OzarkFishman

It may be just money, but that money pays for the addiction (fishing). Hopefully, we will have some nice pictures to share, but who knows it could smell skunky by time I pull the boat out.

I will be there Saturday. RS, will you be in your canoe? I will be in a 14 ft semi-v with a trolling motor on the front and back. I am loving the forecast, but the lake will probably have a lot boats on it. I will report, even if it is bad fishing. OzarkFishman

I am glad that I am not the only one that was scratching my head when you said Ford. I also thought you were referring to some type of fish.

I use the EWG almost exclusively. Like you said, it makes the plastic look more natural and I personally think it has better action. I have heard some people that think the straight shank has a better hook up percentage, but I don't seem to have that problem. Like everything in fishing, it comes down to what you have confidence in. OzarkFishman

Thanks a million for all the responses. I was expecting something like 5 responses, not over 20. I will be spending the next week or so really looking in-depth at the posts made and doing some research on the products mentioned. About the only thing I know I am going with is that the rod will be a 6 wt and I will focus on quality of the rod over all else (line will be a close second). Thanks again for all the information and I will be sure to keep you all posted. OzarkFishman

My wonderful mother-in-law asked me what I wanted for my birthday, so I told her I would like a fly rod and reel. Instead of buying me something that she knows nothing about, she simply gave me $200. I promised her I would spend it all on a fly fishing set-up. I would like to buy an outfit and still have a little money to get some streamers and poppers. I plan on using the outfit mainly for bass fishing, but will also trout fish occasionally (I have only fished for trout once and that was at Bennett). Being a bass fisherman at heart, I have a feeling I am going to like streamers and poppers the most (I could be completely wrong). I have read the recent thread on the best set-up for smallmouth and from what I can gather I should go with a 6, 7 or 8 weight. So here are my questions: 1) If I plan on fishing for largemouth bass sometimes, should I go with an 8 wt. (some of the places I fish regular produce 4 - 5 pound bass)? 2) Do you all have any specific recommendations as far as brand? 3) What kind of fly line am I looking for (weight-forward line, etc.)? 4) What kind of tippet am I looking for? 5) I have many more questions, but I will leave it at that for now. I have fished long enough to know that $200 is not going to buy me a top-of-the-line outfit, but I would like to have an outfit that I can fish with for a long time and that feels good in my hands. Thanks in advance for any help. I won't be able to respond until Sunday, I will be in California for my sister's wedding. OzarkFishman

Nice bass. I love the jig bite on Springfield Lake.

I made it to the lake about 9:30. Once I got the boat in and trolled to the main lake it was 10 before we started fishing. We started pitching jigs for about 40 minutes without a bite. Then, I switched to a weightless soft plastic and that was the ticket. I caught 7 bass within 45 minutes. Most were 12 or 13 inches, with the biggest being 15 1/2 inches. This whole time my buddy hadn't caught anything other than 3 or 4 trees. He broke off his line and we didn't have much time left, so I had him use one of my rods that was rigged up with a fluke. I told him to pitch it close to cover and let it sit, then jerk it a few times and let it sit again. We only had about 10 minutes and I was getting worried that he wouldn't catch a fish. Within 3 casts, he caught a thick 13 incher (bit right after the first jerk). After a few more casts he set the hook and I thought he was hung. I looked away and then heard the drag. This guy doesn't fish much and will openly admit he doesn't have the best technique. I tried talking him through it, "keep your rod tip high and your line tight!" As I reached to get the net ready (the drag is still screaming), I looked up and saw that he was holding the line with his reel hand trying to keep the line from going (he had a pretty deep groove in his finger). Just as I told him to let go of the line, the line snapped. I am not a big-fish story type of guy, so I will low ball this fish at a 4 pounder. I checked the drag after the line snapped and it was set correctly. We had to get back so that he could make it to work and the entire time we talked about how the drag works and the proper way to play a big fish out. It was definitely a learning experience for both of us. It was a beautiful December day out there today. A little windy, but definitely worth the trouble. OzarkFishman

I went with the NRS Chinook Fishing PFD from the austinkayak site. After the discount stoneroller gave, I paid around $67 (no sales tax, no shipping cost). Thank you all for the responses. Now, I have $23 more to spend on fishing stuff.

I read an interesting article that furthers stoneroller's argument that my dad's friend died from panic and not from the deadly wader. Deadly Wader Myth I think my basic belt is perfect (I may size it a little tighter now that I know its function). If anyone has a different PFD that you really like to wear on your kayak, then please share. By the way, my budget is $90. My wife told me a week or so ago that we were going to exchange Christmas presents this year. A few days later she tells me that I can get whatever I want for myself because she just bought some $90 pair of boots ... I wonder if she had that planned .

When you all are talking about wader belts ... Do your wader belts have extra flotation? What makes the belt important when it comes to safety? I have a pair of Cabela's Dry Plus Breathables and the belt that came with it is basic, but effective ... Do other belts really offer anything other than a little storage and comfort? I am looking at the PFDs that you all have listed. The ones at the kayak site are high, but there is one I am interested in. I also saw Bass Pro has their XPS fishing pfds. The Stearns one is the best price and looks pretty good in camo. I don't want to skimp on this purchase. I want to have confidence no matter where I am fishing or hunting. Thank you all for the links and comments, OzarkFishman

It seems I have some researching to do tonight. Thanks for the input.

I am in the market for a life jacket that I will use on my kayak with chest waders on. I am very skittish to get on my kayak with waders. My dad's friend died when he was going from one duck spot to another and fell out of his boat with his waders on. I was always taught to never wear waders in a boat. So ... I have a few questions: 1) Will the life jacket actually hold you up if your waders start to fill up? 2) I would think you would want a life jacket that floats you high in the water so that the water can't get into the waders. Is this true? 3) What life jacket would you all recommend? Thanks for any advise given, OzarkFishman

To anyone who is wondering, constellatus is the official name of the Ozark Bass (which is one of the species of goggle-eye that inhabit Ozark waters). I believe there are 2 others that inhabit missouri waters (Northern and Shadow). I feel your pain on not getting to fish very much. Hopefully you can make it to the water sometime soon. OzarkFishman

I am partial to P-Line Floroclear. All my spinning reels are spooled with either Floroclear or Powerpro. The Floroclear gives you less visibility with the fluorocarbon coating, yet it is still manageable with the copolymer core.

I went back today from 9:30 - 11:30. Fished the same thing as Sunday and picked up 4 largemouth and 1 Ozark Bass. It was nice feeling that tug on the line, while feeling the crispness in the air. OzarkFishman

I hit Finley for about 1 1/2 hours on Sunday. I fished the same thing all day (small green pumpkin plastic). The first hour I didn't get a bite. The river was down considerably since the last time I had been there. I decided to move to a hole that I knew was deep (relative term) and had some moving water. I threw to the seam and had 6 bites in about 10 minutes. I hooked 3 of the 6 bites and they resulted in 3 solid Ozark Bass. All looked healthy (The 2 pictures are of the same Ozark Bass). The one in the picture was a toad, the pictures don't do it justice. Next, I went to my bluegill spot (spring/summertime) and caught the largemouth within 5 minutes. Then, it was time to go home and change a few diapers (New baby in the house!!) Tightlines, OzarkFishman

Just send a picture message to your email from your phone. For the phone number enter your email address. Save the picture to your computer and attach it to a post.

Also look at a product called Gluvit. You can order it online and apply it yourself.

I don't lick my reels Lilley. Maybe that is why you catch more big fish

CU-200B5 The reel is nice and clean. I simply spin fish most of the time. Edit: Reel traded! OzarkFishman

I have a Shimano Curado Bantam 5:1. It is paired with a Lightning Rod 7' MH rod and spooled with 30# Power Pro. I bought the reel from a fellow Ozark Angler and have only used it once. I am looking to trade for a quality spinning set-up. Shoot me a PM.

I went back tonight with my boy. I caught 2 fish in probably 15 casts on a finesse worm. The rest of the time he was "driving" the trolling motor. I also threw nightcrawlers so that he could reel in some bluegill. Both bass looked like they were fat and actively eating. OzarkFishman

Try out the hybrid line and you won't be sorry. I like P-Line Floroclear the best. It still has some stretch and it doesn't coil as badly as mono. The flourocarbon coating can't hurt either. Since we are talking about spincasts here ... they can catch big fish. My biggest bass ever was on a spincast. I have since turned that reel into a kite flying contraption and it works flawlessly. Tightlines, OzarkFishman

I hit the lake in my boat with a buddy of mine today for a few hours. We messed with the bluegill for a while since the other guy is new to fishing. Then we started bass fishing. He was throwing a stick-o in watermelon. He got a big bite, but missed. I was fishing a jig at the time and a fish bit a pincher off of my paca chunk. I switched to a small worm on a slider head and that was the ticket. The fish was 20 inches and I don't know the weight. I will put a guesstimate at 4 pounds. I picked up another small one. We had a lot of short strikes and missed strikes. I had to get a lot of worms out of the trees also that ate up some time, but it was a good trip. OzarkFishman