Don House

Nope had to go down to a smaller boat for this season. No room. Still large boat just not the big blue tanker... Found this float and fly video on youtube.. bunch of them out there.. Don

Even better you can run planer boards, hold the swimming grub right at 20 foot and cruise right over them.. Huh?? P.S. Howdy Mr. B!

Looks like Fun Bill.. I was in the local tackle store in Kimberling City on Friday all of the guys were up there just going to town on fly's.. You started something.. see you on the water.. Don

Champ, pro's Lightweight... Con's too much line drag with the small guides, and they don't seem to hold up as well!!! Don't use them if you like to throw blades or cranks.. Easy Fishing Don

Heck don;t have to go over there.. we have them here as well.... Dig in the posts.. Also Dutch better keep that 2-D unit you will need it.. Si is for finding, 2-D is for catching!!! See ya Capt. D

Found what they call the Pike, but after talking to the Water Patrol Captain, he showed my the real pike sitting over at Long Creek Marina.. Some of the coolest things I have found so far was a really neat storm cellar, down in Long Creek.. Can still see the stairs and rails.. Even spent two days looking for a boat that went down in a storm over by Mr. Bablers house for a guy last year, never found it.. The sheet that Sam is talking about is really worth the time, some really good GPS locations of stuff.. Check it out.. We will keep posting items found as the new year moves on!! Good Fishing Capt. D

Darrin, well just like everyone else has talked about, buy what you can afford.. I have owned just about every one that is out there.. Some good some bad.. Two big players of course Lowrance and Humminbird.. I'm still on the Humminbird bus.. For really two reasons, 1) Customer Service is out of this world.. 2) Products that do what they say!! Here are a few things you might want to keep in mine while looking at these units.. 1) What are you going to do with it.. Are you just looking for Water temp and depth? Will help you get the right model, find your basic needs and start looking for that in these models.. 2) Easy of use.. This is a must if it is too hard for you to understand you won't use it.. I compare using my electronic to using a MAC instead of a IBM PC, easy point and click menus, external button for fast screen displays.. Some of my clients will make it too hard, best advise is to just go play with it, you won't break it.. And remember you can always reset back to factory defaults.. 3) Need GPS? Internal or external Need to look at both options, I prefer external but I need more perfection and exact location placement. It does matter.. If not Internal works great.. 4) Screen resolution Best screen resolution that I have found for a basic unit will be in the 640 x 480 for best pixel count and display.. This will allow for great display of your bait going down the screen for drop shot or spoon fishing ect.. 5) Overall power watts.. Unit overall power watts will move up with each unit from 2000 watts up to 8000 watts like in my big unit.. This is one of those more is better... 6) Ease of installation.. Only thing I don't like about Lowrance is all of the cabling wire mess they have.. Don't forget on their SI units there is another transducer to be added along with your 2-d transducer.. little things like that you need to pay attention too.. 7) GPS and Map add-ons.. My life blood.. With my Humminbird GPS I can go down to 10 feet and this is getting better every year.. A Must when you are fishing a deep water tree in the middle of no where.. Plus with the Humminbird I can be on any screen 2-D, SI, DI and move my cursor over and mark a spot even if it is 150 feet away and on my right side... Add-on maps is a nice items as well, but with these units the price does go up, Some units come with pre-loaded maps or one or two SD slots to add a map chip in the unit.. If you want to add-on maps look at units with atleast 2 SD slots.. One for storing data and one for your map chip.. 8) Ad-on Accessories Just about all of these units have some type of add-ons or upgrades, like stronger GPS transducers, SIrus Weather add-ons, Connection between units to share way-points, maps ect... Even with the New Lowrance units I seen the New Ipod adapter to run your Ipod music while you fish.. It is really neat but a very large price too it and a ton more cabling.. But still really cool.. Compare these units side to side internet is a great way to find a lot of information on all products.. Research it.. Find a model and a price and go for it!! Good Fishing and Good Hunting for your new units.. Capt. Don

Selling my Backup Minnkota Fortrex 62" Shaft 101 pound thrust 36V.. Used only once, brand new Fortrex Mount.. Changing boats sizes no longer needed.. Asking 1200.00 with no box.. Questions or pic's email me on this site or at don@bransonfishingguideservice.com

Well Bill see has not much changed on this site.. Still you are the man for coming back.. Great Job by a Really Great Guy and unreal fisherman!!! See you on the Lake Next spring... Capt. D

Looks like Spotted Bass in one large school, maybe Whites I've just never seen schools that large this time of year for the White's.. Really cool shot's,, Mike is doing his job well!! Later D

redbud, yes I will have to dig some up I know I have a few.. Works really good when the fish get in the dock stalls and on the fronts on the cables.. like this time of year, bigger fish are starting to suspended under docks, flipping jigs and spoons can really pay off.. Trick is to stay a steady course at low to med speed in front or on the side of a dock, try not to turn, make a pass reset yourself and make another pass. Slow down your SI screen speed to get really clear shots.. Trying to get out in the morning, heard the fish are in the bushes shallow down around the DAM, going to try to use my SI to find fish up in the bushes and mark them.. Should be fun.. Will post if I get anything really good.. Use it, Play with it, that is the best tool I can offer.. Enjoy.. Don

denjac, mines on the trolling motor and the transom and works just fine.... Love it for peaking in and around docks and checking cables for suspended fish.. Worth every penny... Good Fishing Don

BassAssasin, you should be just fine, October is great down here... How they will be caught, could be topwater, could be jigs, could be spoons... Things are changing too much to tell right now.. But as far as fishing in October fishing really starts to pickup that time of year... As far as guides go, well there are about 25 of us running around this lake at all times... Best bet is to go to the web sites, just use google and search for all of us.. You can make the choice.. Cost should be from 200.00 to 250.00 for a 4 hour guided trip.. 8 Hour trips are around 350.00 for most of us guides... Good Luck and Good Fishing!! Capt. Don House

Doug4You, You can run from Big Cedar to towards the DAM as well.. Fishing all of the main lake points and flats.. Just look for the boats on the points to get an ideal of where everyone is fishing.. Should be Spoons and Jigs... Good Fishing Capt. Don

Danny, could be a few things.. Spring Maybe.. Large Clouds of Great Big Shad maybe... Next time you get this, pause your screen or mark it with your GPS.. This will stop your screen.. Now move your bullseye over to it and hit the zoom button, zoom in and take a look, see if that helps. Next also at the same time start to play with your Sensitivity, see if it changes in any way.. Really need to see a screen dump so next time snap a picture of it so we can see it.. Just remember on Table Rock lower Sensitivity works much better from 2 - 5 max.. Also slow your screen speed down to 1 or 2 that will give you a much more defined picture.. Prop wash will show up right down the center line, and you won't see it very good in the DI mode.. Not much help but a few things to try.. Get that picture and post it would love to see this.. Good Fishing Don

Well that all depends on your money needs... GPS module will work and is cheaper.. That is the most cost effective thing to do.. Now on to the other.. Both models of the humminbird unit you are talking about are very nice units and work very well.. Screen Resolution on the 700 series is just unreal.. Yes they are a smaller unit but in the SI world that screen resolution makes a difference.. Networking is really nice but not really needed unless you are like me and mark ton's of way points everyday. Mark one and it is on both units.. I also share my GPS module with both units and that works very good as well.. As far the distance from the GPS module, yes you can be off like any other unit out there.. But I run the new 3 meter GPS module takes me down to it with ease.. Just the way the HB uses the GPS walks away from any Lowrance unit on the market.. Let me see you on a tree or a brush pile I will motor by you about 150 to 200 feet away and mark that tree you are sitting on, works really cool!! It really boils down to this, do it now or wait until they finally break... Hummm.... Avoid the Christmas rush and just go get the units you want.. You will be happy in the long run.. Question when you get them, just ask.. Installation questions just ask, install just about every model they have.. Very easy to install.. Enjoy and let us know what you do!! Good Fishing Capt. D

Man that never happens to me!!! Love it!! Good Fishing or Site Seeing!! Don

NICE!!!

Mr. B you are welcome. but the real thanks needs to go to Troy Gregg he put me on these guys last night and we were just in the right place at the right time this morning.. Glad everything worked out for everyone.. Ya those boys could fish we had seven triples and a few over 2.5 pounds.. It was a fast and fun time.. Have one more trip in the morning and then a few days off for rest, after my morning trip I will speak up about the hows and where's for everyone else to enjoy... Have a great Night and Good Fishing Everyone.. Capt. D

Well Yes it is weightless Super Fluke on a EWG Number 4 Wide Gap Heavy Wire Hook... By the way YES it did work today again, matter of fact we had the big guys come out and play today... Can't give you exact weight scale went dead after the first one of 4.25 other three were just the same, Plus one really nice small mouth that was just fat.. Broke off and lost too many to even discuss... Had three more that looked like brothers.. Also this really nice Small Mouth as well... This Guy was just puking up crawfish... Belly was just flat over sized.. By the way there are NO fish in the Green Flooded Bushes, None at all!! Weight Less Fluke in Watermelon with Red Flakes.. Fun day for my clients and me as well.. Good Fishing Everyone.. Don

Well that all depends on the area you are fishing... Yesterday we had them pretty good in the bushes around the Indian Point area... Just had too move around alot until you find the pattern of the day... On Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and Yesterday was the fluke, Slow on the main lake points in the morning then we fished flukes in the docks with shade in the afternoon. Bait is just working for me right now.. I know it is going to change just don't know when.. Got to go to work, we will see if it holds again today.. Good Fishing Don

Nice Job Jason!!! Ya I agree those guys are doing alot at night!! Eating, spawning, you name it.. Congrads on the WIN!! Good Fishing Don

Nope you are doing the right thing.... Make sure who you are buying from when it comes to internet buying.. Call them first, biggest mistake I see is that some of these do not come with a transducer... And these guys come with a 200.00 price tag.. So make sure it is a full package before you order.. Besides that, I ordered my last graphs a pair of 997 off of the internet, everything went fine just fine.. Did call the company and talk to a live person to make sure what was in the unit.. Alot of times for us Pro Staff guys it is cheaper to buy from a third party company plus we get them a whole lot faster!! Good Luck and Enjoy your new unit!!! Capt. Don

Rodney, Hello!! Welcome to the Dark Side, we feel it is much better than the BBC. Anyway you can call me from 3:30am to 5:30am any day, If I don't answer leave a message I will get back to you from 3:30am to 5:30am the following day... No really call me after 5:00 pm any day.. And Yes these patterns should hold up pretty well over the next few weeks for you, like Mr B. talks about it is really a free for all right now, just about anything that moves will get you bit.. Ok maybe not anything, but a few really good choices that he brought up... <>< Also make sure when you call Mr. B please tell him that you enjoy sticking BIG Hooks in his new seats and really after you bring that up he will open up and give you great information... Good Fishing Don

Motoman, well I can speak for myself on this one.. Really I don't see a increase of business just because I post information on the OAF site, I have had the ability to take out a few members and that was a great time with all of them.. But really I do this for one reason, Because I like too... When I first started coming down to the rock from KC, I could never find any information on this lake, so I had to do it the hard way, just go fish and I told myself I would try help anyone that asked, just because this lake can be so fickle at times.. I guess you can say I'm giving back what the lake has given me.. Will do it as long as we don't get into that really nasty stuff like we did last year on this board.. Really I'm already blessed with my business and just want to help some folks and have some fun, the rest comes with hard work so I have found!! Good Fishing Everyone.. Capt. Don