zipstick

Pro Anglers were paid in full. Co-Anglers pay was cut from 2nd thru 50th place. Check it out.

I'm not nearly the Wart angler as many are. So here goes: 1. Is the newest version of the Warts as good as the old pre-Rapala Warts? Reasons? 2. If you had to use just three colors, what would they be, and in what water clarity or conditions would you elect to use each? 3. What water temperature do you consider the lower end for Warting? When do you put this bait away? Thanks.

I agree with Nitroman. Get the highest quality that you can afford, and having an extra bank for the starting battery is a good thing. I have had at least three of these automatic chargers go bad in one of the three charging banks and all were different brands. If you get five or more years out of one with hard use, you are doing well. Some guys leave their chargers plugged in (on trickle charge) constantly, but I've had bad experiences with this procedure. The battery loses its water(acid) level too quickly which can ruin a battery. I also use the a simple timer switch for indoor lighting which activates my charger for 2 hours every night when the sun goes down. This keeps them topped off without overdoing it. I have a small boat with just one battery, and I've had the best success with the 10 amp charger with the timer shut off device. I know I won't overcharge one that way. I have had bad luck with the Schumacher automatic type, but maybe others haven't. And by the way, I don't recommend leaving these units out in the rain.

One would think that a full field would have been achieved for the Table Rock tournament. 149 is a curious number. If someone dropped out, couldn't a replacement have been found? Probably at least one disgruntled would be pro is out there unhappy tonight. It will be interesting to see if the payback is also scaled back. FLW did that to Central Stren anglers at Kentucky Lake a couple of years back. Even though others wanted to fish they (FLW)capped the field at one less than full, then cut everyone's payday with the exception of first place. Check out the pay line next week.

Bill, If the majority of FLW guys are poorly behaved, that's a bad thing. I fished this tour for three years and I did boat with a few guys who acted poorly, but most of the guys did behave well. The two nastiest examples that I witnessed personally were one guy was thrown out for cheating in FLW events, and one who has won The Bassmaster's Classic, (and no longer fishes the FLW,) threw a gigantic tantrum when he arrived late at weigh in. Yes, big bucks mankes many act like fools. I'm not defending poor behavior, but the FLW last year featured 200 pro boaters as well as some co-anglers out prefishing in their own rigs. That's at least 130- 150 more tournament boats on the water as compared to the BASS tour guys who have 100 competitors. Just the sheer number of FLW boats makes a major difference in crowding and blow byes. I've also fished many local and regional tournaments on Table Rock and other local lakes and I've been cut off on banks, spied on, nearly run over by guys who think they're driving a car on the highway, "cozied up to" when I landed a good fish, and even passed by at take off by lower numbered boats who try to weave in and out of traffic. I've seen other guys network during tournaments, and bend the rules in other ways as well. I even had a local gal co-angler rip the lower jaw of a bass to make the poor thing measure 12 inches. All I'm saying is that we have poor sports in all areas of the country, and the Ozarks is fairly well represented in this area also. I think bad pro and local behavior is just a reflection of our society generally today where respect is in short supply for many. Thankfully, many of the good guys can lead by example of how to behave on the water, and it would also be a good thing for the real pro's to take some of the rude boat jockeys by the scruff of the neck and give them some direct advice on proper behavior.

I fished a good friend on the cold Gascy today. Got 25 with 9 largies and the rest smallies. Afternoon bite was the deal after the morning sucked. Warming water always helps the wintertime bite. Here's Mike's biggest smallie, a 19 incher. The last 8 fish were all above 16 in. Guru

Cabela's flourocarbon in the blue box has performed wonderfully for me this winter. Still on the same spool of 8 lb, caught over 300 bass, and had one break off which I think was my fault. By the way, it comes in 400 yard spools and does go on sale. Don't know who makes it but it has the same dull coloring as Seaguar.

Been throwing the jerkbait over 20 years at Lake O. and I'm more confused than ever! So here's my long ramble. Some years it's clown and other years it's pro blue, and other years its.......... I do like to get whatever I'm throwing a little deeper than many anglers, and if the fish aren't too cooperative, I like to throw it with longer pauses and barely single twitch it. I might add just enough weight to get the bait down to 12 feet of water, but a sinking bait can be a hung up bait too, so it can get more expensive without a lure retriever. I think the fish do learn color. It's tough for me to get bit three years in a row with a popular color, so I'm usually looking to change. Bright vs. dull, and belly color, and noise made are key ingredients often overlooked in bait selection. Generally, the clearer the water, the more subdued translucent patters work, while in dirtier water or heavy clouds the more dark and contrasting colors seem to work like the old orange belly, gold sides, black back is still good for the Rogue. On sunny days, though the bright clown and sliver/blue combinations can work. When fish are hightly active, they tend to move to points and over brushpiles to feed in stable or falling lake levels in as shallow as six feet. Usually, I try to concentrate on the channel swings in the larger creeks where one side of the point created by the swing will be deeper than the other side. If brush is present, so much the better. The bass can be on both sides of it, but usually one side will predominate, so try to get a consistent bite going to establish a pattern. The very best jerkbait fishermen based on their ability to win $ on the lake have their favorite brush piles and rock formations to fish, they keep up with the movements of the fish, and they have lots of buds that keep them informed on the changing lake conditions. Often one arm of the lake is "hot" wihle the others aren't. I also like water that's at least 3 feet vis. and like it even clearer so the bass can see the bait from deeper water to come up to bite it. Fish the banks that get more sun, that is the north and northwest banks. Pay attention to the rock formations and meeting places of the different sized rock. I like to keep my boat in 15- 20 feet of water and fish more horizontally (parallel)down each bank. Normally, I fish with the light wind: it's warmer that way, and I can cast farther. I don't fish whitcap areas in winter because the water is too cold for bass to move to those places. Fish arond steeper banks that have good sunlight penetration, but near shaded objects like docks. I find that a creek, bank, or cove will get hot for a period of time, and I can catch them there regularly. The same cove may not stay good for an entire winter, but sometimes they don't. If you find one, stay put in there and wait for the fish to start eating, or visit it three times during the day. Temperatures: sometimes I feel I'd do better without a temp gauge because I get screwed up mentally and lose confidence in sub 40 degree water. I think I'm more affected than the fish are. I would rather fish from 47 down to 42 for better fish movement in early winter, and I like a water level of 656 or lower because more bass tend to move out from behind the docks where they are more accessible to the jerkbait. Often the bass locate in either the mouth of coves but sometimes even the last 1/3 of the cove can be good, so it pay to pay attention to electronics to determine where the baitfish are positioned and fish near them. Use a fairly long rod with a limber tip for better casting and keeping more fish pinned when hooked. Don't be afraid to go down to 8 lb. flourocarbon for line. You'll get a longer cast and better feel of the lure. Anytime the lure feels different at all, set the hook. Any activity on a suspended bait definitely means a bass has swallowed it or fanned on it. Yes, you can feel a missed strike, or a nudge of a bass that does not take the lure if you are in contact with the bait. When the water temps get to fifty, I can usually find a better bait or bite. Confidence in your approach is paramount for fishing slowly, and that is what jerkbait fishing is. You may only get bit for 15 minutea a day, but you can catch 10 - 20 pounds in that small period of time. Experiment with the cadence and amount of life yuou put into your rod tip. I think lits of guys overwork the bait. Occasionally, a very slow pull does wonders when a sharp flick gets little. I've interviewed winning teams of anglers after winter tourneys and many of them refer to that one hot location during a specific time of day when they caught their better fish most often on jerkbaits. The best way to learn how to fish them is going with an accomplished angler tht can shorten your learning curve. Good luck.

Gavin, the xd Pointer and Bevy are fine on all the streams and lakes. I often pull out the dd78 first on both lakes and rivers.

There's a whole lot more to tell to this and all fishin' stuff. We ought to try to get Tim Fleetwood whose won more money with the jerkbait than any other Ozarkian on here to tell some stuff.

Why is it that the internet site for lake level and temp of Lake of the Ozarks always is so inaccurate? This is very frustrating. They(whomever they are) have posted the same level for entire month of Feb. at 657.8. Is the water temp still about 35?

Real neat info on jerkbaits even for those who are extremely experienced with them. Always neat to hear others' ideas and theories. Worth every minute for those who are neophytes on clear water environments. I would like to add that Bill would really enjoy using the Pointer XD (extra deep) 78 series since he likes the Bevy Shad. It runs deeper and without that exaggerated wobble of the old spoonbilled types.

Don't mean to insult you but learning lots of differnt names of companies and what they produce is a prety good thing to know just so you can communicate with other anglers about different lures. At Bass Pro, lures and equipment from hundreds of different companies are offered, and many are of better quality than the bass pro brand. Some of BP equipment is quite good and some of it is not so good. Most people would agree that their rods are probably of better quality than the reels they sell, but that's probably not everyone's opinion. I do not buy any of their hardbaits so I can't comment. Their brands of jigs aren't that good, nor are their hooks. I would not recommend them to anyone. I do fish their tubes, worms on occasions and some other soft plastic trailers. I also think their line of spinnerbaits (Laser Eye)is decent too. Lots of people like their house brand flourocarbon and mono as well. And the Nitro boat brand is getting better, many would say. You also need to know that you are coming during the worst season to bass fish during the day if you come down in July or August. Not only is it very hot, the fish are quite deep and finding them is very difficult without the aid of a good guide. Using the best lures won't help if you are not fishing around fish, and Table Rock is as tough as a $3 steak for folks with little or no experience there. Most locals will elect to fish at night during the heat. You may not catch a single bass in a whole week without help because those rascals are 30-60 feet deep and often in a poor mood.

Teaching effectively requires a lot of work, and compliments do make every day better for both the teacher and his charges. Done well, teaching is real art and does it take passion! Today's teachers find it hard to focus on real teaching when so much else in going on outside of school that really affects students' behavior and willingness to pay attention and succeed; be it poor parenting or lack of it, poor nutrition and health, or just plain old apathy poor role models, or despair. Couple that with the onerous and ridiculous mandated paperwork, high expectations of administrators, and pressure to teach to the tests as a yardstick of success, it's a wonder how teachers keep answering the bell day after day ready for work. Great teachers must work harder and harder to improve student attitudes, instill confidence, and create a lifelong thirst for learning. You are really helping to shape hundreds of lives through your teaching. Our society needs great teachers more than ever, so please help mold better citizens for the betterment of society and our country. I want you to have a great and long career teaching, and if you do it in the same location for many years, you will develop a fine reputation, and you'll be able to follow many of your students to see their great successes of as they become adults. Often the rewards of your hard work pay off many years after the start of a teaching career. Please hang in there and work diligently for the rewards will be great for your students, the world, and you. Nick Hamra, retired teacher

It's kind of neat to see so many guys from the Ozarks region fioshing the FLW bass tour this year. I counted at least 24 who hail in or near the Ozarks out of the field of roughly 150 anglers who will begin their season at the Red River this month. For those interested, it's also fun to play the free fantasy fishing game even though the prizes have been significantly reduced. I wonder what opinions the members have on pro bass fishing? Having fished with some of these guys in the past, I can assure you that many of these fellows are fishing machines. I also would enjoy stories from members about tournament fishing experiences. And last, the FLW tour is cominmg to Table Rock in March. Any comments?

I agree with the above post shown in the picture. I think the confusion with this term arose when some well-meaning guys tried to define the term differently. Their definition of a secondary point was another breakline on a given point which created an additional flat and drop-off on the that same point regardless of the point's locastion on the main lake or in a cove. Maybe I confused the questioner more. Let's stick to our interpretation of mnain lake versus coves. It's easier.

Winter forces one to have very specific techniques, locations, and a willingness to get out there in the elements. I learned thru 28 seasons and several hundred wonderful trips what conditions make the fish locate in certain areas, and I have developed the techniques to catch them pretty regularly. Aside from fishing in streams with good populations of big bass, we've had such good conditions over the last three years that have afforded great opportunities to catch quality fish. One never knows what conditions future winters will bring, so it pays off handsomely to be able to go fish when the timing is right. I am retired so that helps a whole lot.

I fish the Big, the Meramec and the Gasconade. They all have quality fish when the conditions are right.

Just had to get one more day in before the snow forecasted for the evening Thursday. Got bit pretty good on small hair jigs in 3-7 feet of water. Streams coming down to normal with some color for good angling. Caught 22 bass today just about evenly split between largemouth and smallmouth. That largemouth was 21 in. and the 2 larger smallies both 18 in. Caught two bass with gig scars but this last pic shows a hearty 13 in. smallie that overcame his brush with a gig. Hooray! the gigging season ended this week! Guru

Mitch, the Cabelas brand flouro will treat you right on your baitcaster. The big coils you tend to get in your line is due to your love ov 15 lb. test. Try the 12 lb. Cabelas and you'll be happy.

Went down to test a new hydrofoil on my Gambler in the windy conditions yesterday. Water temps all around the dam area from 36-37. Fished 5 hours and caught one misguided largemouth on a jerkbait that couldn't even wiggle correctly coming oui of that super cold water. The hydrofoil was wonderful for quick planing, but my boat seemed to drag a little at 5000 rpms. I didn't get a chance to raise the hydraulic jackplate all the way up to lessen the drag of the foil, so I need to play with it more when the whitecaps recede. Looks like the lake won't get a chance to warm up for a couple of weeks based on the forecasts for next week. Wouldn't recommend Lake O. right now, nor the Gasconade or the Meramec as both are high and muddy.

About 15 inches give or take.

It was a jig bite.

Good days happen when we know what the local weather will do to influence the bite, Bruce. Amazing how quickly a nearly frozen stream can get warm to the point that the fish go on a good feed. Our friends will note how murky that water looked and may be scratching their heads. In winter, that darker water is often better for fooling those bigger smallies. For the record, we totaled between 18-20 smallies in additon to the assorted largies, spots and crappie. I think 13-15 smallies were over 16 inches. A real pleasure fishing with you. Let me know when you want to go again! Nick

Went today and found just one gigged bass on the bottom of the Meramec. Looks like it had been dead for at least a couple of days. The bass catch has really dwindled on this stretch the last two years which could be the result of overharvest, flooding, illegal gigging, etc. Did get one really nice 18 in. smallie on the old hair jig. Pretty tough otherwise. That's a buudy of mine, Tom, posing with his bass.