straw hat

What models do you two have? What are the pros and cons to yours?

Thanks for the tips guys. Money is an issue so that Bass Pro warehouse idea sounds good.

My reind and I spent all day fishing rock rip rap on Stockton and the back of two coves where water was running in... we only caught 1 cat (around 2 1/2 lbs). No sign of them on the rip rap yet so I guess I will wait another week or two before hitting it again.

A freind and I decided to spend the day trying for some cats. Started at the CC rip rap. Fished 2 hours, water was still clear and very green. Temp was 65. Not one hit. Moved to a second rock rip rap and fished there for an hour and a half. Water temp was 62. Not a hit. So fare so bad!! We decided to go fish the back of a cove we know which would have a lot of water running in.We were using fresh cut bait, minnows and worms. At this cove we caught 6 or 7 nice carp (3 to 10 lbs), one 2 1/2 lb cat and a 6 lb drum. Fun but not enough cats!! My freind caught two nice largemouths on worms so he switched to a green jig he had (didn't bring his bass lures). He caught around 20 bass where that water was coming in, all in less than 4 feet of water. He had 3 keepers with the largest just shy of 3 lbs. We then moved from there to the back of another cove. Again, no more cats (@#*&%^$) but more bass. We caught about 10 more bass with 2 more keepers. These were literally in 2' of water or less as far up the cove as you could fish. Certainly not the day we had planned but none the less it was fun. I think I will go back to crappie for another week or two be fore I give the cats a try again.

A freind of mine is thinking about buying a small fishing kayak. Something like a pelican of a Walmart one. He was wondering if you guys had any advice or tips for him. Any help would be appreciated.

Thanks for the info saltydog. Good report.

Not our best weekend ever but I guess not our worse.We tried 2 coves near Ruark for late spawners and only managed two. HIt a small place over on Maze Creek for post spawn and after several hours had 7 (they were 16' deep ona steep chunk rock bank. Today we tried that same steep rocky bank near Springfield Cove where we have been getting fair numbers of post spawner. We were very suprised how much the water had turned green. The water temp had risen from 59 a week ago to 63 today. We worked it hard and had a number of hits that just wouldn't take it. We came up with 6 keeper crappie and 1 channel, all out of 20 to 22' of water right on the bottom. The wife also caught a 14' white bass at 10' (suspended). we saw a fair number of good size white breaking the surface. We drove over the CC bridge on the way home and the water looked pretty green there also. The highlight of he weekend was a nice bass that the wife caught while trying to catch spawning crappie. It was a 3 3/4 lb male that was taken about 4' deep, in real clear water in the afternoon of a sunny day (go figure!), Don't let the stringer fool you, she didn't want her thumb tore up so I let her hold it on a stringer. The fish was cpr and swam off happily (but with a sore jaw! lol)

Cool, have a great trip. Teach those young hunters well.

I don't know kwall. There nothing listed on the MoDOT map but on hte other hand neither was the H highway closure!! lol

I noticed that MoDOT had closed H highway just as you come out of Greenfield heading north toward Ruark Bluff. I looked at the MoDOT map and it isn't even listed there so I don't know when it will be opening. I thought I would mention it incase anyone goes that way to the lake.

Tough day but beautiful weather. Fished a chunk rock bank where I have been catching some crappie but in the first 3 hours only 3 small ones. It got cloudy for about an hour and I caught 9 keepers during that hour. The sun popped back out and it died!! I tried deeper, shallower farther and nearer but I sure couldn't find them again. About 1 Pm just got feeling bad so picked it up and went home. The water has really cleared up around CC. Visibility was about 2 feet and no sign of the dinginess. Water temp was still 60.

That is terrible news zarraspook!! That really sucks. I know you guys were looking forward to the trip. The good news is that the smallies are hot again in October! Keep us posted.

That is a good tip sandbc. I have used that technique many times. Especially true when fishing for suspended crappie in open water. Sorry to hear you have had to work on Saturdays recently. Sucks, but hang in there your time is a coming.

You nailed it right on the head powerdrive!! Everything seems early this year.

Good job on the map Zarraspook. The reason you never see vehicles on the end of the road 691 is that that road really sucks. You can tear up a vehicle on it easy. If you continue south over the culvert that ZS has marked and then take the next right you will find a good access. That road comes out at th end of that small cove there on the south end of Birch Branch. Good road and you should be able to launch there easily. There is some great crappie and bass fishing there in that cove year around. Good luck.

Way to go Mike!! Watch out walleyes, Mike is back!!

Hey Justin, Glad you had a good day and sorry about Walnut Grove. They are famous for that. Were the cats full of eggs? I am trying to get a feeling for the spawn. It should be soon. Thanks.

We thought that with the cooler weather that the crappie would have dropped deeper so our first stop was a drop off near where we had caught some recent spawners on Maze Creek (59 degrees). Three hours and only one keeper there. Went to two more places but there were people on both so wound up on a steep chunk rock bank not too far from Springfield Cove. Got there at 1 pm and started out catching them at 12' deep over 20' of water. A lot of 6 and 7 inchers (good news for future years) and an occasional keeper. Water was a little dirty with about 2' visibility but 63 degrees.. About 6:30 PM they started coming up close to the bank and going crazy. By 7:45 we both had our limits. Most of those in the evening were 11 to 13" and were caught 10" deep. Nearly all these fish had spawned. We also caught 4 nice whites (12 to 14") and a small cat. After a really slow start it turned out OK but it sure was a long day. I was suprised at the water at the CC bridge, it was real dingy and even a little floating brush here and there. Lots of people were out today, I hope all you OA people did well!

Nearly all of my recent cats have been 5 to 7 foot deep while the crappie I caught yesterday were 3 to 5 feet deep and definitely spawning. The water where I was at at Maze had about 4 foot of clearity (stained). I noticed as I drove over the Maze Creek that there was a heavy mud strip running under the bridge way out into the cove. I was just looking at this weekend weather and all I can say is bbbrrrrr!! Those temps and cold rain will drop those crappie back out over deeper water and sure slow down the spawn of the cats. Oh well, the weather looks good for next week though.

The cats I have caught in the last 2 or 3 weeks have been in the back end of coves and had well developed eggs. I noticed that the weather is suppose to turn real warm toward the end of next week so I am thinking maybe around the first of May for the first ones to move up on he rocks. I am looking foeward to that!

One day I catch them on the bank spawning and the next suspended over deep water nearby and hen the next ,,, Well you get the idea. My suggestion is to keep moving until you establish a pattern. Don't stay too long in one spot. Keep an eye on you thermometer and look for some warmer water if you want to catch them on the bank. Good luck.

THAT is what made that crappie so fat!! Those crappie are eating the bass eggs to get even for all the bass that eati small crappie! lol

sixstring531, I am so glad you guys had such a good trip! When people drive all that way to fish a lake I sure do like to see them have a good time. Good job!!!

Went to the chunk rock bank where the wife and I caught fish a few days ago. Nothing. After 3 hours only 2 keepers. Went to a pea gravel cove on Maze Creek and managed 10 keepers, one 16" bass and a 2 lb channel. One of the crappie was 15". I know a lot of you crappie guys catch that size from time to time but that is as big a crappie as I have ever caught! All the crappie were 4 to 5 feet deep.

You may be right mtmvp6. I wasn't trying to suggest that the spawn was over, just that there may be a second phase to it as areas begin to warm back up and that type of interrupted spawn usually results in poorer than normal production.