Longball22

Fished from Pt. 5 to 14 today. Clearer water at 4 and starts to clear at Pt 14. I have heard about crankbaits for the last few weeks, and predominantly threw RkCrawler, Wart, and Zoner Hunter on banks that typically produce. Not sure if it shut off, but I ended the day with three keepers and no shorts. Needless to say for 9 hours of fishing today, I struggled. I'm sure the 25 degree temperature drop tonight will help....

Struggled today in Kimberling City area on the RkCrawler and Wart. Conditions were perfect for the crank, but marking most fish out at 13-18 feet. could not buy a bite on a jig with those fish.

Site is still up. http://www.hookedonbass.com

I am not sure if it is still the case, but I know Excel used to actually be made by Sufix, who makes a pretty good mono. A guide told me he bought service spools of Excel to spool the spinning gear he had for clients.

I've started throwing 8lb Maxima with my cranks and jerkbaits, and I'm pleased with the results. I like 10 or 12lb Maxi for swimbaits and finesse jigs, then 50lb braid for topwater, heavy jigs, etc. I've sized up in the last few years on braid, simply because the larger diameters don't seem to dig as much. I have some 20 and 30lb braid on a few rods, but they haven't gotten much love recently.

Has anyone else thrown the 6th Sense Curve 55 yet? I tried it a bit this winter, but never when there was a strong crankbait bite. From what Bo is describing, it might be a similar bait. Didn't seem to have the wide, pronounced wobble of the wart, and didn't seem to get quite as deep. It certainly looks similar..... Not enough time to order the Iovino's for the weekend, so I'll report back.

I fished from 9:00 to 1:00 today from KC to Point 9 today without a bite. Jerkbait, grub, and jig were all non-producers for me. I did see a significant number of shad floating, and lots more struggling 3-5 feet under the surface, so I'd say we are starting to see a legitimate shad kill. I probably saw in the hundreds today, but based on the number of shad I graphed today, there's still a more than healthy population.

I launched at KC yesterday, and it was fine.

Oh, I know that is how it's happening. I'm just surprised that it is. Both on the full frame and CT's. I notice it way more with gloves on; just the way that I palm the reel.

I saw lots of Tatula's posted in here. Does anyone else have an issue with the brake dial turning during a retrieve? I love the reels, and usually have my brakes set between 6 and 10. I'll look down after a dozen casts and notice I've moved up to 14 or 16 on the 20 scale.

I was out on Saturday and had similar results. On the water at Kimberling City at 9, off at 1. Went from KC up above baxter, and was determined to catch fish on the stickbait, but they were determined to not eat it. Sounds like I probably saw a few of you on the water based on locations. I noticed several dozen shad floating on the bluffs across from Mill Creek as well, but not as many as I'd have liked to see. I'm also not sure if I have ever seen more ducks on Table Rock than yesterday. I did get some time with a few baits I hadn't thrown before however, and believe I learned a bit. I have refused for a long time to spend $25 on a Megabass 110, but now understand why they cost twice as much as their competitors. I love my McSticks and will still throw them when I think less action is better, but I was amazed how much more action the 110 has. I also threw the 6th Sense Curve 55 (another Wiggle Wart knockoff), and the jury is still out for me. I really like their finishes, and was impressed with how little it hung up, but I'm not sure it is as good at deflecting and grinding as the Wart or RkCrawler. Probably why it didn't hang as much

This appears to support Gavin's claim, but refers to Gizzard shad and not Threadfin: http://www.in-fisherman.com/biology/science-of-shad-winterkill/

Got back out for a few hours on Saturday afternoon. Same game and same places. Could not find the fish in the same creek arms I had fished last weekend. Assuming the small cold front that moved in Friday night had something to do with that. Did go to a few familar banks and cranked, and picked up my personal best smallmouth. Scale said 4.47, and she was a bit over 20". Only fish in the boat, but I'm ok with that...

This might be worth a read.... https://community.hughesnet.com/t5/Tech-Support/SOLVED-Gen-5-Not-Connecting-to-Certain-Websites/td-p/77430

Got out for a few hours this afternoon after it warmed up. Just a few other brave souls out on the water. Was able to find fish all over the place, but didn't get many to the boat. Caught a few pretty nice fish though(see pictures). Curious to get some opinions on the brownie in the first picture. Doesn't have any meanmouth markings that I can see, but certainly has quite the jaw on it. Caught him later in the afternoon on the RkCrawler; wish I'd tried running banks earlier in the day based on other reports. This post has been promoted to an article

If you haven't ever played around with Microsoft OneNote, it's a pretty powerful platform. You can set up notebooks in the cloud, and sync them through your computer, phone, etc. You can also paste in pictures and all that fun stuff. I don't use it for fishing, but I take skeleton notes for work on my phone, then I can go home and fill in the details/clean it up on my laptop.

I tried for a bit on Sunday and Monday. Found a few fish over the tops of pole timber on the blade, but couldn't get much love on the banks.

Aaron Kyle is a friend of mine, and started PolishPro after leaving another detailing operation. He's a great young guy trying to build a client list, and does excellent work. He also lives in Kimberling city, so he's very close by. You can see a bunch of his work at his facebook page below, and I believe it speaks for itself. 417-294-4162 https://www.polishprodetailing.com/ https://www.facebook.com/PolishProDetailing/

2.8" Keitech on a 1/8oz. or 3/16oz. head, or underspin could play into your light tackle as well. These small shad they are chasing has made me downsize everything recently.

It will be very interesting to see how today plays out. Big North wind and 30 degree temperature drop overnight. Looks like the teens struggled yesterday as well. I got out for about an hour yesterday. Tried to throw the blade on wind blown banks that should be holding fish without a sniff. Got tired of getting wet with the whitecaps and called it a day.

I made that drive Thursday and Saturday, and I saw MasterCraft, Regal and Malibu billboards, all of which are not his companies.

I was at Sportsman's Factory Outlet in Springfield last week, and they have some Lew's Inshore Custom Speed Sticks marked down to $70(originally $130). I got one that is Medium/Fast action, and love it for throwing lighter stuff (it's rated for 1/4-3/4oz. I believe). However, I agree with the others that if you had to have one rod, it would be a MH to be able to throw heavier baits better(they didn't have MH rods of that type, or I'd have owned a few ).

If you're buying the BuCoo, I'd be careful to get one with standard guides, and not the micro guides. Seems like they had some issues here: http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Falcon_Bucoo_Micro_Guide_Casting_Rods/descpage-FBMC.html#customer_reviews