Champ188

It's no worry, 176. Donna will tell you that I can pick out just about any birds nest under the sun and if not, I have a few miles of new line in the boat 😀

While this general lack of respect for anyone else is rampant EVERYWHERE and not just fishing, it's really sad what tournaments have become these days. I grew up fishing with and against guys (Mr. Bass of Arkansas circuit, Red Man and other events) like Gentleman George Cochran, Ricky Green, Mark Davis, Ron Shuffield, Larry Nixon, Rob Kilby and plenty of others who would go out of their way to be polite on the water to ANYONE including a bream fisherman in the smallest flatbottom. Still, every one of those guys won well more than $1 million dollars in career earnings and some are still out there competing. There are a LOT of guys out there today (young and old alike) who could learn some important lessons about common courtesy from the fellows mentioned above.

Well, since I've launched an instructional guide service, it's just good business to help out folks when I can. I don't even mind taking anyone on this forum fishing for a few hours (no charge) if I'm just out tooling around looking for fish. PM me and we will get together. Guide business is pretty slow this time of year anyway, but it's my favorite time of year. Heck, if I could get Bo in the boat, he'd quit night fishing and next thing you know his trolling motor would be all scratched up like mine from fishing shallow all the time!

Amen to that. Testosterone overload is my guess.

It's hard to recommend something without knowing your intended use for this new rod, but I can say this from 40 years of fishing at practically every competitive level and from being an outdoor writer for most of that same time ... barring an incredible sale, you just cannot buy a decent rod these days for under $100. The Falcon HD is heavy, not very sensitive at all and likely will not hold up very well. It's just not a very good rod. Denali has a line of rods called the Kovert that are mid-range priced and are both light and sensitive. I'm very proud of the two that I own. You might want to take a look at them. Hope you find what works for you at a price you can live with. I'm fishing a fair amount right now and would be happy to meet you somewhere on the lake and let you experiment with every rod I have in the boat.

You shut up. You're just needlessly complicating matters.

You may have the same problem/blessing as me ... no one wants to fish my spots.

The more people who throw watermelon red, the more fish the rest of us will be able to catch. Dragging watermelon red anything doesn't even qualify as fishing pressure. They don't even glance at it.

I have to agree with skeeter here. Regardless of if it is spawning season, I don't see how it can be good for a fishery to have the natural population of bass moved around from place to place every darned weekend of the year. As a side note, local tournaments put way more than enough pressure on Table Rock. Then you have these national events come in several times a year with hundreds and hundreds of competitors and the pounding our fish take just becomes ridiculous.

Being a knucklehead happens a lot with me.

Exactly right. I may fish the TR division of AIA this coming spring just to spend some time with a good friend and promote my guide business but I'm not expecting to recoup my expenses by any means.

I'm pretty much retired from derby fishing. Too expensive for too little payout these days.

Was just checking the regatta listings for October and Table Rock is gonna be absolutely hammered with year-end championships and such. Annual Homer Sloan derby is this Saturday out of Campbell Point (they used to also launch/weigh in at Viola), plus there's another Champion owners derby out of Kimberling City. The ginormous (225 boats on the permit) Cops 4 Kids derby is next Tuesday out of the state park, then there's a 150-boat high school tournament Oct. 14-15. Joe Bass is having its championship Oct. 21-22 and Anglers in Action is here the following weekend, Oct. 28-29. Both are permitted for 150 boats. Sooooo ... I'm sure we can expect some "temporary new members" and lots of questions over the next few weeks. Just sayin ... might want to keep this in mind when posting information.

Great shot, indeed. Thanks for posting.

Dave gets very busy this time of year with youth football. I bet he will get back with you soon.

If you are used to those, you should have no trouble at all. Enjoy your trip and PM me if you'd like some advice.

That's a hard question to answer on an Internet forum. My best attempt is to say yes, there are areas with submerged timber, primarily above Viola Marina. If you are experienced at running Ozarks-type lakes, your common sense in keeping in the channel should serve you well. You just have to feel your way around for awhile. If you get as far up as the Hwy 86 bridge, it's not wise to try and run any farther. Idle only from there.

Is that a Zara Puppy in its mouth?

A 7-pounder is a dandy anytime, much less in September. Can someone smarter than me help him upload?

Sadly, I have no trouble believing that actually happened.

I was gonna say the same ... ER is one of my favorite places to launch by myself.

Hard to even THINK about. Can't imagine what I'd do.

Yes

Furthermore, every word is truth. Above and beyond, indeed.

Thanks, guys. It was a lot of fun and you were all worthy adversaries. Look forward to next year.