Help Me Understand Why........

[Middle TN Lee]

Well since Eric seems to be somewhat getting ganged up on, and I'm pretty sure I'm one of the few TN guys on an Ozark fishing forum...I'll go ahead and agree with Eric on some regards.

I will say that as a person who has fly fished/spin cast/ and used powerbait, that catching a fish of that magnitude on a fly/jig would be much more of an accomplishment to me than catching it on powerbait.

My girlfriend, who is no top-notch angler, can catch trout all day long slinging powerbait from the bank. There is quite a bit more skill involved when one has to judge depths, water clarity, wind, currents, hatches, obstruction etc. That's especially true when you fish small mountain free stone streams like we have in the Smokies (yes, I know it's an Ozark forum ha).

But I do give the guy much respect for landing the fish on 4 # test...that is by no means an easy thing to do. And that was his "catch of a lifetime," so you have to be happy for the guy.

And honestly, any style of fishing in the end accomplishes the same thing, your out by your self or with friends enjoying nature and doing what you like to do. If everyone used the same techniques, it wouldn't be nearly as interesting.

[FishinCricket]

said in my last post that I "caught a trout on a cigarette butt".. And nobody has said nuttin!

What's a guy gotta do to get a lil respect from you guys?

How bout this.. I caught a 5 pound largemouth bass with my bare hands at the P-burg rock quarry when I was ten. WITH MY BARE HANDS!

lol

you guys are so funny, thanks for the laughs...

[Zack Hoyt]

said in my last post that I "caught a trout on a cigarette butt".. And nobody has said nuttin!

If it was menthol, it doesnt count........was it left hand rolled......need more info!!!!

What's a guy gotta do to get a lil respect from you guys?

A triple haul dry fly presentation into a 40mph head wind.....

How bout this.. I caught a 5 pound largemouth bass with my bare hands at the P-burg rock quarry when I was ten. WITH MY BARE HANDS!

I find it hard to use a reel with gloves on too.....bare is the way to go.

lol

you guys are so funny, thanks for the laughs...

Hope this helps.......

Until you catch the Taney squid.......you will get no respect!!!!!

[ness]

Well since Eric seems to be somewhat getting ganged up on, and I'm pretty sure I'm one of the few TN guys on an Ozark fishing forum...I'll go ahead and agree with Eric on some regards.

DOG PILE!!!

Just kidding. Welcome to the forum.

I think the discussion was legit and the only got derailed when the topic of respect for the guy came up.

Hey Cricket -- what kinda cigarette was it? I'm guessing it was a Kool

[Phil Lilley]

Speaking of cig butts.... an old timer told me back in the 40's or 50's when marabou jigs first came out (or may be not), they were fishing Grand Lake and catching tons of crappie on jigs but ran out so they took their cig filters, took them apart and tied them on their hooks and continued to catch crappie.

Hopefully my memory did the story justice... you know how fish stories go.

[FishinCricket]

It was a camel light filter that was permanently attached to the hook with 2 lb test and a few short and curlies.. Weighted with a rock with a hole in it. (I hate menthols! Who guessed that crap? lol)

And fished from the end of my ding-a-ling.. (short rod technique, lol)

still waiting for someone to comment on my noodling a largemouth.. (not bare hands as in no gloves but bare hands as in chased it through the rocks with a snorkel and swimming fins, grabbed him by his big ugly mouth and held on for dear life!)

just teasin', I don't give a hoot about anyones respect.. Except at work

[Wayne SW/MO]

The bottom line is simple, what was the guys name that caught the new state record Striper, or better yet the new record Brown trout? No peeking either. :lol:

[KCRIVERRAT]

Anyone catches a 5# smallie in a Missouri stream I want proof before I'll believe it.

Wayne, I'd bet there's 5 pounders out there somewhere in our streams. I may be wrong... or more than likely forgetful, but hasn't Al Agnew mentioned he's caught them? Maybe I'm dreaming.... actually I do! But I hope to someday land a smallmouth of that size from one of our streams. I've caught 3 pushing 4 pounds over the years and man was that awesome!

By the way, the guy who caught that big smallmouth on the James that posted his pics... was he on the James River arm of Table Rock or the lower James River? Probably on the Rock I guess...

[Gavin]

Speaking of 17" crappie...My wife and her mother ate a 17", and an 18" along with a 13" dinker a couple years ago..We were fishing a private lake up by Troy....I caught one of the 17's and the 14, but my boat partner caught the 18 and gave it to me to round out the lot. He doesnt eat fish.....Neither of us are crappie fisherman.

Showed a pic of them to a crappie fishing bud of mine and he was horrified. We probably should have mounted the 17 and the 18...who knew?

[Al Agnew]

Yeah, I've caught two that were right at five pounds...both were weighed on Deliar scales that I'd checked for accuracy, but you can't get down to the exact ounce on 8 pound max Deliars, so either fish could have weighed a couple ounces either side of five pounds. They were both caught at least 25 or 30 years ago, though. There are a few legitimate five pounders in Ozark streams, but the number actually caught each year over the entire Ozark region could probably be counted on the fingers of one hand...two hands at most.