smallmouthjoe

Thanks for the suggestions guys, I can use all the help I can get trying to figure out how to catch bass on anything besides a jig or a tube. The next time I'm at BP I'll pick up a gold or a ghost x-rap and I'll also start toying around with some of the Rouges I already have. I believe it was Hank Parker who said "If you want to learn a new technique then leave all your tackle at home except for the tackle needed for that technique". That seems like good advice in this case.

Yeah I'll try it with some brighter colors, I was using a gold husky jerk. Does anyone have any suggestions on colors for jerkbaits? I'm so cheap that I can't allow myself to buy something that might not work.

Went out this morning even though it was raining some with periods of pretty heavy fall. But the combination of the rain and the high temperatures we've had these last couple of days made me think that the fish might be more active than they have been lately so I couldn't resist. I needed to go some place close because I have to work this afternoon so I settled on The James behind the dam. The last time I was there I was completely shut out which will happen in winter I suppose. I started fishing around 9:00 and had to go in earlier than I wanted to because I managed to get myself drenched and I can't afford to get sick and miss work so I finished up around 11:00. I manged to catch three LMs, two dinks around 10" and one nice fish that was around 14". Started out throwing a jerkbait, which I'm trying to get better at, with no luck. After about an hour with the jerkbait I switched to a 4" watermelon red grub rigged on a 1/4 offset roadrunner head. All the fish were caught on this by slowly reeling it along the bottom. All of the fish I caught were behind current breaks next to a deep slow pool. I went back though and fished all the slower pools I could find with a shakyhead trying to coax some inactive fish into biting but was unable to get anything to bite. It's looking like the weather is going to turn bad tonight, funny, spring one day and winter the next. Take care guys and enjoy Christmas and the New Year.

Managed to hit the sac trail yesterday and caught a few LMs. I only brought one tube with me and as soon as I lost it I was going to call it a day. I managed to catch four ranging in size from 8" to 12" and lost my tube at the very end of all the fish-able sections. The tube was a green pumpkin bitsy tube rigged on a 1/16 tube jig. All the fish I caught seemed to be very active and they all wanted the tube to be hopping along the bottom at a moderate pace. Great winter day and I'm going to have to get out tomorrow before work the question is where. Take care.

Yesterday was the winter solstice the shortest day of the year and after the day passed we started our slow tilt back towards the sun and now everyday should be longer than the previous and I already can feel the warm sun of spring fast approaching. I do realize that we have the toughest months of winter to endure before the temperature and subsequently my spirits rise. But I always mark the winter solstice every year as a day of celebration for the beginning of a new period. It honestly holds more significance to me than the new year does. So to celebrate this day I did not drink or eat myself into a dazed stupor or make promises to myself that I no I wouldn't be able to keep, I instead went fishing. As bad as it may sound I never enjoy celebrating life in the company of others, I only find the things that make life worth the effort in complete isolation in an environment that has been changed very little by the hands of progress. This makes me an outsider a so called weirdo to everyone I know. For it is very natural for Homo sapiens to be absorbed in the lives of those around them and to come across an individual who is not is very unnatural. But how I feel about it is what matters, and honestly I'm OK with it. I can live through anything anyone feels or says about me as long as I can take refuge in the arms of the natural world.

I think what we get is power in numbers.

I have a pair of neoprene's but last year when I went into the drink I wasn't wearing them, I know not very smart.

Well I had time to go fishing after my BIO final today and I decided to go over to my friends farm out toward Ash Grove and fish The Sac. I felt I deserved it because I aced a final that I didn't have to ace in order to maintain an A. I walked off of the MSU campus at 9:30 and was at the river by 10:20, started fishing around noon because I had a couple of cups of coffee with my friend who owns the farm when I arrived. The fishing wasn't all that great, I only manged to land three fish all about 10 to 12. One came on a x-rap on an errant cast into the middle of the current. The other two came out of wood in slack water on the shakyhead with what is becoming one of my favorite colored finesse worms, green pumpkin with purple flake. Two days of fishing in a row. I can tell already that it's going to be tough to try to work more over winter break. And I do have tomorrow off, the only thing I have to do is study a little for one more final. I may go check on the fish behind The Dam tomorrow. Take care.

I was just wading around hitting all the big pools I could find. I had a bad flip with my kayak last winter I'm still kind of afraid to get back on the horse. I think I may try to hit The James with it in the next week or two.

I hit a little stream in Taney County yesterday. Started fishing around noon and finished up around 3:30. I only caught four fish but they were all bigger than what I usually catch on this stream, one was the biggest smallie I've ever caught in this particular river around 14 or 15. All the fish were caught in slack water in the deeper pools with wood in them. All the fish were under submerged logs and they all had big full belly's and looked very healthy. Started out throwing a jerkbait but could get no takers with it so I switched to a 1/8 shakyhead with a green pumpkin with purple flake finesse worm and thats what all the fish were caught on. Great day, hopefully I can get 9 or 10 more days like it before the spring semester gets here. Take care.

What would be the necessary steps of getting a Springfield Chapter formed? Between work and school I have only a limited amount of time to do anything. But I would be willing to find time to dedicate to an organization that is concerned with preserving an animal that I dearly love.

Thanks Eric.

I would be very interested in a chapter in this part of the state. Where do I sign up?

I want more time to fish.

One of my friends posted this on facebook and it blew my mind.

Wow that's crazy. When will we learn?

The first two I would say are around two and a half, the last two around five.

I went to go check on the fish of interest yesterday and was unable to catch her or any other fish for that matter. Completely skunked, first time in a long while. I think I was getting too big for my britches anyway, humbling outings such as that one make me want to work harder and get better.

I believe there are some studies that show e-coli can live in the intestines of some fish. Carp, suckers, bottom feeding fish. I would think that they couldn't reach the actual flesh of the fish but I'm not to sure on that one. There is no fear from pathogens if you thoroughly cook the meat and you avoid cutting into the intestine. I feel it's like smoking, if you want to eat fish out of The James or The Finley that's your business.

Those are some good looking fishing your boys caught. I would be very proud.

Its good to see another Ozark man around. Welcome, your knowledge in the art of catching fish is going to grow exponentially with the aid of this site. Lots of good stuff floating around here.

I've started marking all my rod at the 15" and 20" mark from the end of the handle. It's not precise by any means but it does allow me to get a good idea.

OK, here's the info I was able to gather from asking one of my professors at school. There has been no documentation of a fish developing eggs out of season on The James, but there was a case of a white sucker population some where around Taneycomo that did. He told me that it was possible for the heightened water temps to induce the development of eggs but more than likely they would not become fully developed and would probably be reabsorbed. This is all speculation of course we don't know anything until we truly know it. He also said that it was just more than likely a really full spot. So there you go, more than likely a really full spot. But if anyone else notices this sort of thing going on below the dam please send me a pm. I could potentially use it further on down the road in my academic career. Thanks.

You see this fishes belly is located more toward it's anterior, the one I caught the belly was further back. I wish there was a way I could tell without cutting it open. Does anyone know of a way that doesn't involve me killing the fish?

The only reason I thought of it was because of the high water temps that come off the lake due to the warm water outlet at the power plant. Even if there is higher water temps your probably right, the day length is probably has more to do with activating the production of eggs than the water temps do. I wish I could have gotten a picture of her. Spots are usually a fatter looking fish anyway but this one was just ridiculous. It reminded me of one of those really fat calico cats.