Champ188

I ran across a deal on a rod recently that I won't identify right now, but it's a 7-2 finesse jig rod ... medium power, fast action, IM8. I'm thinking the extra couple of inches may give me a bit more casting distance. We shall see. If it doesn't work out, I'll either find something else to do with it or sell it for the little bit I have invested in it. I'll let you guys know how it works out. I'm also thinking that little extra bit of length will put Donna 2 more inches back toward the Mercury, therefore keeping that jig out of my "winding water."

Too much time in the cubicle lately for me, Ham. My noodle needs some fresh air.

I hear you can use vinyl seat repair adhesive to put those guides back on.

Yeah, it appears I did. Hope I don't get confused and lose my bearings on the way to the BOWL GAME that the Hogs will be playing in, albeit not a great one. And that's after playing our way thru the SEC West as opposed to the SEC Least.

By gosh, you think Beardsley doesn't have any fish now? Keep talking, you knock-knee'd hillbilly.

No matter what rod you get, you'd be wise to invest in one of those $6 stick jackets. They will really help preserve your guides. We have them on every rod we own and are beyond happy with them. Not much trouble at all once you get used to them.

Pretty much, any 7-0 med power, fast action cranker is going to work for these baits. Just depends on how much coin you want to drop when it comes to fine tuning. Like Babler pointed out, that Falcon Cara technique-specific rod that Mike McClelland designed is top shelf in every way. Donna and I have a few of these rods and they are a joy to fish with. Total comfort. On the other hand, you aren't gonna catch a lot more fish on that $250 rod than you will on a $75-$100 stick as long as you're putting the right bait in the right place. Again, something around 7-0 (give or take a few inches either way) in a M-Fast model will get the job done.

Wart and stick bait bite have to start soon. Don't they?

Nice job of figuring them out! Dock bite was about all we could get going, too. I had a couple of Jets in the boat but never tied one on. I did flip a 7/8 white War Eagle spoon for a little bit but it was killing my "tennis elbow" so I didn't stick with it very long. BTW, the Chalet docks are strongly off limits. I know this because one of their summertime soldiers came out a couple of years back and told me I couldn't fish there. I'm kinda hard of hearing, though, when those types are yelling at me. Something about the wind direction that day, I think. All I know is he seemed to want me to leave. I'm sure they got you on video surveillance so I'd be keeping a close eye on the mailbox. You'll probably be receiving some correspondence soon from the authorities.

I don't think I've ever seen a kid who looks more like his father. Seriously. It's uncanny. Glad you two got out and got him hooked up. Bet he doesn't grow up to protest election results in the streets.

Congrats on the big ones, guys.

Sorry you had to deal with a numbnuts, Ben. Unfortunately, they're everywhere. Guess they're back to their usual random antics since protesting the election results didn't do them any good. Anyhoo, many thanks for what you do. We are now entering the time of year when water temp means a LOT. So happy to have this resource at my fingertips.

I also think fish are more susceptible to shutting down after the first few fronts of the season. Later in the season, seems they aren't as affected by them. Of course, that could be because we are generally fishing deeper later in the winter. If I've learned anything from my life-without-parole sentence as a river rat, it's that shallow fish are far more affected by weather changes than deep ones. That's why good shallow fishermen are also capable of backing out and salvaging the day with some deeper fish. And one more thing about cold fronts ... the day after isn't always terrible, even under bluebird skies. The fish will still bite --- and sometimes very well --- as long as you still have a N-NW wind. It's usually the second day after a front ... when the wind goes dead or swings around to the E-NE, that things really get boot-leather tough.

That happened to me earlier this year, Jim. Sorry to hear that. You've had enough hardship lately. Hopefully your bank will resolve it.

Would love to have been there Friday on the front end of that cold front instead of Saturday on the back side. Cheesemaster whacked 'em up the James on Friday, too. Would've been a great day to be out. Glad you guys were there to enjoy it. When the Fann boys, Snowden and the rest of that Winter Series crew can only manage a best sack of 13 pounds, pretty obvious that Saturday was not the same kind of day.

Doggone, I may have to try it sometime. LOL

Buff, schmuff. No buffs, jerseys or PowerPoles for us.

Our day started with a 2-plus hour drive from Bella Vista in pea soup fog. Finally launched at Old 86 around 8:45 a.m. Fog was still pretty thick so we fished around the park for a while with a Plopper, swim bait, spinner bait and jig. No love on anything. The fog stayed with us until noon but the dark skies did nothing to encourage any topwater action. The skunk buster, a beautifully colored LM, finally arrived about 10:30 in the back of a little main lake pocket from the top of a mostly submerged cedar tree. I happened to make a perfect cast with the Plopper where I could weave it through the center of the tree top. The fish was right where he was supposed to be ... smack dab in thickest part of the branches. From there, we moved around to Beardsley and found no action at all. Made another move across the lake to a creek between the Belle and Big Johnny Lodge and found some SM on docks in about 10-20 feet of water. Caught several on a Ned and shaky head but only one keeper. Wind came up for a bit so I had to give the blade and jerk bait a try. Fished some prime-looking spots but they weren't having any of it. Ended up spending the rest of the day pitching docks and catching one here, a couple there. I did pick up the blade in the last hour before dark and got a few to cooperate, inclujding another keeper brown fish, then Donna caught a studly one back near the ramp throwing a jig around some big slab rocks. The fish was only in 5-6 feet of water and when she jerked and missed him, she had the presence of mind to leave the jig laying where it was and sure enough, he came back and got it. Good luck out there. We have some good fall fishing coming. I thought I was just a dumb-A until we got home and Donna saw that it only took 13 pounds to win the Winter Series out of Kimberling City. When those boys don't bring in 18-20 pounds, it's a heckuva tough day.

Gorgeous crappie and cute kids. Unbeatable combination.

We are certainly blessed with a plethora of wildlife.

Gets dark at 5:00 these days. Gotta be there at daylight to get in a decent day of fishing.

Ditto to everything above. Happy Thanksgiving to all.

Nice one, Enforcer. Glad you got out and got your string stretched.

Donna and I will be there this weekend, too. Definitely gonna spend Saturday on the lower end and maybe Sunday, too. Hopefully Alex won't have all of my spots covered up.

That's what I want to be when I grow up.