gitnby

Probably gizzard shad. Easiest way too distinguish them from whites when you see them in the water is the extreme forked tail of the shad and only one dorsal. Whites have 2 dorsals. Gizzard shad can be huge! I've seen some floating that had to be 2 lbs.

It's the Fedril guvmint. what did you expect; Organization? Logic?

Yikes! How did you get back? Carry a spare?

looks like it has some sturdy hooks and hardware?

Ditto on Schooner! also has pool and playground, and dock is in a no wake zone.

Anyone hear of damage anywhere else?

Have you tried the Zman elaztech worms? The floating worm or saw tail in green pumpkin is VERY realistic! The elaztech material is amazingly tough!

Not sure if our experience with 'snapping' the NED was just an oddity or what? Have you tried it?

Fished a redfin Fri., Sat. & Sun morning early. Caught several nice K's and Jaws. Had quite a few blow up on the fin and miss it, and I didn't have my white fluke ready to use as a follow-up. Grabbed a rod with a 1/2 Zero (coppertreuse) on the Ned, and threw back on the swirl and let it sink a few feet and reeled it back. Caught fish 2 of the 3 times I tried that! Also, my Son and I were fishing the Ned along the inside of a pea gravel sec. point. I had a real tiny smallie on for a second and as I swept the rod to set him,he came loose and almost immediately, a 3lber grabbed it and pretty much hooked himself. Later, my Son was shaking a snag loose and as it came free another nice smallie grabbed it. So, we decided to try some thing a little different. After the initial cast, we would let it set, and if they didn't hit it, we would snap it back with the rod tip. We must have caught at least a dozen more that way. Fish were really aggresive the past 3 days. We averaged 20-25 every morning from 5:30 till 9, with about 40% being keepers. Biggest were a 3 1/2 # smallie, 3lb K and a 3+ LM. We used the Ned, spit-shot w/green pumpkin fish DR and redfin.

Didn't even think of it until Bill mentioned it, but I'm gonna guess that the majority of K's I've caught this spring were 16" plus. I fish primarily 2 miles either side of 13 bridge at KC. Not near as many 12-14" now that I think about it. Got a big fat-bellied K on a redfin Sat. morning and his tail was still bright red and bloody. Maybe many are still spawning?

" After the Fire Is Gone", "Love is where you find it." "Lizard hot", "Babler early"? Love it! If metaphors were keeper bass, you almost got a limit in one post? Just need a kicker, now. The early TW bite is "On like Donkey Kong"?

Beer-belly? Love handles? Dunlop? I call mine the "Prosperity Belt"! If I can afford it, I'll eat it!

Be on the water at the crack, 'cause you'll probably be rocked to death by 10 at the latest. Or, fish at night? Better yet, pray for a light rain or clouds, which may keep the crowds off the water. Even though the water temp will likely struggle to reach low 70's by then, (78 is considered ideal swimming temp) there will still be wake-boarders, tubers, wave-runners. Just keep reading the reports between now & then for what baits, tactics to use, because it WILL change in the next 2-3 weeks. Be safe, it can get goofy out there on Holiday weekends!

Don't know if any guides would do that, but if you book 2, 3 or 4 people for the trip, they will sometimes allow you to be in a 'trailer boat' for an additional charge. I took my boys out with Bill Beck several years ago, and I followed them in my rig.

1. Fish Doctor-Gr Pumpkin 2. Single Tail Grub-Smoke 3. Baby Brush Hog- Gr Pumpkin/red (used as trailer on FB jig, or rigged T-style) 4. Zoom Speed Craw- Gr Pumpkin Magic (used as trailer on FB jig, or rigged T-style) 5. Zoom Monster Worm-Black

Jay Steed is the new owner. He's not off to a good start in his quest to dominate Kimberling City. He has already changed his menu at The Rocks from 'fine dining' (couldn't find anyone that agreed?) to BBQ fare. (because there are not enough BBQ places around?) He has already had some major customer service issues at The Rocks, and now it sounds like the same attitude prevails at Kimberling Inn. Pretty strong rumors about his relationship with former KC mayor, Joe Schrodt. Seems Mr Schrodt pushed pretty hard with the Corps to re-designate the area that is primarily Steed's property as High Density Recreation. At a City meeting, he denied ever promoting that idea until a letter surfaced in which he proposed that exact thing! The Corps did not change it in the new Master Plan. Not surprisingly, Mayor Schrodt did not file for candidacy in last month's election.

Need any work done on your boats? Plug change,grease fittings, check hub, etc? Maybe drop em off at Ulrich's or any other boat repair place along 13, and pick em up on your way in.

It doesn't work! When I was MUCH younger, I used to buy the big liter bottles of Mountain Dew, drink about 8 oz or so and re-fill the bottle with Everclear and put it back in the fridge to have it ready for to take to a college party. One night I stumbled a bit on the way back to the dorm, fell on my face in the parking lot, and bled all over my shirt. I did survive, but the Mountain Dew did NOT stop the bleeding!

Also fished Saturday around KC on Saturday. Got out about 8:30AM, was still overcast and there was a nice ripple on the water. First cast with the Redfin was demolished by a fat K keeper who was hanging around an underwater tree line. Caught a few more shorts on the Fin, and then went to work with the little green worm. Several short brownies on the gravel, and one 'something' that broke me off. Hit a few more spots with the wobblehead and the blade, nothing. Ran back to the dock for a while to help a buddy who called and was having trouble with his lift.Got that fixed, and headed back out about noon. Sun was hitting the water pretty hard and went back up in Schooner to one of my favorite spots, only to find it covered with 2 bass boats and a 3rd boat obviously crappie fishing. Wind was hitting the small point which is usually dynamite, but the point was covered! Decided to go back in the slick water inside the point towards back of cove. 2nd cast was a.4# LM, 4th cast was a beautiful brown fish that must have been related to Shaun White or Tony Hawk? She went about 3#+ but gave me an air show I'll never forget! Unbelievable! normally, I would have pics, but I had taken my phone out of my pocket when I was working on the lift, and left it on the dock. They were both hanging out about 12-15' just on the drop before it hit the cove channel. Both were healthy, no eggs or red tails, which makes me think they were on the second shift? Thought I was onto something, and then the wind shifted, and was blowing right on my spot. One bite after that, and it was done. Water was between 63-67 and a little dingy. used a Fish Dr, gr punkin w/red flake and I dipped the tail in chartreuse dye. headed back to finish the yard and a few other projects. Was hoping to do better, but it was still fun.

I believe he's fishing around Kimbnedrig City?

Really? That's right down the street from me. Were they the owners that sold it off as individual units?

Really enjoyed watching the Bassmaster show featuring the Elite Series on Table Rock. For those who missed it this morning, it's on again next Sunday, 4-27 at 6 AM. Mike McClelland was a worthy winner, and did a great job in the studio portion. He said his Aunt & Uncle owned a resort on Table Rock. Anyone know which one it was?

I tried that, Dave, and I could never get it just right. Maybe if I took a knife or razor and made a slit where the barb exits?

Appetizers? You don't HAVE to get em cold. I tried them at room temp and they were harder to work with. I was afraid to freeze them, but that might work? Or they might break like the aforementioned popsicle? Toughest part is keeping them from spinning when you first start the drill, which is why I tried the vice. Turn drill on before you first hit the elastech and it's easier. Before I used the vice, I tried some skinning pliers, and they worked okay to hold it in place while drilling. I first tried heating up a long finish nail and sticking it in the bait to make the channel, but you had to be quick with it, and it doesn't really displace much plastic. If you had a drill press and a small bit, you could probably rig something up to keep them straight up and down. I'm sure somebody will come up with a better idea on this, but I am very pleased with how this came out. My wife always says I spend more time "playing with my baits" than I do fishing with them. Or maybe she said I spent more time playing with my rod than using it?

Earlier, I shared my method of snugging up the Zinkerz to the jig head. Now, I've found another trick that solves the bunching up of the bait on the shank. The elastech material really is dense, and it's tough to get that hook lined up just right. Some may argue that the "scrunched up" look is desirable, but I like the straight and sleek look. Take a few of the worms already cut in half and put them in the fridge or freezer for a few hours. This gets them a little firmer. I then drill a hole about 2/3 of the way into worm starting at cut end. I use the smallest dia. drill bit I have and put the worm lengthwise in the vise, or you can try another method to keep it straight and flat. Dip your drill bit in water several times as you do it so the hot metal doesn't melt the bait. When you're ready to rig it, dip bait in water and the hook will slide right in and be easier to snug up to head. Always use super glue at the head. Don't think this affects hook set at all? May even help since the bait can slide a bit at the hook bend. As I posted before, I always snip the cut end to make it concave so that it snugs up to any size round head. Just pinch the cut end of bait between your fingers and cut the 'bulge' with scissors. Then put a drop of super glue in that indentation right before you push the bait up that final fraction of an inch. I think some of that glue actually sneaks down the hole I made, and makes it even a better hold on the hook than before? I fished 4 days with one bait, and it still is on there perfectly, although it does have a few teeth marks on it. (from the fish, not from me or the vise)