Buckshotdad1960

Why would you think you’re bad for asking about a spot to fish Daveinozark? Do you go through life thinking you deserve a spanking? LOL Hey, that’s kinky man! LOL If anyone tries to spank me their going to find out I spank back! I thought that’s what this forum was all about, fishermen helping fishermen and we’re supposed to ask these kinds of questions. Being a natural born comedian I always try and throw in a little humor to help make it easier for a man to give up this information. I know it’s hard sometimes to give up your secrete spot. But all you can do is ask and there’s no guaranty you’ll get an answer. I sure don’t feel bad for asking. Ask and ye shall receive, search and it will be opened unto you! Now get out there and start asking people where you can catch a big one at!

WHAT ! That’s it? LOOK FOR WATER ? Come on man! Is that all you got? Now I feel like that Mexican guy Too co in that old Client Eastwood movie called The Good – The Bad – And The Ugly! Remember the part where he’s finding out about the gold from the wounded one eye soldier (Bill Carson) in the back of the stage coach, where he says, In the Finley, OK! In the water, OK! But the location has to have a name, be in a certain river stretch, or be next to something! LOL Can you get me closer than that? Your secret is safe with me Angel eyes (The Bad)! I know how to find crappies once I find the body of water their in. PM me if you don’t want everyone to know. Geeese,... you’re the son of a thousand mothers! LOL

Ok, here we go! And from the man who ought to know. How lucky could I get? Man I can’t believe you could post this, with over 759 views and not one response. What are these people, pee shy? I would love to know where I could find crappies on the Finley River! White or black, I don’t care! Size, I don’t care! Just as long as they are crappie! Tell me every thing you know about the crappie and I will be your friend! I will come to your house and wash it! I will wash your car, boat, mow your grass, empty your trash, rotate your tires, fix your roof, clean out the cellar, do your taxes, and walk your dog! I’ll even bury your enemies that you killed off over the winter that are stacked up in the back yard! Just tell me where I can find some crappies! PLEASE!

Man some people have all the luck. I have fished that Finley Park a bunch of times and I’ve never found any crappies, in fact I’ve never even ever heard of anyone catching a crappie in the Finley River any where. Maybe I’m just zigging when I should be zagging? So you caught those in April did ya? Does anyone know where I could catch some now in October?

Are you asking what the name of the creek is in Saddle Brook? Bull creek. The little creek that meets Bull creek at that point runs water all year round but it is insignificant to Bull creek. It holds no fish past the first 50 feet. Bull creek is clear and spring feed. It has nice goggle eye, pumpkinseed, blue gill and a few other kinds of fish in it like large mouth bass, small mouth bass and trout. It has a natural strain of trout in it that can reproduce on their own. They are prettier than the hatchery fish the owner puts in there. Those do not breed and get fished out by summers end. Plus they can be moved around when the creek floods. The owner just replaces them. Some are 1-3lbs but he always puts in 10 or 12 that weigh between 6 to 10lbs. Their monsters and a blast to catch! The creek takes a turn at this spot so he lined the shore line with gigantic cut stones for about 200 feet of the shore line. The water has carved out caves behind these rocks and it holds a lot of fish. If people have been jumping off the wall and swimming the fish hide behind these rocks but stand there long enough after the people leave and you won’t believe your eyes! The owner only stocks the place because they bring every potential buyer down there to see the place and the fish. Who wouldn’t want to move in after that?

You’re talking about Riverdale. Riverdale was a power plant at one time. It was or is privately owned. The owners are rich people who live in Oklahoma and only come around once and awhile. Usually on a Sunday. If they catch you there they will run you off. After all, they have the legal right to do so, and they like to point to the no trespassing signs as proof they mean it. However tons of people go there and if it just happens to be you that are the one who gets caught that day then you’re the sacrificial goat. They have never called the police on any one that I’ve ever heard of. It must be hard to have something like that and keep the public out. Here lately a housing area has gone in just up the road. It is a gated community so only scared rich people live there. They may have bought the dam area too because they have a sign now that says FOR (blank) GUEST ONLY. I forget the name of the gated community. It’s like Saddle Brook on hwy 65 about 10 miles south of Ozark. It’s a housing area but not gated. If you drive in and go about ¾ of a mile you’ll come to a fork in the road. If you went straight you would run into the swimming pool. Make a right and go about a mile further and you will end up where two creeks meet. There is a beautiful area to picnic and swim. It’s full of giant size smallmouth and trout. There hard to catch but I have caught my share and released them like the sign says to. I’ve been going there off and on for about three years. I’ve never had a problem there until one day this summer. On that day the owners where there having a private party so they ran me off. I left of course but I have wondered something since. They of course would like to have that area down there all to their self (for the residents) but in their greed to save money they turned the community into a city for tax break purposes. They call it the city of Saddle Brooke. Now I’d like to know how they can run you out of a city. I’ll bet they have no authority to run you out but will keep up the bluff for as long as they can.

Of course I know you’re just kidding Daveinozark, But for you young guys out there reading this remember Beer and water don’t mix! Beer + Water + A Cramp = DEATH! Always respect moving water, it’s unforgiving. Even a small river like the Finley can cancel your ticket to life if you use bad judgment. Only a weak man gives into peer pressure to do something he knows is wrong. Are you strong enough and smart enough to grow old? Life has a way of testing your answer.

Well, I started to think your solution was a good idea but just before I stood up to applaud you I remembered, HEY WAIT A MINUTE, I’M LAZY! LOL Depending on how far you paddle, the road and the river can get pretty far apart. So I came up with an improvement on your idea. Late one night I saw an info commercial for a bike that folds up. Get one of those bikes and you’ll take up less room in your boat! Then you can bring along a young person with a drivers license to ride the bike back for you and get your car! You can get in some extra fishing time while you wait. Yeah, I’m trying to Patten the idea now! I’m gonna be rich! Rich I tell ya! LOL I can just see my idea going global even as we speak! And I owe it all to you! The only place I don’t think it will work is china. There all you have to do is hire someone with a rickshaw who’ll work for crack and just follow you down the creek to pick you up when you’re done. LOL The only draw back I can see with this is trying to enjoy the peace and quiet while some guy drags his rickshaw through the under brush yelling, HEY, YOU STOP NOW! YOU GO TOO FAR! LOL Boy, I hope no Chinese people are reading this! They might hunt me down and give me the iron claw and twelve kicks of death! LOL Oh well, I deserve it!

Yeah, anyone who wants to go fishing with the likes of me at least shouldn’t be allowed by law to own a firearm! LOL Just stay in good with that land owner so we can go back there. Maybe in the spring when their spawning we might stand a better chance at catching something bigger. Yeah, I’ve had fun and learned a thing or two. You’re a great bunch of guys! This isn’t the end even though this thread is spent. We’ll run across each other on other threads. So keep your rods held high and your hooks in the water! Until next time.

Are you kidding me? Like I need another fishing buddy! Besides I just meet you. You could be a serial killer for all I know! The signs are all there, 1. You live in Lebanon! 2. You sell car insurance! 3. You laugh at my jokes so I know there’s something wrong with you! LOL Besides, except for a few short runs if I find the time, fishing is over for me for the summer. I’m a warm weather fisherman. I like to wade the creeks, when it’s too cold to get wet I stop fishing and start gearing up for deer season. I love to fish but I’m not fanatical like some of the guys here. Perhaps I can pencil you in for next summer. In fact, just two days ago I took you advice and bought an aerator so I can get serious about hauling some fish. I’d like to put some blues and flatheads in the pond and yeah, I’d like to come down and see these Piranha crappie for myself. I just wish you didn’t live so darn far away, then it might have been easier to get together! I live down near Branson in Christian county. Maybe next summer we’ll get together if you haven’t been arrested! LOL

So Greg, Creek Wader………….What are you trying to say? LOL Ok, let’s recap what we’ve learned here. In case of Nuke clear war, only Roaches, Scorpions and Crappies will survive? It sounds to me like crappies could solve world hunger. We need to be shipping these things all around the planet! Far be it for me to want to ruin someone else’s pond by putting crappie in it! Why should I be happy? Sure if I failed in my attempt to control the crappies I could just walk away whistling Dixie but that wouldn’t be ethical would it? LOL. So maybe your right? Maybe you’re all right? But I’m going to put at least one crappie in the pond no matter what any of you say! I’m going to hug it and squeeze it and love it until it’s a state record! Then you’ll all be sorry! LOL All of you will try and come around telling people you know me and begging for my autograph but I’ll just say talk to the hand, DENIED! Get away from me I never knew you! And if you think I’ll show you my fish, just forget it! None of you are even worthy enough to lay your eyes on it! Consider yourself lucky if you just get to see its shadow! You’re all off the Christmas list! Blasphemers! Unbelievers! I have spoken! LOL Fishincricket, Ozark trout fisher, You’re my only friends! That darn Reb sold me out for a bowl of warm beans! LOL

Chuck Norris can catch a fish on every cast! For the rest of us – there’s always tomorrow!

Yeah, you’re my brother Larry! LOL

WOW! Ok, note to self: Never let Chris be in charge of throwing a birthday party for one of Jerry’s kids! I can just hear him now: Alright look kid, you’re never going to walk again so just crawl back up in your wheel chair and wipe the spit off your chin! Google Polio and get with the program. I don’t want to hear you whining I can’t feel my legs any more! LOL Well, I’m gonna Google and I’m gonna Google. Then I’ll Google some more! And I’m gonna have some crappies in that pond no matter what it takes! I don’t consider you or anyone else here ignorant. I need to hear the WHY NOT so I can figure out the HOW TOO! I may be a mad scientist hell bent on making a Frankenstein but my monster will have a kind heart and be afraid of fire! Yeah, and when you hear me yell, it’s alive! It’s alive! Be afraid! Be very afraid! You’ll have to tie yourself to a tree to fish this pond! That’s right! And don’t forget to bring your pitch fork! When you read the no swimming sign take it seriously! Because I’ll put sharks in there if I have too! If they can’t handle the job I’ll post pictures all around the pond of my mother in law! That will keep the fish sterile! So don’t tell me it can’t be done! LOL I just seen a picture of the Missouri state record crappie and guess what? It came out of a pond! Don't read anything into the above Reb, no ill intent meant here! I can see the south is trying to rise again, but don’t worry; if it does we’ll let you win this time! We’ve learned our lesson! LOL Thanks for the thumbs up. I have a feeling I’m going to need all the luck I can get!

Fishincricket, I believe your right on that. Water temperature is a very important factor here. Starting in the spring and through the warm summer months I’m going to take temperature readings every few days in the pond and get a feel for how warm it gets in different places. Over the long term this can help me decide what might live in the pond when introduced. I’ll put my kayak to good use and test my theory that the pond being spring feed will be warm at the shore and cold in the deep parts. I love smallmouth bass and have placed quit a few in the pond already. So I hope the pond stays cool enough in the deep to sustain them in the summer. Also, I had forgotten since it was three years ago when we did it, (my son reminded me) from a near by spring feed creek one day we caught 5 wild rainbow trout and put them in the pond. These trout are capable of reproducing so if they lived perhaps it will be because of the colder deeper water as well. Last Friday and Saturday night I fished the pond. Both nights I got there about 20 minutes before dark. And by dark I mean dark enough to not be able to see to tie on a hook. The first night, I caught 3 large green sun fish and a 3lb large mouth bass. The second night, I caught 9 large green sun fish and had a hit that striped some line off then broke my 4lb triline xl. I was using my crappie rod and tub jigs. I sat down unable to tie back on and wondered what it could have been. After 3 years of stocking the pond not only are there signs of life still in it but improvement as well. I find it funny that I have put hundreds of mature goggle eye and pumpkin seed in it and yet have never again caught any. I only know of one person who has caught a goggle eye there. He is a resident that lives near by and fishes the pond a lot. He showed me a picture on his phone one day and asked me if I knew what kind of fish it was. It was a goggle eye about a half pound. He has a kayak and pointed to a spot about 2 casts off shore where he said he found hundreds of circles on the bottom close to each other like the place had been bombed. You and I both know these are beds. Whether they are bluegill, red ear, or goggle eye I can not say. But I’m convinced their still alive. Why you can’t catch them from the shore is a mystery though.

These triploids may be the wave of the future but I wonder what they will end up costing. Since they don’t reproduce on their own they will have to be replaced every 3-5 years or so. Sooner if like in a situation like mine where I have no control over the pond they would be stocked in, thus allowing anyone to deplete them. White crappies lay between 60,000 and 100,000 eggs per breeding pair compared to black crappie that lay around 30,000 per breeding pair. Stocking black crappies would reduces the over population problem by half then. Stocking a few male carp would reduce the problem further by eating up some of eggs on the beds. Having the pond stocked with bass would reduce the ones that the carp don’t get and of course you would still be left with a few that get to grow up and reproduce again. Sure the carp would no doubt muddy the pond and eat other game fish eggs like bass, bluegill and so on. I noticed in a near by creek, that when the pumpkinseed spawn they are plagued with a couple different kinds of minnows that look for any opportunity to sneak in on the beds and devour any eggs they can get. So certain kinds of minnows could be introduced into the pond to help hold down the crappie population instead of carp. Can the creek minnows live in the warmer waters of the pond and reproduce? I don’t know. But it is an option worth looking into. What if (if in the case of bigger ponds) you introduced some heavy weight predators like channel cats, flatheads, pike, musky and walleyes as well as some gar? There hast to be a self sustaining balance here some where if you throw in enough different kinds of predators. Anything that can live in a river can live in a pond I would think.

Wow! Chris your right! Man, we didn’t know! We thought you were Al Quadda! When did the Reb’s learn to read and write? LOL

I think you can buy them here? http://www.jmmaloneandson.com/hybridcrappie.html

This is what they look like. http://www.ms-sportsman.com/details.php?id=361

Sterile crappie much better for ponds By Hal Schramm April 30, 2009 Print Email to Friend Blackstripe, or blacknose, crappie are being used so they are easily recognized. HAL SCHRAMM Blackstripe, or blacknose, crappie are being used so they are easily recognized. Mississippi is home to some of the best crappie fishing in the country. The fertile waters and long growing season are conducive to fast growth. When year-class strength is moderate, the crappie can grow to more than 1 pound in three to four years, and fishing is fantastic. Unfortunately, moderate year classes are the exception, and crappie numbers and quality fluctuate widely. The problem with crappie While a good spawn and high survival that produces a strong year class seems like a good situation, the abundant crappie share a limited food supply, and growth suffers. Anglers catch a lot of crappie, but they are small. When weak year classes are produced, often as a result of low water conditions in flood-control reservoirs or high flow-through in hydroelectric or navigation impoundments, the few fish have plenty of food, and growth is fast. In a couple years, anglers will be catching some big crappie, but bites will be few. The fluctuations in crappie abundance become even more acute in impoundments smaller than 500 acres. A 1-pound female crappie can spawn 60,000-100,000 eggs, so the reproductive output of only a couple crappie can overpopulate a small impoundment. The abundant crappie will quickly outstrip forage production and even compete with bass for fish forage and with bream and catfish for invertebrate forage. For obvious reasons, crappie should not be stocked into small impoundments. Despite these problems, many anglers want to catch crappie in private ponds and in Mississippi Department of Wildlife, Fisheries, and Parks (MDWFP) lakes. Managing for consistently good crappie fishing in small impoundments requires control of crappie reproduction. MDWFP fishery managers now have a tool that can be used to produce good and stable crappie fishing in small impoundments. The tool is a fish — a triploid hybrid crappie — the Magnolia crappie, and it is being produced at the North Mississippi Fish Hatchery. Making Magnolia crappie The Magnolia crappie is a cross between a male blackstripe crappie and a female white crappie. The blackstripe crappie is a color variant of the black crappie that occurs naturally in low numbers in some Mississippi impoundments. The blackstripe crappie — also called a blacknose crappie — is recognized by a narrow, dark stripe from the dorsal fin forward down the top of the head and continues on the underside of the head to the back of the mouth. The hybrid offspring of the male blackstripe crappie and the female white crappie retains the black stripe. Using the blackstripe crappie as the male parent instead of a normally colored black crappie allows hybrids produced in the hatchery to be easily recognized. But hybrid crappie can reproduce, so hybrids don’t accomplish the goal of controlled reproduction needed to effectively manage crappie in small impoundments. But the hatchery scientists have one more trick — they make the crappies triploid. Crappie, as most fish, have two sets of chromosomes. This is the diploid condition, and diploid fish reproduce normally. Triploid crappie have three sets of chromosomes. Cellular processes necessary to produce viable eggs and sperm break down when there are three sets of chromosomes. It is the triploid condition that prevents the triploid hybrid crappie from producing offspring. The fish produce eggs and sperm and mate, but the fertilized eggs do not develop. The triploid offspring are produced by stripping eggs from normal female white crappie and fertilizing them with sperm stripped from normal male blackstripe crappie. At exactly five minutes after fertilization, the eggs are put into a pressure chamber and exposed to 8,000 psi of pressure for two minutes. This interrupts the normal cellular processes, and results in the egg retaining an extra set of chromosomes. The fertilized egg, and the offspring that develops from it, have three sets of chromosomes, and cannot produce offspring. Crappie reproduction is controlled only if all the stocked fish are triploid. Unfortunately, the procedure is not yet fool-proof. The percentage of offspring that are triploid has ranged from 60 percent to 100 percent, so work remains to further refine the process. Fish can be tested to see if they are triploid by taking a tiny blood sample from each fish. The process does not injure the fish, but is very labor intensive and limits the number of fish that can be stocked. As the hatchery staff continues to refine their procedures, Magnolia crappie are being produced and will be stocked into some state fishing lakes. The MDWFP hatchery does not provide fish for private stocking. Hard work and progressive thinking will produce great crappie fishing without creating populations of overabundant and small crappie of little interest to anglers.

What in the heck happened to those crappies in that pond Fishincricket? Is there a nuclear power plant near by? I’ve never seen crappies like that before. I don’t think I should put crappies like that in the pond. They must have a bad gene thing going on. Maybe the pond started off with one male and one female and they have been breeding back on each other for years? At any rate those are definitely hillbilly crappies. I better pass on those!

Fishincricket, LOL Finally someone with a sense of humor! I was beginning to wonder if it was against the law for comedians to be fishermen around here. After I posted that I swear I could hear the sphincters puckering! Oh well, some people take things way too seriously and don’t know how to have fun! And isn’t that why we fish? To have fun! From some of the threads I’ve read here I think there are a few people missing the boat! Thank you for your invite. That is the exact kind of thing I’m looking for only in your case it too far. I have to keep these fish alive so I’m limited to about 30 minutes travel time from the Nixa/Ozark area. Of course I’ll sand bag your post just in case worst comes to worst and I find myself having to figure out how to set up some sort of air ration system in the spring. I may end up having to travel a far distance to get these crappies. Keep your ear open incase you hear of something closer for me. Thanks for being a friend!

OK, I found some general areas that should be good for some nice size crappies. I’m trying to locate a map right now. Is there anyone out there who has ever been to these places? The James River arm, the upper Long Creek arm and the Kings River arm, all around Table Rock some where. I think I know about where the James River arm should be but I have no idea where the others might be. I learned about these places from a magazine called Missouri Game and Fish. I guess they just assume that everyone knows where these places are but I don’t know where they are and I’ll bet most people have no idea either. They should at least tell you what towns their near by. A map would have been nice. I guess where the boat launch and bait stores are would be too much to ask for. Can anyone share any knowledge about these places?

Ozarkfishman, Again, another interesting post. You have a good eye at reading water. Throw in a little trial and error and your catching fish! Your right not all ponds are created equal. When I was a kid first starting out I fished a lot of ponds. I honed my fishing and trespassing skills to an art with ponds before the age of 12. LOL Did I say trespassing? Like you it was all I had at the time. I moved on to creeks and rivers as I grew older. This is where my true love for the outdoors lies. From ankle deep creeks to the Mississippi I have fished a lot of moving water and have trained my eye to read current. Having lived in MN I have had the opportunity to fish a lot of lakes and have been successful at it. Lakes are really nothing more than over sized ponds, just larger and more complexed depending on the size. However for me nothing can peak my interest like moving water. It’s alive and ever changing. If my three children who are now grown have learned anything from me it is to respect moving water. Moving water is unforgiving. It can be your friend one day and the next your enemy. If a man is smart and loves what he’s doing he will never stop learning. Talking and listening to others, reading magazines and books, watching videos is only a bonus to the skills you learn on your own through trial and error. It’s good to share your experiences with others in forums like this. Even if the other posters seem to have more experience and can learn nothing from you. Think about all the others who never comment but read and learn from your post. You could be teaching some young kid how to fish and don’t even know it. Once at bass pro in Springfield during the weigh in of a fishing tournament I meet Jimmy Houston. It was a chance meeting in the store. He was with two of his friends, I don’t know who they where. The area at the moment was deserted except for him, his two friends and me. I don’t know why but when I seen who it was I blurted out JIMMY HOUSTON! I was shocked! He smiled and spoke to me then pulled out a pen and reached for the piece of paper in my hand like he was going to give me his autograph. I pulled the my hand back and said I don’t want your autograph, I don’t care who you are, I’m not no groupie! I’d just like to shake your hand and thank you for teaching me how to fish. Then he gave me the Jimmy Houston laugh, stopped and made time to talk to me for a few minutes. I’ll never forget it. Here was a guy who I watched on TV as a kid, watched no telling how many of his videos and never in my wildest dreams ever expected to meet the man even though he played a valuable role in my life. Both he and Bill Dance have contributed a great deal to the hobby I love the most, fishing. Like wise in a forum like this one never knows the impact you might have on someone else’s life. So share on my friend.

Ozark trout fish, Ok, let me get this straight! 1. You don’t really care that much and it’s no big deal. 2. It’s ok now to take a few fish. 3. And you don’t want to start a war. So…What am I suppose to do with the rest of my day! LOL I could of had a V8! Yeah, let’s hope that I never get into a conversation like that but if I do I’m trying it! Why not? I’m getting a ticket anyway! I might as well have a good story to tell about it! LOL Focus Grasshopper! Focus!