focused fishing

No sir, What the fishing world and the rest of the world could do without is liars. Funny thing the internet, in a matter of seconds you can check the history of all the BASS and FLW / Redman events of all time. Know what.... No Paul Dallas ... of course you knew that.. So as to the rest of your boasts, opinions and other meaningless information and posts....... Oh, wait...... this is more of the side splitting comedy you were using earlier...... Man, you are so funny....... or just pitiful...... or really just irrelevant See Ya.....

Chris, Thanks for the words, appreciated. Not complaining about someone coming over to see what the hype is about, in fact most of us welcome it, that's why we where the fancy shirts, and have wraps and decals. Come on over and we'll be glad to tell you what and how were doing what were doing. That's not an issue. BUT, if you see a client catch a fish from a distance and you come over, don't say a word and start fishing. Then we leave you follow, show up and fish the same spot the next day, etc...... that is the bent rod pattern of which we speak. There is a little difference Still Love Ya..... Mean it!

I know it may be hard to believe but I actually would like to see more people enjoy the sport of fishing, I know, I know it's shocking. And believe it or not it has nothing to do with my ego, I know hard to believe. The more people who fish the more money in the industry the better chance my sponsors do well the better chance they will renew my sponsorship ( same with the avitar - lots of logos there) the better chance my business will be more profitable. I know it's hard to fathom that it's not about ego, it's about business but really it is........ More than willing to help a fellow angler that asks.... ask around they'll tell ya Doesn't happen everytime we dump the boat in the water and I don't think we said it did..... just enough in the past month a comment was made on another thread. Tried to have a little fun with this...... few folks got their panties in a bunch....... Don't really have much of an ego to get over, this sport does that to you. It's about the business always has been always will be. People running over to fish close to a guide and client on fish started this, it affects a guide's business plain and simple. Yea, we get used to it and a lot of other things that would make most people put it on the trailer. Like .....hmm....I don't know.....having someone publicly stating the fishing world could do without us or that we are prostitutes...... Yea something like that. Love ya....Mean it.....

Wow...how do you back pedal that hard and keep the chain on your bike Mr. Armstrong? Shame about the Tour de France this year..... Never compared guiding to doctors, brokers and contractors ..... just thought the idea of getting something for nothing would work there as well.. Not in a mine shaft chippin rocks, my grandfather did that in WV for 50 years... worked himself into an early grave at 104. By the way if all work is honorable what's with the comment that fishing could do with out Guides and Professional Anglers? A little more back pedaling? Yes sir, I will spare you all the b'n and the rest of the "hooey" about it being a tough profession, never said it was the toughest and never will. Said it before and will say it again I'm blessed to get make a large portion of my living in the fishing industry. Your entitled to you opinion just like the rest of us, you just have an abrasive way of stating it, if that's your idea of comic relief most of the folks here don't get it. This is a very entertaining and informative site, and we have allot of fun here. You sir said the fishing world could do without us not the other way around. Take a look at yourself regarding changing this from an entertaining site. You sure seem to be hung up on prostitution........ Still looking for that name.....

Yea, that's good.... should be more of a one word name for it....I think were on the right track....

Decent people........ That's awesome.......at least you aren't harsh all the time..... Seriously.....wow, you are the best...... how did I miss that....

Deal with it everyday and will continue to....... Still looking for that name .........

How could I forget prostitution!!!!! But I don't think it has the same effect as sitting next to a a client in the stock brokers office, but to each his own. darn it man you are a genius!!!!!! Now, if we only had a name for this new found social order you've come up with........

Oh, your right, that guy blocking the copier or not making a delivery on time or not returning your phone call or just being inconsiderate will keep you from getting your paycheck at the end of the week. Your right I'm wrong. The inconsidearte actions of others will keep you from making your living. If only that butt head wouldn't of cut you off in traffic this morning you would of gotten your paycheck. Should of phrased that like this: "Unlike many other professions, the actions of one inconsiderate individual can adversely effect a guides ability to make a living." Please continue to drive home your point: You have the right to interfere with the ability of others to make a living to satisfy your desires. No, no, no it's a good point.... I completey understand..... I want to make more money on my investments so I think I will go sit down at a stock brokers office this morning while he is going over investment strategies with a paying client. Hey, it's not illegal, it's not hurting his ability to make a living, he still has someone paying him. As a matter of fact I think I'll do it everyday, then I'll call my friends and tell them about it and they will benefit. Wow..... what a great idea you have here....where else would this work??????? I know, I'll go hang out at a doctor's office and wait for someone with a similar ailment to come in, then follow them into the exam room, get the advise and not have to pay...brilliant... Hey... how about lawyers....yea, I could wait for someone needing the same legal advice....... This is outstanding.... they can still make a living, their actual clients will be paying them and I can get the information for free.... fantastic.... This concept could revolutionize the entire economic system.... here's what we do.... we have a class of people that pay for information and services (we'll call them the payers).... then the rest get all of the information and services for free because someone else is paying.......outstanding..... just need a name for those people that aren't paying ....... hmmm.... leaches? no to judgemental.... cheap skates? close but not really it ...... hmmm, what do call people that benefit from the hard work and cash of others???.......politicians? maybe........ I know there is a name for this...... People work hard and pay into something and others that have no investment in it reap the benefit......... dang it! it's just not coming to me..... hmmm payers and recipients.......got to be a name for this....... Anyone? If I could just follow someone with the answer to this question.........

Being a guide is unlike any other profession. In most professions the actions of others rarely affect the outcome of your day at the office, store, worksite, etc... Sure someone being inconsiderate or utilizing something you developed may have a limited effect, but as anglers, everyone on this board will agree additional fishing pressure or lack of access to a location effects how many fish are caught on a give day. Look at it this way: on a 1/2 day trip we have four hours to put our clients on as many fish as possible to ensure they have an enjoyable day on the water. That severely limits how far we will travel from the pick up point, people want to fish not ride in the boat. So within a given area of the lake a guide may have 50 good spots, at that given time 25 may produce, of those 25, 10 may have good concentrations of fish that can provide the fish needed to satisfy the clients' needs, of those 10, 5 may be available to fish due to guides or others fishing. O.K. five spots for a four hour trip. Now Johnny ClodWaterFishr (intentional mis-spelling) decides he is going to follow a guide around so he can impress his family tomorrow when he takes them fishing. Johnny follows, notices hey this is great, these guys are catching fish. As a matter of fact they are catching so many he's gonna move closer and get in on the action, after all the guide doesn't own the lake. He moves in and starts catching a few fish, the guide is a little po'd, bites his tongue and moves on to spot #2. He and his clients start fishing spot #2 and here comes Johnny ClodWaterFishr, and the scenario plays out again and repeats at spots #3- #5. Now this same guide goes out the next day with a different group of clients and Johnny ClodWaterFshr is on spot one, he goes to spot #2, within a few minutes here's Johnny. The scenario plays out again. A week later Johnny has had the opportunity to tell a few friends and all of the spots are covered up on a Saturday. Can you see how this might affect a guides business? And yes, this does happen ....... ALLOT in the past month or so. "Complain to your spouses not on this thread" Yes sir, anything else we can do to make your visit here more enjoyable. We are responding to a complaint that was given to Bill, a simple mention on another thread about people following guides and someone without the nerve to contact Don or I directly, they have to go crying to Bill that their feelings are hurt. "...I don't mean to get you guides upset...." Yea I've got a great gig and I am very appreciative and blessed to have it. I don't need you to tell me that. Don, Bill, Chris, Phil, Stone, Joe, and myself help out every angler at anytime; ask for help you will get it. Follow me and move in on me you will get nothing. Phil and Bill have built a tremendous resource on this site, keep looking at this gift horse in the mouth and you WILL some contributors. The preceeding announcement was for those that just don't get it..........

Now Don, He has every right to be there....and there.....and there.......and there.....and yes, even there....

Well since another one of my comments started this mess for Bill I might as well chime in........ Yep, make a substantial portion of my living in the fishing industry, I've worked very hard and have been very blessed with the ability to do so and I hope it continues for many years to come. But I have to agree with Don, these "spots" we take our clients to are how we make our living, how would you like it if someone followed you to where you make your living and was in your way making your job difficult one day and impossible the next? Like Bill said my job is not to go fishing, it is to put my clients on fish and ensure they have an enjoyable day on the water. Sounds easy doesn't it? Remember the last day you struggled catching fish? Try that with one, two or three (In Don's case as many as five) people paying you to put them on fish. Yep your right it's easy.... almost as easy as getting a license and paying that big insurance bill every year. None of us own the lake but just because you own a boat and bought a license doesn't mean you can be inconsiderate, you know better you just don't want to admit it. Fishinwrench, I agree that some of us have fancy rigs with wraps etc.... but that doesn't excuse the behavior. Oh well, time to go back and write some reports that people can complain about and post something to tick off wonderful, thoughtful, personable people like Mr. ColdWaterfishr. What a nice guy. I hope he shared his post with his family, I'm sure they'd be proud. Love you long time..... EP

Hey Chris, I know a couple of catfish guides on Truman and they have the same problem, it's not just the money, it's folks trying to cut corners and look like a hero. EP

Had a full day yesterday and a 1/2 today both on the lower end. Yesterday with Bob V. from Joplin good fisherman and a heck of a custom lure painter; 30+ fish and 10 keepers, early morning topwater bite gave up about 12 fish with 3 keepers a mix of KY's & smallmouth. All on super spook jr. and sammy 95. They quit around 9:00 and we started drop shotting tree tops around 30' - 45' over whatever. Did that for the rest of the trip with about 20 or so fish including 5 more keepers all KY's. Most of the fish came on Robo Worm Aarons Magic or Chomper purple/brown worm. If you can get one to come out of a tree and bite right now more will follow. Today was a different story, little surface activity, had one small KY on a spook, worked several locations over with a live crawer on a drop shot and managed only 12 fish and 3 keepers in four hours. Most of the fish were around the 35' mark around trees but not in them. Much tougher day.

To steal a line from Techo...... "Nothing to see here, move along"

Huh.... there are fish on the bridge pillings????? Go figure.......

Not to pour gas on the Fire but I've had my fill as well. Had someone fishing a derby later this month call and ask if I could guarantee a win if they would booked me for a 1/2 day, of course I told them if I could guarantee a win I would fish it. Just getting a little tired ofguys cutting corners to find fish, between the calls, emails and now being followed on the lake (As one on of my clients called it "the bent rod pattern") it's all pretty weak. If that's what it takes to win is it really a win?

O.K , now I have to know the rest of the joke........

Spoken like a true editor...........

Wow, we've hit a new low BTO and Bad Rash references..... what's next blond jokes????

Drop shot: #6 hook, 1/2 oz. weight on 6 lb. fluoro.

Hey Jason, All three came off of a gravel island down by the dam. They were 26' - 30' deep right on the bottom, all caught on a drop shot rig with a BIG night crawler. We were catching KY's on the same location and then all of the sudden three short walleye. Then more KY's kinda weird. As a side note I had another one bite a spoon off on a bridge piling yesterday, the KY's were schooling on a piling slung a spoon to them and they wouldn't take it. As I was bringing it back to the boat about 10' down something stopped it, got it just out of net range and saw it, was about a 20" walleye, saw the boat and headed down, bit the line off or cut it with a gill plate. But we don't talk about the ones that get away.............

Had four trips in three out of the last four days samwiched around going to Truman to T. D. the Skeeter Tour. Everything on the lower end of the lake. The fish have definately made a move. On sunny days they are holding tight to tree tops on points, bluff ends and swings from 35' - 50' deep. Most of my trips have been live night crawler extravaganzas but I did have an afternooner Monday using artificials. Several good keeper KY's on this pattern drop shotting Chompers plum and brown / purple laminate drop shot worms and Robo MMIII and Oxblood. Nothing huge but our best five would of been in the 15 - 16 lb. range not bad for a 12 - 4 trip. On Saturday the cloud cover had the fish up on flat points in 24' - 35' range, some on bottom some suspended. This was a crawler trip but it included around 50 fish, 12 keepers and even three short (Dang it) walleye. All of the fish were on flat points, humps and islands. Had a ski boat come around us at 1/3 throttle yesterday and throw about a 6' wake, the wave hit me in the shins when it came over the bow, flooded the entire front deck and into the seating area...... nice. Off the water today back at tommorrow, whill update when I can......

Problem isn't the tree it's the little Island it sits on if the tree is gone everyone will hit it. The corps does need to do something here, a bouy, lighthouse, something.

FRANKENTHREAD