bobby b.

Hello Uncle B, Can you give a few details - depth and type of ground? I'll be in that area tomorrow. Would have liked to go back up to Cape Fair but it may be trashy again. Thanks Bobby

Fished a couple hours Saturday afternoon around Point 15. Lots of boats. Temp 56 degrees. Still lots of floating debris. Caught whites on the flats in 8 ft of water on flicker shad. No crappie yet for me but talked to a couple boats that caught a few shorts.

As of last night the Belton, Mo store and the Overland Park, Ks store still had more than a dozen each - the ones with the mirror front. I got two. Thanks

Occasionally I'll keep a couple 11.9 inch rainbows to eat. I've come to think that the brighter the color of the fish the longer it had been in the lake and likely to taste the best. Recently I keep two fish to eat - one was brightly colored and the other more silvered in color. I expected the brightly colored fish to have a more pink meat and the silver to be more grey. But this was not the case. The brightly colored fish was somewhat pink but the silvered fish was almost orange like salmon. They both tasted good but the salmon colored one was better. Both baked in aluminum foil with butter, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Questions - Can someone explain this? Is there a good way to predict the color and thus the taste by from the fishing coloring? Thanks Bobby

I helped a friend setup new Humminbird units with I-Pilot link and Lakemaster chips. It is awesome the way the boat can be held in place automatically on a windy point and follow the contour automatically at set speed. You need the Lakemaster chip to make this work and of course about $4000 of upgraded equipment including a new trolling motor.

A 28-pound rainbow trout was caught in a northern Idaho river last week—which would have been the largest in state history-- but it had to be released due to state laws protecting the threatened species.; http://www.foxnews.com/us/2015/01/15/28-pound-rainbow-trout-caught-in-northern-idaho-would-have-been-record-breaker/

So does that bait boil tend to happen on the main lake area or more up in the rivers and feeder creeks?

I live in KC half the week and TR the other half. Agreed, Byrants on Brooklyn is the best. There is another Byrant's at the Legends near Cabelas - not near the same, as someone said above, it's those old brick ovens. I pass on the frys though as I once saw them drop a big block of white stuff into the fryer (trans fat??????). For those that have never been there, go during the day - this is not a safe part of town in the evening.

I replaced the rack/cable on my old Cajun with a 115 Merc tower. Had to pull the engine - not much fun.

I currently hunt the Mound City area and the Four Rivers area as I live in KC part of the week but here on TR the other part. Have hunted ducks from South Dakota to Corpus Christie. I will be retiring here next July and will be looking for places here but more than likely looking for new friends to drive to Four Rivers with. I've come to know thru this forum that Ducky is the local expert.

Humminbird is the way to go - the technology has changed regarding communication between the units so you may want to consider this if you plan to upgrade.

We have taken lots of steps after we have had one high end bass boat and two PWC stolen (they were recovered on the water the next day, stripped) including an alarm system that I designed/built, all gas caps locked, recording cameras, lots of lighting, and a locked gate on our commumity dock. We have had a couple of attempts since but the alarm system scared them away before the cops could arrive. I will say that the response time from the Stone Co, sheriff is excellent where I am. Regarding the employment rate, there is less than 60% of able bodied males working today in this country. The number was much lower in 2010. A household of 4 can receive $45,000 from various government programs without eitiher one of the two adults (I use the term adult loosely) working. This is probably a pretty good income in Stone Co.

I think the deal is that the Corp fee is for those ramps where the Corp operates or contracts to an Operator - i.e. Indian Point or Cape Fair. Abandoned faciilties like Combs Ferry (across from Indian Point) or several ramps in and around Aunts Creek or the ramp at Flats Creek (Point 15) or Bridgeport can be used without charge.

As I said in an early post, I did lots of research on this when I got my new boat a few years ago, I talked to engineers at Phillips and some techs at Murphy. Here's how it works. Gasoline is delivered from the refinery to what is call the "rack" mostly by a pipeline. Each company has a "rack" where they add the ethanol and in some cases other additives like cleaners and octane boosters. The Feds require each state to use so much ethanol. This was done mostly to reduce dependence on foreign oil. The by-product as someone above has said is that there is less crop for food and animal feed. Such a shame as there are starving people in this world and we are using this for inferior fuel in our boats and cars. But as I said above if you are using it quickly and not letting it sit (like thru the winter) it will work just fine. I do have a classic mint condition 1990 Jeep Wrangler that will ping unless I use the premium but this is an octane issue - not an ethanol issue. I do recommend Ring Free or Quickleen or the like.

I read some of the report. Three things stick out for me. One there lots of complaints 2 or 3 years back when the lake rose to record levels and lots of flooding down stream on Taney. The report talks to why this was and will be done - due to regulations. Second - there is a push to add more dock zones - this will be studied next year if there is funding so no change for now. Third - there was discussion of closing some Corp areas/ramps - this has been discussed recently on the forum. - no news here either.

As an engineer I did allot of research on this when I bought a new Yamaha 4 stroke 3 years back. If you use allot of fuel, 10% ethanol is just fine unless you have a very high compression motor (customized). This is true of both cars and boats. So during the spring to fall boating and fishing season when lots of fuel is being consumed I use the 10% ethanol in my Yamaha 4 stroke, my old 15 hp Evinrude, PWCs, lawnmowers, vehicles etc. As the winter approaches I switch to the ethanol free such that they are all purged of the alcohol during the idle time. Also put in some Sta-bil. I did have trouble with some rubber hoses on an old PWC from the ethanol. As previous entries indicate, Fast Freddy's Phillips and the Conoco at 76 and 13 in Branson West offer it. Some Walmart Murphy station offer ethanol free but not in our area. There are Federal government regulations regarding how much ethanol must be added. Missouri has been under some pressure to up its consumption so we may have trouble getting it in the future. So you guys that are lucky enough to be on the lake most days, don't worry about the ethanol - I hope to retire soon and be there too.

Just got a post card from the Corp regarding the TR Master Plan final. Meetings are March 7 and 8. The Plan is available at http://www.swl.usace.army.mil/Missions/Planning/TableRockMasterPlanUpdate.aspx

also seen and heard a few Loons this year

One of my favorite things to do is to chase the diving gulls and throw any shad type bait catching whites and LM. Sometimes it last a long time and other times just a few fish are caught.

And one more thought. Get a little Jon boat or canoe since the Corp is closing all the ramps, there will be no place to launch a bigger boat anyway.

hknfsh, just my opinion - wish someone had told me the downside of an old boat - (wait, I think they did) A $200-$300 boat payment for 30 years is nothing to the taxes and healthcare we are going to pay for the next 30 years - and the boat is lots more fun. Anyway, too cold for a boat today and the water will be off this p.m. so going trout fishing (don't need a boat for that)

I had a limited budget 10 years back (still do) - spent $3000 on a 78 Cajun that was well kept and always garaged - single owner - it had a 115 hp in line Merc (tower of power). The problem with these old boats are many 1) wood floors that don't hold the screws any longer 2) wood transom that rot out 3) wiring in the boat and motor are brittle 4) motor parts are impossible to get but if available are too expensive ( I paid $150 for a used distributor cap that cost $25 new back in the day). Then finally the gas consumption is out of sight. I eventually sold it for $2500 after spending $2000 on repairs. Bought a brand new boat with a 4 stroke 115 hp.(uses about 25% of the gas). Awesome. So my recommendations. Buy a 16 ft aluminum with a 25 hp hopefully less than 10 years old or buy a brand new boat with a 4 stroke motor and get a boat loan (30 years if needed- you'll spend less in the long run) or take up fly fishing (don't need a boat) And remember the two best days in a boat owners life - a day he gets it and the day he gets rid of it.

Yes Fred at Ulrichs will tell you the answer in about two minutes - also down the road on Hwy 13 about 2 miles is Angus at Cope marine - they are a Yamaha dealer and jsut as good.

Thanks guys - see ya on the river. Bobby