skeeter

Thanks for the report. Your analysis of the spinner bait bite dovetails with what I was getting in the Baxter area yesterday, they were just "bumping" it. I'll bet the Corps is dumping water quickly with the forecast for all next week. That would explain declining, rather than rising, water temperatures. After last year you can bet they are watching levels and forecasts closely. The "fleet" seems to be in for the weekend with all the boats I've seen and heard this morning. Think I'll start a new business during tournament season selling cold beer,soda and sub sandwiches off a roving pontoon boat.

Phil, I was in your shop at the Landing ( very nice looking and well kept place ! ) two weeks ago to pick up some of your swimmin minnows as they look a lot better than the ones BP sells. Looked around for stickers or something and didn't see any but did see the OA hats but my big melonhead is too large for most ballcaps. The young lady running the shop was very busy with reservations and other customers so I didn't want to monopolize her time asking about them. I'd appreciate having a sticker for the truck and one for the boat and would gladly be willing to pay for them. Please post if you have some more printed up. I'm guessing magnetics would disappear pretty quick, either from people plucking them or this unending wind. Thanks.

Glad you did better yesterday Dr. J. I was out for only about three hours due to having the XYL with me and fished Big Indian out of Baxter. Tried the white bliade and hung one semi-decent 16-17 " towards the rear of a smaller, shallow cove but figured it was a big male off a bed and let him jump, shake and throw the hook. Hate catching fish off beds. Kept getting a number of deep "bumps" on the blade and couldn't determine whether the hits were really small bass or males just trying to drive the bait off beds. Strangely, as I made my way further up the creek arm the water temperature kept dropping from 61.7 down to 57.2. I can only guess that the South wind was blowing the warmer surface out and cooler water was coming to the surface. Does that make any sense ?? Tried moving over into Little Indian and warmer water back in the 61 degree range again and picked up a mojo rigged lizard attempting to target big females moving in but caught two small males in about 20 feet of water on which I did a very quick release and gave up as, again, I hate catching fish off beds. As we came in, we noticed a small trackhoe spreading several truckloads of topsoil around various campsites at Baxter campground over by the launch ramp. I can only wonder what in the world the Corps is thinking spreading topsoil with several inches of heavy rain predicted on Monday and several days next week. The only way this soil won't wash across the parking lot and into the lake is if they immediately sod it and you know they aren't going to do that. If a landowner did this you know they would have to install those plastic sheeting fences that do such a poor job of catching the mud runoff but we saw no evidence of that .

Noticed a new courtesy dock floating alongside the "steep" launch ramp at Baxter yesterday. It's a different design and will only accomodate three boats at a time but looks like it will stand up better to the strong North winds that hammered the old dock into junk.

As I have posted before on this board, Ethanol is the " Devil's Brew" when mixed with gasoline. It is also the biggest "SCAM" ever forced on Missouri and other State's residents by local government. Small engine shops locally are advising all customers using outdoor power equipment manufactured in any year to use 91 octane only as the stations around Kimberling City have no Ethanol in their 91 octane. Yes, it's more expensive but much cheaper than a new engine or major repairs. The problem lies in the fact that alcohol and gasoline don't stay mixed with gas being a lighter specific gravity and separating and floating on the top of the Ethanol after sitting still resulting in "layering". The gasoline tankers do not get their fuel blended at the source, first they must fill with gasoline then go to the Ethanol plant and add the Ethanol. Sure, it get's mixed while filling and then rolling down the highway to your local gas station but then it sits motionless in the storage tanks and unless rapidly emptied, separates, with the Ethanol lying on the bottom, right where the pump intake is located. Same thing applies to any fuel tank on boats, cars, mowers, string trimmers, chain saws, etc. The fuel intake is necessarily located at the bottom of the fuel tank. So.... unsuspecting owner comes along, after whatever he is starting has sat motionless for awhile, starts the engine and you suck pure alcohol into your fuel system which it isn't designed to run on. The other problem observed in small engines and especially two-strokes is incomplete combustion of the ethanol. Ethanol contributes to pollution and has it's own set of problems in producing it's own varieties of pollution as it burns but it really is notorious for leaving behind CARBON deposits which are hard to deal with when you want to keep your two-stroke engine running properly. Carbon is formed by failure to burn a fuel completely in a reciprocating engine. If you use fuels containing Ethanol, you are building up carbon deposits way faster than normal in your engine. It forms on exhaust valves and seats in four strokes and in the intake and exhaust ports on two-strokes and on some spark plugs. This gradual build up results in slowly diminishing performance which is difficult to notice until it reaches critical levels and then it's too late. The engine (heads) must be dis-assembled and de-carbonized and that costs big bucks. The Sea Foam fuel additive advertises that it eliminates this carbon build up from ocurring, if used regularly, and will even de-carbon an engine (somewhat) that has started to build up these hated deposits. That is why engine shops and outboard mechanics will recommend Sea Foam to their customers. Stabil is purely a fuel preservative but I noticed last Fall that they had started to advertise on their product labels a compatibility with fuels containing Ethanol Don't you just love Missouri Government for forcing this junk down our throats ? Why, you would think there was a heavily funded lobbyist or two that wined and dined them into adopting this idiotic requirement maybe ? Last year (2008) there was a bill presented to increase the required Ethanol content to 15% but several of our wonderfully responsive "representatives" are cattlemen and had seen their feed bills triple due to increased prices of corn. So for once, they had shot themselves in their own foot and voted the 15% content down. As is often said, when the Missouri Legislature is in session, no one is safe !

I don't care what Babler thinks, these are fun stories to read and why it's called fishin' and not catchin'. Mine happened on The Rock in 1979 across the Lake from point 16 on the right end of that short bluff over there. I was, as usual, throwing a silver flitter Spook and walkin' it back to the boat when about halfway back I notice this large shadow right behind the Spook in the water that's still disturbed and stirred up from walkin' the dog. I thought, briefly, because of the size of the fish, " man, what a stupid carp to be following that Spook", so I slowed down and almost stopped the Spook allowing the water behind it to clear a bit. Well fellas, it wasn't a carp it was the biggest Bass I had ever seen at that time. Because the disturbed water started to clear up she started to see me and the boat and I realized that so I immediately started up the Spook again. That fish followed the Spook all the way up to the side of the boat without hitting it and I'm changing speeds and all and about having a cow ! I worked the Spook along the bluff side of the boat with about three feet of line out, around the trolling motor on the bow and down the other side and only when I went to lift the Spook out of the water in disgust, again, right alongside the boat, did that big Bass bust it ! She went straight down and pulled line off the drag of my Garcia 5000 baitcaster like I didn't have the drag cranked down at all. All I could do was hold on and pray that 10lb. Stren would hold up. She finally reached the end of her crash dive and swam back up as fast as she went down and I'm crankin' that 4.7 to 1 ratio reel fast enough to break the sound barrier trying to keep up with her and keep the line tight. Not 12 feet from the boat she did the classic big Bass surface with head shaking and gills flared wide and politely threw that Spook right back at me. I'd have to conservatively guesstimate the fish at 8 to 9 lbs but since it was post-spawn she may have been a bit less. Gave me a great thrill and an experience I will cetainly never forget.

That's a great story and thanks for telling it in a way that was hilarious. In reality, your friend Cal was very fortunate Momma Beaver missed him. Our local neighbor's large and very fiesty ( with wildlife ) mutt got into it with a "Senior" Beaver last week.....if you think Coons are rough on dogs you wouldn't believe what that Beaver did to this dog. Rushing him to the Vet is the only thing that saved the pooch dying from his wounds and blood loss. That dog was at death's door and all torn up. Those large orange rodent/chisel teeth the Beaver possesses are apparently very sharp and not just used to chew wood. We know it was a Beaver since the dog's screams alerted his owner who came running in time to see the Beaver re-enter the lake. The Vet said the only postitive thing is that Beavers rarely, if ever, contract rabies, unlike Coons.

Just a tip or suggestion to save you some $$ in the future. My five trailer tires are going on 11 years old but thanks to an annual application of Armor All or any UV spray-on protectant like Armor All or Turtle Wax type product ( like you use on vinyl car interiors ) the tires are in really good shape with no signs of sidewall cracking or dry rot. Same stuff helps on rubber rollers etc. on trailers and rubber door seals on cars etc. Just make sure on the label of whatever you try it specifically says it contains a UV protectant. Be sure and spray both fronts and backs of sidewalls and even the tread and let it soak, don't wipe it off like the directions say to do. It penetrates better that way and lasts longer. Just don't get it on your rotors if your trailer has disc brakes.

Pound for pound, IMHO it's a big male Bluegill. My old man always said if Bluegill grew to 5-6 pounds it wouldn't be safe to swim in freshwater Average catch, again IMHO, it's gotta' be Smallmouth. They never, never quit and, as you anglers know, you better be ready for that final crash dive when you get them up to the boat ! Whites are great fun since they swim around with their mouths open, are true Bass and hit the bait at about 20 MPH, they also fight with their entire side but give me a Smallie any day.

I am not familiar with the Walleye River program. However, on the Lake I can't figure any other method they could use to make a study of fish populations. I have had the unpleasant experience to be fishing in a TR cove in the Spring and had their boat come into the cove and shock the entire bank. Needless to say, I exited the cove as continued fishing was pointless. For those like myself who aren't aware of the Walleye River shocking program, what exactly is MDC doing that has folks bothered and questioning their methods ? Thanks.

Yep, cell phone for me too. It's expensive enough and don't want to be bothered by chatter on VHF. As far as weather, I keep my eyes on the sky from time to time. Only thing I would like to see weather related is an inexpensive mobile lightning detector other than your ears listening for the thunderclap. It would be nice to be able to tell how far away the lightning is and it's direction. The way the hills echo the thunder makes it difficult to tell direction many times. There is a card you can purchase and install in your PC along with an external antenna that receives the radio frequency of lightning bolts but that isn't going to help you on the water.

A " tip of the cap " to those who can consistently catch Crappie anytime of the year on the Rock. You must be on the water a whole lot more often than I and a much better fisherman ( which ain't hard ! ). Right now, during Lent, I get the taste for fresh fish and by that I mean Crappie. Wish they sold them in stores. Have to resort to going to Rundy's or Culver's for their Walleye. Also thanks for the comment about the subsurface water column being way too cold yet. Maybe these winds will help stir it up but night time temps are forecast to drop into the 30's again and that won't help a bit.

That's great initiative on the part of a 10 year old. Congratulations Dylan, I hope your name is mentioned prominently in the Bill as it should be. The choice of the Missouri River was a smart and logical one but allow me to pass along a piece of information that completely floored me when I learned of it and how correct it is. Several of you may be aware of this. The normal method of the old-time explorers to determine the course of a River was to follow it from it's mouth where it enters the Sea upstream always turning into the largest branch or tributary when the occasion arose. The Mississippi was explored by Marquette and Joliet bass-ackwards. In other words they went downstream, not upstream in their voyage of exploration. If the normal or accepted method of exploration had been followed and the River explored upsteam from the Gulf, when the junction of the Mississippi and Missouri Rivers ( as they are now known ) would have been reached just upsteam from St. Louis, the explorers would have turned left or West into the present day Missouri as that River is proven larger at the joining of the two. That would have made whatever they decided to call the River much longer than the accepted present day Mississippi. Doesn't mean a whole lot I guess, just an interesting concept.

If it hadn't been for Warner's ill-advised pass into triple coverage at the end of the first half, the Big Red would have won. Then there was the holding on Warner during the following runback that got ignored..... Have to agree about the p-ss poor referees, no calls whatsoever on "roughing-the-passer" almost every time Warner threw. Steelers figured out they could get away with it and just pounded the quarterback. Just ridiculous letting that call go whenever Cards had the ball, and then they call it to protect "Big Ben" when a Card's defender gets anywhere near him. I also thought the call against Cards when Wilson ran over the ball-holder was BS, the replay showed the guy was tripped and couldn't control his direction. Very very sad when this much money and prestige is on the line. The botched fumble call at the game's end just reflected what went on the entire two halves. Only thing I liked, even though I was pulling for the Cards and Warner, was that Bidwell lost again ! Now his players will all want more money ( which he won't pay ) and they will all leave.

Yeah Greybear, I agree with you but folks have to make income from their land somehow. A lot of these cattlemen are still struggling with the cost of replacing five strand barb wire fences that the ice storm of 2007 took down. Just be glad those numbers of cattle aren't hogs, then you would have a really BIG problem. Nuthin' is too much worse than a hog farm, I think they are even worse than chickens. Heaven help you if you live downwind from one. Pork......the "other" white meat ! Ha !

Those observations are very interesting Troutchaser, thanks for sharing them. The North American cougar ( and I'm no expert either, just read about them recently ) is reputed to be one of the most elusive animals we have on this Continent and very difficult for wildlife biologists to study even if they can attach a radio tracking collar. These cats just hide from and avoid people really well. To have been lucky enough to see several and even see a mating pair is very rare and fortunate. From what I read I can only suppose the female was released or escaped from captivity perhaps as they don't seem to roam in search of new "territory" like the "Toms" do. It would be interesting to hear from the folks who put up "trail cameras" if they have captured any recent images of wild Cougars in Missouri. To me, it's kinda' neat to know they are around as long as they don't become a hazard to small women or children as they have in certain areas of highly populated California.

County road "H" down to Baxter is clear and mostly dry. Ramps are another thing. If there were banked turns on them they would make a great bobsled run. White stuff on the ground is like iron, you can't move or remove it. About one to two inches of ice topped by three inches of tightly packed sleet. Some melting going on Thursday and Friday but it's going to be a while before you can launch safely without sliding your entire rig into the lake. Today's weather should help a lot but the "steep" ramp at Baxter faces North and doesn't get much sun. The shallow ramp at the end of the road will get better, faster.

When I used to live out West, they had trouble with sheep being taken and calves. Not many sheep raised around Missouri lately so like you, I'm surprised you don't hear all the beef cattle ranchers complaining about calves being lost. I was really surprised to learn Missouri is second only to Texas in the numbers of beef cattle being ranched ! The cougars are definitely here in the State in small numbers and with the size of our deer herd I am guessing that is their preferred food source ? Most full grown cattle seem to be too much for a cougar to tackle as they can be intimidated by a larger animal and have to be pretty desperate to take on a full grown steer. They are solitary hunters, unlike the African lion, and really don't get all that big when compared to the other "big cats " of the world. I've been told the key to the future of the Cougar in Missouri is whether any females get released/escape or wander in as right now there is no evidence of a breeding population and the reported animals that are wild that have been accidentally killed and examined have all been males.

Heckuva program.... "Supervolcano"... well worth watching with scientific evidence showing the last eruption of the Enormous Yellowstone caldera deposited heavy volcanic ash all the way East of the Mississippi River and as far South as Louisiana. Didn't know that Old Faithful had shut down, has there been any further information on what they think caused that ? Interruption of ground water supply maybe ? The Geophysicists took measurements in Yellowstone Lake and the floor of the Lake has risen/bulged enough from a presumed upwelling of magma to submerge land on the South end of the Lake that has never been underwater before. Been through Yellowstone extensively on two, two week trips in the 70's. Hiked the back country and encountered many geothermal features that are not readily accessible to typical tourist visitation as they are far off the paved roads. All that energy underfoot causing those features makes a person think about just what lies not far below the earth's surface. Another eruption like those in the past would completely devastate the U.S. and certainly bears watching and further study.

Fellas, Check the routing, if you haven't already, of the pull-rope and see if there are any burrs, sharp edges or rough spots where the rope becomes weight bearing and contacts metal on the motor mount. I broke two ropes on a much older Motor Guide and happened to be in the shop at the local marine dealer and saw a slightly newer motor with the same design mount. Motor-Guide had developed a plastic grommet insert placed in the round hole in the mount where the rope passed through the metal and received the most stress. I was able to order the same grommet, installed it on my mount and have used the same rope now for six years with little or no wear evident. Yours may have a different design but just suggesting you check things out. It also helps to keep the release latch greased to reduce the pull stress on the rope when dropping the motor in the water and recovering it. Hope that helps a little.

As always, thanks for the great report. Any one care to speculate on the unusual ( for TR ) shallow activity and location of the bass this year ? Dissolved oxygen shortage at greater depths...location of food ???? Maybe something to do with extreme high lake levels ? Sure makes taking the kids and Grandkids out a lot easier and more fun for them.

Amazed to hear anything positive about Zebra Mussels. Always heard they took over traditional spawning areas so the fish couldn't use them. Would like to hear any input from LOZ ( Lake of the Ocean, that's a good one ) dock and lift owners about the impact to docks and boat lifts due to invasion of Zebras. Heard several rumors about them weighing down both so heavily they had to be cleaned or both started to slowly sink.

Have to agree about the lowered volume of boat traffic around Baxter but their launch ramps are still well under water. Danged jet skis are still out there though and there is something about a fisherman in a bass boat that draws them like flies to a fresh kill. Was on the flats Friday across the White from Baxter with fish blowing up all around me ( wouldn't touch my spook ) and no one else on the lake at 0600. All of a sudden from nowhere two jet ski's appear and guess where they headed ? Yep, right through the area the nice Kentuck's and Brownies ( I think ) were running shad. Never have seen it fail and beginning to believe it's on purpose. Couldn't get anything but a couple of bluegill bumps on the fall from a trial of the "Flick and Shake" worm rig in about 22-28 feet so headed in and removed their source of amusement. Will try again today and keep looking for that jig bite others are having success with. Must be using wrong color or fishing wrong water.

Good for you Trav !!!! Best wishes for your eventual success and I know there are many others who remain silent on this same issue who are 100% behind you but are reluctant to express their feelings. Considering the fishing "royalty" you are related to and personally know I think you have a valuable inside track on this subject but can only wonder what the "big money" sponsors will do when they can't set up their weigh-in circus at the end of the day ? The problem initially discussed in this thread seemed to be the results of a small, local or "club" derby and the only thing that will control that, IMHO, is a change in Statewide fishing regulations by MDC.

Rules have to be changed by MDC for ALL tournaments once 6/15 of the current year has been reached. Catch, weigh and release only until say 10/10 or thereabouts. I've been griping about this cruel waste of our natural resources for years and while sad to hear about this not-isolated incident am glad that others have become aware of this problem. This sad handling of fish reminds me of earlier posts made about the "chute" one of the big events this Spring had behind Ahoys where they dropped the weighed-in fish down a long chute and into the lake without benefit of a release boat !!! All concerned anglers need to lean on MDC and loudly express their displeasure with current regulations concerning handling of tournament caught fish. The excellent suggestion about "salting" the livewells is a proven fish-survival aide but after overhearing two tournament anglers adorned in their sponsor's shirts talking in Spgfld. Bass Pro about how the salt ruined their livewell pumps I doubt many use salt unless their sponsors provide the boats and maintenance for same.