Gatorjet

Time to switch those jig colors to black for a while.

When I was a kid we used to fish around Sherman Aaron lot. The "hole", that abandoned sand pit where the golf course in Cresent is now was one of the best places. We could boat up there in old wooden Jon boats powered by all of 7 1/2 to 10 HP, LOL. We had access to the river at a place that at the time was called Minkie Rapids. Don't know if the spelling is right, or if that area is still known by that name. It was a narrow channel on one side of a small island that was several river miles from the "hole". Our fishing was for catfish, drum, carp, and anything that would bite. Never really targeted bass, or other game fish. Later on, when I lived in Pacific in the mid 70's I would fish the hole from the bank with great success. Hooked, but lost the biggest crappie I've seen to that date! But when the golf course bought the property they put piles of dirt, and cables across the road, and posted all of the access along the river. Guess they didn't want the golfers to be offended by the sight of "Hillbillys" fishing in "their" area! Are there any accessible ramps along that stretch of the river? I know Times Beach, and Valley Park. But there used to be a ramp for the sand and gravel plant across from the hole. It was accessed from the old Lawler Ford Road, but it has been closed for many years. As aside, that's the now famous "Zombie Road". Supposedly one of the most haunted places in Missouri.I, along with my family and friends that grew up in that area laugh historically when ever we hear that. Nothing at all haunted about "Rock Holler" as we all knew it when we hunted, hiked, and picked Blackberries, and Morels in that valley. Even way back long before I was born when my Mom's uncle used to farm the bottoms there.

WOW, I gotta start fishing, and learning that river. I live within a few miles, but pull my boat all the way to Taneycomo or Mark Twain to fish most of the time. Shouldn't have much trouble getting around with the Gator. Just need to find a partner when my Son can't go. Just don't want to try it alone for safety reasons, and help launching and taking out. I've got a few friends that recently retired, and can go anytime so I'll have to give them a call

Safe driving Leonard. Keep the shiny side up, and the greasy side down!

Pink and white Trout Magnets, or small jigs under a float was working very good the past couple months. Before the heavy flow.

Was thinking along that line when I posted that. That Gator might just suck up that squid, and spit it out two hundred feet behind it!

Waiting for the day the giant Taneycomo squid battles the 20' Gator that is often seen prowling the waters of upper Taneycomo.

With weather, Winter trout tournaments on Taney, and Florida trip I'm way behind in range time, and checking out new, and new to me goodies. IJ 22 pistol, Hi-Point JHP 45, Glock 17, Charter Arms Buldog(that's the new one!), Marlin 336 30-30 I just traded for Friday, and a 7-30 Waters barrel for my Contender that I just sized, and loaded 60 rounds from 30-30 that needs to be shot up to fire form to 7-30 Waters.

That combination sounds very good. Trade you a Gator ride for a dozen in 3/32 & 1/8! LOL

"What is sculpin colored marabou look like?" Lighter than brown, darker than tan, with a hint of olive. In a sculpin/olive jig you can see the more brownish tint of the sculpin color against the olive. My go to, and always the first color I try.

The cheapie carrot floats that Phil sells for something like thirty cents each work just fine. No need for expensive floats. Peg them to your main line, then tie on a barrel swivel. Drop your jig on a 3 or four foot leader of 2# Florocarbon line tied to the swivel. Slide the float up, and down the main line to adjust depth. I don't use jigs heavier than 1/32oz under a float, and most often 1/80 to 1/50 ounce. Your jigs look very good, they should work just fine. I can't agree entirely with "fishing the water column, not the bottom". Quite often I have the best success keeping contact with the bottom, and hopping a darker colored jig like Olive, Sculpin/Olive, or Sculpin along the bottom like a Sculpin darting for cover. That's usually where I start when fishing a straight jig. If no action I will then start working my way up the water column. Even under a float I will start at a depth that keeps the jig within a foot of the bottom.

Does Phil use some of Marsha's hair for the jigs? (Sorry, just couldn't resist!) Were those the new Mottled Sculpin jigs that have been so hot? I'm looking forward to giving them a good try in a couple weeks. I bought some before the Elfrink tournament, but didn't use them very much because pink & white 1/16 oz PJ's jigs were catching a lot of fish for me.

Yes, very good. Tiny insects called midges hatch in the lake, and raise to the surface. You will see trout "midging" all over the surface at times when they feed on these tiny bugs. A small jig, 1/80, 1/100 ounce or smaller under a float will provide lots of actions. Of course the fly rod fishers do quite well with tiny flus to. Bait fishing off Lilley's dock often produces a lot of action in the evening. Various colors of Berkley Gulp Power Bait, one white, and one of another color, or a piece of night crawler will get you a lot of fish well past dark.

LOL, yeah, X2! Will a tin boat that is big, loud, inboard, and without a whirligig sticking in the water on the back be allowed?

Will work for permanent lodging & boat slip. LOL

Hope you have a bunch in stock. Kinda think it's going to be real popular this weekend! :-)

Even with the bright sky, and light breezes I think all of the fish we weighed for our 8.80 lbs were caught on jig & float. Things change so quick on Taney though. Friday I killed 'em on a pink & white Trout Magnet under a float. Bigger, and more fish than my Son was catching on a jig & float. Saturday I fished the first hour and a half using the Trout Magnet without a single hit! Switched to a Sculpin/orange head jig, and started catching fish. No one particular place. A couple here, a couple there. Catch four or five fish, maybe a decent one, maybe not, then they quit. Move somewhere else. Don't mind telling, The Elfrink Memorial tournament is three weeks away, and everything will probably change.

. BINGO!!! I don't know if they think they are being courteous or what, but if they would just look behind them they would see the big rollers they are hitting everybody with. The same people probably complain about me "flying" past them in the Gator, but I guarantee they would not like it one bit if I sunk that stern down and put 3' rollers in their direction! Had a pontoon, and another boat trolling between us and the bank we were casting toward too. That's not just a.lack of courtesy, and ethics, that was just plain stupid!!!

Not my favorite wing place, but for those who do enjoy it Buffalo Wild Wings is now open in Branson on the Landing. Took over the former Macaroni Grill location. Now, for some really great chicken in the future, not wings, but sandwiches, and tenders, the Chick-Fil-A is well under way with their new Branson Location. Next to the new Casey's, and CVS going down the hill into down town Branson. That's one national chain that will be getting plenty of my business when visiting Branson.

Or possibly change your destination to the fishing dock at the Cooper Creek public access.

Actually, the 300 Blackout ballistics are far from a 308 Winchester. Much closer, or more correctly, identical to the 7.62X39 AK round. You might want to look at the AR platform in 6.8 Remington. Actually a .277 bullet, same as a 270. The 120 grain loading is a couple hundred feet per second faster than the 125 grain 300 Blackout. Producing a little more energy, and add to the increased velocity, a better ballistic coefficient from the smaller diameter it is a flatter shooting round.

"I mean I can go from a 90 grain she'll all the way up to a 280 grain if I want" I'm guessing you mean 180 grain. I have been loading ammunition for over 40 years, and even though 270 Winchester is not one that I load, I have never seen a .277 bullet that weighed 280 grains. The 270 is capable of 300 yard shots, if you do your part. The 7MM Remington Magnum having a flatter trajectory just makes it a little easier. My open field deer rifle is a custom built Remington 700 in 7MM Remington Magnum. I use factory ammo for hunting because I haven't been able to beat Remington® Premier® Scirocco™ 150 grain with any load I have developed. Zerowed 1 3/4" high @ 100 yards it is dead on at 200, and less than 6" low at 300. It will consistently shoot a 3/4 MOA, 5 shot group at 100 yards. Quite pricey ammo, but I don't shoot that much of it, and I haven't found anything close to it in performance. Both in accuracy, and terminal ballistics. Even at ranges under 100 yards these bullets stay together, not blow up, and come apart like I have had with Nosler Ballistic Tip.

Thanks Terry, just throwed some stuff in a pot, and that's what came out! Happy to see everybody. Always fun with great food, and interesting fish stories!

I'll be there 11 or maybe a little earlier with a pot of Jambalaya. Would come in riding a Gator, but not much generation tomorrow, and I don't want to disturb the fishermen!

Gonna make that big pot of Jambalaya tomorrow to bring down. I know I'll be there now because a 7lb 6oz, 20" keeper named Makenzie Lyn showed up here this afternoon! Mom, and baby are doing great. Daddy and big sis are good. Just Mama and Papa a little shaky!