Champ188

You said a mouthful there. One of the great things about TR is that you can pick up a spinning rod just about anytime and find some K's willing to play. I'm glad we have them.

Maybe they should take a lesson from FLW pro Dan Morehead, who spent his time fishing instead of whining a few years back and caught a SPOT that weighed 6.75 pounds.

Teddy, those weights out of Cape Fair are legit. But they caught em on A-rigs, which are not allowed in the BASS Elite Series or the FLW Tour. Come on down. You'll be able to catch a few fish. Maybe more. And you'll enjoy some of the finest scenery to be had in the world. Literally.

So the taxpayers built Johnny a park, campground, boat ramp, etc. No telling what kind of political connections that guy has.

Hmmm, just two sacks over 18 pounds, and only a baker's dozen busted the 15-pound mark. Cold front tonight, meaning blue skies and high pressure to follow. No A-rigs. Those 60-pound guesses are looking pretty good.

To all here, I crossed the line in implying Fat Boy didn't catch what he claims he did. I apologize. Won't happen again. But spahog, this forum was not built into the unmatched wealth of information that it is by people with the attitude of "Who cares if it's an embellished fishing story or not." I care a lot, and so does anyone else who takes their fishing seriously. And there are plenty of people here who fall into that category. I'm as real as real gets here. I put my name and hometown on the bottom of my posts. Nothing to hide. If I catch em, I say so, tell how/when/where and often post a pic. Likewise, if I don't catch em, I say so, including the same how/when/where info. Knowing what not to do can help other fishermen as much as anything. Besides, unless you have a "low-T" issue, there's no shame in saying you didn't catch em. No one whacks them every time. No one. Onward.

Some of the best spots in the Kings are ugly to the eye. Problem in local derbies is that a lot of the guys know those spots. The Elite guys are more likely to stick to the obvious stuff.

Hard to keep that spring bite in the Kings mum for very long. That river arm fishes very well but can fish very small at times. It's for that reason that I've pretty much quit fishing it in tournaments. You get half a dozen, maybe 8-9 derby boats up there, and you end up splitting up your fish to the point that no one gets paid. But, for fun fishing (especially during the week), that early spring bite up there is a hoot. Shallow power fishing can't be done just anywhere on The Rock.

My best tournament tip is to stay focused but have fun. Don't fish any differently than you normally would, maybe just a bit more efficiently. Don't fish faster, fish smarter. Make sense?

Good ol' Johnny. Always going the extra mile to promote the sport of fishing.

Very cool. Very, very cool.

Pretty fish, especially that big spot. You obviously had a nice visit. Come back soon.

I have only this remaining to say, Fatboy. I did not call you a liar. I may have implied it, but no more than you implied that the rest of us here are all bumbling boobs with sub-par fishing skills. I may not be smart enough to catch a 6-pounder six weekends straight, but I'm old/wise enough to have my reservations about whether anyone else did either.

Sounds like a fun day, QB. Plenty of action to keep it interesting. Big girls will show up before long.

That covers one day.

Even at $30, doesn't take long for that $4 daily deal to make one wish he'd have bought the annual pass. At $15, it's really a no-brainer. Glad you got fixed up.

No derby series for me this year, Thumbs. Started a new job last September after 35 years as a newspaper writer/editor, and even though our vacation policy is very liberal, I don't want to make myself too scarce right out of the gate. Besides, I got a little weary of drawing the occasional intolerable backseater while worrying at the same time about Donna being safe with whatever boater she's paired with. I don't know if it's me getting older and pickier, but there seems to be a bigger percentage of folks that I'm not comfortable with her spending the day with. She flat knows her way around a boat and can take care of herself as well as any man, but some things are beyond your control as a nonboater ... i.e. when to get out of the lightning, when to slow the hell down and arrive safely, etc. So, all that to say ... we're fishing the Everett team derbies on Beaver and just gonna jackpot whatever else (teamwise) strikes our fancy. That's not at all to say I'm done with the pro-am style tournaments. Next time a Bassmaster Open or FLW Everstart comes to Table Rock, I'm all in. Otherwise, I'm fishing with my pards, to whom I've been married 20 years tomorrow (April 2). Anyone who gets a chance, please congratulate her on making it 20 years without killing me.

None of the guides I know are catching em like that. Not even the Bx4 duo, who are as good as good gets. Better see what FatBoy charges for a trip.

Good lord, I suck. Anyone wanna buy a nice Ranger? Comes with a couple dozen rods-and-reels and a crapload of other gear. Last count, I had five boxes of stickbaits that I obviously don't know how to use. PM if interested. I'm gonna slink away now and go practice my golf swing.

Something doesn't sound right in the setup. If this is an 18-foot Ranger (one of the 300-series boats such as the 350, 360 or 370), that 150 should be turning at least 5200 with a 23 or 24 pitch prop.

Holy moly!

Step aside, you cheapskates. Sign me up for five. Hello Johnny Rat A-rig!

Tried calling the Corps office or checking online? I did. Their website says they open Tuesday, April 1.

Glad you got out and caught some. Good for the soul.

Guys, we did not get up there today. I was under the weather last night and even had a little spell with my atrial fib this morning. High-stress, 60-hour work weeks do not agree with me these days. Snakem, appreciate the straight-line report. With your skills, you'd have done much better if that bite was everything some are saying. I'm looking forward to getting up there soon and see what I can figure out. Bill, thanks for the kind words. Only thing about shallow power fishing on TR is it's a limited-time offer. The deep-water gurus like yourself can catch them any time of year.