Mart

Thanks Bullcreek. Need to be quicker next time.

Do you still have the BPS Crankin Stick 6'6" Med Light casting rod decent shape/shows use $20 Can you tell me what year the rod is and what kind of use is showing. Are the guides, blank, and handle still good? Thanks!

Sorry, Phil. Still out here and loving the forum. Thanks for keeping it current and live!

The BBQ stand at the State Park Marina is run by Danna's. Like her other restaurants, the food is great, although the menu is limited at the State Park. Don't know if they serve any alcohol.

Rps, Thanks for the great response. I have really only started to work the Spook / Sammy hard this year and it is addicting. Also tiring. My forearms and wrist feel it after a full morning. You made the comment about other peoples style with the retrieve. A buddy and I went out with Eric Prey earlier this spring and he worked the spook very tight and fast. Carl and I commented afterwards that neither one of us felt we were coordinated enough to keep up the pace Eric had. Hopefully I'll have some nice net shots from the lower end to post this weekend. Thanks again.

Hey RPS, You have got to be as close to a Spook expert as there is. Couple of questions for you on using the Spook on TR if I can. Do you prefer the full size Spook or the smaller Super Spook Jr, or any other model? Do you generally walk it quick and tight or slow and loose? Any patterns you prefer? I have had most of my success this year in the Dam area on the Super Spook Jr and the Sammy, but interested in how others work the bait.

I have been scouring the postings on RedFins and cannot see where anyone has answered this so thought I would ask. If Bill, Eric Prey, or others could give me some feedback it would be great. Which size Redfin do you prefer for TR Bass? The 4" CJ8 or the 5" CJ9? Thanks in advance for the help.

Troutfinder, We are fortunate to have a number of good, professional guides on the White River Lakes. Me and a friend just went out with Eric Prey this week and Eric was great. I wanted more of an instructional trip and Eric was great. Helped us establish patterns, read the lake, set up our tackle ... the whole thing. His boat and gear was great and Eric is a great guy to fish with. His website is www.focusedfishing.com.

I need help with my LMS332C. I've had it for 2 years on my console and it has worked great up until this summer. Out of the blue, it began turning itself on when I had it turned off and then cycling between the power and screen settings. The first time it happened I thought I left it on when I docked my boat, but it does it consistently. Never did it before this summer, and now the only way for me to turn it off and keep it off is to unplug the power plug completely. I sent the unit to Lowrance for repair and they sent it back (claimed they repaired it) and it is doing the same thing. If anyone has seen the same issue or has connections at Lowrance that could help get the unit fixed, I would appreciate your help.

Bill, The TH224 is a nice package and the 2008's are finished very well. I have a 2006 model. Hole shot for a deck boat is outstanding. I have friends with ski boats, fiberglass deck boats, cruisers, and they are blown away with how fast my boat gets up and on plane. I have a top speed of about 42 mph (gps measured)with the bimini in the boot, but still on, and the cheap standard aluminum prop. I think I could get it into the high 40's with a SST prop and taking the bimini off. For the bass boat set, 42 may not seem fast, but this is a wide open boat with a small windshield for the driver. You may be having fun at top speed but no one else in the boat is. I don't see any problem with pulling a skier and having a bunch of folks on board. I don't have any skiing kids, but we pull a triple dog towable with 6+ folks in the boat all the time. No problem, that motor is a horse. The boat handles chop real well. On plane, it gets high and cruises over everything. Very easy boat to drive once you learn the docking. If I could do it all over again I would get the 175hp, although the dealers say it's not worth the difference in money. I would also look into the Verado. I heard gas mileage is nothing like the Optimax and the performance of the Optimax is the best, but the Verado is supposed to be smooth and incredibly quiet. If you are mostly taking slow cruises (like me) when you aren't fishing, quiet is good. Good luck finding one used. When I was looking for mine I looked around and found nothing anywhere. Nobody sells these boats once they have them. In fact a couple of the dealers that I talked to claimed it was their favorite all-around boat. Suggest you contact lots of dealers for quotes. Pricing varied a lot when I bought mine. Maybe I should sell you mine and upgrade to the 2008 with the Verado... hmmm ... a new toy. Mart

4fishys, I have a 22' deck boat that I keep slipped in the Dam area between Big Cedar and the State Park. It is a great boat to fish out of with a big casting deck, Minnkota trolling motor and Lowrance on the bow and console. We also pull the kids in a towable and take slow cruises with kids and grandma's. It's rated for 12 people. While it is a big, wide rig that takes a little work to dock, for Table Rock it is a great main lake fishing boat. Never had issues with handling the chop on the weekends. The boat is a Lowe Tahiti 224 with a 150 hp Optimax. The engine with the aluminum hull performs well and I am amazed at the gas mileage of the Optimax.

I've had Tracker Marine in Branson work on my 150 Optimax. The mechanic they sent (think his name is Keith) was very easy to talk to and seemed to know his stuff. You have to have the computer program to troubleshoot this engine. I would not let anyone touch it unless they have that tool.

Don, You didn't mention jigs with a trailer. Is this a technique you use during the summer in the early AM? I had some success over the last week on secondary points in the main lake / long creek area before 8 AM. Using a PBJ jig and trailer and bouncing it through chunk rock with a long cast (long for me anyhow). Boat at about 25-30 feet and casting as shallow as 10-15. I caught a couple of smallmouth every AM in the just keeper range and one real nice spotted bass before my family woke up. Just wondering if this is a legitimate pattern or just dump luck.

Both are casting rods. They are great rods but for some reason the builder did not put a keeper ring on them.

There is a special diagnostics software program made by Mercury for the Optimax. The lead mechanic from Waymack Marine in Springdale showed me it when he serviced my boat last fall. It's amazing the information that he can see. Everything short of where I went and how few fish I caught. If the mechanic doesn't have this equipment I wouldn't let him work on my Optimax. It's a pretty sophisticated motor. Waymack refered me to Tracker Service in Branson for local service. Wondering if anyone has any experience with them. I spoke with Clay Newkirk at the shop and he seemed to say all the right things.

Anyone know how to tie on a keeper guide ring for a rod that doesn't have one. I tried those rubber lure keepers but they keep breaking and I have two rods with no keeper rings. If you also know where to buy the gear to add this I would appreciate the information.

Planning to be on the lake the week of Thanksgiving and if the girls let me I will be out there. Any suggestions on patterns, locations for Smallmouth, Largemouths, Spots, Whites, Walleye (you can see I'm not too picky)? I will be working the main lake to Long Creek area. Thanks in advance and Happy Thanksgiving!

jay bird, I just bought a Tahiti 224 with a 150 hp Optimax. I love the boat and could not find many choices in Aluminum hull, deck boats, with an Outboard. I made a big jump in boat ownership. My previous fishing boat was a loweline V with a 25 hp Evinrude tiller. That top end speed sounds great. I don't think the 224 would get that fast, but what do you do to get that speed. What type of prop do you have and how do you work the trim? Any other tips for high-speed cruising would be appreciated. The whole power trim thing is a new concept. My last boat I was just happy if the transom didn't fall apart when I took it out. Thanks!