FishinCricket

X2 Small floating crankbaits like the teeny craw or the bitsy minnow are perfect choices... Not only do the work like gangbusters but they float when you aren't cranking them, so you're much less likely to get hung up on the bottom.. Even when you are cranking them, they are bumping the bottom with their bill, not the hooks...

Yeah, I hear that Hitler was an avid fisherman... lol (not to compare Gov. Nixon to Hitler, but it's a valid point)

If I may: The guy was also quite obviously less than "intelligent" (considering he couldn't put two and two together), some of us (myself included) don't tolerate ignorance well.. Especially when I rears it's ignorant head while we're trying to relax and feeeeesh!!!

I have never caught a fish like that in my life... That's awesome!!!

That's a pretty neat photo, Andrew!!

I wonder how many people will read this and not understand it... lol "Crank it faster Johnny, the big ones are still on bottom!!"

I see absolutely nothing wrong with that... Sometimes it's the old timey methods that work the best... Like dynamite.

Nah, an outboard would leave ya dragging every riffle... That boat is a 16x36 and, stripped down, it drafts in about 2 inches of water.. We still bumped rocks in most of the riffles.. Good luck!

Yuppers, that was the main reason for the photo, buddy... And even that photo doesn't do the fish justice, you could tell he'd been in the wild for a while... Fought like it too!!

I'm just crankin yer chain, the feeshin was AWESOME!! Fished Bennett to NRO with SWMOWayne yesterday, that dude is as cool as the other side of the pillow, man... We we on the water by 8 am and were swarmed by floaters by 9:30... Wayne wasted absolutely no time in picking up his first stocker: He even picked up a smallie on that funky fly he was flippin: We made it down to the island and the hole below it produced a few strikes, but then we got into smallmouth mode.. The hole in front of Danceyard had some big smallies sitting in it, but they weren't interested in the x-raps and the floaters were inundating us, so we chickened out and headed downstream to the two big holes above the picnic table run, where I always see big smallies patrolling the deep blue spots. We dropped anchor and worked those holes over with 4 or 5 different colors of x-rap, but no takers.. As canoe #115 floated by I said "Wayne, you know ol Glen would be chiding us about not breaking out the worms yet" And with good reason! First cast with a worm: One of Waymes first few casts wit de werm: We caught goggleye and several small smallies over the next couple holes, plus we stopped and worked over wrench's favorite hole in the picnic table run, it produced several strikes as well as our first trout on the flies.. I was using Wrench's bead head crackleback and then a dark olive woolie bugger with a big shiney green bead head on it when we got to turkey run.. Wayne hooked a couple really decent fish as we drifted down toward Turkey run, they I spotted our lunch spot, halfway down turkey run: We had a Prosciutta and Mozzarella roll, a half a turkey and a half a ham sandwich from the Lil Country Store Deli as well as some Nutter Butters.. As you could have guessed by the looks of that run in the photos, the feesh were feeding there, and we caught several by swinging buggers and such: The tailout of Turkey Run had some really pretty log structures and such in swift water, we managed to drag up a few more smallies out of these holes, including Waynes FOTD: As you can tell by the photo, Wayne's about all tuckered out at this point. It took another hour for me to figure this out, and we headed for the hills. It was an absolute pleasure and a blast, Brother!! I agree that we need to make this a habit....

Indeed, "firing a riffle" would be difficult, seeing as how they are filled with water... Now a rifle, on the other hand... (riffle, as in the stretch of river between a pool and a run... Who knew an extra F could make that much difference in the context?)

Oh, yeah, I totally forgot to mention how awesome you guys were.. It should just be a given that if I'm reporting about the 11PT, I'm most likely utilizing the fantastic services of the one and only Eleven Point Canoe Rental!! (working on organizing a winter Smallie trip, I'll let you know)

How do you negotiate a riffle, Mitch? Head first? :wink:

Patty wanted to float, so we headed down to Alton this past Sunday AM amid peals of thunder and various patches of fat, sparse rain drops... The radar indicated (and the sky confirmed) that the system we observed had slid past and left us healthy overcast by the time we had put in at Greer at around 10 am... We immediately got into the trout and established a pattern with the teeny craw and the rainbow swimmer She bought: I think she got the best of me, folks, with this one ... (a photo for those of you with a foot and fish fetish, like Sherwood) It was a beast!!! (I did my dead level best to put her into every sweet spot I could find, she's very good at taking instructions!) One of these: And one of these: In hindsight I shoulda spent just a little more time on one of those rootwads and I coulda completed the 11pt grand slam with a goggleye! Oh well, such is life, eh? We floated to Turner Mill and I gotta say I wish the Niangua had been managed similarly... We easily hooked over 15 trout apiece, and only a few of those were small.. I'd say the average fish today was 14 inches!! They were in ALL the suspect spots, if I'd have had the Slo Nuff or an anchor (and an extra hour or two to spare) I coulda seriously slayed em!! There was a fair amount of jetboat traffic, but only one was an butt that would pace us and used his jet to maneuver while he fished... Then had the nerve to ask "You catching anything?" Diving into those deep holes was very refreshing!! Some of the camping spots on the float down are absolutely spectacular... And are definitely situated in the right spots to fish the next morning!! Here's a photo of Mary Decker shoals, we stopped there for about a half hour and those boulders produced 4 or 5 strong fighting feesh... Anyway, it was fun and it made me remember how much some of you on the OAF live vicariously through others, so I thought I'd share.. (that and I don't wanna be accused of being a non-contributing, cartoon character quoting rabble-rouser who isn't worth his weight in nickels... )

Indeed, Bro... Although I'd venture to guess that, with my 15 year pack/day + habit, the damage has already been done... Nonetheless, I'm in it for the long haul at this point... I did find a potential negative of quitting nicotine: apparently it was the only thing holding my memory together!

Some of you may remember me posting last Summer about my switch from "real" tobacco to "e-cigarettes".... Well I'm happy to inform you that today will be one year and 6 months since that transition, and it couldnt have worked out better!! Since switching I have: Cut back to zero nicotine dosages Cut back drastically on the physical use of the "apparatus" Saved myself a total of $2,456 (after e-cig expenses, as compared to paying carton prices at 1 pack/day, Camel Lights) Am now spending less that $5 per month on the supplies to perpetuate my "e-cig" habit Increased my strength, stamina and lung function (unfortunately my belt size increased slightly as well, ) Set a goal of walking away from the apparatus all together by the 2 year mark As it is I currently go all day without a "smoke", and I have figured out that (now that I am no longer addicted to nicotine) the cravings I used to get when I saw or smelled someone smoking a Camel have dissipated to the level of "barely noticeable" Anyway, just thought you'd all be happy to hear that... Cheers!!

:sigh: Good post Al.. I always say no one has ever tipped bumping into an obstacle head on at a speed of 1 inch an minute! Also, the best possible advice is much simpler.. When in doubt get out of the boat and walk it through the safe side. PS FWIW, spinning around backwards into the eddy (example photo 1) is my main method for fishing the opposite side. I've laid into some massive fish holding in those spots.. You look much less ridiculous when the person in the front of the boat is flippin his fly the whole time..

Definitely welcome.. We need more friendly folks to take all the rest of us bums feeeshin!

4 words, Bob... Enunciate!

Correct on both counts... :still_shaking_head:

I knew I missed one... Shoulda looked it up!

I'm not.. I'm begrudgingly desirous, green-eyed and even covetous! Glad you made it safely Al... Did you hear about the truck full of thesaurus's that overturned on your house after you left? I'm told your neighbors were shocked, upset, appalled, aghast, astounded, dismayed and traumatized..

Seriously, that ain't even funny... It's sad more than anything. I blame the parents. :shaking_head:

Dang, laughing at a "friend" behind their back? Harsh, dude.. (I only do that to TroutCommander, I laugh in the face of the rest of em.. lol) Oh, snap!!! Don't sugar coat it, tell him whassup, Wrench. One things for sure someone needs an brief education in basic science and maybe just a short tutorial on politics...

Trout feed at night too... As for the gravel bar being "available for camping during the weekdays", it's kinda first come first served... I dunno who owns the adjacent land..