Predator1

You got the right idea.....I moved up from Louisiana a few years ago to Springfield, Mo......I still enjoy crawfishing when I go back home to visit....Man.. Bass sure do love crawfish. We used to take the limb clippings and tied them up in a big bundle about 8 feet long and about 4 foot in diameter with some bricks tied to them and sink them off piers....Later we would catch a bunch of crawfish in traps, tripod nets and saines...we would then take a ice chest full of crawfish and dump them in the water over the brush pile...we would then go back 2 days later and catch the mess out of catfish and bass on plastic crawfish jigs around the brushpiles. The best bait other than crawfish bait from Purina is none other than raw-bloody chicken wings..... Call some bait stores in louisiana and they will more than likely ship you the tripod nets by the dozen....just tie the chicken wing to the center of the net....wait an hour or so come back with a 15 to 20 foot pole and lift the tripod net up and you should have some crawfish. The tripod nets work best in calm water. Should you decide to build a crawfish trap... I recommend rabbit wire...same wire you use on the bottom of rabbit cages. Build a 4' x 4' box about 1' tall. make sure only two ends are open. The two open ends are where you will build a ramp funneling in....the concept is so the crawfish can get in but can not get out...same principal as a whoop net for catfishing commercialy. These traps can also be built in the round fashion with either one or each end with a funnel pointed inwards.....make sure you also have a bait bag in the center of the trap to hold the chicken wings in. You can also GOOGLE..CRAWFISH TRAPS.......BASS PRO AND CABELAS now sells them for a reasonable price..plus they our vinyl coated to keep them from rusting.. I too use mostly crawfish jigs when bass fishing...they have never failed me once.....KEEP CATCHN THE BIG ONES Charles E. Jackson

Man, was that muddy or what? I got to Aldrich Bridge to Hunt the Large Mouths again and seen how muddy it was so we changed our plans and went back up the Hwy to get some Chicken Livers. Caught one nice catfish right before dark and nothin after that.....sure was alot of big fish hittin the top of the water.....I left out about 1030pm tonight and just got home from dropping off my brother-n-law Seen some guys with trotline, hope they tore em up. Bet the limb lines would have been great tonight. That FULL MOON was putting off some light tonight. Good Night

DO IT-CANOE IT.....WOW....ITS AWESOME BUT CAN BE DANGEROUS.....I took my stepdad last summer and man was that a trip and a half. We put in at the dam with 3 GATES OPEN at 8AM and paddled at a 45 degree angle to the other side in my OLD TOWNE EXPEDITION. Once you get to the other side the current wasn't as strong so we made it up to the cable and drift fished back..that was a fast drift.....At one point I thought we were going to take a bath. Make sure you have strong paddles. Wear your LIFE VEST for this....it could save your life....also if you are wearing your chest waders while canoeing....make sure to strap your waders tight to your chest........(I learned the hard way 20 years ago on the Chattahoocie river in Georgia when I stepped in a deep hole-my waders filled up with water pretty quick). I use a BUNGE CORD. Make sure to also have a AIRHORN in the canoe with you just in case the fog is thick-if the fog is thick other boats will be using the AIRHORN to warn others of their location while coming up river to drift fish. DO NOT USE AN ANCHOR this close to the dam....the current will suck you under....wait till you are way down river to use an anchor....I use a 15# anchor and also have a rope tied to each end of my canoe so I can fish some good spots like eddies and points. Also, make sure to turn your canoe into the direction of the other boats' wake...this will keep you from flippin. NO FUN TAKING A BATH IN COLD WATER. This will be a very long trip in your canoe, you may want to get out at the State Boat Launch. I cant remember the name of it. SORRY BOUT THAT. Yesterday we had almost 7" of rainfall in Springfield and the JAMES RIVER rose 14' so there will be some gates open at the dam for sure...we have had too much rain this year. But the fish dont mind......Search this forum for earlier reports, alot of guys have been catching smallies, walleye, goggle eye, white bass and trout in the dam area since we have had the recent flooding. I'm glad I'm not a fish. One thing about it in a boat or canoe on Taney....I have never seen so many trout at any give point in my whole life fishing....This is truly one awesome body of water. HANG ON TO THAT POLE. Have a safe canoe trip and be carefull and you will have a great time. Save me a few. Charles E. Jackson Predator1

That Marty Thompson and Bob Bennet guys no what there talking about, that's for sure......I just paid good attention to their reports and added a little Louisiana style to it and the pay back was great. I'm still trying to get the patience to sit on a crappie hole. But I just love hunting those large mouths. The wind last week sure messed us up with the jug lines. I'm going to try out some cats down on the james where it feeds Table Rock. I can't wait to see how much water is pushing through since the rain today. Wish me luck....hope I dont get more than I bargained for with the water. Hope you and Marty tear'em up. Save me a few.

I bought my minnows on Hwy 123 about 1 or 2 miles south of Aldrich bridge. The folks there are real polite. Good luck, dont catchem all. Charles E. Jackson

Directions to Aldrich Bridge; From Springfield, take Hwy 13 North from springfield.....turn left onto Hwy 215 North....follow 215 for several miles till you get to Hwy 123 which will take you to Aldrich Bridge....it's about a 1 hour drive from springfield. Sorry I dont have the exact miles for this trip on each turn.....real easy to drive this way. Hardly any traffic in the morning. Good luck fishing.....Bank fishing from Aldrich has been real good with medium size minnows if you are crappie fishing, dont know about the blue gill. I also saw a youn man recently catching 4lb catfish off the bank on dead minnows with a cork. Hope yall catch em. Charles E. Jackson

I fished the Aldrich Bridge area Saturday morning and there were two men fishing all night to the left of the landing. They said they had caught their limit on crappie and gave some away so they could catch more. The Bank fishing has paid off for alot of people in the last week. I got to the Aldrich Bridge Landing at 6:00 am Saturday morning....we set jug lines out South of the bridge and North of the bridge While we waited for the catfish to hook on we fished for the Large Mouths. I caught one keeper on a watermellon sinko with no weight and a 5.0 hook on 8lb test line in about 3 feet of water. One of my buddies caught one bass on a 1/4 oz white spinner in about 4 feet of water. We then had one catfish about 4lbs. on the jug and spent a while collecting the rest of the jugs in the willow trees in the middle of the lake....the wind definately won. No more catfish all day. Our other fishing partner caught a few crappie on the new Banjo Minnow. We caught a few more bass in 10ft of water on brown and red spinner baits with gold spinners. I my self caught a couple more through back bass on the watermellon sinko. The Saturday before...one week ago i caught 8 bass on jigs with crawfish trailers and 5.0 hooks on 12lb test, One fish was a 18" keeper at 4lbs. in the willow trees and the other 7 were through backs, all between 13" and and right under the 15" minnimum. Maybe next weekend will be better.