J-Doc

Oh I think you're on to something there!!!! :-) My motor is an 85hp with a. 17 pitch prop. Prop pitch can make a difference. You have what... a 150 and I'm guessing a 22-33 3-blade prop? You're naturally going to move faster at idle than I would. Not much, just enough to notice for trolling. I avg between 2.2-2.6mph trolling at idle. If I lower the trolling motor, trim all the way down, it's 1.9-2.1mph. My motor is loud too. All Evinrude/Johnson's are loud. Lol! Ever since "you know who" turned me to the dark side of trolling, my heart hasn't been in it to bass fish exclusively. Now it's, if it's got gills it's hooked. My son had a big 4ft gar a few months back. He's a gar finatic now. Wants to get another one. It's all F&F's fault!! I mean "you know who"......(snickering)

First.. Fish and ski go together like peanut butter and rib eye steak. :-) Look at a troller plate. It flips down behind the prop while trolling. ..Heck drop your trolling motor down and lower your trim all the way down. That will slow you down some. Might even trying dragging a drift sock directly behind the boat within like 10ft. Tie to both tie downs with your ski rope. :-)

Kicker motor. Under $2k new. Find a used one cheaper maybe

I’d like to know that myself. I heard they were going to be shut down for over a year so I doubt it’s back up and running. It’s managed by the AGFC. You could call the local office and find out. Let me know if it’s open and upload a report if you go. I’d be willing to bet the fishing is not so good. Although, this cold front may have them fired up really good.

That sounds like a lot of gear shifting to me. I'd opt for the kicker motor. Or a trolling plate over the prop. I can't believe I'm seriously considering a deep v with a kicker motor as my nee boat. Equipped with Cannon downriggers, etc. F&F is rubbing off on me. It's like gum on your shoe. Can't get it off of you. Hahahaha

There are ramps that are not owned/managed by the Corp of Engineers. I don't know who "owns" the 12 bridge ramp but it's open. Who said you can't be on the water legally unless you have a docked boat?

And he threw it back. :-) Joe's a bit softy that way (nothing wrong with that btw Joe). I myself......have been turned on to the tasty flakey white meat and cannot turn down ole "Mr. Snaggletooth" if he measures 18" or over! LOL! What I used to get angry about catching (when I was strictly a "bass-guy") is now a welcome invitee into my livewell. Besides, those suckers are just fun to catch!! Fighters!

Nah......those sonar pics show a lot of crappie. He's just lucky like that. Lol! I'm going to try it myself soon this week.

Ya'll let me know when and where the fish are biting and I'll go catch em' while ya'll compare opinions. BAZINGA!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Haha you're funny. I bet you grease the wheelchairs down at the old folks home too. ;-p

Dang smart phones. My new one thinks it needs to capitolize the word "have" every time I type it.

According tongue news tonight, ramps will stay open. Campers will suffer however. Just when I was wanting to make a camping trip too.

Lmao!!!!!! I heard it will only last a few days as history has typically shown it happened this way in years past.

So that's pretty much...........all Army Corp of Eng. ramps correct? Would it affect the private launch at Hickory Creek? What about Prairie Creek? That could kill the PC Marina shop and JJ's rest. there at the Marina. That means it's prime real estate parking at old ramps and roads that offer a ramp or access to water. Talk about having to get there EARLY for a parking spot. Man this is going to be terrible. At least ski-boat season is winding down.

GRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR................................. So not cool.

No what I'm talking about is using an actual "fishing to yo". It's a metal case with fishing line. Tie it to a tree, set a bait when the fish takes the bait it sets the hook and pulls back like a spring and keeps the fish infill the person comes back to check it. It's like jug fishing but it's tied to a tree. You don't have to chase down the jug. this why I said lazy. I am wrong in calling it lazy because it's a lot like a trot line I guess. My overall point is that we should all strive to be courteous to each other as anglers. Lord knows the ski boat owners sure won't do the same. :-)

No beer on Beaver Lake btw. A) dangerous and B ) illegal I watch the graph two rod tips (I can't troll more than two yet (yes in rod holders) I watch the gps map to follow a particular depth for that contour line I also watch the map for other places to try next to maximize my catch if not seeing fish on graph I stay busy. Too busy for ball scratchin' ;-)

I live to feel bites too. When that's not working (for whatever the reason) I'll try trolling because I watch my graph, cover a lot of water faster. If I pass over fish and don't catch any trolling after passing over them a few times, I stop and try a spoon. I go to catch fish. I enjoy catching more than feeling bites! Lol

Oh and trolling this summer has taught me more about my lake, more about multi-species other than just bass alone and I've even learned a lot more that I can use towards casting. I think it has made me a better all-around angler with more knowledge and understanding. Dropping a bait behind the boat and dragging it all "random" with no rhyme or reason is the ULTIMATE form of junk fishing. NOT trolling. Think of trolling as a commercial fisherman such as a Louisiana shrimp boat captain, or a lobster boat captain. They must know where to go to find the forage, what to use, depth, seasonal patterns, etc. Trolling intelligently is much more challenging than dragging a bait behind the boat. It's quite the opposite and I thank Feathers&Fins for being a mentor to a new technique that has opened my eyes to more than just "bass fishing". I love and enjoy all kinds of fishing techniques that I've never tried before or wanted to. I welcome all types and techniques now. It's almost like I'm a kid again as the passion for fishing is very similar to when I picked up a Zebco 33 and a tackle box, rode my bike to a neighbors pond and fished my little heart out for brim and catfish. There...........that was the added tip to the post above. LOL!

Call me a pacifist but...... If fishing of any method or on any vessel type leads to a fight, damaging someone or their property..........then you need to find a different hobby. Fishing is a fun sport and something we all want to pass along to our kids and it's something that should be relaxing. We all make mistakes, we all get on each others nerves from time to time. Lord knows I loath some pleasure boaters and jet-skis that have "0" ounces of common sense and no boating law or etiquette knowledge whatsoever. We are all human and as stated earlier, when there is over 10,000 acres of water to look for fish, I say "whoever was there first has the privilege to a selected area". As for how large of an area, that's completely debatable. I say, if you see someone trolling, know they are probably working a shoreline probably within 200yrds long. If you see rods hanging over the side, they are definitely trolling. Here's a bigger gripe..........if you are on plane and see someone with rods out............STAY OVER 100FT AWAY FROM THE BOAT AT REST!!!! - Don't cross their lines - Don't drive by within 100ft or less because it can be DANGEROUS to the boat at rest as YOU ARE RESPONSIBLE FOR YOUR WAKE!! (Sorry..........too many ski boats have done this to me this year) As a newbie to the trolling game, I still "gear fish" as fishinwrench calls it (being the fly angler he has become). Trolling is by no means "easy" or for anglers that don't know how to fish. On the contrary I believe after learning and trying it a bit myself this summer. I've learned it's quite the opposite and more challenging than "gear fishing". I can troll the entire lake and waste a lot of fuel, time, and lose a lot of money in baits. You have to know what to troll with, what depth range, what type of terrain to look for, where the fish are, what color works better than another color, speed, amount of line behind the boat, depth, etc. It's a plethora of knowledge being applied to a METHOD of fishing. Methods of fishing (only listing a few to make a point here) - Casting (done by majority of all anglers from the 4yrd old with a Scooby Doo rod to the Pro Bass anglers) - Fly fishing (a bit of a minority but many consider to be superior to other types of fishing and can be more productive at times) - Yo-yo's (now this is a lazy man's method and illegal on some waters) - Jug lining - (the "all you can eat buffet" approach) - Trot lines (I think we all know what that is - opinions vary) - Trolling (what I used to feel as "cheating" or what some feel as "what inexperienced anglers do") This is a very in-depth knowledge based form of fishing and requires a lot of understanding and it can be a lot of work especially when fishing more than one line, using downriggers, planner boards, etc. It can be frustrating too. With that being said......is it rude and worthy of a fight if: A) Someone pulls into an area where there are jugs floating around in a cove and you cast around the jugs? (if someone is monitoring their jugs per law....could be considered rude) Someone has a trot-line set that is clearly marked with hi-vis trail marking tape or some sort of identifier - is it rude to fish their area? Maybe.....maybe not C) Someone is in a kayak and you come balls-out blazing into the quiet area with your bow trimmed up pushing a massive wake upon them and then you jump in front of them, fish for 10 mins, then leave pushing another wake on the poor angler or non-angling kayaker? YOU'RE DARN RIGHT!!!! Point is........be courteous to each other, use some common sense and if someone is a jerk.......just ignore it and move on. It's not worth it. Don't let it sweat you, don't let it get under your skin and try to enjoy your time on the water. Lord knows I need to take my own advice as the pleasure boaters are among the most rude of all. Mainly because they don't know any better at all. Well.......that's my $.2 cents.... $5.78 worth of opinion (long post so I added inflation, taxes based on current economy and Obama care impacts)

LOL! Well.....he's beat me several times. I get to beat him on occassion. :-)

We saw the boats assembling at 12 bridge when F&F and I drove by. The bite was definately slow today. We saw several bass boats go by us toward the dam.

Here is dinner! :-) Here is a nice 2-3lb smallmouth. Fought like a 4-5lb walleye. Little bulldogs they are!

Water Temp: 76ish near the FLiffty Area (if I recall correctly) Clarity: Maybe 3-4ft? (We stayed in deeper water so I am guessing on clarity) Weather: Partly Cloudy and on rare occassions, sunny before the front blew in 6:30am to about 1:15pm I got an education on downriggers and striper fishing this morning with Feathers&Fins. Striper fishing was slow.....we were surrounded by the striper guides and only a few boats caught any fish even though there were lots of stripers around. Naturally, F&F caught a striper. Should be a lot stronger bite in the coming weeks. After giving the stripers a try, we moved on to "Downriggers 099". I say "099" because it was the remedial course for basic "101"! LOL! F&F set us up on a run with the downriggers out and trolling the infamous Flicker Shads. Wind was picking up and by the time we called it a day (due to the wife bugging me wanting me to head home), we managed to boat some nice quality crappie for dinner, a nice 2-3lb smallie, a white, a small striper and a wanna-be kentucky bass. He's a wanna-be becuase he wanted to be part of the party even though he was only 8" long. haha Fresh crappie fried up for dinner was great!! Makes me wonder why anyone goes to eat fish at a restaurant when you can catch it yourself, cook it, and it's far better home-made. After this trip............I'm VERY much a fan of downriggers. When the fish go deep, get lockjaw and don't want to bite anything including live bait, downriggers are a great option. You can continue to cover a lot of water much faster than casting and reach the fish that are out of reach of deep diving crankbaits, lockjaw fish that won't bite drop shots, etc. Thanks again to Feathers&Fins for the training session. Oh and my wallet says "Screw you" because I must buy downriggers soon. LOL!!

If I were to guess, anything above the 12 bridge. I think it takes light penetration and clear water to allow algae to bloom.