steveearle

Most of the beat up, sickly looking fish I have caught have been in the fall....This is also when LMB virus will hit...not saying that is what it is...just saying it is very common in the fall to see beat up, skinny fish. I caught one at TRock last year dropping shotting a dock that was literally a 4.5 lb. head and 2.5 lb. body...I catch fall spots at LOZ that you literally dont want to touch thewy are so nasty....Not saying what you are thinking is not true....just saying beat up fish in late summer/fall is not uncommon...

I've had the most problems with old spinnberbaits skirts as opposed to jig skirts, but the old Rattleback-type collars are not very good...

Come on now...Lived in Springfield for a time and have visited since I could walk....You guys are good for one of the biggest ice storms in the Midwest about once a year....I know better than that....Its like an ice storm magnet....

I'll clarify.....I hand tie jigs that I am buying from manufacturers...Jewel, Chompers, Omega, etc. I usually break them off too before I wear them out, but every once in a while you get a color you dont throw alot or a jig gets stuck in the bottom of the box, etc. and the collar will dry rot. I throw a lot of War Eagle spinnerbaits and they are already tied, but the other brands I buy, I tie them as well...If you have a real good spinnerbait day, your strands will get messy and uneven....Handtying is my little project when I am done hunting and waiting to fish...when the weather gets REAL bad...

Not sure exactly what all your issues are but if you are having trouble keping everything straight while you apply the wire.....use a rubber skirt band first.....get everything straight....and then add the copper wire above the skirt band. After you have the wire on, you can either pull the rubber collar off with needle-nosed pliers or just leave it on. I hand tie all my jigs, spinnerbaits, and buzzbaits (anything with a skirt) with the goal of not losing the skirt if the collar dry-rots and to keep the strands straight. If this is your goal, using the collar in addition to the wire, will work.

We caught 6 on Saturday and none on Sunday...I was antsy Sunday wanting to go bass fish, but we only saw 4 or 5 caught by 7:45.... The jig bite actually seems to be better after about 10:30 in the morning.... The holiday/weekend traffic was unreal...I was ready to fight at least 4 different boats on Sunday. I was approx. 80 yards off a point. Their was a no-wake bouy at about 40 and they all cut b/t me and the bank getting as close to the bouy as they could... If anyone at Moonshine saw the guy kick the rod in the water and then get it, that was me (I know Rick LaPoint saw it). Funny this was, it was a 7' MH GLX with a Revo Premier on it. I kicked it over in the diection we were floating (61 ft. of water). After thinking it was gone, my brother in law said "Hey, look!".....the GLX actually floats with that reel on it. We drifted over it and it floated up on the other side of the boat and I got it back....

Are those drop shot fish on the bottom?

Speaking of, where are you guys getting the death trap trebles at the best price...Would not mind taking a look...I think its the only hook I have not tried (are they the same as the Lucky Craft replacement treble?)....

I thought this conversation had happened previously on here...Doubt Megabass will repair or replace...All the ones I've seen have been turned into key chains...Might see if Megabass USA has spare bills and heat the old one out and see if you can get a new one seated properly...They are not the most fun people to deal with....

In regards to the fluorocarbon, you need to compare diamters, not lb. test when testing out different lines. I have tried most and have settled on Trilene 100% fluoro...but...when looking at comparisons, I use 6lb. trilene (.010), whereas, if I was using Seaguar I would use 8lb (.009). On TRock football jigging, I use 12 lb. Trilene (similar to 15 lb. Invisx diameter-wise). When you get up around 15 lb. test, depending on which Seaguar you are using, the diameter is about the same....In reference to braid, I use straight 30lb. Stren sonic braid on topwater, and 14lb. Stren sonic braid on my drop shot (swivel and 6 ft. 6 lb. Trilene fluoro leader)...The BPS fluro is good line and similar in diamter to Seaguar, lb. for lb...

You can add December to the list, prior to our first really hard cold front...The water is still in the mid 50s many times on December 1st....

We get these bites often at our LOZ night tourneys. Its not bats (although we have had those too). Im not sure what they are. Thought they might be very small drum but they are WAY more of a problem at LOZ compared to TRock. Whatever it is, they are not short biting bass...but we still have not figured out what they are...

Not overkill as most accidents on the water require road driven EMS....and money is always a factor (linking 911 to dock permit #s)...If you've been to LOZ this year, you have seen the law in full affect.....addresses on the end of every dock...

i second the double uni....I have been tying it since I was 12 for all line connections....

12 lb. fluro for TRock with the FBall. I throw 15-17 lb. fluoro at LOZ, etc. (I use Trilene 100% fluorocarbon)....I have (and I'm sure most others on here that have fished it alot) have had days when you had to hit them right away b/c, if not, they would drop it and days when you could not take it away from them if you wanted to. A fish usually gets the bait all the way into their mouth on the first try, although sometimes they will carry it around on their lips and then get it with second "inhale." Hit em right away unless you are missing fish. Alot of times people think they are mising them by hitting them too quick but what is really going on is that they ate it without you feeling it and the tick you feel is them spitting it out. Happens alot at LOZ with a finesse jig in the winter/early spring.

It is a male white crappie...You guys should recognize the coloring (although this one is not quite as dark) from catching male white crappie during the spawn that have this color and their belly turns almost jet black...(FYI--not saying this is a spawner)

I don't know if this has anything to do with your problem, but its something that I have noticed as someone that travels to TRock. I have arrived a couple of times and thought my GPS unit was messed up and started playing with the settings. When you go into the menu with these new chips and you choose the state you are in and the region of the state, etc. (SW missouri, etc.), you have to highlight Arkansas and not SW Missouri to get the detail to increase (to utilize the chip and not the basemap) for Table Rock, even thought the majority of the lake is in MO. Just a tidbit from someone who has started to freak out on the water more than once with this problem....

The problem is the fish usually cant see the "prettiness" on a topwater, depending on which bait, because its above the surface. I try to mix up the colors on the bottom of the bait--white, clear/clear-ish, and black.....

Texas rig the big power worm. I use a tungsten weight of 1/4, 5/16, 3/8, or 1/2 oz. depending on depth and how Im fishing. The 3/8 oz. is a good middle ground. I use a 5/0 Gamakatsu EWG superline hook. It is more sturdy and the point won't roll over on you and dull the hook like a standard EWG will. 10" Power worms in black, black grape, blue fleck, june bug, or red shad. On this same set up, I also use a dark brush hog. Any of the black or grape bases work well--black, black/red, blackberry, blueberry, black grape, etc. Throw it everywhere til you figure out where you want to fish. Docks, points, brush, etc..or a combination of these....shallow or deep...There are shallow fish all year round...Fishing is good right now. We had 19 3/4 lbs. Saturday night and only got 7th. Fishing will be good all summer but the numbers seem to drop from here on out...Water is the warmest I have ever seen it in the 15 years I have been fishing down there. 90.2 in the evening, 89 at midnight, 87+ at 4:00 am. These cool night should knock the surface down a few degrees. Won't change the fishing much but much better on livewell fish in a tourney.

Caught 2 16" walleye off the same point mid lake cranking last Monday

For those who aren't familiar, the Loomis SBR 751 is a very good jerkbait rod. Just my .02

If there is clorine in this ice it is very minimal and is dilluted enough to not affect the fish.... Livewell-Fish Care...(these are conservative figures based on 15 gallons of water in the livewell). 1. Try to lower water temp in livewell 5-10 degrees below the surface temp with ice. 2. Add approx. 8 oz. of NON IODIZED salt to livewell. 3. Add approx. 5 oz. of 3% hydgrogen peroxide to livewell. 4. Drain livewell as far as possible and refill every 3-4 hours (twice during tourney day). When fizzing make sure the fish is under water for confirmation of the release of air. DO NOT squeeze the air out....let it come out naturally...if you deflate too far the fish will sink to the bottom and die. If you do all these these you can be relatively confident that you have done everything possible to keep the fish in your livewell alive.

658.6 right now...Doubt if they let it get to 660 (If they do it will be very temporary) unless we get more HUGE rains. 659 will fish as full pool as they rarely keep it at 660 even during the summer-usually hovers around 659 and change..

Mark Fann actually has a 5 lb. 10 oz. Meanmouth that is the current state record. The 4-1 is way out of date and has been broken at least a half dozen times in between these 2 fish..... The lake record largemouth (confirmed) would be interesting to know...if there were solid confirmation...I know it is not in the 9s or 10s...it's larger...

Buy some nail weights to put in the head (use a half or whole for diff sink rates unless you want to break the surface)...Less of a headache than the splitshot...IMO. They also start to sink better when they get a little torn up...Dont be afraid to go to a 4/0 or 5/0 EWG (for LMs) for better hookups