cnr

I spent two quality days on Crooked Creek and one on the Buffalo the weekend of October 19, 20, and 21. Honestly, the fishing was marginal with a few fish to hand each day. Maybe 30 each day between the three of us on CC and less than that on the Buffalo. There were a few nice fish in the mix, maybe a third of them in the over 16" class. I did get one that measured slightly longer than 19" but it was very skinny, photo is below on a paddle blade. JoeD had a nice one that was a little shorter but had some good girth for a CC fish. We did have some beautiful Fall weather and enjoyed the days floating, fishing, and sipping our favorite beverages while leisurely going down the stream. A little windy at times (25mph gusts) and quite cold one morning (36 degrees), but the scenery was really nice. The Fall colors were about as good as you can get before everything turns that somber brown and red color of late Fall. That"s the end of Smallmouth fishing for me this year, with the colder weather settling in it's time to focus on Trout for the next six months. I will take a Winter day trout fishing anytime I can get it and look forward to the solitude on our Trout streams that you can't get during warm weather. I think it's time to get busy on the vise and replenish my box. Here are a few photos from the trip Buffalo - Just below spring Creek access Crooked Creek - JoeD, 17" Crooked Creek - My skinny 19" Crooked Creek - George's Creek access Crooked Creek - Water was extremely clear Crooked Creek - JoeD

The Drum was caught on a white super fluke. joeD doesn't hardly fish with anything else, I'm kinda guilty of that too. Those darn Flukes just plain work for Smallies.

I never understood the killing of Suckers in our trout rivers and streams. I kind of figure the Suckers are the native species and the Trout are the "invasive" species. Don't get me wrong here, I am a Trout fisherman first and foremost. I just don't see any problem with the Suckers, they're just doing their thing in a place they have always been. Now those darn spotted bass are another thing!!!

I had the pleasure of being on the water with joeD that day. Here are a few other photos (taken on my iPhone 4). Nice Fall colors! The underrated Drum. The thing put up a great fight and was a really clean fish!

Southern Illinois has some nice waterfalls. Like the Missouri falls they may be weather dependent for good flow. http://shawneehillsoutdoors.com/burden-falls-shawnee-national-forest-southern-illinois/

Well, they pulled one out tonight thanks to some key errors by Atlanta. The infield fly rule was kind of questionable but in the end I don't think it made any difference. I'm looking forward to the upcoming games with the nationals. Starting at home may give the Cards the edge to jump out to a quick lead.

Looking at the specs the 488VS is 12" longer and 35lbs heavier. I doubt there is much performance difference between the hulls but that is just a guess not having run either one. I would opt for the longer boat, I've never heard of anyone wish there boat was shorter that fished LOZ. Unless there is a storage issue.

Coolest Dad ever! That was awesome.

Hmmm. I have seen my buddies have success with the pink Fluke in clear water. I'm wondering if it appears gray in the water after a few feet of depth since the red spectrum of light is absorbed by the water. Just wondering.

Kudos to Al for being so forthcoming and willing to share his techniques. I have learned a lot from reading Al's posts (and a lot of other folks on this forum). I think the basic color approach for river smallies is spot on. I think a basic white, black, brown, and green would cover all your situations. No need to be fancy. Technique is more important than tackle.

Unweighted minnow bait (Fluke) - White Bottom bouncing baits - Match the bottom color

Grrrr. I'm stuck in the office and want to go out and play too.

I think you have it spot on for spin fishing for the kids. Don't be afraid to use a larger Rapala or better yet a suspending one. I used to use the little stuff when I started out but have learned over the years that the larger suspending minnow baits will catch them big and small, but the small baits usually only catch small fish.

Sounds like the perfect trip! Those are the ones that keep us coming back for more. Can't beat the awesome weather too!

Crooked creek is really, really low right now, and is showing 9.49 on the gauge at Kelly's slab. At the Pyatt access on Hwy 62 the creek is pretty small anyway and gets better water volume about 2.4 miles down where two creeks come in on river right. Crooked Creek has a fair amount of slab bedrock bottom to it with a mix of good chunk rock and gravel. If you look in the Smallmouth forum and Crooked Creek forum you can get some good info.

Clean cork handles are for newbies!!! I like my rods to look like they have been rode hard.

Well done. Nice fish too!

If you wanted to drive a little farther it's hard to beat the Buffalo in AR.

Google maps has another message from the same field. Seems like this farmer works hard at providing messages to the airmen. http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=offutt+afb&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Offutt+AFB,+906+Sac+Blvd+%23+1,+Offutt+AFB,+Nebraska+68113-4040&gl=us&sqi=2&ll=41.1329,-95.928669&spn=0.029349,0.055189&t=h&z=14 Here is an article validating it's validity on snopes.com. http://www.snopes.com/photos/patriotic/offutt.asp

Video was taken down but here is another link. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PDrVIcltZJU I think he was slamming the throttle down each time the boat went airborne. Why, oh why, do they not require training and licensing to operate a boat. Any idiot with a wad of money can buy a multi-engine beast capable of going over a hundred miles per hour. And not to stir up controversy but maybe a speed limit should be enacted. I have had my share of over powered bass boats and I would be all for proper training and having to take a drivers test. I'm glad I stick to canoes nowadays!

Sweet. I want to fish that creek. Those fish are really nice.

Looks like we are going to get very wet this weekend. Here is the latest rainfall prediction from NOAA. I think our low and clear streams will disappear very quickly!!!

Just saw the women's gymnastics final results too, very frustrating. I wish these news sites would give you the option to view the final standings instead of just posting it larger than life at the top of there news page.

+1 I couldn't agree more. Show me the unique events. I'm tired of all the "big" sports taking all of the coverage.

1,110 lb (est) White sturgeon caught on the Fraser river. 12'4" length 53" girth. Here is the article link (there is a video at the bottom of the article). http://www.grindtv.com/outdoor/blog/34277/monster+white+sturgeon+weighing+1100+pounds+caught+in+canada/