gitnby

I have a 93 Stratos Fish n Ski w 200 Johnson. It is one butt-heavy Son of a Gun! Before we had the pontoon boat, we would use the Stratos for skiing/tubing, often with 4 or even 5 adults in the boat. Was tough to get my 200 lb Son up on one ski, and was even tougher to keep it on plane at anything below 35 mph, which is a bit fast for cruising. Dealer recommended a $50 foil as an inexpensive solution to try before messing with a new prop or other settings. By golly, it worked! Skiers got up faster, and I could keep it on plane at 20-25. Haven't used the boat for anything but fishing since 2007, and honestly, until this thread, I kinda forgot that the silly thing was still on there? Motor still runs well, and boat performs as good as I could ask for. Now, I'm wondering if I should take it off? Not sure what I have to gain?

Great work, Dave! I guess I never realized how much natural swimming action this bait has? That would explain the bites I get when I'm reeling it up to the boat. It also proves to all of us how important a shorter hook is!

and never miss an opportunity to take a nice nap!

I've never had a problem with discoloration doing it this way. after I put the glue in between the 2 pieces, then I wet my thumb and forefinger with saliva and squeeze together. Sometimes a little glue will ooze out the sides, in which case I just skim it off with finger and thumb. If you're careful, it's pretty easy. I do like the oil idea, though. or maybe even fish formula? If you're stuck with the collared heads, there are work-arounds. Still, the best deal is no collar, and just glue it to the head. my little trick with snipping off the bulged end really makes that sucker stay on there! Also, the collar-less heads put more weight forward, which makes the bait stand tall.

If you go back to the original post on this thread, you will see an idea that will also work on a collared jighead. slice the top of the Zinker lengthwise, slide your hook down and out, and then put glue on each side of the little "sandwich" squeeze it together and snug it up to the head. wet your fingers first and keep an old towel handy to wipe the excess glue that will get on your fingers when you press the sandwich together. Or, if you have the cut and cracked fingers like Donna, just leave it on there!

Awesome day! Doesn't get much better than having a day like that with your boy!

I have used the F n F quite a bit. I use a 9' 6" rod and fireline (can't remember #, maybe 8?) on the spinning reel with either 6# Maxima or 8# Seaguar leader. I usually start off with a 12-13 ft leader, and will re-tie to 10' if nothing happens. It is definitely a challenge landing the fish when you're fishing solo with a 13' leader on a 9' 6" rod, but it CAN be done. A net with a long handle is a definite plus. A bigger plus would be a partner with long arms, wearing a wetsuit and snorkel gear. My best luck has been on both sides of bluff ends. I'll even tell you 4 good places near KC. 1. the bluff just under the Plaster glass house, just to the right of their dock. 2. the bluffs and the small deep cove to the right on the other side, I guess S or SE of the first place? 3. Bluff end W (towards 13 bridge) of Pt 7, just past large gravel cut where you can pass thru when lake is down. 4. Both bluff ends directly E of bridge on N side, right below Harter House sign. (caught a monster there 2 years ago) Last Winter kinda sucked for some reason, but 2 years ago, it was deadly! The reasons for the long pole, as mentioned, is definitely for casting and help in fighting the fish on light line, but mainly to allow you to slightly "pop" the bobber in place to give the light jig the right action. The problem with a slip bobber, as mentioned, is that it doesn't always 'slip' with the light line and light jig, and when you lightly pop the bobber, you are actually bobbing it up and down quite a ways, and the fish don't seem to like it as much? Haven't tried it yet this year, but I think it's about time?

Don't forget the Ned for around docks, where the slow descent is key. My biggest SM of last year was from the front of a deep dock, and he hit it about halfway down. the old Maxima held up even though I initially had it rubbing on a cable.

Maxima 6 lb is my weapon of choice on all light-line applications. for me it is the best combo of price, castability, strength, etc. I usually shoot it up with some reel magic when I first put it on, and then a little more as needed.

That elaztech is amazing stuff! I like to save the ones that get torn or mangled, which is not that many. If you use a trailer hook on your Spinner Bait, try cutting 2 little circular slices of a used ZERO or ZinkerZ and thread one on each side of your trailer hook. works better than the rubber bands and doesn't deterioate like the rubber band. You can also use a small piece as a hook point guard on jigs if you're fishing heavy cover. Run it through first to allow a slot for hookset. And, according to Dave, if you eat one ZERO every day, you will never need Rogaine or Viagra!

Oh, ye of little faith! Trust me, I was VERY skeptical of this rig until I started hauling in a bunch of fish on it. Dave knows his stuff! The whole thing is best explained by my favorite line from the Woody Allen movie, "Annie Hall" "My Brother thinks he is a chicken" "Why don't you take him to a psychiatrist?" "Because we need the eggs"

"everything old is new again"? when was the last time anyone threw a jig & eel? Remember the black jigs with the eye painted on? may still have a rusty old jar of those Uncle Josh eels somewhere

Dave is right about the action being better on the shorter/smaller hook! I usually take any new lure and retrieve it next to the walkway on our dock, and that tail will wiggle quite a bit if enough of it is left free. I guess you could try using a longer piece of elastech with the larger hook if you wanted to? On the rig I modified on the tube head, the tail action is less, but more erratic as it almost 'swims' as you retrieve it. Similar to scrubbing a grub. I prefer an open hook as opposed to the wire guard, and most of my snags are not because of the hook, but because of the head. With the modified rig, I can usually bounce it right out. But, as Dave mentioned, I may be losing action, hence interested fish? Next project? The NED A-Rig? I actually did experiment with a multiple FB jig set up that could be dragged across the bottom. snipped off all but 2 of the wires coming from the head and attached 2 small, skirted FB jigs with twin tail trailers. It caught fish for me (had a double on my second cast), but it catches everything else, too! Because of the swivel snap, the jig tends to roll over and that usually means trouble. As for '"re-inventing the wheel", yes I am guilty! It's kind of my hobby. Being semi-retired, I have way too much time on my hands. Been fishing this pond for a little over 50 years now, and while I never get bored catching fish, I also am amazed at how seemingly smart, and how amazingly friggin' dumb these fish are! A-rig? Ned rig? Who'd a thunk it?

I have used that same Arkie head in 1/8 for regular Ned setup. 3/0 hook on it. The tube head I used for the goofy one I described above was 3/16, but appears to be a 2/0 hook?

Champs earlier post about the lurkers got me to thinking. Do I contribute as much as I receive? No way! But, at least I can add a little now and then. I've been fishing the Ned almost a year now, and it has moved up to 2nd place for me in terms of a "gotta use it every time out" bait. The old Fish Doctor is still hanging in there in 1st, but is losing ground fast! Anyway, some may remember that I modify the elastech (Zero or ZinkerZ) on the end that holds the jig head. I pinch the thicker end of bait and then snip the 'bulge' with scissors. This creates a little bit of a concave effect which makes it real easy to put a drop of glue in, and it really snugs the bait up around the head. Just put the bait on the hook, and squeeze it up to the head, pull the bait down a bit and drop your glue in the little 'pocket'. It works great and I never have one slip down the hook, even after several fish, snags, etc. Well, one day, I was rigging up a few Neds to keep on hand, and I discovered another variation that I'm really liking! For some reason, I couldn't find any of the mushroom-type heads that I usually prefer. So, I tried using some of the heads I use for tube baits. This pic is representative of the type I'm talking about. So, I snip the thick end as I normally do, but then I take the scissors and slice the first 1/2" like a little sandwich. Then, run the hook down from the top and out the side like you normally would, only about a 1/2' farther down. Push the jig head down into your little sandwich, and poke the eyelet thru the bait about a 1/4" from top. peel back the bottom, drip your glue on the lead, close it up and squeeze together with your fingers until it sets. I know this sounds crazy, but the result is great action of the bait, and way less snags in rocks and crevices. Since the elastech covers the lead head, it literally bounces along the bottom and will pull out of most snags pretty easily. I have had the best luck with it in deeper water, in places I had never fished with the Ned. Stair-stepping down bluff walls is a great way to fish this thing. The bait will not ride 'tail up' quite as well as with the mushroom head, but I have caught a bunch of fish on it the past month or so. Have only had one time where the bait separated at the top, so it holds up pretty well. Sorry for such a long post, but wanted to try to be as specicific as possible on this modification.

just picked up a few RC STX baits. Was planning on changing out hooks and rings. will probably use the Gammy G #6 or the Mustad triple grips #6 what size rings would you recommend? Anyone else have experience with changing out on these in terms of buoyancy, action, etc?

Sometimes impossible to get to from a boat, but look for ropes or romex wire hanging straight down inside boat stalls or on main deck in front of docks. Many of them are attached to cut cedars or artificial structure of some type that attract crappie and bass.

Negatory on the Christmas Lights display! They just have the light pole decorations on 13.

Nothing is confirmed as far as I know. I just heard that the bowling alley was going to close. Fairly reliable source, but he didn't know about whether RT's (the restaurant) would stay open?

Heard that Hillbilly Bowl (est 1962) is closing. I'm not sure if RT's Restaurant is stayin open, but I assume it is? Always liked their pizzas, and the catfish and burgers were usually pretty good. Heard someone say that a flea market was going in where the bowling alley was. Kinda sad to see the bowling alley close. Many family outings there over the years, and in fact, we were just there over Thanksgiving.

When the dock permit comes up for renewal, the Corps asks for a list of slip owners and the tag #'s for each watercraft they have in each slip. Then, when they do the visual inspection they cross-reference with that list and check the tag #'s and registration. If not in compliance, they can refuse to issue a dock permit. I know because we had that issue on our dock.

You didn't mention a slip, but keep in mind, if you leave it in a slip, the boat must be registered to the same person that owns the slip.

We knew you Razorbacks always lie about size! It's probably under 40,000 acres right now at 910. would have to be well over flood pool, 931 ft, to be 55,000 acres, which it was in 2011. But, definitely "heaven on earth"!

If you are a KS resident, not sure how you can register your boat in MO? Or, really, why you would want to? Although, I guess I understand not wanting that KA in front of your boat numbers? (why does Kansas use KA instead of KS? Just about every other state uses it's proper state abbreviation, ie.. MO, IL, AR, IA, etc)

I know this is off-topic, but thought I would see if anyone knows of an indoor or outdoor range near Kimberling/BransonWest area? My Son is coming down for Thanksgiving, and he wants to shoot my 9 MM Glock to see if he likes it. He is looking to buy a handgun. No place on my property that's safe as we are on the water. I was thinking of just going to one of the public hunting areas and set up a target, but too many guys in the woods that time of year, and don't want to disrupt an area or shoot someone! Any places that you know of that allow handguns and have a range, preferably indoor? I know there's a couple in Springfield, but was wondering if anything was closer? Thanks!