Trav

A quick report.... Put in at Master Park and fished the last three hours of the day. The fish were not very interested. Caught two largemouth, a white and a walleye. Not much but it is why they call it "fishing" and not "catching".

We found the lake eight to ten feet above normal pool and three to four degrees colder. Saw water between 63 and 66 degrees. Of course I stayed close to the dam. I like the gin clear water and that is where I found the best clarity. I knew there was some high water from what my father had reported to me over the weekend but I was shocked to see the extent of it. I shouldn’t have been surprised but I was. The bite had also gotten a bit tight lipped as well. I had fully expected bass to be moving into the willows by now but they were exactly where we found them two weeks ago. With the big difference being, where it was twenty feet then, it was close to thirty today. However, they were still being found in fifteen to twenty feet so they had moved up with the water. They have not moved into the flooded brush yet. I do expect them to do so in the next couple weeks though. We have big time rain coming the next three days and there isn’t any major water being let out of the lake. I predict the willows will be submerged for at least the next three weeks. In a couple weeks as the fry and the baitfish settle into the flooded shoreline the bass will definitely follow. They just haven’t done so as of yet. When the temp rises it will be a flipper’s paradise. I am not a big white bass guy but my father is and he has been struggling this season. He is almost getting tired of catching foot long Largemouth. He was calling them pesky today and even said the high water ruined catching “real fish” until June. To him…”real fish” are walleye, whites and muskie. Dad is a trolling guy so I understand his mentality…. They are not moving back into the main lake but last Thursday he did manage to pick up three walleye in the two to four pound range before the rains deluged. Maybe the whites will be close behind. Although…with all this rain…they really don’t have any incentive to leave the nutrients of the shallower parts of the two rivers. Oh…and the bread and butter for the muskie in Pomme are the whites so I don’t see them moving into the shallows until they have some food to chase. It wasn’t a total bust. We managed fifteen fish including this guy who was a surprisingly strong fight off a lipless crank….. ---->>> http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=3896&id=100000008753152#!/photo.php?pid=339782&id=100000008753152&fbid=128658037144487

I am sure you could do well with that tactic. I for one am not very interested in dragging baits on the bottom. I like to fish fast. Just a personal preference. If I was to do some pitching I would be more apt to use a tube.

Focus on the clear water near the dam. Right now there is a lot of food in the river arms. Think crank baits and grubs......

Roth IRA is the safe way...but if you really want to know a boom ready to prime...(like within the next five to ten years), think real estate. If you can buy up some of the forclosure short sales and manage to pay the taxes for a few years, the boom will return.

I used to guide in Ontario.....I sure do miss the idea of being the only ones on the water....enjoy your trip!

I guess there is always adoption.....

Sorry I am a day late with this report…. We launched just after sunrise at Baxter Landing. Was a pretty good morning but once the sun broke through the clouds the wind picked up and the bite died with the sunshine. Caught a dozen or so off of grubs, jerkbaits and lipless cranks and found them at all depths. There just wasn’t a steady pattern, from seven to seventy feet of water. We did catch five different species of bass though. Talked to a local guide at the ramp and he said it was a bad day for him so I felt pretty good. On another note, I did see Dion Hibdon and his Chevy sponsored boats with a camera crew. I assumed they were filming a show of some kind. I would be interested to know if anyone knows when this footage will be aired and where to see it…??? Anyway, I believe the lake is about to phase into post spawn/summer patterns soon. The bass are starting to spread out. http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000008753152&ref=profile#!/photo.php?pid=334580&id=100000008753152&fbid=127241733952784

Sometimes I wish I knew what the fishing will be like two days in advance..... sorry, I had to play with the typo.....

Muddy and stained as of yesterday....today probably made it high as well.

I think most bass in Ozark lakes spawn in fifteen to twenty feet of water anyway.....

Dyna Prop....Cape Fair Missouri.....1-800-874-8280....talk to Matt Hogenson.

This boat is sold. Nice to have met you, Conrad....you have a lovely family. I see your boys taking that boat away from you...watch out!

Seen some gills near the riff raff at the bridge but nothing big...

Go to the back off Martins Flats.....can stir them with a stick.....

After leaving Stockton today….. Ate some lunch in Buffalo and cruised on up to Pomme. Launched at Hermitage ramp around 3pm and fished until 8pm. Surface temps were between 67 and 71. We cranked clay beds in 10 to 15 feet of water for the most part but as the day heated the high skies forced us to slow down. So between 4pm and 6pm the grub in deeper water was the way to go. It was a steady bite with both, averaging a fish every fifteen to twenty minutes. We got a total of nineteen for the afternoon. Adding the fish we caught this morning at Stockton our grand total for the day was 28. Oh, don’t you hate it when you are so focused on fishing that you ignore the sunscreen sitting right next to you? Trust me….just put it on before hitting the lake or you might find yourself going home a bit crispy…..

Kind of a déjà vu of Monday’s report…. We went back to Stockton this morning. Launched at Masters Park around 9am and fished until noon or so. Used the same cranks and tactics as we did the other night, the only thing different was we headed the other direction and started fishing at the 245 Bridge and worked our way back to the ramp. Got a mix of nine Spots and Largemouth but couldn’t find the feisty Brown Bass I hooked into before. I am not complaining though. http://www.facebook.com/index.php?lh=7ff33bfb04ac30ae6530c83888b37835&#!/photo.php?pid=325721&id=100000008753152

I have written a ton of reports on Lower Taney Bass. It is probably the only species which hasn't been drastically affected by the 08' floods. Take a look at some of the OAF archives. It will help you.

Here you go. Right now I have a make shift deck in it but you can just lift it out. The outboard was an 18 horse and it scooted pretty fast. I could go from Rockaway Beach to downtown branson in about 10 or 15 minutes. It died and as an antique (61 Evinrude) I gave it to my marine mechanic (Jack), he is a collector of vintage motors. When I first got the boat the trailer was pretty squirrely to back up down a ramp so I had 12 inches added to the tonunge and now it trailers like a dream. These pics give you a view toward the transom.

This boat is still available..........

Went up to Stockton to check out some picnic areas for a future cookout for a nonprofit group I am a member of…. Of course I wouldn’t dream of going without taking my boat. Launched at Masters Park around 5pm and fished until sunset. It was an absolute pretty evening. I didn’t want to burn too much daylight so only went about a mile toward the dam and worked shallow flats back to the ramp. I caught two fish off a crank in my first five casts so basically committed to digging pebble and clay. It was nice to have found an instant pattern since I was fishing a limited timeframe. Surface temps ranged from 63 to 67 degrees. I kept my boat in about twenty feet of water and threw into five to ten feet of water. Cranking really fast to reach the bottom quickly and then slowing down my retrieve once I hit it. It was a simple tactic. I caught six Smallies and five Largemouth in three hours. I sure do love those brown bass. They fight like pitbulls! This fish had already spawned out.....----->>>> http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000008753152#!/photo.php?pid=323566&id=100000008753152

This is going to be a quick report. I only fished a few hours this afternoon. Put in at Cape Fair and basically spent most my time speed-drifting in the wind. The temps were pretty consistent, between 65 and 67 everywhere. We started off working half way back in Piney on the sunny side of the shore and couldn’t find too much in the timber. Managed only one male spot and little white bass in the first hour so headed back to the main lake. We stuck to burning blades and digging cranks on gravel beds and picked up two females and a channel cat. Not a spectacular day but it was nice to see some females in less than ten feet of water. The lots at the ramps were packed. We were lucky to find a place to park the truck. However, I was surprised to see most of my favorite banks were empty. I guess everyone was hiding from the wind. That or everyone hit them before I got there. It would explain the slow bite today. http://www.facebook.com/index.php?lh=7ff33bfb04ac30ae6530c83888b37835&#!/photo.php?pid=317607&id=100000008753152

I guess we will start to see Bass Boats in "gay" parades....hmmmm

I have yet to see a single boat with a sticker...has anyone else? Are we all putting them on our outboards?

Been there done that!....Add a little carpet and some clothing while you are suppose to be the experienced guide...hehe