DADAKOTA

Played the bottom bouncer with a slow death rig last weekend. Very slow. Only managed 3 keepers. Spent 1 morning in the State Park area and one around Hartley. The walleye I caught were all in 20 feet of water. Guess I should have tried a jig and crawler. Remember to open your box of crawlers before buying them. My wife picked up 2 boxes for me at Caseys. When I opened one of them the crawlers were dead.

Put in at State Park Saturday morning about 6 and was the only trailer in the lot. Saw a few boats on the water later on. Walleye were slooooow. Talked with one boat about a mile up from SP and they had caught a few with one keeper in about 20 feet of water. Fished till 2 and ended up with one walleye and one crappie. Caught the usual assortment of bass, bluegill, and catfish. The drum were wearing me out. Tried pulling cranks for an hour or so and caught a single bluegill on 300 bandit. Fished the confluence area Sunday and caught 10 walleye with 2 keeps. Must have been a bass derby Sunday as the glitter boats were out in force. Only had one jump in front of me on a point just up frpm Hawker. Thought about continuing my bottom bouncing course which would have taken me right next to their boat but I had other spots to fish. Big guy in the back wearing a bright yellow shirt throwing a jig didn't look like he was having too much fun anyway.

Might be best if you put your info on here in addition to the book of many faces. There are plenty of folks that do not fb.

There is a large segment of the boating population that have no business operating or owning a boat. I see evidence of this every time I go to the lake. It matters not whether a person hails from the City or the Country. So many folks assume that since they can drive a car they can jump in a boat and are an instant expert. It matters not where they live. What matters is if someone has taken the time to explain and teach them what they need to know. Then they need to heed this advice and take their time getting used to the boat and all that is involved with running and maintaining it. Get some hours behind the wheel or on the tiller. So many stories of things I have seen on the water or the ramp over the years that just make me shake my head. I have been on the water all my life. Dad started us out fishing out of canoes with small outboards or trolling motors on them. Lifejackets were mandatory. I was taught to always respect the water, the weather, other fishermen, and other boaters. I learned safety and common courtesy. Moved up to jonboats with outboards for fishing and duck hunting. Learned not to overload a boat, how to back trailers, ramp etiquette, taking boat on and off the trailer, docking, how to operate a runabout, pontoon, deckboat, and bassboat, how to pull skiers and tubers, and much more. I was also taught how to maintain the various boats, motors, trailers, and tow vehicles. I liked to drive the boat from a young age. I learned quickly that if you ran it like a jackleg you didn't get to drive for awhile. As Dad would say, go slow and learn the water you are on and the boat you are running. I was lucky to have been taught these things by my Dad, FIL, and my fishing partner. My kids have been on the water since they were little as well. They have been taught and are being taught these same things. Like other things in life, you learn something new every time you go on the water.

The film crew seemed in no hurry to get back to him or once aboard to get him to the hospital. No urgency whatsoever. Horrible boat driver. What kind of boat was that?

Nice. Hope to get a July walleye or four this weekend

Did the crappie trolling bite ever pick up? Pulled cranks the week after Memorial day and did not do to well. Thinking of heading down this weekend.

I have had more problem with their buzz bait blades. Have had them break the first day out of the package. Blades break long before you would even think of replacing the skirt. The life of the blade is measured in hours as I have yet to have one last a year.

All reels cast farther with a full spool. Those that hold tons of line means you will typically waste more line. I fill my reels with cheap cajun red mono in 14# to the point where I have about 2 longs casts worth of space left till its full. I then knot the line I will fish with to the cajun red backing and fill up the spool. This way I actually use the high dollar fluoro or braid for fishing instead of wasting it as backing. When you start seeing the cajun red after a cast you know it is about time to replace the fluoro. Your spool of fluoro lasts much longer and you actually fish with the entire spool over time. Your spool is always full or close to it with fresh line.

Some cheek meat on those.

Like others I have caught big fish with fast and slow baits and some in between. What I can say without a doubt is that when using any type of touch bait (jig, worm, senko, soft plastics, etc. with the exception possibly of a fluke) or a suspending stickbait, that I catch more fish and big fish by slowing down. I can't tell you how many fish I have caught or bites I have gotten when I talk on the cell, eat a sanwich, get a drink, etc. All cause me to slow down a gear or two and the fish love it.

That end of the lake is a summertime nightmare with all the big boats out and about. If it were me I'd go to Stockton and catch walleye.

I too like the MLB format and wish there was an easy way to use it in all derbies. I do not dispute there is tournament mortality and that it is greatest in the heat of the summer. Of course any deep hooked fish will probably die whether put in the livewell or not. Most deep hooking occurs with the use of soft plastics which are really popular in the summer. I'd guess there is more mortality due to recreational anglers deep hooking and/or harvesting bass than tourney mortality in a year time as there are far more recreational anglers.

Those are some dandeyes.

Tourney anglers should take care of their fish. A livewell thermometer is another good thing to have. That way you won't overcool the water. I'd prefer that the summer derbies be shorter in length to lessen the stress on the fish. Three or four hours is enough. But summer derby mortality is just one component of total mortality on a given lake. Chi seems to have a problem with tourneys and lays a lot of bass mortality at the hands of the tourney anglers. So many factors play into the bass mortality and reproduction on a given body of water. Do some bass die from poor handling in tourneys? Absolutely. However, those that were hooked deeply most likely will die regardless of whether in a tourney or not. Today's super hooks do not rust out like the old hooks we used to use. Leaving the hook in a fish is most likely a death sentence. Cranking a fish to the surface from 60 feet down will affect their swim bladder. Not "fizzing" the fish and releasing it into the warm surface water results in dead fish. Should we limit the depth one can fish? Impacting the spawn by sight fishing hurts reproduction. Do we stop fishing then? Coming out of the spawn the bass are weak and more susceptible to disease and being stressed. Do we stop fishing then as well? Folks that harvest fish for the table reduce populations as well. How many bass die due to the use of live bait that they swallow? DO we outlaw bait fishing? How a bout the folks that put them on a stringer all day and decide they don't have enough to clean or don't feel like it. Do you think those bass will survive? How many fish swallow a senko type bait because the angler does not realize they have a bite? More than likely a dead fish. Do we outlaw senkos? So many things kill fish. Otters and cormorants hammer bass. So many causes of mortality. To blame one group (tourney anglers) is ludicrous. There is a carrying capacity for each lake that the fisheries folks consider when regulating the harvest of various fish species. Mortality by all causes goes into the planning and regulations for each body of water.

Awesome fish. Is there a lock on the Osage I am not familiar with?

If my livewell is not plugged it will drain as I run. So you lose all the weight when on plane.

Great looking rig. Only thing I'd suggest is to install a foot pedal tray and drop the pedal in. You'll have more balance while on the trolling motor and your back won't be killing ya. Lots of fun to be had with that sled.

I'm using anywhere from an 18" to a 30" leader of 10# fluoro AbrazX on these. One end is tied to the hook and the other to a barrel swivel with all the bling between. Then I clip the barrel swivel onto the snap swivel attached to the bottom bouncer. No loop to get snagged, easy to change rigs, and double the no twist protection. Been running 20# fluoro mainline. My wife and I fished 4 days and lost 2 SDRs, but did not lose a bottom bouncer. Thanks for the video. Just snelled an SD hook and made another rig. Gives it a nice finished look. Wish I could snell the swivel end too.

Unless they re-closed it, the 215 bridge was in use Memorial Day week.

I've been playing with the slow death rig. During our Memorial day trip I used the subtle small blade three bead rigs at the bottom of the picture with great success. Figured I'd tie up some bolder versions with a bigger blade, 6 beads, and a float (top four). What type of SDR rigs are you dragging?

If you are staying north of Stockton the closest free ramp is at Orleans Trail Marina. the town of Stockton has everything you will need from groceries to gas to Smoothies at the Emporium on the square. Several restaurants as well. If you venture toward the south end of the lake to put in stop at Ken's cafe in Arcola for breakfast. A little spot that has awesome food, big helpings, all at a decent price. Enjoy your stay at Stockton lake, Missouri's little piece of heaven.

Awesome news

Next thing you know ya'll will be breaking out a Peck bait. Back in the day they were sold at the drugstore in Galena by my wife's Grandad.

Anyone ever resort to the old Little George type baits instead of spoons?