Champ188

+1 ... When gadgets exceed the point of practicality, it's time to stop and reconsider our priorities, i.e. would our time be better spent fishing or playing with gadgets?

Nice whites. Lotsa fun there.

Good stuff, QB. Gotta love fall in the Ozarks.

Just across the street from Cedarwood is Harpers Valley Resort. The owners Basil and Nancy are as great a people as you will ever meet and will take excellent care of you at an excellent price. They have a dock and share a private ramp with Cedarwood

Yep, got to drink in the whole experience. That way you never come home empty-handed.

Here's a link to the free web version of the same Navionics map you can buy for your graph. Pretty nifty. http://www.navionics.com/en/webapp

Pretty stout display of dumbassery on my part. Oh well, it wasn't the first time and likely won't be the last.

Ah, the old fall dock-flipping bite is on. Love it! Funny story ... Donna and I were up there several years ago fishing the Champion owners tournament. We typically struggled in that deal but this particular year the dock bite kicked in just in time. Found the pattern Thursday and spent Friday searching out all the right docks, mostly in the Kings. Felt progressively worse Friday afternoon and by 6 p.m. I was in bed at Schooner Creek Resort with every blanket we had over me. Had come down with the flu. Being hardheaded, I insisted on fishing the next day. Still running 101-104 fever, I did my best but it took a real toll on my normal accuracy. I chipped the paint off a dozen jigs by clanging them off every boat lift and dock post in the Kings River and beyond. Ended up with three keepers that weighed over 11 pounds (yeah, the size was right) and lost another half dozen in that same size range. Should've had 16-17 pounds, which would have been right at the top of the leaderboard. Against my will (sort of), we were packed up and headed home before dark ... Donna having ruled that we were NOT fishing the second day of the derby. Probably a good thing since we ended up at the ER the next day to find out I already had pneumonia. Anyhoo, congrats on the win, Stone. Love that dock bite!

Aunts Creek is loaded with fish. Absolutely stacked. Like cordwood. Thick as fleas on a coon hound's back. Go get em.

Not to be blunt (any moreso than usual) but there's a lot of value in getting out in the yard and learning to cast. When you're fishing, you are thinking about catching fish more than casting. In the yard, you don't have that distraction. Get out there with some old baits sans hooks and do your homework. Then when you get on the water, it'll be second nature.

A good spoon fisherman will catch fish year-round under just about any weather condition. Former Bassmasters Classic champion and three-time BASS Angler of the Year Mark Davis likes to say, "A spoon isn't a lure, it's a weapon." Table Rock has its share of good spoon fishermen, too. Two of the best are our moderator Mr. Babler and his sidekick Mr. Beck.

I certainly believe there are activity periods and lulls but I don't believe they can be predicted by the times the sun and moon rise and set. JMO

Thanks for the kind words, fishingaddiction. You, too, are right on target with the info about the fish pulling out to the middle of those pockets. It can really try your patience but the drop-shotting technique will usually pay off sooner or later. If the first or second location doesn't pay off, keep moving and eventually you will find a school that will cooperate. Another idea is to drop a spoon to these fish. I like a War Eagle spoon in white (1/2 ounce first choice, 7/8 ounce second). You can also spoon in dock slips and catch lots of fish this time of year.

Blade is no fun. Never. Ever. Suggest that everyone properly dispose of them immediately. PM me for further instructions and the mailing address of the regional collection site.

My experience is that docks are nearly always the best answer this time of year when it gets bright and slick. Shaky head and finesse jig, and pitch em as far back into the dark places as you can.

Good info, thanks! Glad you caught some and got to enjoy some of this great fall weather.

Nothing like a good day on the water shared with a good friend. Thanks for the report, guys.

So they have no money to "operate" the ramps ... whatever that means ... but they can still pay rangers to go around and write tickets. I'm presuming since Bill talked to a ranger that they are still working?

It's just that early fall deal ... might patch together a good sack on the right day but you'll probably use 25 gals of gas and 3-4 different baits to do it. That's OK by me. I'm a junk fisherman from way back. Never been smart enough to catch more than a couple out of one spot or on the same bait.

Glad you made the trip and got to catch some fish. Never know this time of year til you start fishing if it's gonna be a looking up (shad) or looking down (crawdad) bite. Good job figuring it out.

Are you sure Jeb wasn't involved in that? As a former smoker, I used to take a lit cig (when he wasn't looking, of course) and just touch it to my buddy's line right above the knot and then watch his lure go flying the next time he picked up that particular rod. You can accomplish the same thing by cutting halfway thru the line with a pair of clippers.

I noticed Neb didn't make any mention of wanting the reel ... just the rod. LOL

LMBFAO (Laffin my big fat a** off) at that one, only because it has happened to me, too. As Larry the Cable Guy would say, that's funny I don't care who you are. Sorry bout the spool of line, QB, but thanks for the much needed laugh!

Good to know about the Office Pub. Donna and I have threatened to stop there for years but never have. We'll have to do that soon. Sounds like the standard early fall deal still ... one here, a couple there and all on a different bait. LOL. Thanks for the report.

If you're just looking to catch some fish and don't necessarily care how big they are, get you some 3/16th-ounce shaky heads and a bag of watermelon-red or green pumpkin Zoom finesse worms, then go find some bluff ends and steeper pockets with wood. A 5/16th-ounce finesse jig (green pumpkin or PBJ) with a green pumpkin Zoom Lil Critter Craw trailer will work, too. Beardsley Branch across from the state park is a good place to start looking.