Champ188

Donna will get to test her new Under Armor Infrared tomorrow.

That's one beast of a smallmouth. Would loved to have seen you caught it during the tournament and get to weigh it in.

Really used to enjoy the ones the factory folks did at Table Rock before the brand was sold and swallowed by Stratos.

Cole slaw would have been good. War Eagle also makes a copper-framed bait with copper blades (Indiana main and little Colorado kicker) with a white skirt that works well in dingy/muddy water. There's also a color called Sundance that I like to throw in very dingy water with gold double willows.

You didn't throw a spinnerbait? How does one go fishing and not throw a spinnerbait? Crikey!!!!

Yes, Mike, the LM are just super healthy right now. Nice to see so many of them showing up and being in such good shape. Lots and lots of bait for them to munch on. Speaking of which, I saw something very interesting in the back of one windblown pocket where I caught my two biggest fish. Even though the clouds were mostly gone by then, there were some bass surfacing and chasing big gizzard shad. You'd see one of these 6-8 inch shad hopping out of the water and running for its life, then there'd be a huge swirl. I bet one of Richy's big swim baits would've gotten mauled back there.

Separate report posted a few minutes ago.

It was just me today. She was working.

The closest you've ever been to Big M is the day your TM batteries died and the wind blew you 100 yards west of the mouth of Schooner Creek.

Only saw one other boat myself. A white/black/red Phoenix.

Piddled around Wednesday morning and didn't get out til 11:30, but a little extra rest does a body good. Fished about 4 hours and the shallow bite was as good as it gets the entire time. Found some dingy water in a hollow that I frequent after a good rain and caught them there, as expected. Bite slowed in there so I changed locations to some much clearer water but there was no let-up in the action. The wind was a real blessing today. Every fish came from windblown areas. Ended the day with 19 keepers, the best five of which would go 22 pounds minimum. Best individual fish was a tad over 6 pounds, according to my digital scales. Damage was done with a variety of baits ... War Eagle spinnerbait and buzz bait, War Eagle Heavy Finesse Jig, RC 1.5 squarebill crank bait and a mid-depth crank bait that shall remain unnamed. You just gotta keep an open mind and listen to what the fish are telling you. Being able to make key adjustments throughout the day can be the difference in catching them or struggling. Even managed to take a few pics.

I can't speak for Rodmaker, but I can say for myself that what's really messed up is that this nation can no longer put aside its greed and relentless pursuit of wealth for a few hours to sit down and be thankful for what God has already provided. Precious things like our health, food on the table, a roof over our heads, family and friends, and most of all, a Savior. Even within my own family, it irks me a bit that the Thanksgiving meal discussion at some point always seems to turn to who is going to be in line at 10 p.m. at Best Buy, Walmart or whatever retail giant is opening its doors at midnight Thursday night. Just seems like an oxymoron for folks to be pushing and shoving, even in rare cases coming to blows, in order to snatch up whatever "great deals" are being offered on Thanksgiving Day. It's a day to be thankful, not greedy! Can't the tomfoolery wait just ONE DAY?

That's a cool way to store them.

Right on, Bob. Johnny stands strong behind his conviction that nothing in this world is more important than the next dollar. Wonder if he'll be working on Thanksgiving. Or Black Friday? LOL

Bo, I've been playing golf for 30 years. Fished tournaments all of those years, too, and won plenty of money. It's not either/or with me, it's both.

If anyone can figure out a unique bite, it's Sainato. He fished BASS Invitationals for plenty of years and learned the value not only of getting on a winning pattern, but also one that not everyone else is fishing. That way, he doesn't have to share with the entire field.

Mark, you can stop checking the registration roster for my name. Brace yourself, but I just finished signing up both Donna and I for both days of the 2016 tournament. We are going to be spending our 22nd wedding anniversary (April 2) with you. Get your checkbook ready ... Donna is planning on cashing in big. Seriously, look forward to meeting you.

I don't doubt that one bit, Bumper. Nothing like the real thing. Just ask some of those guides at Lake Fork. A lot of the really big fish down there are caught on live bait. Same for south Florida.

That's a good philosophy, Bumper. I've enjoyed mostly pleasure fishing the past 3 years since we quit chasing the Central Pro-Am circuit. I/we still fish the occasional tournament, but I don't get involved in an entire circuit and just jackpot the ones that appeal to me. These days, my greatest pleasure comes from figuring the fish out and keeping Donna's rod bent as often as possible.

I'm with you, Hammer. The thing is, because of all the curves and change-ups, there is always a couple of different bites or more going on at once. So you're never out of something to try. Just have to be bullheaded enough to stick with it.

I wouldn't be too hasty to run from the dirty water. We still have surface temps around 60 degrees, which sets up well for a strong runoff bite. As much as I dislike it for the most part, Beaver is known for producing some good bags of bass when there's fresh water pouring in the backs of the pockets and anywhere you have little cuts that channel runoff water into the lake. Spinnerbaits, a large square bill (think RC 2.5) or black-blue jigs with a big trailer like the new Big Bite Battle Bug will usually get their attention. Throw as far back into the source as you can (spinnerbait or jig) but save your square bill for places you can retrieve it if it hangs up. Just a few suggestions from an old bank beater/mudhole fisherman. When this pattern is on, it'll produce some of the biggest bass in the lake.

Our walleye populations (Beaver and TR) are growing but not yet at the point where a zero day is unusual. My jerk baiting is for bass, with the occasional walleye being a bonus. If you zero on bass at TR, you just didn't figure out the bite that day.

Well said, Hodge, and good to know considering your long experience with tournament fishing.

Thanks for the report, Dave. Glad you guys had a big time. Fall fishing is hard to beat some days and hard to figure out on others.

Can't help it ... spooning in 6 feet of water conjures up visions of someone taking stem cells from me and Bo (Merc1997) and creating a hybrid super structure-dragging, bank-beating speed winder capable of covering two-thirds of Table Rock in 3.75 hours with a 1-ounce jig. All joking aside, thumbs up for coming up with a unique way of catching them, cindyjo.