her to get out the paddle and paddle back to the dock....18' deep V, wind pushing away from the dock...small paddle....not gonna happen. Finally another boater was unloading and they took the Dad and the boy to the drifting boat - which by now was 40 yards out. The lesson here is two fold 1) don't get in a hurry and do things like you would normally 2) Make sure all responsible persons know how to operate the boat. Bill - dont we need one of those Missouri sayings about now to drive this home?....some thing about toads etc? They crack me up! :]

Bill - I read this to my wife and we were both laughing...and I could relate, but not to that scale or the frequency that you go through. I picture you having the patience of Job.

So to summarize: 1. No speedos on older men or how about men period.....just icky and no body mentioned the muffin top visual....which has made me turn off of muffins 2. Invite Sarah Palin to jet ski on Taney...as a fund raiser for the Rep. party - what would be the attire to this event? 3. Park in the shallows and fish in the channel...just common sense here - but that is missing with most folks 4. Unless the boats are stacked run on plane to create as little wake as possible - then go slow enough to not create a wake that would make you fall off your boat..almost happened to me one day....while the boat folks wave as they go by. 5. Have on hand at all times a tire to air, air transfer device for small wiener'd ramp people - and be in good enough shape to run like H--L after the transfer is complete. 6. And have ear plugs in when that jet boat comes by with his hair on fire.... C4F

Memo to self...adding new covert cuss phrase to my language bank...."I say Toad Tracks to That."

I think they should- these guys work very hard to make sure that every one has a good time. I would think that 20% is not unreasonable, but like any thing it would depend on the service.

"Eureka is a good place to pick up some Arkansas wines and run them back across the line. Just don't let Jesus see on the way out of town." That has to be one of the best lines I have read in awhile So if he doesnt see you then it isnt bad?? If that is the case boy am I going to have some fun in the dark! I would also recommend Billy Gayles (SP) for breakfast.....pancakes bigger than my head and I have a big head!

I used the Ned rig again this weekend at a little 300 acre NRD lake and I fished it any where from 1' to around 12' and it performed great. Not only did I catch bass but also black crappie, crappie and even a perch. I went to the Ned after trying the ole standby's like spinner baits and a 1.5 square bill, with no luck - i think the success is a result of the fish seeing something different both in profile and presentation.

All of these are good answers - that is the way that I started over 12 years ago. I went to table rock got a guide and I was hooked! I have been able to translate that bass fishing where ever I go. I also get great ideas from this site i.e. the Ned Rig ....B.A.S.S. and just talking to the guys at place like Fins and Feathers, Bass Pro, Cabela's etc. Also when buying gear - which I really have to much of (my wife made me type this part) - I watch this site and go to places like Scheels at the end of the season. They are really ready to wheel and deal.

Okay - so I tried the Ned rig at Mozingo this last saturday and it did a fine job - but I didnt rig it quite like the video. When I got out on the water I found that i hadnt taken any jig heads and all that I had was a couple of wacky rigs....so I cut the senko and used the weedless wacky rig and it worked. Any way I was pretty darn impressed - I rigged it on a spinning rig and dropped the rig along submerged trees and the like. Thanks for introducing something new - at least to me!

Very cool and thanks for the vid! Do you fish this on a spinning or a bait caster? I am assuming spin since this is a finesse presentation. Do you dead stick this or drag slowly or?? I live in Nebraska and I think that I may give this a try this weekend

rps - I had to laugh at the second post....all though I am not sure what a whaler is I can almost envision it. Recently up here there was a guy that sat at the dock and tried and tried to get his boat started....got it started, went a ways and it just flat quit. I know service is expensive but the few $$$ spent to put the boat to bed at the end of the season will make sure there is no one telling a story about pulling one back to the dock on a forum for all to read. Just glad you were there to help

It might be because the bassmaster tourney is the weekend after....

Check out www.vrbo.com and click on MO and then Table Rock - a friend of ours has thier place on this site and they are very pleased C4F

and the moss won! - what a tough couple of days fishing from Fall Creek to Lilleys....we threw everything but the kitchen sink at them (the reason we didnt throw the sink was I am sure Lilleys would have charged us for it) we did manage a few small ones but only three real keepers. Using power bait, night crawlers and even a small fly under a float - whew! But still incredibly fun C4F