Mitch f

I only use a white ascot when fishing, when the fish comes to the surface to get a good look at it, he gets his butt-cot.....

That's a great idea, I'll have to experiment with that!

I'm always trying to get an extra foot or 2 in depth for my jerkbaits, this goes for my cranks too. That's the reason for the post. I too have added suspend dots on my wiggle warts but ended up getting hung up more like Al said. I've also filed down the bills to make them sharper which adds a little depth. But I just haven't found a deep diving crank that has the same action as the shallow/med action ones. I believe that an extra 2 feet will give you a decided advantage because most river fish haven't seen a crank go down that deep. Also, if you are able to "tick" a deeper rock this gives you the extra edge as well.

I've always been partial to the Wiggle Wart and the Bandit 200 series, But I need your opinions on your favorite crank bait. I've been looking for a deep diving crank that has the action of a shallow diver ( I know, it's a challenge). My opinion is that many of these river fish get used to a crank running about 8 ft max and if you were able to add a couple of feet of depth, you could catch more fish in the deeper holes. I've been known to "kneel and reel" sticking the rod down in the water and crank to get a couple of feet more depth. Some of the lower sections of rivers have 15ft holes that I would like to be able to get down and bang off the rocks on the bottom. Any suggestions? I'm looking not only for a specific brand but possibly a tuning technique for and old reliable crank bait. Thanks in advance!

I take my jet boat all the way up to hwy 8 if the river is high enough, the guys with the chain saws are just cutting down new trees that are in the way. I try to slow down when I pass a trout fisherman but sometimes it makes it worse. Sometimes you cant slow down at all because you cant keep your boat on plane. I do know that it is sometimes impossible to get through a riffle with a guy standing in the way and the fly fisherman sometimes refuse to move. I wouldn't fish on the upper Meramec if you don't like jets.

Because I usually have to get in the boat and "run" for a few minutes; it lets me concentrate on what I'm about to accomplish before I make my first cast. I also like to use the "One cigarette rule" my friend always promotes. Just anchor and wait for the time it would take you to smoke a cigarette ( I don't smoke) and just watch and observe. It lets things settle and get back to normal from the jet boat wake.

?

Thanks for holding that thought; I had a very reliable source who read the electro-fishing report for the Meramec from the 60's or 70's until present. He said some years they only shocked a small stretch for 15 minutes. Several years they didn't shock at all. He said the report was sketchy at best. This is where I came up with that conclusion. I was trying to get an actual copy of the reports from several rivers but don't have them so I really didn't want to post something until I had all the facts in front of me...That's why I never replied. Thanks for remembering

Denny Brauer loves the wind because he feels he has superior boat control to the other angers and it will give him a solid advantage. But when you are rowing, it's no fun. I rarely float anymore since I bought my jet boat.

I get your "point"

In order of preference: Fall 1 Winter 2 Spring 3 Summer 4

Al, respectfully, i should have avoided politics. However, The health care bill was rammed down our throats. State senators and congressman were offered back room sweetheart deals and threats were made. If you listen to FOX news all day long, you will get a right wing skewed view, if you listen to MSNBC you will get a left wing skewed view, the problem is CNN is not in the middle. Both sides can make arguments that sound plausible when they are being made, but it comes down to the fact that if the American people as a whole are against it, it's not going to work. Listen, I believe that the whole world is based on the pendulum theory; when the pendulum swings too far too one side, it always ends up swinging too far the other way. Take for instance George Bush, most American people didn't agree with the war, most American people had a perception that the Americans alienated other countries. So what happened is the pendulum swung too far the other way by electing the most liberal of all Senators. Now the whole country will have to pay for the "sins" of Bush. I agree that the republicans are trying to block everything now, whether good or bad. I also don't like the fact that they aren't strong on the environment. I also agree that gas fracking is harmful. But you have to prioritize what is the best for the common good of the people. The simple fact is this president has an extremely low approval rating, so did George Bush. I agree that we need to respect the office, but it's also acceptable to comment on a closed forum. You make it sound like talk radio is the villain though...it's the only thing the conservatives have left beside FOX news. The liberal have the schools, the Networks, the periodicals, so whats left? At what point did you choose to comment on this subject, was it because a conservative made a comment that disagreed with yours? what seemed to have mad was the RAMMED down our throats comment or was it criticizing an incumbent president? The point is well taken on criticizing an incumbent president. This also, as you stated, works for both political parties. You are a small business owner, how many extra paintings will you have to sell now to pay for all the bailouts? who knows. I really feel for all small business owners now, including the Canoe/kayak rental business. Small business are having to resort getting payments in cash and not reporting the income just to survive. I simply think the spending has to stop somewhere. Don't get me wrong, The Iraq war was a big costly mistake too, for the sake of the men in uniform I didn't think it was a good idea to criticize the war effort, but criticizing the president for his agenda should be acceptable in an internet forum, granted not necessarily on a fishing forum but I wasn't the one who started it.

water up and rolling on the Meramec, they should have been wackin the spinnerbait

its hard for me to say but I've had several instances where I've caught a skinny smallie and 5 ft away caught a super fat one. I think it might depend on the health and aggressiveness of the fish.

What do you think the thunder does for the bite? I've been fishing in thunderstorms and the bite just completely stopped, I assumed it was the thunder.

"Scamdar", I gotta remember that one!

When are we going to have the October "jet Boat " fest?

Eric, The level of Lunacy were the people who voted a guy with no experience in to the white house in the first place. I was no big fan of George Bush either, but Obama is worse. He has tried to RAM healthcare down our throats, he wants to "spread the wealth" to people who don't deserve it, he wants to tax anyone with an income of $250K so these business owners can't hire anyone, and he treats the very people who attacked us on 9/11 as the victims instead of us. The one good thing he has done is render Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton irrelevant.....they now have to trump up things to get themselves in the spotlight again. I will give Obama credit for Wall Street reform, but he has bluntly tried to pass all the rest of his bullshit agenda down our throats. I don't know what the American people expected when they voted him in but our grand children will be paying for these mistakes. So in other words, you are part of the problem

Gotmuddy, I agree with you, it seems like the only reason we are even discussing this is because we have some bad apples out there that ruin it for everyone, as I stated before, I don't mind paying to keep away from the riff raff and hopefully find a more safe place to park my truck and trailer. It's just worth the extra money for my time, convenience and safety.

Actually, the Meramec and Gasconade are where I do 75% of of my fishing anyway!

Up until a few years ago, I have always caught big fish more consistently in the fall than any other season. Actually 3 of my biggest fish were caught during the opening weekend of deer season and I was wearing blaze orange for safety reasons. Now, thanks to Zipstick and others, I like fishing in the winter the most. I do think you're right by saying it's all about the conditions. When the water temp cools down to the 55-60 degree range, the fish just get more active. I usually pick up my golf clubs in the summer and stay off the rivers during peak hours. I know the fishing can be great in the summer but I just don't like to be on the river then.

I'm generally a conservative, but I'm not a big Palin fan. She seems pretty common to me, very boring to listen to and a little too ambitious. I do think she would be much better than the present administration. As for Sean Penn..............talk about a chip on his shoulder, he reminds me a small child throwing a temper tantrum; great actor though!

$5 is very reasonable, I would probably rather pay to go on private property than a remote public ramp. Maybe it will keep the riff raff out.

You guys are very gracious indeed but I'm not going to tell you when my birthday is because I don't need to be reminded that I'm getting to be an old SOB, my wife can attest to that!

Dittos