MOsmallies

Awesome pics.... Man I love that river!

You could definitely do it in one day. Scott and I have done it multiple times. Great report by the way... I could picture each spot you mentioned. Lets see the pics of the big ones!

It's actually my father-in-laws boat... I'll get the specs this weekend, but it's a 1980-something Ranger... 18 footer I believe. It's fairly deep compared to the new fiberglass bass boats. Not real wide and the front deck is rather small, but it has quite a bit of storage. It's a great boat that does exactly what he needs it to do. and I get to use whenever I'm down there. I can't complain at all!

Nice Report! Ultralights are not ideal for smallmouth fishing. I would suggest moving up to a 6'0" or 6'6" medium action rod. Should be more durable, and better suited for working smallmouth lures and fighting smallmouth. If you're dead set on the ultralight maybe get an ugly stick. Looks like they have a 5'6" Light action rod in their Ugly Stik Lite Rod series (SP11562L).... $40.... Ugly Stik prides themselves on making unbreakable rods.

I just got back from the lake last night. We are in the mid lake area around Tan-Tar-A. Tough fishing all weekend for me at least. Water temps were 85. Friday night I caught 2 shorts fishing a 10" worm in brush piles around midnight. Fished bluffs and mainlake points in the morning and caught a few on a football jig. Once the boat traffic got going, I headed to the backs of coves and started flippin docks with a Missile Baits D-Bomb. Caught 2 keepers (only 15-16") and a few shorts doing this. Caught one short on a chattebait Sunday. Just couldn't quite figure them out. There are definitely fish shallow. Make your first pitch to a dock count and focus on the shady sides. You'll get more bites if you can skip your bait up into the hard to reach areas. Good luck and report when you get back. I'll be down again for Labor Day weekend as well... Paul MOsmallies

Don't start cause you won't stop!!! I visit it at least 5 days a week and usually make a decent sized purchase every month or couple months

That's one hell of a 1st smallie!!! Some people fish years without ever coming close to that. Congratulations!

Me too

Congrats... Awesome, fat, healthy looking smallie!!!

I agree wholeheartedly. I always try to fish the heaviest line i can get away with. But like Al mentioned some lures require lighter lines to work properly. For Bass fishing, my spinning gear is always 8 lb P-Line CX Premium, and my casting gear is 10,12, or 15 lb P-Line CX Premium. Crappie/Bluegill gear is 4 or 6 lb P-Line CX Premium. Catfish is 15-20 lb Berkley Big Game. Walleye is 15/4 braid. Cranking the "big" river for anything that will bite is also 15/4 braid. That's about the extent species I target. If I fished trout, I would use 2 lb.

Get these.... I promise you won't be sorry.... I've had em for 3 years. They've held up really well and I honestly have not gotten 1 single rock in them. Lightweight and not terrible looking. It looks like they may not be made anymore though, so you may need to try and find a pair on ebay. I paid $90 brand new 3 years ago, so the prices now are cheap... http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sperry-Top-Sider-SON-R-men-size-9-M-Blue-Gray-White-Buckle-Slip-On-Water-Shoe-/221501920357?pt=US_Men_s_Shoes&hash=item33928b1465

You really need to find someone in your area that has success fishing the waters you have access to and have them show you first hand what to throw, where to throw it, and how to work it. Fishing with someone who is experienced is about the best way to learn. Another tip is to get away from the crowded community type spots you seem to be fishing. Try and do a short float on the Elk river down your way. Get out and wade several spots. Find some small creeks and try accessing them from bridges. Just keep working at it and reading about baits, techniques, and locations as much as you can. Lots of great info on the internet. Try some new baits.... It sounds like you keep referring back to your go to baits that aren't producing. Don't give up. Once you figure it out, the rewarding feeling will be much greater.

To me it depends what kind of baits you are throwing. You have all around good sizes, but if you prefer a certain lure our technique, you may be better of with different sizes in line. A good, smooth drag on your reel is just as if not more important. A good drag will allow you to go lighter on your line.

NICE! You and Mark look like you hammered em! What are the lengths on those?

Elk River

I recently saw an article where someone inserted a hair jig or crappie marabou jig into the cavity of the tube to act as the tube jighead. I though this was a cool idea and would have great action. The soft plastic tentacles and hair... best of both worlds. This would really only work with small 2.75" tubes though. I may try this combo this winter. I know this doesn't help with red ribbon regulations, but it's something different the fish haven't really seen.

I believe the MDC tagged in Spring 2011 and Spring 2013 on a few select rivers... Black River Courtois River Huzzah River Current River?? Castor River Here's a previous thread that discussed some results...

If I knew that would be the case, I would of said I kept the tagged fish I caught even though I released them

Holy cow that thing is massive!!! 6 inches is probably the biggest I've ever seen at Lake of the Ozarks. That would have been a cool pet in an aquarium. Eating him had to of been like eating a small lobster! Thanks for sharing

Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I'm worried about the microguides in cold weather. Do they tend to freeze up any more so than normal sized guides? Or do I not need to be worried about that?

I would suggest taking it somewhere to be serviced. Bass Pro or Paul's Bait and Tackle. Should only cost about $20-$25 or less and when they are done it'll work like new. My guess is that there's a gear you cannot see or reach that needs to be cleaned and oiled. If it's coming and going, there may be some sort of debris in there that's getting lodged and dislodged. Either way a professional cleaning and oiling should fix it. If it's a broken part, they should be able to fix that as well.

I'm looking to buy a new combo for throwing Swimbaits and Umbrella Rigs this Fall/Winter. I'm pretty dead set on the Lew's Super Duty Speed Spool SD1H reel (6.4:1), but I'm looking for suggestions on the rod. I'm looking for the following features... - Around 7'6" H - Split Grip preferable - Biggest swimbaits are 2 oz. or under (5" Bull Shads) and I mainly throw junior sized A-Rigs (e.g. Picasso School E Rig Bait Ball Jr or Eco Pro Tungsten Roll Tide Junior Rig). - Something light and comfortable to throw these relatively heavy baits all day. - $200 is about my max Let me know your thoughts and what you use. Thanks, MOsmallies

This picture has made me so sick and upset that I don't even know how to respond. A lot of choice words are being screamed in my office right now!!!!!!!!!

Nice stud Corey!!! You're on a roll

I've done the exact same thing at terre du lac and on the Black River... Both were clear enough to snorkel and the bluegill were not shy. We called it finger fishing