Whites Scattered

[Jason Essary]

K toke the plunge friday. Toke my to workers and put in at McCord Bend. Not where i would advise to dip a boat. had to back through 2 and half foot of water for bout 60 yards to get to where the ramp starts to drop to get the boat off. we started up and caught fish scattered all the way to the Y bridge in galena. Never been that high in a boat. Found studs all the way up here and there, sows seemed to stop below gentry cave (least that we found). best spot was the very top of blunks, where the river splits now. a 40yard 4 foot deep shoot runs through were it use to be dry. real light current in it, and it had fish through out. can be fished from the bank in one 20 yard strip. steep over a fence and u have a open casting area. caught tiny studs to 16 17inch sows with one 18 inch 3 3/4 pounder found. totaled 42. thought we had our limit. hard to count when having that much fun.

they ate bout everything, white roostertail worked easily the best, i beleive because it covers more water faster and more fish get to see it. purple and white swimming minnows worked well when they went neutral for a while.

Got to vent out one problem i have with fishing the river. People please be respectfull of each other out there. we were fishing a little shoot, we could cast across it, and were off of the main channel mind u, and had people run past us full bore. we had people motor up and start fishing within casting distance of our boat. One boat started to stop and drift down the shoot (not having a trolling motor) but he finally left as I asked what he thought he was doing, as we would have to have moved way over to let him through, not alone the other TWO boats that had moved in on us at the time would have had to moved. Maybe Im a hard ---, but I dont do those things to anyone else and it drives me nuts when they do it to me. Oh, and bank fisherman in my opinion should have the highest right of way, as they cant move as we can in a boat.

Anyways, curious on what u guys think. Maybe im making a big deal out of it.

[Tightline]

Coyote,we ran into the same thing thursday evening at Beaver.It was jammed packed with boats up stream,so my brother-in-law and me opted to stay further down out of the mess.About dark we started catching fish from a brushy part of a little inlet to a slough.The more we caught the more boats piled in around us,till finnally a PONTOON decides to go between us and our little brushy bank.This guy stoped and carried on a very friendly conversation while sitting right on our spot.

The lord must have been with me to keep me calm,because not long ago I'm afraid it would have been a bad scene.

It shouldn't have mattered because there is alot of fish in the river,but we only caught 1 more after that.

We all just need to remember 2 things while fishing in a crowd,COURTESY AND RESTRAINT!

[Phil Lilley]

Good for you guys.... but the problem is the people who read this aren't the ones doing stupid stuff- probably.

But if you are one of those... well... I'd ban you from this site if I could.

Sorry- no smiley face on this one.

[Thom]

No you are not making a big deal out of it but...... some people just don't get it and others just don't care about anyone but themselves. In either case there isn't much you can do with either of these idiots.

When I fish Taney I usually go upstream to get away from the crowds which usually means picking second best of the bars and holes. Sometimes I still get boats that ease up to me closer because my rod is bending a lot. The usual question....what are you using and I tell them offer them what is working unless it is my last one or two. Most will then thank me exchange pleasantry's and move on and then there the the above mentioned group.

My response is to say "if I am in your way I can leave and find another spot" If that doesn't work and it often does....I just move on.

There are so many places to fish on Taney even on the worst days it isn't worth the hassle of letting someone rent space in my mind and get aggravated. It is a shame but that's the way it is.

The good news is that for the most part the greater number of sportsmen I find on Taney are great folks and a pleasure to fish with even within shouting distance from wading or in a boat.

I agree with you about bank fishermen. I really like the shallow side near Point Royalle across from Lookout, but if I see waders come in I move down or up to give them some room. There is a long stretch there that is always good especially if they are midging. Most boats hug the other side by the bluff there down to Andy's.

[brianbarker]

Fished on the bank below the bridge at Galena the other day and set out a few poles with minnows, figuring the boats would just run through them. 3 boats came, saw my lines out and motored to the far bank and went around before they made one cast. Not everyone is a jack#@$ but I don't think you overreacted in the least. Some people just don't give a darn about anyone else, I've found that to be more true on the lakes.

[Jason Essary]

Well makes me feel better that we all have those feelings. Have to admit they have got the better of me sometimes. Ive been known to but on a 1/4 oz jiging spoon on a spinning reel and start slinging it to back people off of me. Never directly at them just past there boat to show them how close they are. lol two years ago caught a nice white after such a cast right in front of anouther boat. would have never figured that one would hit it being reeled through the water so fast with not action to speak of.