Seth

Rollins Ferry doesn't usually get decent until you get several miles up the river. We did alright there last Sunday, but we ran a good ways up the river in a jet boat. Try it again in about three weeks and you may not have to leave the boat ramp eddy. There are a few tourneys coming up at that access.

You have to be a member to put in there nowadays. I would recommend bell chutes. It's good fishing 20 miles in either direction and fairly easy running.

I haven't decided yet. Last fall was the first one I've done. We had a good time, but I felt like I had been worked over with a baseball bat after fishing out of an aluminum boat for two days on that pond.

I've never been above Hwy 28 so I just looked at that spot you mentioned. That does look like some tricky stuff! Speaking of tricky, me and Jesse ran up above Fish Holler the other day and barely got through one spot. If that water drops a few more inches, I'm not sure if it will be possible to get above there. I had the GoPro running and have it on film, but I haven't got the video edited and ready to upload yet.

I'm ready for the weather to cool off and the big boats to go in to hibernation so I can get back to LoZ and do some dock shooting. A mess of fried crappie sounds wonderful right now!

I'm not a big fan of Quantum reels, but I've never really used their rods. A buddy of mine is selling an 7' M/F Exo and asked if I wanted it. I've contemplated picking it up to replace my Skeet Reese spinnerbait/worm rod that has served me well for many years just for something newer and lighter. It looks they were around $180 new. He wants $60 for it.

The same thing is happening on the Gasconade. Catching a 2 pounder is good right now where as guys were catching a dozen 3-4 pounders in one trip when it was up 4' and muddy.

That's just park trout for you. What goes on in their little brains to make them not want the same thing I've been throwing all day and then magically it's the most delicious thing in the water for the next 15 minutes? They are very temperamental fish to say the least. When somebody says park trout are dumb and never a challenge, I just laugh inside and go about my day and think "somebody needs to try fishing for them outside of the first 20 minutes after the buzzer".

I normally use a medium fast rod with 6# mono when throwing jerkbaits down on Taneycomo. However, I've used a light action rod with 4# in the past and not had too many issues with hooking trout on those same 4-5" jerkbaits. My bet is they just weren't eating the bait very well. I've seen them where they would swipe at my jig or trout worm and not even open their mouths plenty of times in the past. You couldn't hardly hook them unless you got lucky and hooked them on the outside of the mouth.

I try to talk myself in to go trying Montauk or Bennett Springs again one of these days, but I just can't get myself to drive the extra distance since I am mainly just going trout fishing to cure my craving for baked lemon pepper trout. I used to keep the first three and just keep fishing, but anymore I usually just keep the first four decent sized trout and head back home.

Those weeds do kind of limit where a guy can effectively fish. Earlier in the season I really like that hole by the second cleaning station, but the fish don't seem to hang around once the weeds get too thick.

Crowds are another reason I go mid day. Most of the anglers get down there early, get their fish and get out of there. You can go down and fish any hole in the park from mid day on without being overly crowded.

I can't say if it makes a difference or not to be honest. Like I said, I mainly use it for the extra castng distance it gives me. Besides, it definitely can't hurt when the water is crystal clear. The water has been dingy most of the season so it is unlikely that 2# line made a difference this year.

The only reason I go with a full spool of 2# is for the extra casting distance. if you can toss your stuff far enough with the 4# main line, I would just go with a 2# leader. As for going at the buzzer, I usually only get down that early for the opener. I've been doing that for years simply out of tradition. After that, I usually show up around noon. It is more challenging, but it is still usually not a problem to get a decent limit and then some. Honestly, if I only catch my limit then it was a pretty slow day. I notice that you guys are using spinners a lot. That is one bait that I have never done all that well on. Trout worms, green/whtie rubber legged jigs, white or chartreuse trout magnets are about all I use. Velveeta cheese and DoubleD 007 are great baits for drifting below a float on a #20 treble if it gets really tough. I still carry a jar of yellow and rainbow powerbait in my vest as well. The bait is for backup in case I am having a tough day with lures.

Ii preferred worms, but the corn was easier to see for sight fishing:

I am not sure as I haven't ever paid too much attention. I'm sure if you could get some to bite if you dropped a piece of worm or corn in front of enough of them. We always caught a lot of white suckers on Taneycomo with corn and worms. When the water was really clear, I would walk around the dock and sight fish for them. That was a blast.

Yes, there are pickerel up in the park. I've seen a few of them and got a few to bite, but never have been able to keep the buttoned up long enough to land one for a pic. It has been a few weeks since I was down last, but the fishing was a bit tough for me as well. The noon flurry was ending about the time I showed up and I was able to catch one trout jigging a white trout magnet. After fishing a few hours, they picked back up and I was able to catch three more in short succession by slowly reeling a split shot rig with an orange wacky trout worm along the bottom through a school of trout. They wanted nothing to do with it for a while and then something flipped and it was a bite every cast. I've had good luck drifting the trout magnets below a float in swifter water or when there is quite a bit of color. If it is clear, I don't do very well with that technique. If it is clear, the only way I fish a trout magnet is on 2# test and by slowly reeling and shaking the pee out of it. Sometimes it's lights out and other times they want nothing to do with it though.

If I could catch fish in that stuff like you and several others I know, I wouldn't mind it. I got skunked the last time I fished the mud while others caught several 3+ brown and green fish. It is normal for me to atruggle in the mud, but I don't think I have ever blanked while fishing in the warmer months when it was high and dirty.

You will be fine with the 8awg wire. The only thing extra that you will need besides another battery is a cable that hooks from the positive of one battery to the negative of the other. You will love the extra run time and power that a 24v gives you.

The rain should stop here in a few weeks for at least a month. That's when we usually start planting food plots for the deer and WANT rain. Last year our plots that got planted around Labor Day didn't see rain till around October 20th.

Jerome is already looking like chocolate milk.

No kidding! I heard the Gasconade was in really good shape last weekend, but all this rain will have it jacked up again by this weekend I'm sure. There are a few guys who thrive under these conditions, but I am definitely not one of them.

I'd just go with the transom transducer and mount it up so the bottom is flush or slightly above the bottom of the boat. About the only way you're going to tear one up mounted like that is if you drift back in to something. You won't be getting any bottom readings while on plane, but I doubt that is much of a concern in a jet boat anyways

I found this chart online where somebody did some knot testing and the two knots I posted diagrams of were the winners. Knot Wars also determined that the Berkley Braid knot was slightly better overall than the Fish-N-Fool as well. I may end up just going to that Berkley braid knot for everything as it is pretty easy to tie as well.

Here is what I am currently running 7'2" heavy/fast casting with 17# Berkley Vanish fluorocarbon (3/8oz and heavier bottom baits) 7'1" medium heavy/fast casting with 15# Seaguar Red Label fluorocarbon (3/16-3/8oz bottom baits) 7' medium/fast casting with 14# trilene XT (spinnerbaits/buzzbaits/squarebills) 7' medium/moderate casting with 10-12# trilene xl (crankbaits) 6'6" medium/fast casting with 12# Trilene XL (topwater and jerkbaits) 7'2" medium/fast spinning with 15# PowerPro braid and 8-12# flurocarbon leader (finesse) For attaching baits, I use the following knots. Leaders Uni-to-uni for mono/fluorocarbon to mono/fluorocarbon and Alberto for braid to fluorocarbon Line to Lure Fluorocarbon (this knot or a uni if I am in a hurry or feeling lazy) Mono (fish-n-fool, uni or palomar) The fish-n-fool is just a uni with the line looped through the eye twice instead of once.