Whack'emGood

Techo, We're putting in at Mill Creek. We'll most likely be fishing anywhere from K.C. to Baxter. I think we're gonna run up toward Baxter first though, and go from there. If you see us, say hello. We would like to meet you in person. We will be in a white (with silver and black trim) Nitro NX882 with a Mercury 150. You fish a Skeeter, right? What color is your boat?... We'll keep and eye out for you. Yeah, I bet there won't be too many boats out there-- they will all be hunting. More room for us, right!? Good luck on Sunday... maybe we'll see you out there! Whack'em P.S. You're right... no arguments on here! Fish talk only!

Thanks for the report Bill. I am glad to hear you are well again and back at 'em. I am sad, however, to hear that a bunch of our local Smallies and Kentuckies will never be caught again. My dad and I are going on Sunday... can't wait to get out there and get after 'em. Whack'em

Yeah Phil. I bet you are right. Those Stren guys were probably looking for clues on here. That is a great compliment... an indication of how great this forum and its members really are. Phil... my hat is off to you-- and also to the great guides and others on here that make this forum great. As far as skill and knowledge of fishing goes, I would put the members of our forum up against any other. Not too shabby as far as character, kindness, and the will to help others too. Whack'em

Yes-- also... at first, the retriever is a little difficult to use. It takes some getting used to, but eventually you get your retrieving technique down and rarely have something that you can't retrieve with it. The way that I use it is this: 1) Make sure you spin the tip around your line so that your line goes totally through the whole spiral. 2) Put your rod down and grab your line with one hand and the retriever with the other. 3) Hold your line right next to the retriever (exactly parallel to the retriever), and pull the line tight while you push the retriever down the line to the lure. This way you know you are making the best contact with the lure without your line or limbs and such getting in the way. This thing has saved me alot of lures. I greatly prefer it to those plug knockers that run on a rope down your line. I have also saved spinnerbaits and crankbaits 10+ feet up in trees... don't ask me how they got there . You can also use the butt end as a push pole to get yourself back off the bank and keep your trolling motor safe from the rocks if you have to go way up shallow to get a lure. dtrs5kprs and Nitro Fish, The company that makes these should give us a commission or something for the advertisement! Whack'em

Flippin, There are a few cranks that are very popular on Ozarks lakes... and for very good reason-- they catch fish. One is the Storm Wiggle Wart in the crawdad patterns. Alot of guys fish these and catch alot of fish-- I fish them periodically and generally do pretty well with them. The other is the Norman DD-22. It dives to approx. 15-18ft and most guys fish them in the shad patterns. Norman also makes a DD-14 and others that dive to different depths. I also fish these sometimes. I also like the Strike King Pro Model Series and the Rapala DT series crankbaits. In my opinion, you can't go wrong if you have crankbaits in either one of these two series' in both shad and crawdad patterns that cover all 3 levels of depth (shallow, medium, deep). On table rock, in most cases, I fish crankbaits in the aforementioned makes and models that dive 10 to 15 feet and, more often than not, I fish crawdad patterns-- although, I know at times you can catch a ton of fish on shad pattern cranks. I'm sure that there are some guys on here that fish other makes/models that they may recommend, but those are the ones I recommend. You are correct about fishing these in colder water. I know alot of guys fish other lures when the water gets cold, but I fish crankbaits down until the water temp gets under 45*-- although I have caught fish in 42* water on cranks. Good luck! Whack'em

Single Spin, Here is my two cents. I hope it helps you. Cranking can be great, especially in the fall. I fish crawdad patterns probably 80% of the time in Ozarks lakes. I think I just have more confidence in the craw as opposed to the shad. As far as depth of diving goes... Wherever I am fishing, I want that crankbait digging the bottom in most cases-- clunking off of rocks or wood. So, whatever depth you are fishing, fish a crank that dives deeper than that depth. Here is a great tip for you-- buy a telescopic lure retriever. See the link below for the retriever I use. It will save 99% of your snagged crankbaits. I have one of these and it has saved me hundreds (if not thousands) of dollars in crankbaits. I rarely ever have one I can't get loose with this thing. I always say that it is the best thing I have ever bought. Also-- when fishing crankbaits, experiment with your retrieves until the fish tell you what they want. Fish it slow, medium, fast, stop-and-start, erratic... until you find which retrieve they want for that particular day or location. Pay close attention to how you were retrieving the lure and/or what you did with the lure just before the strike. Also keep in contact (your feel) with your crankbait at all times. You can tell what the bottom composition and/or structure is like through feel. I use feel with a crankbait just like I would a jig or something. Here is the retriever I use... http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/s...__SearchResults Oh, and if you buy this retriever... take some JB Weld or waterproof epoxy and use it to lock the screw holding on the spiral tip in place. If you don't, the screw will try to work loose on you and you may end up losing the spiral tip. Good luck! Man, I am all fired up to go fishing now! Whack'em

Bigfish, We may change our minds and head down to Table Rock instead... the fishing is really good down there right now, and this front should affect the Largemouths more than the Smallies and Kentuckes. We feel we have a great chance of catching a bunch of Smallies and Kentuckies down at TR just about anytime-- We catch mostly Largemouths when we come up to Stockton-- it may be tougher up there after the front. If we come up to Stockton, we will launch out of Ruark Bluff. I will let you know what we decide... it may be a last minute decision. Whack'em

S&M and Redbud, Thanks for the reports. I love throwing that crankbait! I suspect that you guys caught it just right... and the bite will change alot for today. This front should knock the Largemouths back for a few days, I suspect. Those tourney guys will probably be hunting Smallies for the next few days. Should be interesting to see what happens. We were planning on going up to Stockton on Saturday, but we may change our minds yet-- we may be coming down to TR instead. Don-- good luck with your motor problems. Good luck on the water everyone, Whack'em

Pro Jeremy Lawyer is in 8th place after day 1. I went to High School with him. Go Jeremy! Whack'em

Bigfish, Thanks for the information. Yep, should be fun. We might just come over to see you if we decide we want to get into some crappie. We will keep an eye out for you, nonetheless. If you see us, give us a holler. We will be the two guys chuckin' and windin' all day in a white with silver and black trim Nitro NX882 with a Mercury motor. Good luck... go out and have some fun... I know we will! Whack'em

Hey Donna, I saw where James fished the Pro side and barely missed a check. It's disappointing to get that close but, as they say, no cigar. You will both get'em next time. In my opinion, those Stren guys ought to be ashamed of themselves to follow a guy around and try to see his spots/techniques. What... aren't they good enough to find their own fish? I guess not. It is not technically cheating, but it is very unethical in my opinion. Besides, it is not satisfying to mooch someone else's fish. I find alot of pride in finding my own fish and figuring out how to catch them. Don't get me wrong, I always keep my eye out (on the forum and elsewhere) for a clue or a tip or two-- but I wouldn't go so far as following a guy around! Yep, we saw alot of the wrapped boats Saturday. We were keeping an eye on them while we fished just to see if they were catching any fish. We saw one guy catch a dinker Kentucky, but that was it. We were catching them pretty well a few times when a few of them got pretty close to us, and noticed that they were watching us pretty closely as well. It will be interesting to see how they do this weekend. We are going to Stockton so we can stay away from the circus. I hope you are doing well with your health Donna. Hang in there. Whack'em

You should be able to get some nice crappie and walleye to fry up. I'm for that. When and where do we eat?? Just kidding. Good luck and enjoy! We are definitely coming up there this weekend for some bass fishing. If the bass fishing gets slow, maybe we will switch to crappie and walleye ourselves. You've got me hungry now!! Whack'em

We fished Saturday afternoon and had a decent day despite all of the traffic. We launched at Mill Creek and fished within (I would say) 6 miles of the launch ramp the whole trip. After launching the boat, we had a spot in mind that we were going to start on... Nope... a guy was fishing it. Okay, well next spot then... Nope... there was a boat on that one as well... Okay, well next spot... Nope... Well, you get the idea... The sixth spot we went to fish was open... we caught a few there and then had to search for another one of our spots that didn't have a boat on it. It was like that for most of the afternoon. I guess until about 5:30, anyway. Anyway, we ended up getting 26 bass into the boat and had probably 5 more that got off before they could be landed. Alot of small fish-- about half Smallies and half Kentuckies-- with only one Largemouth. The largemouth did happen to be a toad-- 5lbs 9oz. on digital scales. See pictures below... We didn't plan to fish after dark, but we were catching them pretty well right before dark and decided to keep fishing. We caught one Smallie that was pushing 3lbs before dark, but most of our keeper size fish came after dark. We fished until about 8:30PM. I caught the big fish at 8:10PM on a Jig. We caught most of our fish on Jigs (green pumpkin was our best color) and a few on 4" (smoke) grubs. We tried crankbaits too, but with poor results. Most fish were caught on bluff ends with cedars and/or pole timber. All fish were released unharmed. I hope my report helps someone. Thanks to all the guys who report. Whack'em 5lbs 9oz... both pics same fish.

Well I don't hunt... and it is one of the best bass fishing times of the year. Guys can miss out on the good fishing if they want to, but I'm not... I'm fishing. By the way, we went ahead and went down to Table Rock, instead of coming up to Stockton, and did pretty well. We got 26 bass to the boat (not to mention the 4 or 5 that got off) including a 5lb 9oz (weighed on digital scale) toad Largemouth. Boy was that fish strong!! It turned out to be a pretty good day, despite all of the boats... there was a boat on every point and every bank. The bass fishermen down at Table Rock must not have got the memo that they were supposed to be hunting instead. Everybody and their mother was out there. Whack'em P.S. We fished until after dark because we were catching fish, and I caught the 5-9 after dark. Here are some pics. She was released unharmed.

Great. Thanks for the information Dutch. Whack'em

Alot of those guys will run 25 miles or more from the take-off to fish. When you can run 65+ mph, that is no problem at all. A half hour run is not out of the question when you have a 7 or 8 hour tournament. Those guys will spread out into every arm of the lake. Each boater will fish whatever part of the lake he knows the best and/or has received the best information (from locals and reports and such) on. Yeah, the weather looks like it may be iffy for the next couple of weeks... of course, it could change with no notice too... this is the Ozarks, you know. Whack'em

I was wondering the same thing... except for bass. I am going up tomorrow to bass fish... when I checked on here for reports, I could hear the crickets chirping... It doesn't look like anybody is fishing at all, judging from the lack of reports... It should be a great time to catch'em right now too. Good luck finding some crappie Bigfish. Whack'em

Yep... Snakem is right. I know most guys throw spinnerbaits that time of year with great success... I just have a personal preference that, when most guys are fishing spinnerbaits, I fish crankbaits. I just would rather throw cranks-- and I do just as well as the spinnerbait guys almost always. In my opinion it is 6 of one, half dozen of the other most of the time... Either technique should be working well when you get here KC. Good luck! Whack'em

KC, I, by no means, consider myself an "expert" as was the word you used... but I will answer your questions to the best of my knowledge. Keep in mind that there are some real experts on here that you may want to pay attention to instead of me!! 1) Yes, the shallow bite should be very good in mid November. The high water Spring and Summer that we have had is over, and should have no effect on the Fall fishing season. I love to throw crankbaits this time of year, myself. 2) Yes-- In my opinion, shad may be even more of a factor that time of the Fall season than any of the other seasons. When you find the shad, the bass will not be far away. 3) Yes-- In my opinion, you can nearly always find some bass on the points on TR... but you should definitely try back in the creeks in mid Nov. I really like crankbaits on 45 degree banks with chunk rock. That is my 2 cents... It will be interesting to see what other guys say. Good luck! Whack'em

KC, Be sure to take all of your belongings out of your boat at night-- every night. There is always a chance that you could become a victim of theft if you don't-- and it has been widely documented that there have been more than a few thefts on TR this Summer. Please take every precaution against such a travesty-- I would hate to hear that your trip was ruined by these scoundrels. DO NOT TAKE MY WARNING LIGHTLY! This is not just my opinion-- many others will agree with me on this issue. Sorry that I can't help you with your question, but wanted you to be aware of the situation that has and is happening. Have a great trip, and good luck on the water! Whack'em

I don't think alot of this type of thing goes on, but I do know that some guys (who seem to be good guys before and after the tourney) get rude and obnoxious when it comes to competing for fishing spots and such. It is rediculous what some guys will do to catch fish sometimes. I try to only fish in tourneys where the tourney director and his staff don't put up with these kind of antics and will DQ guys who compete unethically in any way. This kind of policing is very hard to do, however, so sometimes you just have to do the best you can to be fair and ethical and you hope everybody else is doing the same. Whack'em

Thanks Bill! Wow. Top notch, as always. I asked for clarification (because I have only targeted the cedars with the last technique you mentioned in Winter-- the stickbait) and you gave us all a great educational post in return. You have proven once again that you are a great asset to OAF-- especially to all of us who need "a little help" now and then! Thanks again and good luck on the water! Whack'em

He wasn't saying that all guys who have Champion Boats are bad... he was talking about those particular fishermen who cut him off and acted rudely. They just happened to be fishing in the "Champion Boat Owners Tourney" the other day-- therefore, they happened to be Champion Owners and members of that organization. I think you missed the point. Whack'em

Bill, We fished Saturday too and we noticed those guys running around like chickens with their heads cut off too. It is amazing to me the amount of guys these days that don't have any sense or common courtesy anymore. Like you said though... I guess it's best just to try to not let it bother you. I appreciate the report as always. I would have made a report myself, but we didn't catch enough to establish a pattern to report about. It was a tough day for us. I have a question about fishing the cedars. You are talking about cedars that stand with their tops above the water surface right? And you are casting as close to the trunks as possible without hitting the wood, right? You said you are using topwaters only... Do you think these fish can be caught with any other types of lures from these trees?... maybe a jig or texas rigged plastic pitched to the trees? Also, do these fish suspend in these trees only when the sun is bright and high in the sky or are these fish going to be there at other times? Sorry for all of the questions, but I have never fished the way you described before and would appreciate some clarification. I appreciate your time and efforts, as always. Whack'em

You're welcome. If you have any questions about how the fishing is or need a tip or two when your trip gets closer, don't hesitate to ask. There are some great guides and others on here that are happy to help and really know what they are talking about. Whack'em