Whack'emGood

I believe all of this talk is moot... no offense to anyone, of course. I grew up in this area, fishing these lakes (in the 80s and early 90s), and I remember having our livewell checked fairly often back then. By the way, I never minded, as I am very much in favor of a prominent MDC presence at the lake. I gladly follow the rules (I never keep bass anyway), and I wish each and every fisherman would follow the rules that the MDC sets. I moved away from the area for about 13 years, and then was finally able to move back home. Since I got back to the area, I have been fishing both Table Rock and Stockton pretty regularly. Of all of the hours that I have spent on those lakes during the past 5 years or so, I have yet to be checked by the MDC. I have heard the reasons for this... MDC lacks funding to put agents to work on the water, etc. However, I am very saddened to know that, if they aren't checking me, then they probably aren't checking many others (if any) either. Common sense tells me that it doesn't matter what the rules are... if they aren't enforcing them, then they aren't going to be effective. I don't know how much this lack of enforcement effects Table Rock, but I always wonder how good a bass lake Stockton could be if the rules were enforced up there. The majority of the fishermen that fish Stockton are meat fishermen. There's nothing wrong with that, of course, but I often wonder how many of them catch a bass or six now and then and keep them (whether they're 15 inches plus or not). Don't get me wrong, I know the majority of crappie/walleye fishermen (or meat bass fishermen) are knowledgeable and law abiding folks. I still wonder how many sublegal bass are kept out of Stockton (or Table Rock, for that matter) throughout a year period, all because people know they will never be checked by MDC. Whack'em

Man, that was awesome. You just asked for advice, and got 3 Table Rock walleye Gurus to reply with good stuff. Way to go guys. This kind of thing is what makes OAF so great... it's cool to see. Whack'em

Definitely a largemouth... a nice one too. Congrats!

+1 on Joe and the boys. Those guys really care (as do I) about taking care of the fish. They do a great job... some of these tourney organizers could learn more than a thing or two from Joe. Whack'em

This is probably true, but sad. If I pay good money for something like this, I expect it to work for more than 3 years... and if it starts having a problem, I would expect it to be repairable. Lowrance shouldn't make a product that they are going to deem unserviceable just three years later. Companies shouldn't be selling "disposable" products, unless they are selling them for a "disposable" price. Three years from now, what if Lowrance won't service a malfunctioning HDS unit that someone buys new today for $2,500+? It makes me leery, to say the least. Whack'em

Good points have been made about not being able to release water from TR because there is nowhere to put it downstream... touche. This makes good sense. I guess dealing with a disaster like this is just a tough job... no matter how you look at it. Whack'em

I agree with Nitroman. The Corp doesn't seem to know how to manage much of anything lately. I don't like to be negative... but they are failing miserably. Whack'em

I am not replying because I have answers. I don't. However, I wanted to say-- judging from your post, you are a class act Vernon. I hope you get the answers you need. I hope you get to have your trip, and that it is a success. Whack'em

Hey Don. Thanks for the info. I am looking to get a Humminbird Si unit in the near future. I was debating on whether to put the transducer on the trolling motor, or on the transom. This switch sounds like it will solve my decision problem. Exactly what kind of switch box do you use, and how easy is the switch box to set up? Thanks. Whack'em

Thanks Don. As always, good to hear from you on here. Keep on catchin' em. Whack'em

Hey T. He's right about Joe Gettle. There isn't a better guy around, and he really knows how to run a first class local tourney series. He's also about as good as there is of a night fisherman on Table Rock. Take your fishing partner down and have some fun T. Be sure to show up plenty early and shoot the breeze with the boys... great bunch of guys. I hate it too Jason. This OTR Trucking is for the birds. I am going to start looking for a local/regional job this Summer sometime. Maybe I can get something else in time to fish the last few weeks or so for this year... and get back into the full schedule next year. Good luck this year Jason... have fun! Whack'em

It is a great series T... ran great by great people. A great bunch of guys fish it, and a lot of them are among the best of the best when it comes to night fishing on Table Rock. I fished it for 3 years, but wasn't able to fish in it last year- being on the road and all. I wish I was going to be home to fish it this year, but I'm not. You would love it T. Whack'em

I like to fish a 10" texas rigged worm during the hotter Summer months at night. It is one of my favorite rigs to fish. 6" texas rigged worms will catch fish on Table Rock too... during the Spring and Fall. During those times, I almost always go with a texas rigged craw instead though. Whack'em

I use 15 lb fluorocarbon, no problem. Fluoro is invisible, even in Table Rock clear water. Definitely do not use mono on Table Rock during the day. I even use fluoro at night, but I know a lot of guys have great success with fluorescent mono at night on TR. Whack'em

Keep on eye on every report and comment by Mr. Babler. That would be my suggestion. Good luck!

+1 on the Rapala scales. Not expensive, and always accurate and reliable for me.

Congrats Bill! Way to go.

Well stated... on all accounts.

What a pig! Looks like it might be even bigger than you estimated, in my opinion. Way to go!

Way to go man!... and thanks for the release. She'll spawn us up some more future big'uns soon.

Well, unfortunately, it grows in The Rock. Hopefully, it won't be as bad as it was last year. Maybe it will die off quickly this year, as the water warms.

Congrats Bills!

7.26

We've caught a handful of Meanmouths over the past few years, with a few of them being 15-16 inchers... just another bass to me. Fun to catch, and nice to release.

Definitely Goggle-Eye.