Champ188

Ah, gotcha now on the LU. Some sort of newfangled jet drive deal. LOL. And yes, that's quite a nice accessory on the front deck. I might have one or three of those myself if my kids hadn't slept thru health class on how-to-hatch-a-grandkid day.

That's good if they are honoring COE passes. I haven't launched there in a long time but was told of the $5 fee to Mr. Johnny. Long Creek is OK but NOTHING like Beardsley Branch. I think every fish in the lake has a relative that lives in Beardsley. That place is packed with big uns.

My beef with Mr. Morris is his history of manufacturing or putting his personal brand on shoddy products --- i.e., Nitro Boats, Johnny Morris Signature Series tackle, and any number of BPS-branded lures --- and then not standing behind them when they fall apart like a used Yugo. The internet is chock full of horror stories about Nitro owners getting the royal shaft on warranties, and the same stories can be heard frequently in local fishing circles. Don't know if things have improved since the 80's and 90's, but I sure hope so. I've personally experienced the anger of paying darn near $100 each for three JM Signature Series spinning reels only to have every dang one of 'em fall to pieces in a couple of years. The last one, which was a cannibalized version of all three, bit the dust a couple of weeks ago. Good darn riddance. Bought a couple of Pfleuger Presidents a month ago, so we'll see how they hold up. At least I was only out $59 each for them ... even less when you factor in a $20 discount coupon on a $100 purchase at Cabela's. Finally, it is my understanding that JM has leased the former Long Creek park and is charging $5 to launch a boat. I'm not crazy about paying $35 or $40 for a Corps pass every year to use ramps that we've already paid for, but I REALLY despise the idea of paying a private entity $5 EVERY TIME I want to launch. At least with the Corps you pay once and you're done.

Triple like for Ham's comment above.

Archdale nailed it with the video of Bill Beck. You'd save yourself years of trial and error by hiring Bill to teach you, if only for a half-day trip. He's as good a spoon fisherman as has ever walked, particularly on Table Rock.

I was actually at work, too. Went back to work full time Monday --- at least until the end of the year and perhaps beyond that, if they decide to make the position permanent. The job is a blessing but I already miss the freedom to pick and choose my days to go fishing. What makes it worse is there's a 10-acre lake right outside the window of our offices and it was nearly white-capping yesterday. If the job ends Dec. 31 as expected, I'll proceed with my plans to start an instructional guide business next spring.

At least all those boats can be Rangers now.

Dang it, Larry, someone stole your prop.

Our friend Pepe knows his business when it comes to plastics and jigs. Thanks for the fun video.

Eight keepers is a "might as well have stayed home" night for Bo.

So it would seem. It's all right there below.

Good stuff, Edwin. And nice to see a post from you. Fairways and greens, pal.

We're overthinking things, fellows. It's just that simple.

That LOZ temp will be very valuable from December thru March.

Kinda like on Wicked Tuna when they grab the greenstick line and make the baits/lures dance.

This "merger" has been in the works for a few years. Johnny Moneybags knew when he acquired Ranger who their No. 1 dealer is nationwide --- Cabela's. Now he owns both the manufacturing and retail ends.

Great job and a nice report. Fall fishing is definitely here.

There's usually a little bit of truth in every legend.

Cody, I told her when she asked me how the trip went, "Don't ask if you don't want to hear the truth." LOL

Thank you, Ellros. That's high praise.

Hey, ain't nobody's business but Donna's what's in my genes.

Sorry, water temp was 78-79 everywhere I went. You'll have to ask her. But I believe the word starts with "w".

Fished a couple of pet sections of the White River today. Despite having not a cloud in the sky (literally, all day), I managed 26 total with 7 keepers, best five of which would go 14-15 pounds. Having a decent wind helped, as did having it blowing on the shady bank from noon until I quit at 4:30 p.m. Started fishing at 9:00 and caught a couple pretty quick on the Plopper, including my second-best fish of the day at about 3.5 pounds. Also caught a couple on a shallow crank and one on a Carolina-rigged Centipede, which was the ONLY fish caught deeper than 6 feet all day. The rest came on 3/8-ounce War Eagle spinnerbaits in the Spot Remover and Purple Shad colors. Managed a few pics but didn't get the two biggest ones. Hard to handle the boat in the wind and take pics by yourself. Right, Bo?

And even as much of a cat guy as I am, I hate having to chase that dude down and try to get him back in that bag!

Good job, Bo. Gotta love those kind of nights/days.