Trav

My Dad has a few ponds and one is full of 5 to 8 inch bass as well. They wont grow any bigger than that either. There isnt any forage, just bass so I assume they eat thier fry and each other and have stunted. Its mainly used as a water hole for his horses so he really dont pay it no mind. I have mentioned that if he put in some gills as well as a few Channel cats to eat some of the bass he might get some more size out of them. All three ponds are no bigger than a couple acres and maybe 12 feet deep in the middle. Knowing my Pops he probably wont do anything. He is a die-hard walleye and musky man and absolutley can care less about bass. bc....If it makes you feel better, I probably would have mounted a 9 pounder out of a pond as well.

As long as those Queer Eye Guys will approve. Haha I wouldnt care if it looked like my yard shoes. Wait a minute, that is describing my boat....hmmmm..

Dont fret about being obnoxious Cricket. I will gladly share my seat on that bus! As far as the world not being around anymore....... This big dirt ball would be alot better off if someone will figure out how to exterminate the Human Anthill altogether. Maybe we can get all those rotting cows and blend them up. Put them in the "special" Koolaid and make sure everyone drinks a cup. THAT would be killing two birds with one stone. I mean, at the root of it all isnt that the real problem? You may be new Cricket, so you havent heard my rantings about the ills of the human race. Most everyone else here has had it up to ears with me beating that dead cow, or should I say hamburger. So I wont drudge on anymore than that. BUT of course if I was to be provoked it would be my pleasure to carry on. Haha

Wouldnt mind fishing out of your boat either crappie! I really should upgrade to a bassboat. but economics rule.

So far so good Phil!

I was fishing the upper end of the first flat in Bull.

I am a respected chef. All seafood is better eaten within 48 hours of harvest. Freezing should be of last resort. If you must freeze then the way and timing of freezing is of upmost importance. Always vacumm freeze and always soak the flesh for 15 minutes in an ice bath before packing and do it within 4 hours of harvest. For best results, it is better to put fish on ice the minute you catch them instead of the livewell. In Panama we kept a cooler full of ice and 80 percent of our catch was eaten the same day. In Canada when it was cold(below 40) we would keep them out of the water to keep them cool. Here on Taney, it is better to keep your fish in the water instead of the livewell for the cold water acts like a preservitive. Keeping your fish alive is an urban myth. The stress they endure adds to the flavor of the fish. As an example, white bass will taste very gamey if kept on a stringer for too long.. Dead or alive. Certain species you need to tend to very rapidly if desired for consumption. (all)Bass, walleye, pike/musky, and even trout/salmon on a small degree. The fish most people say as best eating, like crappie, gills, cats, suckers, have those opinions because they rarely treat thier fish like fine seafood and mishandle and store it improperly. Those species have good tolerances with O2 levels and stress. Giving them a better taste quality. Kind of the same as crawdads or shrimp. Even Talapia, of the gill family, freezes better than those I mentioned. Clear as mud?

Errrr There is a place to dispose of most anything. Dumping it on other peoples property hence making it thier trash is not the answer.

I do alot of work for the 9 or 10 flatheads a year I catch here on Lower Taney but I have caught a couple Bass and even a brownie once off of drop lines.

So we know it isnt us. Question is what has changed with OAF.?

Nice boat by the way Russell! Cant wait to fish out of it! Crappie, what were you riding in? I run a white 1985 14 ft seanymph. Its an extra wide deep hull.

Welcome!

I used to be able to read or write on OAF for days without having to Log in but in the last week or so, it has been Logging me off. Is there a new "inactivity" indicator that forces a member off automatically? Or is it something on my end? Server maybe?

I fished from 4 until 5 or so. I think the Bass spawn on Taney is pretty much done. When the gills are in full spawn that is a good indicator of that. Your probably picking up hungry females right now. Post spawn fishing is usually pretty good on Taney if your have the patience to wiggle plastics. I cant wait until summer patterns start to develop. The Bass will set up along the banks like fence posts and will be very aggressive in protecting thier territory. I like to speed fish shorelines and thats the best scenario for that. Stickbaiting is by far my favorite way to fish any body of water.

The water coming out of Bull is pretty muddy due to last nights rain so I stayed above. Was windy and yucky out so only fished for about an hour. Did pick up a few stocker bows. I am so ready for 90 degree heat that its insane.

They are stacked up like bricks in Bull Creek right now. Most guys I know will get them with a bow, but I bet a savvy fly guy could get them pretty easy. And have some some too. Most of them are in the 6 to 8 pound range. I will try to see if I could get one to bit on some crawler this afternoon.

Welcome!

1/16oz jighead tipped with nightcrawler sitting about 2 feet under a stick bobber.

Eagles and Bass dont even compare. Most of an eagles diet is dead before they even eat it. And half of that is stolen from other animals/birds of prey. To me they are just an over glorified vulture.

That little creek that RS mentioned is Taneys little secret. It may be inhabited by a bunch of CampKids alot in the summer but it is my bait shop. I get most of my bait from that area. I catch alot of crappie and smallies there. As well as tons of crawdads and minnows. I usually beach my boat and walk up stream (even as far as F highway) and catch fish. Have even caught trout past the F highway bridge. Like I said....It is a secret...Dont tell anyone. Wink

sucker cut bait is good. But live bait is better.

Russ Most the timber there was there before(flood gate status) but have moved a few feet. Especially those on the cuurent side of the island. There used to be alot of timber on the point of the island and it is sitting 30 feet lakeside in 16 feet of water. Look on your graph and you can find it. I have caught several fish off the top of that using deep divers. I have also found new timber at 16 feet right before the washout at the top of the point flat as you get out of deep water. no fish out of it yet but it is substantual. Might hold some good fish this summer. Im looking for tiny 3 to 4 inch gills. I think as long as the spawn is heavy I will find alot of heavy gills. The only place I can find lil ones without alot of work tends to be on the spawning beds. Wich is where all the big females are.

Pretty decent outing Russell. I was fishing the upstream point of the first flat when you went by me. Did you see any gills back there in that clear water?

I might have spoke to soon. The Lil Lady is telling me not quite yet. I dont ask why, Haha, I just keep the "no wake" bouys anchored. Hope you can find Abby a good home. Good Luck

Why are they keeping the water so low? Anyway, I spent a few hours this afternoon bait fishing. You would think that catching gills under five inches would be a piece of cake but its not. I caught 42 but only 3 were under five inches. Most were in the 6 to 8 range and I even got one that was a 1/4 inch shy of ten. They are in full spawn. Spread out on mud banks between 2 and 4 feet deep. A third of those I caught were full of eggs.