Gatorjet

Seems nobody has had much interest in it. Even in the seems like forever pre-covid days!

Yup Trav, can't hide where I'm fishing!

Was I behaving? LOL

Know what you're saying Travis and Seth. Triple that with my boat. If there is much current at all I have two choices. Plow up through it causing a huge roller. Or keep it up top for a much flatter wake. Seems a lot of those in the big deep V boats that think they are being courteous running 1/4 throttle, and throwing big wakes are most often the ones giving me the stink eye, or "hand signals"! But then there are a few giving me a thumbs up, and pointing up because they want to see a 200' rooster tail. LOL

I gave Phil an old Fishing Hotspots map of Taney a few years ago. Thought he might hang it in the office. Had lots of notes I wrote while at a seminar given by Scotty from Scotty's Trout dock many, many years ago. Maybe if Phil can find it he will post some of it here.

Crowded up there today too. Plus full of weeds! Idle + weeds+ jet doesn't equal anything good! Then there was the idiot on a waverunner that thought stopping right in front of me would be a good idea! Luckily when I veered, and cut the throttle I wasn't in one of the bunches of weeds to suck up blocking my grate. Already had to do a lakeside clean out yesterday when I slowed down for little granddaughter to see the geese. By the time I looked down, and saw weeds it was too late!

That looks like a Winter tournament day at Short Creek! Great report, but I can predict the fishing will cool off markedly by Wednesday. That's when I'll be getting down there!

Not as quick as it looks......Or sounds! A tick under 60 on a good day. The fun part is when it's doing 60 on the river in less than a foot of water!

There's been a 20' Gator seen on Taney often. Also heard because it tends to growl pretty loud!

Just a thought with nothing scientific to back it up. The fish you recently caught in Taney were not recent stockers. Because of the travel bans, and Covid scare, fishing pressure on Taney was way down. But at same time, MDC continued stocking fish. So many of those stocked in March, April, and May have remained in the lake. Eating their natural diet rather than Purina Trout Chow.

The wording on the sign hanging on the cable, on the bank, and in the text is a bit curious. There is no mention of boating. Only fishing.

The management of the White River is a quite complicated undertaking. A lot more complicated than just dumping water from one lake in Arkansas or Missouri into another. It deals with handling water from the headwaters, and tributaries of Beaver Lake, through the White River chain of lakes, through Arkansas, and even the Mississippi river from the confluence with the White all the way to the delta. What they do in Missouri and Arkansas has an effect all the way through, and what is happening as far away as New Orleans can have an effect on what they can do in Missouri. I don't envy their task one bit.

Nope, the trout parks, not Shepard of the Hills! From articles about the MDC Urban Fishing program.

Travis, I have noticed the same thing the past three or so Thanksgiving weekends. We used to do really good with several different techniques. This year I looked at the wewther forcast, and didn't even bother bringing the Gator with me. Thought I'd hit the dock at Lilleys between Thanksgiving family Branson stuff. That didn't work well either. Tried some river catfish tricks. A slider snap with flat weights to stay on the bottom. Then allowing the line to pass freely through the slider. 3oz of weight wouldn't get to the bottom, just floated diwn stream like nothing. So I gave up. Tried a Spin-A-Lure for a while hoping for a couple flash chasing stockers, but still nothing.

What's your prediction for about three weeks from now? Thanksgiving weekend

If the Big O continues to drop you'll be able to walk home!

I didn't make it last year. In fact, I'm not even sure there was one. Anybody interested in having the New Year's Eve get-together at the pavilion by the hatchery this year? I'll start the "I'll bring" with: Gator's Jambalaya

Thanks for the post. Sounds like you had a great trip. The bobber stop thing sounds like it would also work on my own modification of the drift rigs. Rather than a bell sinker toed to the dropper of the rig, I have been using small bullet weights. Pinched slightly at the point, and secured by a tiny split shot below. Most often the weight is what gets hung up while bouncing the bottom in a drift. The pointed bullet weight seems to slide through a lot of snaggs better than the blunt bell weight. But when it does get wedged in something, the split shot can slip,freeing the rest of the rig, and saving the hook. More importantly, saving the time to tie on another hook. Just snap on another rig, bait the hook, and go.

Ijust pinch on a small split shot under the carrotfloat, or more recently the split floats from Trout Magnet. I don't use any swivel between my main line, and 2# fluorocarbon leader. Just attach the leader to the Nanofil main line with a triple surgeon's knot. One question for Bill though. What do you do n shallow water with the 7 1/2' tippityou are using? Without the swivel I can shorten the distance between the float and bait. I've actually caught quite a few decent sized bows in 3 or so feet of water.

Hook size could have been a factor. If too small they will sometimes swallow a circle hook as they swim away. That's why I use larger hooks than most people for fishing bait for trout. Yes, you might miss some small fish, but that's not rwally a loss, is it?

Yup, same people that will rip a fish's insides out to save a 5¢ hook!

With "flat" water it's best to only use one rod that you are holding at a 30°-45° angle to the water. Don't set the hook on a bite, but rather lift the rod tip if you feel anything "funny". Usually hooks them in the corner of the mouth just like when drifting. i do go a bit larger on the circle hook for crawlers though. #6 for power bait eggs, #4 for crawlers.

Yup. Won't be down until Friday morning. One buddy is coming with me. My other buddy is bring Dave with him in the evening. Dave's getting home from Africa that morning. We're in 3 or 4. Greg, Jeremy, John, Frank, and family are in Curtis's old house above Phils. Rumor has it some guy's bringing his almost authintic, semi famous jambalaya for Friday night!

Same here on the circle hook Seth. But I go one size bigger with the crawlers. #6 for powerbait eggs, #4 for crawlers. Very few gut hooked fish. Plus for kds, or newbies I have fishing with me hookups are almost automatic when drifting. Bgctrading, standard Taney drift rig. About 3' of line (I use 2#, most use 4#), hook on one end, weight ( just enough to feel it tick, not drag, the bottom.) Tie a loop about a foot above the weight to attach to a snap swiver on your main line.

Good thing it isn't the next weekend, same as the Branson Firefighter's Benefit tournament. Not that I will be fishing the landing, and below or anything.