J-Doc

54-55 in Prairie Creek. That could change by 2-3 degrees by Saturday morning and become 50-51 if this cold front is as cold as they are predicting.

That would be a very accurate assessment! I was very happy! Like she said when I said "I'm sorry". Her response was "no you're not!" LOL! Yep, I'm not really. hahahaha

And she will probably land a lunker. And I will laugh so hard. Lol!! Good for her. Hope y'all catch em. I'll share in for as I get it.

Anyone got any feedback on this? I assume the far east end of the lake near the State Park is considered "clear water" generally correct?

My thoughts exactly. Just less wordy. LOL

What speed are you getting with the 19? Rpm? I run a 19 3-blade on my 85hp Rude and switched to a 17 with more cup to get less prop slip (can't lower my motor any more so this was best option). Surprised to read you have a 19 currently. I would have guessed 21 at least.

Having a motor of this era and manufacture type, you need to be able to achieve at least 5,000 rpm or you are bogging the motor and that's not good. I believe 5,500 is the max recommended rpm range. My manual states it's not reaching maximum horsepower until 5,000 rpm. I suggest you contact fishinwrench and provide some detailed specifics. This era of outboards is his bread and butter.

Excellent tips Bill. Thanks very much for the info! Are the crappie spots shown on the maps in the stickys on this forum still good spots in that area? I'll be fishing 2 days so I may swap from one bite to the other. Whichever is biting best is what I will chase.

For the love of Pete man! If you're on the bank throwi g an a-rig, why don't you just take $15 and throw it in the lake. Holy cow. Those things snag anything and everything. That's a boat bait fir sure. You will lose every one you own from the bank. I use 50lb braid and reel down and pull back while holding the reel and pulling us I g the reel so it doesn't strain the reel seat on the rod. Usually, the hook straightens and pulls loose. Sometimes, it doesn't and you have to go get it from the boat. I even have a special bait retriever made for a-rigs. If you're on the bank, you're at the mercy of location. Live minnows are you're best bet. Can't tell you on location. I don't have a clue.

From personal experience with Nissan (extensive), and as a former moderator for a technical support forum for Nissan, I'd say "avoid" that venture. They've been debating on this release for many years and we all know, the first design release always has kinks to be worked out. Also after taking me two days to change spark plugs on my old Frontier and stringing together 3 extensions with 2 swivel sockets to get to the plugs and having the ceramic break abd fall into my head...... I'd shy from Nissan. Their vehicles have very strange and odd electrical problems that are hard to diagnose and resolve. Radios going out continuously, odd AC electrical problems in Maxims, etc. Not saying all Nissans are bad by any means. But when one goes bad, it stays bad. I loved my truck. Had to let it go and I hated that. Also, I don't trust their engineers. The lack of coordination between engineers was apparant when changing spark plugs which should have been a 30min task. You have to remove the intake just to pull a knock sensor too. Lots of "dumb" design decisions. Just my opinion. Doesn't make it gospel. No offense to any Nissan owners. I was once a very prowd proponent of Nissan but hafter reading hundreds of threads on electrical problems as a moderator, I changed my opinion.

Lol!! Nice. Guess I shouldn't mention I was fishing 52 degree water on Beaver Lake today. It's tough here too.

What is the water temps near the State Park end if the lake (far east). I assume 43-44? Where is 50-55 degree water?

Always wanted to give it a try. With the Elites in town, I'm making the drive up, staying at Liley's Landing, and going to chase some fish. I'll go for whatever is biting best and closer to Phil's area of the lake. I don't want to drive (boat or by truck) all over to the west side of the lake when I can fish the east side. I've looked at the maps linked above. Gives me some ideas of places to check. If crappie are biting, if love to catch some. However, I'd really like to see what these big ole Table Rock bass are like. Last several weeks have been tough it seems. I've been following some of the fishing reports here. Seems it's been tough on multiple lakes with this ling winter. Any tips, advice you van share is most appreciated. I willdo the same if any of you ever want to fish Beaver Lake. Oh, I'll be glad to catch stripers too if you k or of some locations, (PM me info). That stuff should stay quiet. Lol

I agree. That's pretty much what I said. I forgot to mention earlier I pulled an older 96 model 19' Ranger with a 200 Venom (heavy boat) with a newer Tacoma like my current one. It was no race winner by any means and it hated it. It could do it in theory but not practical. A vehicle needs to be able to both pull and stop efficiently. And safely! Sounds Luke you have your answer on 4wd vs AWD. Both are solid platforms for snow weather and sticky situations.

^^ Yes definately. Thank you to Phil and to Clay both. I'll definately want several. Possibly 4. (if that's not too many) I'll be making my first visit/trip to Liley's Landing this coming weekend for the Elite Tournament. Hope to meet Phil and say "hi" and "thanks" in person.

Weight of what you're towing is the most critical part. You need to be more than "pretty sure" on what you're getting. Once you know what you're getting and dead set on it, match the vehicle to the weight you're pulling. When a vehicle is rated to pull XXlbs, stick with it. Anything over or close to being over is too dangerous and in my opinion (I'm sure you have as much or way more experience on towing than I), you really want a vehicle that is rated almost double what you're pulling. Double capacity = better mileage economy. Full capacity of towing capability = sluggish, over-reving of engine, and terrible economy. As for my Tacoma, turning radius is INCREDIBLY better than a Tundra. They gave me a Tundra loaner one day. Felt like I was hauling lumber on a flatbed truck again back in my college days. Monster sized truck and turning radius is terrible. So was the ride. (no offense). My little Tacoma rides nice, easy to jump around town, etc. So a Tacoma or 4Runner is a good option for a heavy rig. For a lighter rig, AWD is a good option but not what I would want for long hauls. I'd rather have the horsepower and towing capacity than the AWD comfort. My boat supposedly weights 800lbs per what little I can find on manufacturer. I laugh at that. She's every bit of 1,200 I'm guessing and when you add motor and trailer, I'm guessing I'm pulling closer to 2,200+. My Tacoma does pull it just fine around town and to the lake. Pulls it good on the interstate too but once you start towing up to 70mph, your gas gauge hangs a 8lb trolling weight on the needle. I burned up a full tank easy (maybe 1.2 tanks) towing it up to fishinwrench's place on Lake of the Ozarks. She really hated the interstate driving at 70-75mph max. Probably 12mpg is what I figured. I get 20mpg normally on interstate driving and 20-22 on highway. Towing in town is barely noticable difference on gas mileage. Pulling a coffee house Scott????? Really??? One thermos classifies as an entire coffee house?? LOL!

As fast as the ski boat traffic. That way we blend in and no one notices that we are actually fishing. Lol!! Kidding... 1.5-3.5mph with 2-2.5mph being the staple. Typically 100-150ft of line out. Read the dive chart on the back of the package. 150ft out will give the max depth range.

Before I knew what it was............................I thought that exact same thing. Now i know its the same as fishing with a rod. You're just using the boat/motor as the reel. :-)

Honestly, I can't fish for bass like I used too. Too boring. If I am not catching, I get bored really quick. WIth trolling, it can be a methodical process and you're watching the graph/chart constantly. It keeps you busy. Yes, you can lose some baits if trolled shallow. You just chalk it up as a loss if it doesn't pop loose and reel in the line and tie on another if it snaps off. If trolling with two rods, you still have one in the strike zone. I still bass fish "normally" but not nearly as much as I used too. As it was taught to me, trolling finds active fish. Once found, you can stop and pick them apart with other methods. Trolling also tells you what the fish are relating to, what depth you can find them in, etc. I find it even more difficult to just blindly roll up to a cove and start fishing a few docks, points, etc. I have no idea if there are fish there or not and typically, there are not enough active fish there for me to mess with. If I have a target depth and some sort of pattern I know fish are relating to, I can select my target areas and depth and then I usually find fish. If I know they are there and see them on the graph, I can fish till I get a bite and not get bored. It's watching a blank graph that sends my ADHD into orbit now. Surgeon General's Warning: Trolling can be habit forming and is bad for your wallet. :-)

Well said. I here the comments about too WWE and other stuff. I'm one of the guys that likes the show. People have opinions. They are always ready and willing to share theirs. I personally feel BASS is trying to grow the sport and appeal to new generations to grow the sport. Nothing wrong with that. People that don't like how BASS handles things probably don't like Zona or GMan. Gerald is a class act. Crazy ole country boy from Bama. Funny personality is entertaining. So is Zona. It's entertainment. There are a lot of folks that like the antics. It appeals to multiple generations and offers a little humor. Otherwise, it could be like watching golf if everyone looked like Jeff Dunham's "Walter". Lol

DITTO!! NO! (please and thank you).

I have both read (fans comments) and talked to a few folks and they all say that KVD is truly a cool fella. Stacey King said he had a real "hoot" making those BPS commercials. My favorite is the alarm clock. Look that up on Youtube for the out-takes. Those are better than the commercials! There are some pros who can be a jerk. But most of the more famous ones are used to the attention and have risen above and learned to cope with the pressure and attention. Most no longer want the attention because it's a distraction and a hassle I'm sure (I'm guessing this anyway). It just seems to me that they handle it really well once you meet them in person. Most are always more than willing to sign something, talk to you, offer advice, take a photo, etc. I asked Edwin Evers what his opinion was on jigs and jig trailers..........his response was priceless! "Man I don't know..........I just tie on a jig and throw it. If it isn't green pumpkin or black, I usually just experiment and let the fish tell me. I don't get too caught up on the color patterns". (honest answer and smiling when he said it) :-)

What RPS said. I haven't tried casting on a spinning rod ....(yet) but when fish are on a particular pattern, I could see them working as castable baits as well. For trolling, they are great. Rapalas work great too but more expensive. Hurts when you break off a $7-8 bait and a plug knocked won't get it out because it's about 20ft down and wrapped up in a brush pile.

I have no problem with the factory hooks. Darn sharp. Snag every stick in the lake!

You shouldn't have mention that. Scott will be visiting you very soon now. Lol I still pay $4 a bait retail. I'm jealous!!!