Champ188

Thanks for the morning laughs, you guys. I needed that! MRI is scheduled today at 12:30 to see what's going on with my back. Seeing the specialist again tomorrow. Ready to get some resolution going. This convalescent state is miserable.

You know as well as anyone that I like to poke fun at any opportunity... especially at myself! 😂 That shallow bite has sure changed over the years as we continue to lose valuable cover for both the baitfish and bass. Anymore, I pay far more attention to rock composition than wood. And I spend more and more time farther out with each passing year.

Great fish and pics!

NOW I know why I can't catch em anymore. 😂😝

You’re much welcome, my friend.

The words Prairie Creek and secret should never be used in the same sentence . LOL

Kinda like Prairie Creek on Beaver Lake.

If that's true, I'll never stream a single episode of the BPT or watch another MLF broadcast. Anyone with feelings like that towards the Wood family is bat-crap crazy.

I'm sure there are other ways to make a Fin run right but this works for me. If it saves you guys buying a few extra baits or helps you catch a few more fish, then that's what this forum is about. Just remember … you can only eat em once!

Why should anyone be exempt from being checked for license? The water patrol frequently looks for nav light violations at the takeoffs of just about every sizeable tournament out of Kimberling City.

Advanced anglers know this but for the benefit of all levels, the first thing to do when preparing a Redfin is to remove all of the existing split rings and hooks and toss them. They aren't worth saving for anything. Next, I turn the bait over and wipe the rear belly area of the main section with an alcohol to make sure it's clean. Then I take two SuspenStrips and lay them on either side of the molding seam, touching and ending precisely at the tail -- not lapping over into the joint area. I press them down as well as possible, then take two SuspenDots and center them over the seam where the two strips are touching. The reason for weighting the rear area of the main body like this is to raise the nose of the bait when it sits in the water, therefore encouraging it to wake on the surface rather than dive. After I get my strips and dots in place, I paint over them with pearl-colored nail polish. This not only makes the bait look better, but most importantly keeps you strips/dots from peeling off. Might have to reapply the nail polish from time to time but it's worth the effort. For the record, the pearl polish is for the Smoky Joe colored Fin. The only other color I throw is blue back/chrome and you can use clear nail polish to seal your strips/dots on it. I'm not 100% sure of the size of split rings I use … but I think No. 3. Just be sure they are thin enough to work freely within the line tie and the hook hangers. My favorite hook combination is a Gammy EWG No. 2 the front (you can open the bends a bit if you wish) and the same hook on the back with hand-tied chicken feathers. I don't like the Gammy pre-tied feather hooks but the Mustad Ultra Point KVD hook with white feathers works good in No. 2 size. Lastly, I always throw the bait on top-quality 17-pound mono. I've tried 20 but my personal favorite is 17 pound. I haven't tried braid and have no reason to do so. Obviously, you guys can try anything you want. This is just my system. Lastly, I always use a snap to connect to the split ring on front of the lure. That way, I get complete freedom for the bait to wobble and wake. I've been on the couch for a very long week with lower back issues so I didn't bother with step by step pics, but here's one of a finished version.

If I remember, I’ll do a post tomorrow on how I modify my jointed Fins. With this technique, I can get about 1 out of 3 to work pretty darn well but the “unicorn Fins” are few and far between. I’m down to one now after losing my second-best one to a friggin gar a couple years ago. I’m neither the best nor the worst to ever throw one. But Donna and I won over $5k about 8-9 years ago in a 5-week period between TR and Stockton derbies. In addition to being deadly, it’s just pure-D fun to throw.

Heaven forbid that some of them set an example of professionalism in courtesy as well as fishing techniques. Donna and I were way up the Kings a couple of falls ago and Clunn ran up behind us with his boy in the boat, then idled over to us and asked if we minded if he fished BEHIND us. Now that’s courtesy. And perhaps a total lack of confidence in our fishing abilities. 😆

I like a Gamakatsu No. 2 EWG on the rear with hand-tied chicken feathers (I know a guy) and a No. 4 EWG on the front. IMO, best off-the-shelf feather hook for the rear is the Mustad KVD Ultra Point in No. 2.

Thinking about ordering me a golf jersey from one of those eBay slicksters and bolting some Power Poles to the back of the cart!!!

You flat nailed it there.

You’re gonna declare a guy an azzhat from his tone of voice seconds after he nearly died?

When it comes to seasonal matters like the spawn, the “pros” are the guys who are on this lake every dang day.

Alex, only a LM hammer like you would grumble about a 30-fish day with 15 keeps. I feel really bad for you. You must just be inconsolable. 😂😆 Look on the bright side … your deep crank bait bite is just around the corner, provided the lake level drops appropriately.

This. ^^^

I’m curious, did the infusion of extra energy do anything to improve your driving distance? 😂

Super job, Phil. Those boys will cherish that one day forever.

He better get up early if he's going Saturday or he's gonna be fishing behind me and Donna all day 😁

He was fishing from Big and Little Cow creeks to the dam.

It isn't a one-time thing. It's hundreds of boats day after day after day … and the cumulative effect is far from laughable. If 1, 10, 100 or 1,000 bass are taken off their beds during the spawn, then there CERTAINLY has been an effect. The effect simply grows by the number of fish. And yes, weather and water levels also affect the spawn.