Me And Babler Are Headed To Loz For Some Crappie!

[bclift65706]

someone bougt and moved the heated dock I fished at all the time around Greenview Tonka Freads I belive that place was loaded with crappi at any time of the year one of these days I am going to take my boat and fish the spot where the dock was anchord I would think allof the brush is still under the water there. It was sitting in around 25 ft water along a bluff

[fishinwrench]

Another good,Phil and Bill show, nice crappies!

15 inchers,now thats a meat haul!

15 inchers ? A nice mess for sure, but C'mon now...

[snagged in outlet 3]

I could go Friday .

SIO3

[Bill Babler]

Guess we opened up a bucket of minnows, fishing off the docks.

I'm a LOZ Lake Rat, born and reared on the 61 mile mark. Have fished the lake since 1962 and was a Water Patrol Officer up there from 1978 to 1983. I was on the water over 1,500 days and never had a complaint of someone standing on a dock fishing in the Winter being a problem. My folks ran a resort and resturant and marina from 1962 to 1976. Have buddies that still own resorts on the lake and also have friends that guide and fish the lake all the time. Wether its right or wrong they all fish docks and have since the lake was filled.

Spoke to several guys today after I saw where the thread was going, these are guides, resort owners, and one WP Officer, Also my brother, as he lives up there. When I asked the WP about walking the docks and getting thrown in the slam, he laughed his a$$ off. He said come on, give us some credit. Who in the blank cares about standing on a empty dock fishing a stall for crappie? For cripes sakes this is December. If anyone is a big enough jerk to want someone arrested for standing on their dock they should make a citizens arrest. Again he laughed and asked me how things were going. I asked if he had heard of fishermen being arrested last year for standing on docks, and he had heard nothing of this.

Have not checked the records in Camden, Benton, or Morgan County. It would be public record of people arrested for fishing on docks, and would be easy to find.

Someone always has to make a big deal out of everything. If it bothers you don't do it. If the dock is posted don't do it.

One of the guides I talked to said he walks docks 100 plus days a year, and has done so for 30 years and has never had a problem, other than being asked to leave. He said maybe 5 times in 30 years. Said he could't remember the last time he got chased off a dock. I have walked docks since 1962 and have never been asked to leave. Mind you not so much in the last 15 years, cause I'm here.

One of my good buddies runs a bed and breakfast and has walked the docks in November thru April, since the lake was filled and he said he has never been asked to leave. I am talking 1000's of days. It is frankly not a big deal. On any day of the week on LO you will see fisherman walking docks, it has always been this way right or wrong, and from the way the boys are telling it up there that is the way it is going to stay.

Sorry to have offended so many, catching a few crappie.

PS, They sure were tasty.

[duckydoty]

Fresh crappie does sound good.

duckydoty

[Phil Lilley]

Don't think anyone was offended... only one person mentioned in on this topic I think. But it is an anomaly that a lake like LOZ has that kind of unspoken policy, so to speak. Most places I don't think are like that. But the main reason, I think, LOZ of like this is that 99% of the places there are empty in the winter.

[fishinwrench]

"Have not checked the records in Camden, Benton, or Morgan County. It would be public record of people arrested for fishing on docks, and would be easy to find."

Sir Bill,

There is no "specific list" of people who have been fined for trespass on private docks, so unless you had a specific name to run on casenet to see if they had been cited I'm not sure how it is "easy to find".

For the WP or sherrif to snort and laugh at a report of someone on a private dock without permission would really suprise me, especially during the winter when LOTS of moored boats are vandalized each year. And there WERE moored boats where you guys were...it was not an "empty dock".

I don't know which officer you are pals with but I doubt that Jody Hughes would condone it. And yourself being an ex-officer of the Mo. State Water Patrol should not condone it either IMO

Now that I've said all that let me say that Personally I'm not at all offended and couldn't care less who's dock you were on, and I'm glad you guys had a good time and caught some decent slabs....but showing something like that on the web might make a few guys want to go out and give it a shot themselves....and they could potentially get in trouble. No?

Actually I was just bustin' your chops a bit cuz I've read rants from you guys down there on Taney in the past concerning people that commit little infractions of the same magnitude. ya know, like fishing bait where they weren't supposed to be...or fishing across the cable somewhere, shuffling.. ect.ect. My comments were honestly in jest ... so chill.

"One of the guides I talked to said he walks docks 100 plus days a year"

That sounds like Pat L. (was it?) if so he DOES aquire permission first, he is a customer and good friend of mine.

"Someone always has to make a big deal out of everything."

Tellme about it....can't run to the store without putting a seatbelt on, can't walk a creek, can't drive and talk on the cell phone, can't drink a beer on a float trip without getting the shake-down, can't carry a pocket knife..... I hate it too.

Peace, Wrench

[FishinCricket]

Fresh crappie does sound good.

duckydoty

Mmm.. Big ol slabs deep fried with lemon pepper seasoning and a dash of garlic salt...

Oooohhh..

PS. Wrench, your alright dude.. When are we going fishing? I'll be at the Suzy hole on Sunday if the weather holds at all...

[crappiefisherman]

The Lake of the Ozarks must not have near as much theft of items from docks.The only thing that made me wince was cleaning fish on a private docks decking.I know in my heart that it was cleaned up but I also know not all people are as conciences as the before mentioned fishermen.Id love to catch some crappie myself this time of year but alas too many other things going on in my life.Does anyone in here have a good report from the area lakes on crappie???Have a wonderful day...

[Phil Lilley]

John- I was thinking about hitting the Landing Wall on Taney and the mouth of Roark for crappies. They should be there soon if not now. I've caught them the last 3-4 years starting in January each winter.

Been thinking about what we did AND posting the video.

I, being the owner of a widely read website on fishing, shouldn't have posted a video of us fishing from docks we didn't have permission fishing off of. LOZ may be a lake where this is common practice but it's still trespass and it shouldn't be promoted.

I thought through it- even if a dock owner doesn't care if someone boards his dock- unless it's posted "welcome- fish from my dock" you shouldn't board it. I didn't see any such signs. Did see one welcome mat on one dock.

Now should you go to LOZ and do what we did? According to Bill there's little problem with it and that may be so. I love Bill to death- he's one of my best friends- but he's only one person and one person's opinion, although he does have history on LOZ.

Weigh it all and decide for yourselves. One thing's for sure- LOZ is a crappie producing machine!! I'd like to go back sometime.