Quillback

I'm going to make a reservation in the next few days. If anyone wants to split a 2 person unit, let me know, if not I'll book one of the one person deals. I checked out Phils bass boats that he rents, they look to be great rigs to fish the river. I plan on renting one for Friday and Saturday, they can fish 3 so if anyone wants to split a rental boat with me let me know.

👍

Dang, that is getting close.

I'll go for that one, it's a lot closer to home. Any date set for that one?

Thanks for asking, but I'm out this year. Hope you guys catch them and looking forward to seeing some pics!

Yeah, not my kind of fishing weather.

I never made them myself, but my mom used to make them, she'd make the dumplings from scratch. I do know an easy way to make dumplings, take soft flour tortillas, tear them into chunks and simmer them in the chicken part of the process. It's surprising but the tortillas make excellent dumplings, and it sure is easier.

Are you anti-fish finder? 😀 You can get a Humminbird Helix 5 for $320 at TW. You'd probably need to purchase a TM mount transducer also. Are you targeting smallmouth?

Had a somewhat frustrating day. Started off with a swimbait bite on a location that has been holding fish for the last couple of weeks, but after catching several it died off quickly. Moved to another location, it was flat calm at that spot and a top water bite was going on. Scattered fish chasing shad. I caught a couple of them but had another 10 or so that swirled at the lure and missed in entirely, or would briefly grab it and come off. I was also marking fish both suspended and, on the bottom, but could not get those jokers to bite the swimbaits, spoons, and tail spinner I threw at them. I left, came back to this location later when the wind started blowing, anticipating that would put off the top water bite which it did. Caught a few on a swimbait and a finesse football jig dragged on the bottom, but it was far from a hot bite. At the end of the day, stopped at a steep chunky rock bank to throw the Ned rig and caught a 14" smallmouth and a spot before heading in. I ended up with 18 bass, 2 of them keepers. Talked to Tom W. later that day, he and his wife caught 70+ bass on spoons and jigs at a location I cannot name, so they were biting there. WT 55

Nice fat healthy striper!

Heck yeah, you gotta get out there and get those smallmouth, they ought to be biting.

Forgot to add, they have been running water, level has dropped a foot and a half in the last week.

Been 10 days or so since the last time I was here with Dutch, the water has cleared a bit and some of the fish have moved. Caught some little 10-12 inch spots on top in the Big M cove early, they were chasing shad, but didn't see any bass of any size. That bite lasted about 15 minutes, then shut down, so down the lake I went. The spot where Dutch and I got them, still had some fish, but not as many as last time and they were out a bit deeper - 30 feet or so. I think I caught 15 in that spot on 3.3 swim baits, the average size was good, 5 of them were keepers with some largemouth mixed in with the spots. I had a plan to throw cranks, and I threw them for a couple of hours, worked a lot of bank. I caught 4 LM on the cranks, a couple of fat keepers that were caught on back to back casts to a shallow rock pile. But I tell you they were fish of a thousand casts, a lot of work for meagre results. Fished another deep spot before heading in, caught another 5 spots in 45 FOW. Also caught a couple on the Ned rig including my only smallmouth of the day, a whopping 12 incher. Very few boats out there for a warm December day, saw 4 or 5 total. Caught 28 with 7 keepers. WT 55 Took some pictures but unbeknownst to me, autofocus was turned off so they were all blurry. Here's one for Pete.

Dillo road kill was really bad this year where I walk. Trail runs alongside a busy road and when it was dry and hot they must have been out foraging as noted above. Nothing beats a dillo that's been dead for two days when it is 95 out for real stink.

Used to have a couple in the area, but have not seen them lately.

How To Use Jerkbaits to Catch Giant Trout - Wired2Fish

Looks like it was published this summer. I have not read it, but may pick it up. Description in the link: Ozarks Book Series - Ozarks Studies Institute - Missouri State

I tuned into the game and saw a snowy field and thought I had the wrong game. Looked like it snowed pretty good up there. Close game, but once again the Hogs come up short.

Wow, that's a lot of species, congrats!

I've ice fished a few times when I lived up north. Even then I had my standards, if it was below 20 I wasn't going.

They have some in "Table Rock Craw" color. I had to grab a few of them. Looks like it will catch fish.

At first I thought that was an eagles nest you were pointing at. Man, a lot of water came through there.

Met up with Dutch today, we put in at 0830 trying to time it to when it was above freezing, but it was 28 degrees when we launched. It got up above freezing shortly thereafter, but it was a chilly morning. We really caught the spotted bass, 91 give or take a couple. Not sure how many were keepers, probably a dozen or so. We measured a couple that were 16.5 inches and they were our biggest fish. Fortunate to know a couple of places where they've been hanging around. Catching them all in 20-30 FOW over gravel dragging 3.3 and 3.8 swimbaits on 1/4 and 3/8 oz heads. We fish them slow, keeping them close to the bottom, get too far off the bottom and it gets tough to get bites. Not one largemouth or smallmouth did we catch. I caught a 12" walleye on a drop shot, but that was the only fish we caught that was not a spotted bass. I know of a couple of other people that fished today and they caught them too. Spoons and jigs are working for them fishing those offshore schools. Dutch tried a spoon for a bit, but no hits on it. WT 60-61, but that should change, looks like a cold snap is moving in.

The orange Wart was a thing for back trolling for steelhead in the rivers.