Champ188

I can report that rumors of a Spook/Red Fin bite in the Eagle Rock area are greatly exaggerated. Seriously, I fished that area Wednesday and found it severely tough. Caught one short LM and and a surprise rainbow, both on a McStick jerk bait. Water temp was around 42. It was good to get out.

Jerk bait is my guess, gitnby. Maybe a finesse jig along steeper (60-degree) banks with big rock. And there's sure to be a spoon bite along deep channel ledges at the mouths of the creeks. I'm thinking about getting up from this computer and heading up to Baxter in a bit. I'll post a report if I do.

I think there's a natural resistance to higher-priced lures. None of us wants to pay $25 for a jerk bait, including myself. But the fact is, that's the price and no amount of complaining is going to change it. Frankly, those who are setting the prices know that their target market will likely buy them no matter the price. This isn't gasoline, groceries or clothing. You don't have to buy them. If $25 for a Megabass is too much, buy a McStick for $15. If that's too much, buy an X-Rap for $8. If that's too much, buy a Suspending Rogue at Wal-Mart for $5. If that's too much, buy a H2O at Academy for $3. One may be best on a certain day, yes. But fact is, the better the quality of the lure, the more fish it's going to catch in the long run. There's nearly always a bit of truth in "You get what you pay for."

Tim, the B.A.S.S. Central Open is on TR the last week of April. May get a little crowded out there. I hope to be among them, though.

Hey Quillback, I went over to Lake Ann about 2 hours ago hoping to catch a few on a jerk bait. Wrong. Darn lake is froze over.

Just back her on down J.E. It'll stop when the back tires get to the water. Ain't froze past there.

I prefer 10-pound Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon for both crank baits and jerk baits. A cheaper alternative without losing much in performance is 10-pound Trilene Big Game.

Cool pics. Thanks for the post.

I'm a Shimano guy through and through for casting reels but I own three of the Johnny Morris Sig Series spinning reels and absolutely love them. They retail for $99.

Jason, to get back to your question, I've had my best success with Megabass jerk baits in the GP Stain Reaction and GP Pro Blue colors. The guys do make a good point about the McSticks ... I'm very fond of the Blue Bandit and the new Ghost Table Rock Shad.

Looks like the stick bait bite is on bigtime on Bull Shoals. This from the Baxter Bulletin newspaper on Monday ... Fred Hale and Waco Johnson brought a tournament-record five-bass limit totaling 29.19 pounds to the scales at Buck Creek Marina on Bull Shoals Lake Saturday to win the Winter Bass-O-Thon event. The duo from West Plains, Mo., also hooked the big bass of the day with a 6.42-pounder and won a combined $1,750 on the day. Lynn Luther of Viola and Anthony Gates of Tuckerman finished second with 19.32 pounds, while Jason Davidson and Darren Tilley of Protem, Mo., placed third with 18.45 pounds.

This from the Baxter Bulletin newspaper on Monday ... Fred Hale and Waco Johnson brought a tournament-record five-bass limit totaling 29.19 pounds to the scales at Buck Creek Marina on Bull Shoals Lake Saturday to win the Winter Bass-O-Thon event. The duo from West Plains, Mo., also hooked the big bass of the day with a 6.42-pounder and won a combined $1,750 on the day. Lynn Luther of Viola and Anthony Gates of Tuckerman finished second with 19.32 pounds, while Jason Davidson and Darren Tilley of Protem, Mo., placed third with 18.45 pounds. The next tournament is Jan. 29 at Buck Creek. For more information, contact Darrell Mitchell at (417) 546-4522.

I'm with you guys on the split grips ... awkward and no good for ham-handed folks like me.

Hope to be able to get in on the pro side. Should be a strong spawn/post-spawn bite going on and maybe even a few pre-spawn stragglers depending on the weather.

Sorry, meant to type Sprint.

Glad you got in, Spring. Anyone know if the boater side is full for the TR event? I've heard conflicting reports.

Darron, my advice would be to buy the best you can afford, then follow thru on your plan to take some guided trips and learn to set it up and use it properly. There are a number of guides on TR who are excellent with electronics. Bill Babler, Don House and Mike Webb come immediately to mind.

Hey Mike, I was by myself the other day. Donna was at work and she's still getting over some carpal tunnel surgery she had a few weeks ago. Procedure was very simple and low-pain, and she got immediate relief from the numbness she'd been having in her hand. The acid test will be when I go into the rod box this spring for a spinning rod and the handle hasn't been moved to the right side, which makes me nuts. LOL Afraid we're gonna be in for a long, cold winter, though. Sure looks that way so far. Sore Thumbs, I thought about picking up a spinner bait and slow-rolling it the other day and would have except I was catchin' em good on the Wart. I'd say this latest cold front is gonna put the kabosh on any kind of blade bite til spring.

Surface temp was 41-44. That's a darn pretty 188, Larry.

Fought gale-force winds for about 7 hours Friday and ended up having a decent day. Had five keepers that would total 15-16 pounds, best one going about 4.5. I'll take it for my very first bass of the new year. Probably caught a 8-10 shorts and lost several fish, including a couple of pretty good ones, while battling the trolling motor, 3-foot swells and the wind. Oh, did I mention that every fish was caught on banks directly hit by that dastardly wind? Every fish was caught between Big M and Shell Knob on a Wiggle Wart on 45-degree banks, close to points, in the wind. Timber made no difference.

Very nice fish indeed, Edwin. What did you have for surface temps?

No, this is the Indian Creek on the north shore of the lake between Kimberling City and the dam.

This is secondhand info but I hear the mechanic is top shelf at Rogers Outdoor Sports on Walnut. They're an Evinrude dealer, too, so he'd be up on the ETEC engines.

That would be all the info I needed, dscott. Thanks. Good to have a couple of law enforcement folks on the site.

I'd suggest that you strongly consider El Salto but do so with a reputable outfitter. Here's a good place to start ... www.rickygreenadventures.com