shaker

Nice to read about the Kings River and get a fishing report from there. I used to put in at Hickory Hollow even back when it was called Ack'in Back (not sure about the spelling). Did a lot of bass, crappie fishing and chased white bass up the Kings, great fun! I wonder if the white bass run is still as good as it used to be? RB

Wow! I'm really sorry to read this about the Kings River, I fished there in the 70's and 80's usually early in the Spring for white bass and caught crappie and a walleye now and then. I had a 16 ft. Bass Tracker with a 40 merc and would make it up to the Romp hole although not sure it had that name back then. I wonder if the white bass run is still going on there in the Spring? My fishing partner and I caught some really nice whites back in the day!

I think that where most people make a mistake when cooking white bass and stripers is that they do not cook them long enough both are oily fish not like crappie and walleye which are a bit dry. If frying white bass watch the fillet and you can see oil leaking out of the fillet as it cooks cook it until the oil quits coming out then cook a bit longer the trick is not to over cook them and burn the batter or what ever you put on them! One of my recipe's is take a half cup of rustic (course grind) mustard add about the same amount of Franks Hotwing sauce and a couple of good shakes of Tabasco Jalapeno sauce. Marinade the fillets 30 minutes or so dredge in favorite dry fish batter and fry up! Maybe turn the heat down just a bit and cook longer than you would crappie or other light fish.

Great report! Thanks!

For the most part, I grew up along the Grand River = big mud hole, now the Osage that was a lot better river. RB

I grew up in Clinton in the fifty's as Truman was being cussed and discussed but it was called Kaysinger back then and you was either for it or against it and there was some serious feelings about the lake. A lot of the farmers lost their farms and some great crop producing bottom land and I'm sure that there are still some bitter feelings about the lake among the old timers. Myself I was a fisherman so bring it on! I remember a lot of people thought that it was just a big catch basin for the LOZ? RB

Sparrowfoot is still open

Great report!

Great report I think that this is the first one that I have ever read about white bass on the Kings although I might have missed a few. I used to fish there a lot years back put in at Hickory Hollow many times and back when it was Achin' Back too. Actually lived in Golden for a while hate to tell you how many years ago that was! RB

I'd be guessin' that there is a whole bunch of us in BIG trouble!

I didn't write to full story! The guy was trying to sneak up on us and I spied him in the dark sneaking from tree to tree thinking that it might be one of the local guys that I knew I yelled out to him that he was caught and might as well come on in as we will be cooking fish in short order! Well that really seemed to "TICK" him off so here he comes and demands to see my fishing license. This guy is nobody that I know and dressed in a flannel shirt, blue jeans, baseball hat so I ask him just who he thought that he was? That really set him off! Claimed that the was a game warden so I asked to see a badge which he did produce one that looked genuine in the semi dark and along with the ticker book and pen and he was wanting to write ticket really bad. Needless to say that the conversation went seriously down hill from there on! But NO tickets as we had not done a single thing wrong. Several years later I happened to be near a MDC center so went in there was a Game Warden in the office so I told him the story and he wanted to know the guys name but I didn't remember if I even knew? The Game Warden did make the statement that this was very unusual behavior and wanted to know all that I could remember and questioned if this was really a game warden? So now you know the rest of the story! RB

I can tell you of a conservation that I had with a Conservation Officer a number of years ago. Myself and two friends were fishing on the Kings River on Table Rock right on the Arkansas border we caught and kept out Missouri limits of White Bass that night we were checked by a Missouri Conservation agent and all was OK but I did ask him about fishing in Arkansas and keeping a Arkansas limit (25) and bring them back into Missouri even if we did not fish in Missouri he informed me that if he caught any of us with more than a Missouri daily and or possession limit he would write us a ticket. And he was wanting to write a ticket that evening but just could not find anything that we were doing wrong. So for what that is worth, Good Luck! And that's my story and I'm sticking to it! RB

Good report I also fished the same days as yourself but put in at Bucksaw and went East and had about the same results most of my fish came on the Electric Chicken color but the warmest water that I found was 65 degrees. Black and chartreuse worked early then as the sun came up the electric chicken worked better we caught lots of fish mostly males but some females and some of them were ready to spawn. 1/16 oz road runner jigs were the best for us. RB

And other fish for that matter my question is do the large females spawn first or the smaller fish. I'm of the opinion that the larger fish crappie, bass, white bass, walleyes that the largest females spawn last but I have been in several discussions that people say other wise just curious as to what most people think about this? Appreciate any answers not that it makes much difference going fishing anyway!

Thinking about it, Good! Just means more for me!!!!!