Trav

This is why you're my bud!...you get Idiots out wondering arond...lol

Most of you know me as an expert on the hardest waters of the area. I focus on the toughest stuff. You also know I am probably the most straight forward person with the knowledge I have with the public. I don't hide anything. I also don't hold back my opinions....but of course this is about fishing and not the ruling law of the land.. With that said… Ha-ha. I am currently working on book to snub the ideal a guide will give you a better day on the water. I really don't expect it to be published but I do have this venue to express some of the highlights of my research. I have talked to those who have hired guides for the Missouri experience and compared notes. I used comparisons of those who went without a guide while using the knowledge they learned from area fishing reports as well. Reports such as what you read here. I also investigated the results of those who just visit and did everything on their own. To be brief, I will focus on those who are prolific fisherman in their own neck of the woods. I also fished over thirty bodies of waters using nothing but my own knowledge, which is vast and probably more experienced than even 90 percent of the guides working the same waters. Just to compare a local’s results. To be fair I spread this research over the last two years, to avoid seasonal influence. I also directed some of my inquiries toward many of our local guides, focusing on Ozark waters. OK…to prove a point…. Also to be fair, I separated my personal studies to include six species, giving me the thirty plus locations. The lakes in the Ozarks can’t be fairly observed without separating them in section by their tributaries. So I also used data by separating the lakes into particular arms. We all know fishing is a tight subject. Most guys will never give their tactics and locations. Yet, in today’s waters...nobody can really claim a secret. There are just too many humans seeking the same thing. Hence, the point to this commentary is evident. I have found with a research base of over 300 fishermen nationwide who hired a guide here in the Ozarks, only 20 percent of those who knew the basics of how to catch a fish when at home waters were satisfied. With only 2 of them saying they caught a trophy over 6 pounds. This to me is a sad result for a fishing destination. I have been a guide and captain in 4 countries. I couldn’t and never take money with such results. It is not the guides fault …..Missouri law lets locals rape the waters but it is bad advertising. Local guides who call themselves captains should be ashamed though. When these fishermen were asked if they were catching and releasing…these top fishermen stated they felt they had to keep fish. Half of all guides encouraged them to keep fish over 3 pounds. This spanned the major species, Walleye , largemouth Bass, smallmouth bass, Stripers, and musky. Missouri’s pride. Facts are facts. Guides don’t really help your success. If you like Missouri waters they won’t help your next trip if they encourage you to keep fish. Most won’t even help you catch more fish by hiring them. Not all guides are bad but most are about paying their boat payments or supporting their mortgage. Buyer beware. Don’t ask me for references either. You will do very good by doing what you do at home or asking for advice here….save your money for some Ruby Tuesdays and extra gas to run the lake.

Those finicky fly guys hate kids throwing rocks and messing things up....Bring the kid and have a great time!!!....wink

Missouri law is a navigation thing. You are trespassing in most streams if you are not in a boat. I say this, what people dont know wont hurt them....if you get caught....humbly apologize and move on down stream.

Lets see....There hasn't been a "Trav's Fishing Report" since the 93 degree heat wave started. I would like to think I know a little about fish. Maybe I am just too much of a wimp to sweat my butt off for a slow bite. Your call. I have noticed the Stockton tourneys on Thursdays have quit giving results to the winners. I hope is isnt because dumb guys think they can keep fish alive in this heat.....

Haha!! Conservation ethics? In Missouri? You have to be kidding! You can go to any boat ramp in the state and see freshly cleaned carcasses waiting for the crawdads. As long as it is legal to keep fish there will never be ethics. It is a fine line between healthy harvesting and greedy ego seekers. We are living in a country where it is cheaper to buy fish than it is to spend the money to catch them but people still think they need a return on thier investments. Until that mentality is altered nothing will ever change. And by the way...all the laws in the land wont stop people from taking trophy fish as long as there is only one cop working a thousand fisherman on an hourly basis.

No surprise here...I have ran away from Branson theatres....Nelly might have actually brought me back for a few hours.

Warts are the bomb!!.. They are hard work though if you are doing them right. I have found red eye lipless perform with much more finesse. You get better depth with a count and with less strain on the old wrists. Try them...if you like warts you will love the red eyes. A little hint...use a three inch steel leader. It adds weight and keeps you from loosing those pricey things. It doesn't hamper its action plus I have found the gill plates of walleye and the horns of smaller channel cats will get too close to your line and cut them off. I can't believe I am giving old school Iowa tactics in the Ozarks but since I have found myself fishing more of Stockton and Pomme those grade school lessons from my dad have come back to haunt me. Life has a way of going in circles./

I put several paragraphs from a single book I have written. I had a different author everytime. I am not buyuing this analysis.

Hmm...private message....guess the rest of us are not worthy of some privy.....

I never got out of sight of the dam. Stayed right in the main lake.

We launched at the Crabtree ramp around seven this morning to do a little bass fishing. However, the walleye had other ideas. Spending almost five hours drifting windy willows with grubs and crankbaits, we only managed two bass. Out of the nineteen fish we caught, fourteen of them were walleye. I am not complaining though! The bass bite was near invisible. With surface temps in the low eighties, I probably should have dug out the Bagley DD3s or at least taken myself out of the wind to search deeper water instead of burning the edges of ten feet. Oh well, the walleye bite was fun and couldn’t pry away from something which was working. The transition from spawn to summer is in full swing. It won’t be long until I will be hitting them with the old drop shots. I will definitely be digging through my plastics to see if I need to stock up on my standby Sluggos and tubes this week. One fun note, we went to Bass Pro this afternoon to replenish the grub supply and bumped into KVD. I shook his hand and asked if he was going to catch up with Skeet this season. He said with confidence…”Yes I will!” I am going to have to buy a new white B.A.S.S. cap though. My old one now has a Kevin VanDam signature on it. I am not complaining though!

If history is the judge...they wont be dropping the lake until Truman goes down at least another five feet.

I can multi-task......by the way...i like cheap ice brewed beer....wink

I have had my line cut dozens of times while fishing upper BS. GAR!

I am headed down this morning. Despite the resent reports. Or is to "spite" the reports? You can't catch a fish unless your hook is wet!

Why not.... We can argue about who has ruffled the most feathers....hehe

I am thinking about heading to Long Creek in the morning. Have a tourist relative wanting to give it go. Might choose to avoid the Rock all together....Sad to hear these high skys have shut it down. Do you think the slow bite can be attributed to the heavy pressure given by tourneys these past three weeks?

I don't fish dams very often and have never fished the rap at Stockton. I am not much on sharing a shoreline and it seems every time I have a hankering to try it there are always two or three boats already working it. I have heard of some great walleye being caught by guys who like to troll deep divers in the fall but that is all I have personally heard about it. I do know most of the rap at Stockton drops off quite fast so I would imagine you would have to approach it much like you were fishing a cliff. I am sure there are some guys here on OA who could tell you more than I can offer.

Tuesday report……. The water was a bit high yet we found the ramps at both Masters Park and Crabtree very accessible. We found surface temps in a wide range, from 66 degrees to 74 degrees. The fish were spread out and the early part of the day was tough but it picked up as the evening wore on. Caught eighteen in total and it was a mixed bag, including five crappie, three walleye, two Smallies and a single white. With the biggest Largemouth going four pounds. That fish had a bloody tail and the two Smallies were full of eggs so there are fish still spawning. Nothing was actually nailing the bait. Lost ten more or so at the boat because they were nipping the tails, it made the hook sets difficult to sink past the edge of the lips. The minute they surfaced they would shake us off. Almost everything was caught off of four inch grubs and ¾ ounce lipless cranks near the dam. Fifteen to twelve feet was the magic depth to be in. The water was kind of murky up in the rivers so I found the best clarity north of the point island. The clearer the water the more aggressive they became. This is my partner showing me up!------>>> http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=3896&id=100000008753152#!/photo.php?pid=349927&id=100000008753152 We could have easily caught a boat load of whites if we would have sized down our baits. Had followers almost every three casts. For those of you who actually like catching white bass they have started to move out of the river arms.

Initially they might move up with the water but only while feeding. They for the most part will stay in their comfort zones. The area they are used to, even with twenty extra feet over their heads. Yet, the longer the water stays up the more comfortable they willl get with the new water level and will eventually reestablish new comfort zones. As far as spawning, this time of year it is not an issue. I would say two thirds of the fish have finished with it. One good thing about high water, the young fry will have more cover and will have a greater chance of survival.

You have to give the flooded shore time to season. Give it another wee or two then work it. Right now you have to fish deepeer....

Back in the day I did great night fishing Flat Creek for cats from the shore. Park at the bridge and find a place to squat.

The clarity shouldn't change too much. You should have three to five feet near the dam. As far as patterns, you can't find much better than a crankbait at Pomme. No matter what the conditions are. It is pretty much my basic "catch 22" anytime of year there. Pardon the pun....haha.

I had two feet of visibility at the ramp but gained another couple feet as I got closer to the dam.