Quillback

Tell me Rick isn't happy! How was the fishing yesterday?

Didn't know those cinder blocks broke down over time.

That is the one thing I hate about jerkbaits are all those sharp hooks flying around when dealing with a fish. I have started mashing down the barbs on the front treble.

My only frogging experience was going with my grandad and one of his buddies gigging them at night in a SE MO drainage ditch. Carbide headlamps, and they'd scan the shore looking for their eyes then stick them. They had a fish basket full of frogs when we left. I was too young to use one of those gigs, but it was fun to go and something I still remember 50+ years later.

As you all probably remember, last year BassPro had that amateur tourney where the championship was held on Table Rock in November. One of the messages they were using was that the proceeds would go to "conservation". They never explained what they meant by conservation and I was a bit skeptical I must admit. This morning when Dutch and I got to the Big M ramp there was a pile of cinder blocks at the waters edge. Didn't know who dumped them there, but we speculated that it had something to do with a habitat project. When we came in at 1230 when we were done fishing, there were a least a dozen cedar trees laying on the lower end of the parking lot. Good sized cedars, I'd guess 12-15 foot tall trees, not little Christmas tree deals. While we were there, a few more were dragged in by COE pickup trucks and there were several COE people working in the area, cutting trees and dragging them to the lot. Talked to one of the COE workers for a minute or two and he explained that they had received a grant from BassPro, which were proceeds from the tournament series and they would be there until next Thursday at Big M cutting trees and placing them in the lake. I didn't ask, but I bet they will drop them vertically creating a standing timber effect. They plan to refresh existing piles and will mark them on the MDC brushpile app. It won't be local to Big M, but lake wide. It's also good to see them clearing those cedars out of the park, it was getting overgrown with them. Kudos to BPS and the COE for the habitat work!

Fished with Dutch today, we launched at 0700 and fished until 1230. Fishing was fairly tough today, we boated 22 between the two of us, with 3 keepers. 2 of the keepers were smallmouth caught by Dutch. We caught every fish on the Ned rig. I did fish an ice jig a couple of times when the boat was over fish and had one hookup on it, but that was it. Most of the fish were shallow, which was kind of weird, very few bites out in the 20 foot zone were they usually are this time of year where I fish. Dutch is always very generous and gives me tackle that he makes himself and he makes quality stuff. I am very appreciative. Didn't check the WT, but I bet it was in the 51-53 degree range. Good day for eagle watching while waiting for that bite.

Fished from 9 AM to 3 PM today, did not plan on going as the forecast yesterday was for rain starting early afternoon, but this morning they changed it to no rain until after three, and then a slight chance. The fishing was tough, got bites, caught a dozen bass, but most were small, less than 14". Caught a nice meanmouth near the ramp right before I left and that was my only keeper sized bass. They were not interested in crank baits today, caught them on the Ned rig and a few on top. There were some scattered on top back in Indian creek and if you could get on them when they were up, they would bite. A few stripers around, but not many, I had one chase my top water in and turn away from it near the boat. Even though this guy isn't big, I took a pic because he ate a top water in December. Mr. Mean

I was wondering where Dock-n-it was too, glad to see you back at it. There was a bit of a top water bite on the lower end of Beaver today, water had to be flat calm. Only managed a few small ones on top.

Sometimes I think of doing the DNA thing, but I like the family stories that might all be false. Had a great-great grandmother that was supposedly Cherokee that left her husband and ended up in a St. Louis hotel room where she shot herself. Had another ancestor that was in an Indiana regiment during the Civil War, was captured and sent to Andersonville. While there, it looked like he had died and they put him on a cart to haul him off to be buried, but supposedly he wiggled a toe, and was eventually nursed back to health. One of my great-great grandmas on my dad's side immigrated to Kansas from Ohio in a wagon train, she was 6 years old at the time, she had to walk as there wasn't room in the wagon. As an adult she was short and skinny and blamed it on having to walk from Ohio to Kansas. Based on family names, German, Irish, English and Scots are all in my genes.

Thought the same thing. AGFC had aTV show, it kind of comes and goes, but one show I watched a few years ago they were literally fishing for frogs. Bullfrogs are a problem at fish farms and they have to control their numbers, so on this show, they rigged up a pickup truck with a board hanging off the side like a diving board. They would slowly drive down the berms around the fish ponds and there'd be a guy sitting on the end of the board and he would be hanging just about over the bank. He'd see a frog and dangle a fly over it using a fly rod and those frogs would fall for it and end up as frog legs.

I made it this morning to Big M without being attacked by any critters so things were off to a good start. There was a decent Ned Rig bite today, cloudy day, not much wind - this is the kind of day that usually works well for me fishing a Ned this time of year. I caught 21 on the Ned, 5 keepers, one was a decent meanmouth. Couple of them were smallmouth and one 12 inch largemouth, the rest were los spottos. Had some retention issues today, lost 6-8 that were halfway to the boat that got off. Most fish were in 10-20 FOW, around primary or secondary rocky points. Having some trees on the points helped. Fished a 1/8 oz head with a cut Zinker. Slow drag on the bottom. WT 51

That is one healthy brown!

Good pink salmon! It is tough to get them with that coloration, once they hit fresh water they get ugly fast.

You got me with that one. ^^^

I bet a diorama with a bunch of bream would be pretty neat. 😉

Yeah Daryk, I think this one is pretty cool myself. But hate to say it as my sanity will be judged. 😀 I've seen some pretty good replica smallmouth mounts too, takes a good taxidermist with an artistic streak to do them well. I've always thought largemouth were boring, I love to catch them, but they're all kind of the same as far as appearance. I'm not going to question anyone's sanity or financial condition if they get one though.

Cool, I'm sure you'll be glad to be back out on the water!

Yeah, always been a fan of a suspenders myself, especially when the water is mid winter cold and the fish lethargic. But this slow sink deal gets bites, so I look at it as another tool in the toolbox.

The ones I have used did sink slowly. I'm thinking a foot in 5 seconds or so. That's an estimate.

I'm going to have one tied on next time out. I had a couple of good days on them in early spring on Table Rock this year, but haven't thrown them this time of year yet. I need the weather to get a little more cooperative so I can get out more. Way too windy for me today.

I like those Stunnas.

Well the date is November 30, but it sure seemed like January. Didn't launch until 10 AM and I waited for it to get above freezing. Nice north wind blowing to boot. Sunny, north wind, and cold, I knew I'd have to work for my fish. I fished until 4 PM, mostly threw crankbaits, caught 3 17-18 inch smallies, a 16.5 inch spot and a few sub-legal bass. Not many bites, but some good bites. Tried a new to me crankbait today, a Berkley "Money Badger". I threw the 1/4 oz size (on a spinning rod), even though it is a small crank, it gets down to 7-8 feet on the retrieve. I like it and plan on throwing it more in the future. Did catch one on a Rock Crawler also. Didn't throw the Ned much as it was too windy for me to enjoy fishing it - but I did catch one nice spotted bass on it in a place that was out of the wind. Lost one of my Money Badgers to a largemouth. It wrapped me on a tree, tried to get it to swim back the way it came, but it went the other way and got off - might have taken the lure as I could not find it. It was a decent fish. WT 53

Can't say I've ever been lost, but I have gotten a long ways away from the truck a time or two.

It's a 2-way street, I have learned some things from Dutch too. Some days one guy gets more than the other, sure doesn't mean I am a better fisherman than anyone. As a matter of fact, when we went a week or so ago, Dutch caught quite a few more than I did. I learned somethings about fishing that full Zinker from watching him.