MOsmallies

Jack, Thanks for posting such an in depth report! I've always noticed the great guides on the Table Rock forum posting extremely helpful reports but since we have a house on LOZ and I never fish Table Rock, I'm glad to see we have one of the top guides on LOZ posting great info hear as well! I hope you continue to share your knowledge and advice... It's much appreciated. I actually saw you and a client pull into our cove on Memorial Day weekend. Hope the bite stays hot for you. Thanks, Paul MOsmallies

I was down on Memorial Day weekend and the fiance actually caught a small flathead on a 4" green pumpkin senko. First flathead I've actually seen out of our cove. We're in the midlake section around the 25 mile marker. I didn't actually fish for cats that weekend, but in the past we have done pretty good. I usually throw cut Green Sunfish on a "Carolina" type rig and have caught some really nice blues and smaller channels just fishing the middle of our cove. Best of luck and post some pics. I'll try and get a few pics posted of the blues we've caught in the past. Paul MOsmallies

I sure hope Lesterville doesn't get slammed with rain while all the fry are still trying get the feel for things. I'd hate to see a good spawn wiped out. Can't wait for the last week in June when we'll be chasing them for 7 straight days. Hopefully we can nail another 20 incher this year! Most Beautiful River in Missouri!

In no particular order... Trips - Boundary waters for smallies - New River for smallies - El Salto, Falcon, and Lake Fork for Trophy Largemouth - Louisiana for Redfish and Speckled Trout - Hawaii for Smallmouth - Devils River for smallmouth - Shallow water spearfishing - Bowfishing for carp and gar Goals - Learn to effectively fly fish - Catch a 22" river smallie (hopefully 5+ lbs) - Catch a 7+ lb Missouri Largemouth

I have a buddy that I do a trip with over at Coffeen every summer. We go at about 4:00 in the afternoon and fish until we're tired. We then crash in the truck and get after it again about 5:00 am - noon. We fishing buzzbaits and frogs exclusively and hammer them. I remember him mentioning a year where the cicadas were thick and the bass were going crazy over at Coffeen. They threw little 1/8 oz. brown buzzbaits anytime they saw a bass explode or a cicada hit the water. I would love to get on a cicada bite this summer. Especially on the smallie streams! I hope this thread goes into the summer with reports and pics by anyone experiencing a cicada bite. Paul MOsmallies

I can attest to that! I was at Smalliebigs on Friday and he has boxes and boxes of brand new, unopened gear. Who am I kidding... I have the same issues!

That would be awesome Bill!

What do you need to do to get this survey? I'd love to fill one out, but have no idea how to get one. Paul

My apologies Lilley! No history... just sick of Eric's incessant rambling about how others should act in the outdoors. I'll tone it down in the future. I enjoy the site!

I know I'm a little late on this thread, but.... I completely agree with you MIC!!!! There are a lot of great people on this site and a lot great information but some people (ERIC1978) get off on telling people they're wrong. Eric, you literally have to enter something negative towards the other members of this forum in 90% of your posts and then you don't let it go when people tell you they're tired of listening to you. Take a hint... Stop telling people how to act in the outdoors. No one on hear wants to hear it! Especially from you. I know it's tough to hear, but you don't know everything! The thing is, I agree with you on several issues, such as bed fishing, handling fish, conservation, etc. But your negative 2 cents every time someone posts a report or topic that isn't the exact way you would do it is really f'ing annoying!!! Everyone on this forum knows your views on conservation and stream anonymity... so stop repeating yourself and pissing off members of this forum who actually add valuable info. MIC, I really hope you continue to post reports because a lot of people, including myself, really enjoy them. I love reading reports, constructive topics, and looking at pictures on this site because it's my way of enjoying fishing when I can't get out and fish.

Mitch & Al... Those jigs look killer!!! Great idea on the brush hog dissection for trailers. I assume your using the baby brush hog? Paul MOsmallies

Let's see some pics of those Winter smallies you're catching Zipstick. I always enjoyed seeing them last year. And thanks for the tip with the brown yarn... I'll have to give it a shot.

I respectfully disagree... If you spend a good amount of time chasing bass, with the wide variety of baits that are often necessary to catch them under certain conditions, it is extremely beneficial to have several rod/reel combinations that excel at different presentations. I guarantee I could fish a 3/8 oz Jig/Craw with a 7'0" MH baitcasting setup more effectively than just about anyone using a 6'0" M spinning setup. Certain lures, weights, and line sizes need the proper equipment in order to be fished as effectively as possible. Not saying you can't catch a few using only one rod, but you can definitely catch more when using rods that fit different presentations.

If I was fishing an Ozark lake or reservoir... - 7'0" MH Extra Fast Casting Rod / Quality 7.0:1 or 6.3:1 Baitcasting Reel / 15 lb P-Line CX Premium (Moss Green) * Pitching Jigs, Football Jigs, Texas Rigs, Carolina Rigs, Small Swimbaits, Spinnerbaits, Buzzbaits - 6'6" M Extra Fast Casting Rod / Quality 6.3:1 Baitcasting Reel / 10-12 lb P-Line CX Premium (Moss Green) * Finesse Jigs, Lighter Texas Rigs, Topwaters, Shallow & Med Crankbaits, Jerkbaits - 6'6" M Extra Fast Spinning Rod / Quality Spinning Reel / 8 lb P-Line CX Premium (Moss Green) * Light Texas Rigs, Shaky Heads, Split Shot Rigs, Drop Shots, Small Jerkbaits, Senkos and other Finesse Worms, Flukes If I was fishing Ozark rivers or streams... - 6'6" M Extra Fast Casting Rod / Quality 6.3:1 Baitcasting Reel / 8-10 lb P-Line CX Premium (Moss Green) * Buzzbaits, Spinnerbaits, 1/8 oz. or Heavier Jigheads or Texas Rigs w/ Soft Plastics, Finesse Jigs, Tubes, Crankbaits - 6'0" M Extra Fast Casting Rod / Quality 6.3:1 Baitcasting Reel / 8-10 lb P-Line CX Premium (Moss Green) * Topwaters, Jerkbaits, Buzzbaits, Spinnerbaits - 6'6" M Extra Fast Spinning Rod / Quality Spinning Reel / 6-8 lb P-Line CX Premium (Moss Green) * Light Texas Rigs, Small Jerkbaits, Finesse Worms, Flukes, Small Topwaters

Shimano Compre - Great rod and even better lifetime warranty. I own 3 of them (1 spinning and 2 baitcasting) and love 'em. Just my $.02

Yep Bass Pro will take it no questions asked. I once bought a Shimano Compre from Bass Pro in St. Charles. I walked out the door and literally within 5 minutes a seat in my buddies Jeep fell on it and cracked it square in half. I walked back into the store and the man at the door just started laughing at me. He took the rod and told me to pick out a new one right away. Great Warranty!!!!!!!

I was down last weekend (Thanksgiving weekend) and managed to catch 14 keeper crappie fishing for a few hours of our dock with minnows. Our house is in the Midlake section and all fish caught were in our sunken brush about 8 feet deep and almost directly under the dock. I couldn't get bit if I fished more than a foot out from the dock. I struggled with size, as all of mine were 9 1/2" - 11". Fortunately I only caught 3 or 4 shorts all weekend. I actually spent the majority of my time fishing for bass and managed to put 5 in the boat between 14"-17" in about 5 hours of fishing. My 4 keeps would probably have gone 9 to 10 lbs. All bass were caught on chunk rock banks in about 3-5 foot of water on a 3/8 oz. Omega Custom Tackle Pro Mega jig (Chobee) tipped with a 3" Berkley Chigger Craw (Green Pumpkin). Never could get on a buzzbait bite which I was really looking forward to. Had a few bites on a senko and no takers on the crank. I actually caught another 6 12" bass on minnows while fishing for crappie under our dock. This will probably be my last time down until the Spring. Can't wait for April!!!!

The coolest I've heard of was one of my fishing buddies catching a 40" muskie below the Carlyle lake spillway. He was trolling crankbaits for Sauger and Walleye when he hooked into it. He thought he had a snag or big Asian Carp for a while until this Muskie catapulted itself out of the water repeatedly like a Tarpon. It's a hell of a picture and story. The coolest fish I have caught have all been smallmouth. All smallies are sweet, but these are three that stand out... First would be my 20 1/2" out of the Black River. I actually sight fished her. I saw her cruising along a deep, shady bank filled with basketball size boulders and rootwads. Cast about 7 or 8 feet in front of her and she hammered my bait. Still my biggest smallie to date. Second, was two nice smallmouth out of a small Mississippi tributary back in college. Another one of my buddy's families owned property along this small creek and he had told me about catching decent size smallies out of it, so he finally took me one day. When I got to the creek I told him he was full of it. I could literally jump across this creek and the deepest water for the first 200 yards was shin deep. As soon as we found a little depth (knee height), I caught 16" and 17" smallies back to back. Needless to say, I was stunned. I have since been fishing different sections of this creek and have caught numerous 16"-19" smallies. My last one, was a 12" smallmouth caught out of the Midlake section of Lake of the Ozarks on Labor Day Weekend 2009. I caught him half way back in a pocket in about 3 feet of water on a baby brush hog. It was a rocky bank with water willows and it was void of docks. I have heard of people catching them closer to the rivers (Niangua and Osage), but never in the Midlake section. Still the first and only Lake of the Ozarks smallie I have ever caught.

Nice Buck Man! Big smallies are still better though!

Nice Bass BMan! That's a hell of a redear as well!

My sister and nephew were actually out on the lake that morning canoeing, so she took the pictures for me. Also, I paid the $4 launching fee, but Since I wasn't using the lodges canoe/kayaks I could go anywhere on the lake. If you use their boats, you cannot go back in any of the coves and you have to stay between the dam and their fish-feeding deck. I was glad to get away from the busiest part of the lake.

I know this thread has been done for a while and was hijacked by proud fathers , but I finally managed to upload a few underwater shots. I took these pics of a friend releasing a 16" smallie on the crystal clear Black River. We were standing in the shallows with a bunch of people around, so the water was a little murkier than normal. Paul MOsmallies

Just felt like sharing the story and pics of a nice fish I caught recently... Every other summer my immediate family (All 27 of us including nieces and nephews) get together for a 4 day trip to Trout Lodge in Potosi, MO. I personally don't like the lodge itself as it is run by the YMCA and therefore has an insane amount of ridiculous rules. No swimming except for the designated areas, no playing rough with your nephews in the water, no beer outside your cabin, and most importantly you can only take their boats in certain areas of the lake. I know it's a family place with a lot of liability, but I need more freedom to be completely happy But I digress... I had caught a few good fish in years past, fishing in the areas where they allow their boats (Near the Dam), but I always wanted to explore the lake more. So this year I borrowed a kayak from a good friend (Smalliebigs) and used the public boat launch to access the lake. I now had the freedom to fish anywhere on the lake, not to mention, out of a boat designed for fishing. Well I got to the boat ramp at 4:45 am on Friday morning and got my gear ready to go. I was going to focus my efforts on the abundant shoreline vegetation that Sunnen Lake has to offer, so I rigged up a Stanley Ribbet (buzzing frog), a Tru Tungsten Mad Maxx (floating frog), and a 4" wacky rigged senko. I launched my boat while it was still dark and just casted near the ramp until the sun started to peak over the trees. At that time I paddled across the lake to a series of pockets and small points. I only had a couple hours to fish, so I quickly started to cover water with the frogs. The first fish I caught was a 12" largemouth that whacked the buzzing frog on a rocky shoreline lined with water willow. Now I was coming up on a small point that had sparse grass growing all over it. The first cast I made with my buzzing frog landed on top of the point near the bank and I began my retrieve. After a couple turns of the handle, the water flushed underneath my bait. Suprisngly I waited until I felt the weight of the fish before setting the hook. I didn't realize how nice the fish was until I got her close to the boat and she began bulldogging. I finally scooped her up by the belly and got her in the boat. It wasn't a giant by any means, but a good solid fish in the 4 lb range. She measured 18 1/2 inches, but appeared to have swallowed a softball I like the first pic the best, but for some reason it's coming out sideways...sorry folks I know it's not a giant, but I liked the ways the pics turned out, so I thought I'd brag a little. I proceeded to catch and release 3 more bass that morning all between 12"-14" and all on the frog. Sorry for the long read, but I hope you enjoy the pictures. Paul MOsmallies

Those are some pretty sweet shots Al!...Especially that last one. I have the Panasonic Lumix (Waterproof and Shockproof) and I'm still trying to master all the features. I have enjoyed working on underwater shots and videos, so that's one goal I have for the rest of the year... take more and better shots of fish (above and underwater). Thanks for sharing. Paul MOsmallies