Trav

jeesh!!

This thread is insane! You guys really need to find a hobby. If it isn't one thread it's another...but it always ends up at the same place. I like to talk a lot of trash at times but you guys must be really bored. Or you just forgetting that when Phil gets back he will be sending you guys some emails expressing his kudos and shudders of disbelief .... Haha.....trust me...I have had a few of those myself!! I think he has disowned me more than a few times!!! Love ya Phil! Believe it or not...I am working on my foul vocabulary. And Eric, love ya bro, but I am starting to understand why people got sick of seeing my posts all the time when I first joined OA.... When you guys used to say I had a wise remark about everything.... I used to blow it off.... but now I realize how annoying it is to see some guy give his two pennys about every subject! Was I really posting 10 to 20 posts a day? Do you guys think Eric has me beat or do I still hold the gold ribbon for the biggest mouth on the site? I am grateful we have a place to hang out and talk some fun even if it isn't fishing related but I have learned a few things over the years. The number one lesson is the dog pile loves a new target and they always are looking to change the subject!!! Second, politics and religion have no place in a public "fishing" forum. Third, Catch and release subjects will only get you killed!! Fourth, If you are a bleeding heart liberal you better have a thick skin. next, if people start talking about a dead horse it is time to make a new thread Sixth, If you ask for advice about gear you are going to be told to buy the most expensive crap Seventh, Never talk bad about fly fishermen who like to wade waters with a hundred other guys Let's not forget, If you want to pick on somebody...go after the guy who has posted the most opinions that day!!! Haha....maybe we can make it the top twenty things not to ignore about OAF members.... I am sure there are a lot of stuff we are tired of reading about here and dead horses need to be put to rest.... Darn it...I forgot....this thread was about people not giving up their honey holes.... Number nine! Never loose track of what we started or the thread is pointless. Number ten is obvious.....If Phil can't show it to his family it will be deleted and/or dog piled before Trav can put his two coins in the mix. Even when Trav is trying to stay out of it...wink By the way... you can't beat chicken wings with Franks redHot! And you can talk reels all you want....Penn is the best and it dont matter what rod you buy because you are going to break it anyway...hehe

This makes sense....

I forgot this puter is set to have 40 posts a page.....

Anytime I can get double digit numbers I am satisfied. It doesn't mean I had a bad day if I don't. It just leaves me hungry for more.

I sure wish I could get out in the rain and play .....

My brother and I had simular float seven years ago on the James and had better results by the mile. Also, pulled 30 smallies from the mouth of Crane Creek in twenty minutes between the two of us. These results are not surprising to me. Floated Niangua in 05 and counting trout and bass we were averaging 20 fish a mile... Al....I take counts just like you.... I sure do miss float trips.....

Phil must be waiting for me to say something before shutting this down.....hmmmmmm......not going to do it....

Ok Joe...We sure do think alike!

Hey! Fifteen isn't so bad. I am happy when I can get double digits...wink

The guy I talked to said it was a three month projection by the contractors doing the job. I guess we will know when it is done...haha

Love the title to the post! Haha

You should take advantage of this to see some of the lake you wouldn't normally get a view of. The fishing might be a bit tough but there is something to learn from here.

Thanks Bob for the links! I didn't have a chance to read up on it. I got my information from an MDC guy who was doing surveys on the lake yesterday. Very nice fellow by the way. I didn't want to alarm anyone. Just sharing the information and speculating with optimism what the effects this work could do for the fish. Bob is right...if the rain gets heavy this fall the lake could get full again. I for one hope they can get the work done quickly so it won't effect spring fishing but the weather is definately an unpredictable variable.

I second this... My reports don't have pics but I do give links to my Facebook if pics were taken. I am quite opionated but I do try to stick to the facts of the day when I write them. I even write them when I have bad days. I guess my reports are boring. Haha, just messing with you Eric... I don't really care if you tell me specifics when it comes to location or lures but it is nice to know how a certain body of water is doing for the moment.

I hear ya bro I have been a guide for so many years...I can't help but to give more info than is needed. I just know that location doesnt mean fish. Fishing is a skill and I also know a guy might catch a couple with my knowledge but they can't dominate or catch the trophies unless they have a certain mindset. Haha....I am a trophy hunter...I forfeit numbers for quality.

Starting September 7th the lake will be dropping six inches a day until it is five to six feet below pool level. Some much needed work on the dam is getting done. They will be inserting a tube for influx water. The work is supposed to last five months but I have heard it could be completed as soon as January. The bad news is.... during the draw down we can expect the fishing to be very hit and miss. Anyone who is familiar with tidal fishing knows this. When the water is dropping the fish shut down. And for the months the water is low it will concentrate the baitfish. This will give bass, walleye, cats, and musky some serious full bellys. For us fishermen, we can expect some tough fishing this fall here on Pomme. And for those of you with boats in the water, you should be preparing for this. Nothing worse than seeing your boat with its lower unit in the mud. Now for some good news!!! This draw down will correct a lot of the recent changes the lake has experienced the past five years when it comes to the fishery. White bass numbers have been pretty sad the past two years and their fry have been a huge staple for the bass, musky and walleye. According to MDC surveys, this has been the best year for walleye ever. Credited to high shad success. Yet it has been the worst for musky. And whites have pretty much fallen off the grid. Also, the spotted bass have had a competitive edge over the Largemouth on the survival curve with all the high water these recent years. This low water will hurt the youngest of the new fry but with all the high rains this summer they have had a chance to age and should flourish. Basically the lake will be a dog eat dog scenario during this draw down. Long enough to make sure the biggest and healthiest survive. Now for some more bad news... Alpha crap predators like drum will also reap these rewards and we all know Pomme has more drum than any lake in the area. There is a reason why the crayfish population is slim to none here. Don't get me wrong...as far as fighters the drum are tough as nails and pound for pound but they eat a lot! Also since there is going to be a draw down when the weather is still warm the turtles will move into areas they normally wouldn't. Lower Taney has the white suckers taking over and Pomme has the drum and turtles. And with the musky population dwindling...this draw down could put them out of the food chain all together without a substantial restock. I mean...they rely on fall for spring spawn. Like pike they feed all winter where they are going to spawn in the spring. This draw down will mess up the patterns more than the lack of white bass. Back to some good news!! I personally will take advantage of this draw down to modify maps. I am going to take my "hot spots" map and some colored pencils and mark every exposed area of interest for future reference. I will note every log, sand bar, and cliff ledge. A five foot draw might not seem like much but from my experience with powersite and Lower Taney...these draw downs are valuable teaching tools. The fish will fatten up over the winter on the concentrated bait source by the draw down. The spring run will be spectacular because of it. We can only hope we get some more high water in the spring to take advantage of the healthy boost the brood stock will obviously have. There has been some talk about hiding secret fishing spots. This draw down will give you the opportunity to familiarize yourself with some of those. Maybe find a few new ones. Just keep in mind...a good fisherman knows the fish and the terrain and a couple hot spots won't make you a better fishermen. It is how you present your bait and how you adapt to weather and fishing pressure which separates yourself from the pack. Guys like Denny and Kevin catch fish with an audience and helicopters over their heads. There is nothing wrong with sharing knowledge. I do it free. I talk to many who want to listen to Trav. I think it is silly...most of you guys know what you are doing...ask me and i will send you on your way.....I don't need to prove a thing. I just want people to say they read my reports or talked to me and it made a difference. No charge Haha And I stray.... If you are going to fish Pomme do it before September 7th.... After the draw it will be crazy until we see spring rain.

Let me know how you do!

Haha....I always search out isolation. It never fails though. I will be working a shoreline and some inconsiderate ignoramous will run fifty yards ahead of me to work an area I am trying to be stealthy to reach. If I see someone working an area I let them have it and find another area. Why can't other people give the same respect? This is precisely the reason I won't touch Table Rock or the Lake of the Ozarks between Memorial Day and Labor Day. And I can't quite figure out why people will fish upper Taney anytime of the year. It is elbow to elbow up there. Fishing to me is NOT a social experience. To each their own I guess. I really like Pomme, Stockton and plan on working Truman a bunch in the future. Most the fishermen on these lakes up here are locals and give each other their personal space.

Not as much wind today but still gusty at times. We put in at the State Park for the second day in a row today. Fished from four in the afternoon until eight. Yesterday the temps were 85 to 87 degrees and today they dropped two degrees. Found some surface water as low as 83. Normally I would have been right out on the main lake where I can find wind but I forgot to charge batteries last night. I felt like such a dork. Haha So, to conserve trolling motor juice, we were forced to work some areas I haven't had as much time to disect in the past. Managed to get nine bass for a total besides the set backs. A lot more spots today than I usually see in Pomme but I was working some shallower water near a lot of lumber. My last five fish of the day were all spots. I caught a couple literally by accident trying to get a crank out of a couple snags so I approached my tactics to match the scenario. I was throwing long casts through massive stumps and started banging into them on purpose. When I hit cover I wouldn't even pause. I would just run the bait right up to the top. As it shagged off the tree I would get the strike. This tactic was golden in Panama for Peacocks back in the day but outside of Texas I have had minimal success with it in Missouri. It was marginal today but it was the difference this evening once the wind settled at sunset. We did manage to loose two lures in the process too..haha. With risk is loss I guess. The highlight of the afternoon was this beauty of a walleye. My scale also had a dead battery but I would have judged it a bit under four pounds. It measured 21 inches. --------> http://www.facebook.com/index.php?lh=7ff33bfb04ac30ae6530c83888b37835&#!/photo.php?pid=496630&id=100000008753152&ref=fbx_album

It is behind the campground near the dam. If you put in at the State Park, the bouy can be seen across from the beach area. I would say your little boat would be rough. The swells can pick up easy there. There are a few spots near Bolivar landing which might suit your situation better. I would love to give you some safe spots. You have a map? Would make it a lot easier to explain locations if you had something to reference what I am explaining. I have a couple spots just outside of Haverstick as well. However, those areas would be best if you put in at Nemo. I am open to discuss this further. I am sure a lot of guys here with small boats would appreciate this kind of information.

This is exactly why I can't stand cops. I think it is an ugly job because they are paid to be ugly. I have never had my dignity stepped on by a Park Ranger or Conservation officer........they know the meaning of public service.

I don't mind sharing the same water...just don't snuggle up to me when I am trying to fish. I don't like to share personal space. It doesn't make a person selfish to want some peace and quiet while on the water. I prefer to be called antisocial...haha

To this day I get as excited as when I was a kid to go fishing. So if I am planning on a sunrise at 5am I wake up at 3am and can't get back to sleep. Some people just don't look at it the same way. Don't sweat it. Some of us are a little more devoted than others.

Pomme is funny that way. Fifty one day and ten the next. Haha