SKMO

I am just gravitating to anything called a "Studfish". Has to be a heck of a bait. Why are topminnows critical to the river system? I will probably never seine and use another (topwater) again since I do not bait fish on the rivers much anymore, just wondered what important nich they occupied

Not necessarily I don't think. The drainages that produce the most runoff flowing into the lake are usually pretty large coves so you are often a fair distance from the main lake if that is what you are asking. If you can see at least a couple degree difference in the runoff water and the rest of the lake you should be able to get bit. Not really sure what all you are asking here, but other than the runoff trash type stuff, the other high percentage spot I like are main lake and secondary points, and chunk rock banks just inside these points. Actually they can be about anywhere if it is a warm rain/runoff and the water gets dingy, but these have been two locations that are always worth throwing to. Not sure it is going to be warm enough to make it happen on this rain.

I have been researching and pondering the weather this weekend via internet style and there might be someting in the cards. Friday might be good as a pre-frontal day but I have always been disapointed on this lake pre-front. Calling for bunches of rain Fri Nite and Sat but it will be relatively warm. If you can get out after then when the lake is coming up and catch some runoff water warmer then the general lake water, there are 2 things that might work real well. 1) Jigs or spinnerbaits or plastics back in the trash where the water is coming in 2) Crankbaits on the points, in the muddy water. I have seen and experienced this in the past with good to fantastic results as long as the air temp and rainfall temp was warmer then the general water temp. That is to say .... the water coming in is at least a few degrees warmer then the water it is running into. Anyway hope springs eternal. I have sure racked them up in the past under similar conditions as we are looking at the next couple days. Warmer water running in is the key, a couple degrees means everything.

According to a friend of mine who is a Fisheries Biologist "slicks" are stoneroller minnows. There are a couple different species but very difficult to tell apart. I myself have heard numerous times about "slicks" over the past several (25) years. Seems to be a local name for them especially in deep south central MO. I seined minnows with a couple Bradleyville locals back in 1982 and all they wanted was "slicks" or "topwaters", which is the Prairie Topminnow. They did catch fish. And I would have to say that the topminnow was the most durable live bait I have ever dunked. They would stay alive on the hook and wink at you when you released them after a long drift.

I am going after more stickbait fish this week. Upper White. Walleye in the Kings are no mystery. Either hike the bluff or take a small boat in at the the 86 bridge. It is a brutal expedition either way.

April I know April is not a water temp but it does not matter as the bulk of the spawn will be in mid-April. Lake-wide some fish might spawn as early as the last week of March (very few) most in mid-April, and several up to mid-May. Water temp is not that important. The lake always is in the range of spawning temps during April, and I think it has more to do with photoperiod than water temp in MO. Photoperiod means: Length of daylight. Personally I think the April spawn is very highly over-rated as a time to catch fish on TR except for the fact that you can tag some pre-spawn and post-spawn fish. If you want to bed fish you can do so, but I have a problem with that. I would prefer the fish hungry and not horney. Hard to tell them apart I know but sight fishing beds on this lake is wrong and I will explain it to anyone face to face.

I was not making any kind of negative remarks about anyone's fish locating/catching ability. This lake has handed me my hat so many times in a season it is comical. Even when it is good I have days that suk real bad. You gotta laugh or else you will liquidate your fishing holdings and get into something marginal like spending time at home trying to keep The Wife happy.

I did not think I had been giving that glowing a jig report. I did have a couple good trips a couple weeks ago prior to the last cold snap but it's been mediocre since. Jig is just a good thing to have tied on this time of year. In fact I would say you can get bit on it about as consistantly with it round the calender as anything else out there. I am not sure what other presentation would work from 1'-65' other than the jig.

Jacks are also caught in the lower Eleven Point River, the last 10 miles before it goes into AR. Not a lot but large ones. I lived in Alton a couple years and was on this water a lot.

Techo - NOT a bad day and you are not the worst bass fishermen in the world. It's not the easiest right now so to boat a legal and handle a couple short fish is nothing to keep you awake at night. There are guys and guides on this lake who have thousands of hours experience and everyone walks away without any fish smell on their hands several time a year. On a Really Bad day on TR you catch no fish, tear up some major piece of equipment, (perhaps leaving your boat underwater) and someone is still bleeding as you drive to the emergency room. Trust me on this you had an OK day,

Two real close: http://www.shellknob.com/golf.htm Have no idea what good implies since I do not golf. For me it would have to have a sizable water hazard where I could launch a 21' Skeeter. There's also a course in Cassville that many if not most real golfers prefer, maybe 20 minutes away. I have a friend that is an avid golfer and that is where he goes, says it is "not bad" and has real good seasonal rates/memberships, whatever you call them. He travels all around the region hitting the white balls so I guess it is OK.

Fished a bit this weekend and today on the upper White and Kings, Caught some decent fish on a jig in the Kings, and a few stickbait fish on the White. Nothing spectacular, but nice healthy fish with great color and fat bellies, all LM. Water temp 42-44, kind of dingy everywhere and not as clear around Big M, I would have thought this would have been the clearest water but was the dingiest. Jig fish on obvious wood and shore junk. Stickbait fish recently hitting at 8-15 feet and I will say I had some nice follows and nips beside the boat. Today I would have rather caught the fish I saw than the fish I caught, and I am convinced there are enough there to fish but wind made it hard to leave it in their face very long. I am pretty sure I could have boated some more fish today but the wind kept me off 2/3 of the places I wanted to hit and I just sucked it up and fished wherever I could halfway hold the boat. Caught just enough fish to keep me thinking I would figger them out or stumble across a big ol' dumb one but it was just consistantly mediocre. I know there are other presentations such as cranks that will work. Also fishing the jig out to deeper depths (as deep as you care to go) should produce but personally I will not deep structure or shad fish much from here on out unless it is flat calm or the water gets even colder. One thing I keep on deck now is a spinnerbait. Laugh if you will but a 3/8 oz spinnerbait with a single colorado blade has caught big fish of the day for me more than once in water into the 30's. This is the only time of year I throw a colorado blade, (except night-time of course, then always) Got to have a chop on the water. Throw it to the same wood, rock and junk you would flip a jig on and drop it right on their head. Throw it into crap with 3-6' of water underneath where you are sure you will get hung up and hang on. Don't worry about casting quietly past and trying to flutter it down on them, thats deep water cedar tree stuff. Throw it in their face and hope instinct takes over. We have some awesome weather moving in and there will be plenty of strings stretched in the next week. Bad weather can shut things down in hours if not minutes anytime of the year. On the upswing it takes a little longer but you can go from Zero to Hero in 24-48 hours you just gotta get out there and prove it to yourself.

According to the Fishes of Missouri book: "Newly hatched walleye fry are only about half an inch in length, but under ideal conditions can attain a length of 10" or more the first year" In the Current River average size by is is: 1 yr - 8" 2 - 12.5" 3 - 15.5" 4 - 17.3" 5 - 18.9" 6 - 20.7" 7 - 24.1" 8 - 25.5" 9 - 27.9" 10 - 29.6" Also said: "The usual life span is 7-8 years but individuals 13-14 years of age are not uncommon".

Welcome to SK. Where approximately do you live if I may ask? I live a couple miles south of the bridge on the Kings River.

Personally I feel more at ease among a couple somewhat wild/tame wolves than I do walking around on the streets of our larger cities after dark. At least I feel like I might have deserved the predation should a wolf want to rumble.

Fullmoon - I stand corrected. I knew there were freshwater jellyfish but had never seen any in TR. The bryozoans pop up sporadically and everyone calls them jellyfish so made the (incorrect) assumption that was what you might have seen.

Here's an interesting fact about TB in '64 and '65 I used to see freshwater jellyfish back in the west branch of Mill Creek (near campbell point). I would bet what you were seeing was bryozoans. They are still here., more frequent in some years than others, and always in the dingy water up the Kings or James, I have never seen them in the clear water main lake. http://www.bio.umass.edu/biology/conn.river/bryozoa.html Flying squirrels on the lake I definitely believe. I grew up fishing a lake in So IL where we caught crappie and shot squirrels out of the boat a mile from shore. Tell us some more early TR stories, otherwise I will abduct you in the parking lot some day and you will have to put up with my BS. SKMO PS: I Just Noticed I am a Channel Catfish. How wonderful to have moved up into a catagory above bait. Most of the species I have been in the past were bottom dwellers and my goal is to be a Smallmouth Bass. There is no higher calling than to be a smallmouth and I guess I ahve several posts to go.

Well Danoinark - I think as trouters or Bassers (notice the Capitalization where it was intended) we do police ourselves fairly well. I think we all take pretty good care of the lands and waters we visit. I know we all have a big job to do as far as educating those we bring up in The Sport of fishing, and I think it is going well. Public lands and properties it is pretty well set forth as to the Rules and Regs. Private Lands: This is where real conservation efforts will take hold and have an effect, and it's hard to envision landowners taking up the financial slack for broad benefits we all cash in on. Other states have recognized this and are proactive and way ahead of us on this. I still have confidence we will not get bit in the shorts too bad. We have some lessons tol learn in the next few years.

I talked with a RR DNR guy today about the status of the chicken houses near Roaring River and he indicated that as far as he knew they were going to be permitted. Basically there was no ruling to deny the permit upon. Let me say up front I know this guy well and he is top notch, but on the Parks side of DNR, not the environmental regulation side. Looks like 4 houses, 65K birds, and licensed as a "no-runoff" facility. Not sure exactly what no-runoff specifically permits but we all know there is no such thing. Hopefully well treated runoff. This is also a facility that will raise chickens (pullets) for the egg production industry. Not sure of all the technical ins and outs and all the terminology, but they will only raise two broods per year of chickens then send them out for egg laying. Grow 'em slow and healthy as opposed to the crank-em out hard and fast (on chicken steroids) type we all eat. Well I do not like to see this more than anyone else but it looks to me like the deal is done. A classic example of sociological head-butting between the agricultualrists, and the sportsmen and adjacent landownders who are impacted by animal confinement operations. Neither party is right or wrong, we are just at odds as to how to use the landscape. There actually is a solution to problems such as this in the future but I doubt it will be addressed in my lifetime in SW Missouri. It's called: ZONING. County Zoning in this case. But not today in rural SW Missouri. Such zoning exists on both the Left and Right Coasts and on some progressive middle ground but we in MO will be the last to see it. Because we are Landowners and it is our right to do with our land as we wish, and a civil war would errupt should "The Govt" tell anyone what they could or could not do with their Ozark property. Well it is a tough nut to crack and I do not have any answers but I sure do have a lot of questions. I really do see both sides of the coin, so think about this: Private Landowners in MO (who own about 97% of the state) provide a lot of benefits we all as citizens reap, such as open space, wildlife habitat (even if we can not hunt on it), scenic values and aesthetics, watershed and groundwater protection, carbon sequestration (might have to look that up), and other benefits we all derive as citizens from their ownership of the wild lands. Once their cost of ownership (investment and land taxes for example) outweighs their benefits they must do something different, as they can no longer aford to own the property if they are constrained in managing it. All this said, I have no answers only more questions. I do know that in other parts of the country restrictive zoning exists, and THERE IS ALSO various forms of compensation to landowners who agree to keep their lands in an undeveloped state. For that luxury we must pay taxwise, and is MO ready to tackle it? Regards - SKMO

This is real interesting reading. Thanks to all involved for taking the time to share it. Sorry I was not fishing here then, sounds like a typical "new-lake" bonanza. I guess these numbers are just from folks who checked in or out of Campbell Point Boat Dock. Imagine the real numbers and weights for all bass caught in the SK area, not just those checked through the CP dock. And this catch represents just a small fraction of the TR harvest I imagine, as people could not or did not need to run as far as we tend to today. Smaller boats, more fish, more trees to dodge. This was being done all over the lake. Thought it was interesting that there was no mention of SM, or if there was at least I missed it. Also interesting that even back then Fall must have been tough because Sept/Oct/Nov big fish are few. Or perhaps not too many people fished that time of year. Makes me wonder what the fishermen in 2037 will think of our tournament results today. Will they envy us, (as we do these 1960's figures), or will they have it better? Worse? The answer mostly depends on us. Great stuff & Food for thought.

1308 - Maybe we can start a night fishing discussion. Like Bill said I make quite a few trips to the water in the Very Early morning hours as I live in SK. Just get up to pee at 2 or 3 and decide what the heck, might as well go out, if it is fairly warm. I know mid-summer is good but I do even better in Spring and Fall in the pre-dawn hours. Pretty uncommon not to hang at least a couple good fish and I have experienced some awesome times the last 90 minutes before the sun shows. I prefer pre-dawn to just after sunset, as it seems you often have a few dead hours after sunset before they bite. Rarely have I caught good KY's predawn except around spawning season, buts lots of good LM and SM year round. Bait of choice is a big black spinnerbait with a thumper blade the size of a half dollar and a pork trailer. Throw this thing about anywhere on chunky banks and hang on.

When the water is cold (below 50) I like sun. And I always like some wind, anytime on this lake unless it gets so windy I cannot fish deep (35'+) spots when that is what I am wanting to do. Seems like cloudy days would be good but if it is flat calm it can be a bugger. I would definitely disagree with Bill on our fishing foray today. He indicated we had little to no sucess. I would have to disagree with him on this, and I would have said: "All the bites I had were very light. So Light as to be undetictable". I must have had 20-30 bites today but I never felt a one of them!

There is a "White River Border Lakes Permit" http://www.mdc.mo.gov/conmag/2001/01/20.htm Basically you need a valid permit from either MO or AR plus this $10 border permit. You do have to be careful because some of the regulations differ between the states. For example you can keep 12" spotted bass in AR, but if you catch them in AR than boat into MO you are now illegal. Once you cross the state line you and all the fish that may be in your boat are subject to that state's regulations, irregardless of where you caught them, so you need to be aware of the regs for both states if you fish in both waters.

Thats what THOUGHT also, but after reading the fine print the trade in was for buying 2006 chips. i.e. they were trying to dump their old 2006 chips at the end of the year.