Champ188

Going to the lower end tomorrow. Hoping to find a decent jerkbait bite with the expected overcast skies and breeze.

The two guides involved in that operation were Larry Cooper and John T. Hall. I don't believe Cooper is guiding anymore. Could be wrong. Hall is still guiding but I don't think he's working out of that building on Hwy 270 anymore.

Good fish, bo. Thanks for the pics

I'm with the others ... you've got yourself an old wooden Bomber. The one pictured here was offered for sale online for $15.

Just a couple more thoughts, Ben. As you mentioned yourself, the lake levels info is readily available in many forms, including websites and phone apps. For now, I would certainly concentrate my efforts on your original idea ... water temp, which is NOT readily available. Don't dillute the formula, in other words. About location of the sensors ... If there was any way for them to be in the shade 24/7 (inside a boat slip, maybe?), that would eliminate the potential of "false" readings caused by sunlight. I would also suggest that the probes be placed over water as deep as possible, so as not to be affected by the tendency for shallow water temps to fluctuate greatly.

Dang, Tim! That's a mess of eatin' right there. Got waypoints? LOL

Try driving sober sometime.

Thanks for the info, Skeeter. Nice of you to post.

Ben, I think for it to be relative to the readings anglers are accustomed to seeing on their boats, about 18 inches would be perfect. This is the depth of most trolling motor-mounted sensors. Wrench has a good point in that temps from various depths would be nice, but for starters I'd say go with data that is relevant to what we are accustomed to working with.

I'm speechless and that doesn't happen very often.

Every bass fisherman that I know depends on surface temperatures because that is what modern electronics provide. Yes, it's possible to use a temperature probe with 15 feet of cord but who does that? Very few. For my purposes, surface temperature is an important point of reference.

It would be awesome and invaluable to have that information.

Yes they are. They have the best Lucky Craft RC 1.5 knockoff I have ever seen. Someone told me a long time ago that the blanks for the Lucky Craft and the H2O are made by the same vendor. The guy was a representative in the fishing industry with no stake in either company, so he had good reason to know and no reason to lie.

That question would probably be best left to some of our members who qualify for senior citizens discounts at the local steakhouse. Babler, you're up.

I "third" every word. Norman, Strike King and Bandit all make very good cranks.

I've caught quite a few suspended in the cedar tops in wintertime while throwing a jerk bait.

The back portion of Coose Hollow (just around the corner to the north of Prairie Creek) is usually packed with bait this time of year. The back half of Prairie Creek is a good place to look also.

Can't exactly do a lot of chest beating when you finish 7-5 and lose to Toledo in what's supposed to be a non-con cupcake game. We did have a lot of youngsters grow up in a hurry ... out of necessity. In my 45 years as a Hog fan, I can't remember one when we were so depleted by injuries. And it's not like we are Alabama or LSU, who can come off the bench with a 5-star recruit. The only 5-stars we have are on the field unless they get hurt, which seemed to happen with way too much frequency this year.

Hey, I haven't said one word about that little football game in Fayetteville the other day. I was being nice for a change.

Love those crappie with that pigment line. Like bo says, it's time for the shallow bite to turn on. You had a pretty darn good day given the brutal conditions (high skies and no wind).

Fantastic news and congrats, cheesemaster. Look forward to your reports from that area!

You couldn't be more accurate, wrench. That is spot-on.

Nothing at all wrong with a used boat ... this Ranger we have now is the first new one I've bought since they made their "team deals" so much of a hassle that the shallow disounts weren't worth it anymore.

He's a real equus africanus asinus.

Having spent many years as an outdoors writer covering the sport, I know for a fact that very, very few of the BASS Elite Series and FLW Tour pros are getting free boats. They get discounts, but even then it would surprise the average angler just how much of their own expenses those guys are paying. And the only people who are footing any bill for the boat companies are those who buy new boats from time to time.