CaptainJoe

Phil, Please save me one of the magnetic bumper stickers. I would be happy to put one on my truck. I will drop by soon. Thanks Joe

Bumper Stickers would be great for our trucks. For our boats, bumper stickers may be difficult to locate. Some would put them on the motor, some on the side of the boat, etc. Thus, hard to see and hard to see from a distance. When I fished a tournament in Kansas, you could not put fish in your livewell. It was catch and release only lake. So, when you caught a fish, you had to motor over to another tournament boat to witness your measurement on a Golden Rule that not only showed the measurement, but the corresponding weight associated with that measurement. The witness then signed your catch record. To indentify another tournament angler, we were given a brightly colored ribbon which was tied to our trolling motors. Maybe we could have a brightly same-colored ribbon inscribed with OzarkAngers.com. Some non-ozarkanglers members may ask about the ribbon and we can tell them about this site and the web address will be right there inscribed on the ribbon. What do ya think, Phil and Bill? Just a thought!!!!

Come say hello and exchange techniques and fish finding info. Glad to share.....it is us against the fish!!! Ya might see the pontoon out there at night tied to a tree. If I don't answer when you knock, I might be sleeping.

Glad you had a great trip and superb fishing. Thanks for the photos. This area is truly special. Shhhhhhh!

I need to adopt your 24-month battery replacement policy. After 24-months, you are beginning to take a gamble. I thought my starting battery went last week, when I went to Fred Ulrich at Ulrich Marine (another good local). We found that I blew the starter. Then, while replacing the starter, we noticed the pinon gear starting to come out of the side of my lower unit. I was sure happy that I was still under warranty. Instead of buying new batteries at that time, I decided to purchase the extended warranty on my motor when Fred told me the price (around $4K) of a new lower unit. As you can see from my list of sponsor's below, I use Lakeside Tire & Wheel on Mount Branson for fantastic tire, brake, and wheel repair. They came highly recommended by Rich Deppe at Elite Automotive in Branson, who is also my sponsor and mechanic, who can fix and restore anything. The local talent, friendship, and eagerness to create partnerships is so great in this area.

Yea, that would change things. Instead of throwing the 9" swimbait that I used in CA, I can throw a live trout.

Great idea, Phil, we need to change the subject.

Great idea Phil. Maybe that jumbo screen can be segmented into 10 little screens and we can watch 10 anglers at a time. As soon as someone hooks up, the screen would zoom into that angler. Each of the top 10 anglers can have a group cheerleaders to keep the crowd fired up and the crowd noise could be broadcasted to the anglers to keep them pumped up. We can have Vegas cover the event and give us odds on who will catch the next fish, the next smallmouth, utter a profanity, cry, etc. We can have instructors on the indoor tanks demonstrating what the anglers are doing. We can have tackle companies standing by selling the hottest bait catching fish. Whoever catches the least amount of fish would have to ride a Jack butt around the arena (sorry, couldn't resist) WE CAN DO THIS, PHIL.

I have three Trojans (the battery ) and a Sportsman Edition 3-bank Pro Charger. I am on month 29 with this setup and have had no problems. Even though I am having great success with the Trojans, I will be switching to Pro-Guides. Why, because the Trojans are too expensive and the performance is the same. My three-bank charger provides a full charge and then levels off to a trickle charge when the batteries reach a full charge. However, if you test the batteries, they will indicate a 90-95% charge. I was told by Fred Ulrich at Ulrich Marine to unplug the charger for about 10 minutes and then plug it back in. The batteries will go through the cycle again, in about another 10-15 minutes. The batteries will then top-off and reach a full 99-100% charge.

I totally agree with Bill's comments regarding closing various areas during the spawn. I have held the same position. At California's Lake Casitas, they rotate the closure of selected coves during the spawn. They report great success with the program. Lake Casitas holds 4 of the top 10 record bass ever caught and only has 2,700 acres. We have over 69,000 acres and we can easly close the backs of a few coves on a rotating basis. I am sorry, but a fisherman that "preaches" catch and release and then participates in tournaments during the spawning season is a hyprocrite. Remember the quotes and underline emphasis. Good discussion!

Danny, See my "Fishing Report 4/10/9," a few topic items below your posted topic. Of course there are no guarantees, but the pattern I detail is a good starting point from Point 12 to Point 15 in the James River Arm. I would start on the main lake points as I discuss; however, if they are not there, I would move into the creeks (Piney and Woolly are great examples) until I found them. Good luck,

From yesterday, April 10th. Area: James River in vicinity of Cape Fair Water Temps: 51-53 degress Air Temps: 49-61 degrees Wind: WNW 15-20 MPH with gusts to 25 MPH Sky: Cloudy with occassional light mist Moon: Day After Full Moon Water: Light Stain Pattern: Main lake points for bass and around docks with brush halfway back in creeks for crappie. Soft plastics again were the ticket for bass during yesterday's guide trip. My two teenage clients and I used a Texas-rigged 4" Chompers drop shot worm in watermelon seed with a 1/4 oz. tunsten weight (unpegged); a Chompers 5" Salty Sinker in green pumpkin with a 1/4 oz. Spot Remover Shakey Head; and a Texas-rigged Zoom centepede in green pumpkin with a 1/4 oz. tunsten weight (unpegged). We consistently caught bass on all main lake points and one gravel point in the back of Piney Creek. The bass bite was slow, slow, slow. They wanted it deadsticked. We threw to the bottom, let the bait sit for approximately a 5 count, then lifted the rod tip real slow to feel if a fish was on. If fish was on, we set the hook, if not, we slowly moved the bait another foot or so and let it sit again. They would pick it up either on the first or second pause. We didn't really feel the bites, just pressure or slight resistance when we lifted the rod tip. The fish were in the 8-12' depth range. The fish were all males that were pushed out to the main lake during the lastest cold fronts and storm. Surprisingly, the water was only lightly stained, which tells me that the ground was very dry and soaked up most of the rain and prevented runoff. Live minnows under a slip float and a 1/8 oz. chartruese jig head allowed us to target the crappie. Due to the high winds, we hid behind docks with brush piles and we able to catch some crappie. The largest was 14" long. The bite was very light with the float only halfway going down.

Sam, Exceptional report.....you did a great job! Thanks! Joe

Cell phone for me and I carry a portable weather radio if I need to check conditions. When I am on my pontoon, I have a VHF radio for emergencies and to monitor the weather and other broadcasts because it takes me longer to get back to the dock (20 mph max.) and it comes in handy when I go night fishing or stay out overnight.

Brett, Let me/us know how you did? Hope you get on them and have a great time here in paradise. Joe

Nice report, Bill. Thanks! Joe

I buy my original swimming minnows at Phil's Place (Lilley's Tackle Store). Good minnows and very productive. Joe

I like to throw the Senko (actually the Chompers 5" Salty Sinker). The bite that has worked best was a 1/4 oz. Spot Remover Shakey Head that has a threaded post that the worm is pushed on and the hook is embedded into the worm making sure that it is straight. The wacky style will work, too, however, the shakey head presentation worked the best, which is mostly due to the bait standing up on the bottom as compared to laying flat on the bottom like a wacky or Texas rig. The green pumpkin color worked the best, but a Watermelon Red also caught fish. Keep in mind that there are other finesse techniques that should also work when your here, e.g., 4" straight tail worm on a split shot. Small carolina rig or mojo rig with a fish doctor, straight tail worm, centepede, or french fry. Swim a salt and pepper grub on a small jig head. It is difficult to predict the best areas into the future. All I can do is share the NORMAL migration of the fish based on average expected temperatures. March 24th will be the New Moon and April 9th will be the Full Moon. You will be here right in the middle of the two. I would expect the fish to be in a pre-spawn pattern on the main lake and the spawn may be taking place in the rivers and creeks where the water is warmer due to water being stained. At this time, my best GUESS is that the James and Kings Rivers would be the best. Long, Cricket, and Yocum Creeks would be second best. Main lake would be third if fishing the North and North East banks that receive most of the sun. Good luck, Joe

I was out today. The water is clear and the water temps ranged from 49 to 52 degrees. I fished the Indian Point area. Most fish came on a Wiggle Wart, green craw, and my largest, 3.03 lbs. came on a jig in about 12' feet of water. Little Indian, Big Indian, and Jacques were all fished. This area will ge great in about another two or three weeks or right after April's full moon. The fish were about halfway back in these creeks. Look for wind blown banks with small chunk rock and gravel. The stickbait bite is still there, but you must throw very far as the water is very clear. For a finesse presentation, a wackey rig or shakey head with a senko is starting to produce. Hope this helps, Joe

Thanks for the report Phil. Nice info. Joe

Per the FLW published headline: "Shin DQ’d … After spending the opening round cranking in the James River, Shinichi Fukae knew he had to find a new area for the finals. The James River, as good as it was the first two days, was getting pounded with both tournament and recreational angling pressure. While in the search for new water on day three, Fukae unfortunately missed a no-powerboats sign and entered a wildlife refuge. It was an inadvertent mistake, and Fukae deeply regrets the incident. “There were two buoys, but there was dirt and green moss on them, and I did not understand what the sign said,” Fukae translated through his wife. “If I had practiced there, I would have known. It was a bad mistake, but 10th is still good.” Evans issued a statement on the matter: “BP pro Shinichi Fukae was disqualified for fishing in an area where power boats were not allowed. There may have been a misunderstanding due to the language barrier, but because of the rule violation, his weights for the final round were zeroed out.” Joe

I was a cameraman for Chad Morgenthaler, who began the final day in 10th place. Only the top six got professional camera people (the big cameras) and they would rotate from the pro's boat and the camera boat to get various shots. The 7th through 10th place finishers get amature camera people (the little cameras) that cannot take good pictures from the camera boat, so they stay in the pro's boat the entire day and the camera boat follows. The PRIMARY reason for a camera boat is to serve as a backup boat for the pros. In the event that something happens to their boat, they are allowed to switch boats and keep fishing. A phone call is made to the tournament director in these cases. Chad was a class act. He only caught one fish and stated that he had no backup when he ran out of fish. He also stated that he wished he would develop the guts to swing for the fences more. When onlookers would join us, he personally went out of his way to double-back past them and apologized to them for not catching more fish and thanked them for coming out to see him. Great Guy!

Bill, Not off base at all. I totally agree. The other two presentations were on the bottom, plus with the wind blowing, it probably gave the bait just enough movement, as well. Yes, the Fish Doctor and Centepede are close by. In addition to the Fish Doctor, I also like the 4" straight tail Robo worm in Aaron's Magic on a split shot in the Spring and a drop shot in the Summer. Take care and as I said on the other topic, great talk at BassPro. Joe

I will choose 38.02 lbs. Jeremy, Do I win something if I get it right?

I apologize for not posting sooner, and with yesterday's cold front, I am sure this info is out-of-date. I would assume as soon as we start warming up again, this pattern will be repeated. Area: James River in vicinity of Cape Fair Water Temps: 50-52 degress Air Temps: 59-71 degrees Wind: S and SW 5-15 MPH with gusts to 20 MPH hitting the bank Sky: Mostly Cloudy Moon: Full Water: Light Stain Pattern: N and NE banks just inside main lake points for the first 100 yards was the best bite. My clients and I used three rods: one wackey rig with a Berkley weighted 5" stickbait; one Texas rig with a Berkley weighted 5" stickbait; and a 1/4 oz. Spot Remover Shakey Head with a 5" Chompers stickbait/senko. All three produced; however, the Shakey Head with the Chompers caught more fish and after about fish #8, we all switched over to the Shakey Head with the Chompers stickbait/senko (maybe it was the garlic). We caught a total of 19 largemouth, 1 smallmouth, and 1 crappie and the four largest are pictured below. The bite was slow, slow, slow. They wanted it deadsticked. We threw to the bottom, let the bait sit for approximately a 5 count, then lifted the rod tip real slow to feel if a fish was on. If fish was on, we set the hook, if not, we slowly moved the bait another foot or so and let it sit again. They would pick it up either on the first or second pause. We didn't really feel the bites, just pressure or slight resistance when we lifted the rod tip. The fish were in about the 5-7' depth range. I would guess that 75-80% of the fish were females. The males may have been further back in the creeks/coves heading for the bedding areas. Good luck, Captain Joe