School Is Out On The Upper End!

[rps]

To celebrate the end of school, I went out for a couple of hours on Saturday and for a half day today. Both days I caught a few on top very early, but nothing of any size. All the takes were half-hearted and as many missed as hooked up. Several times as I brought the small fish to the boat, multiple larger fish swarmed with the victim. None of them hooked up however. This tells me some other presentation/lure might work better. I just didn't find it.

Other highlights - caught a trout, a gar, and a snake today, all on the walker. Almost had a second snake attack, but I yanked the bait away. Fortunately both the gar and the snake escaped without me having to remove them from thew hooks.

I also fished, unsuccessfully, for walleye. Only caught more small bass.

Water temp 78 to 80.

Best fish I saw (4 - 5 pounds) was under the walkway of the marina dock when I came in today. Did they go straight from Spring to Late Summer patterns?

[dtrs5kprs]

Nothing would be a surprise this year. Except snakes eating TW.

[Bill Babler]

On my trip out of Kimberling on Friday, I saw just about as many water snakes as I have ever seen. They will chase that fin with a vengence. I told my guy twice, "if you let that snake get that fin, you and he both are going to the bank."

Friday was a hoot out of Kimberling City. We had not a load of fish, but they were mean-mean-mean. Mostly Jaws and they tried their best to take our junk and hurt us. Cannot remember such vicious strikes on a redfin. They were not swirling or slurping the bait, they were "Blasting it."

Denny said Saturday, he had one come up and attack the fin right at the boat spaying water all over him. Said it was Big, Mean and Brown.

It is funny, the light switch turns off at 8 AM and for me right now, it is really off.

[dtrs5kprs]

Thanks as always, to all hands. Will be at Schooner all next week with the family and am not thrilled to hear about the snakes. Last year it was herons that almost took the wife's spook, but I am pretty sure she would not handle snakes as well.

Do I want to know what kind of snakes? Please tell me not thick and black. That could make me spend the week in Branson.

[rps]

The one I hooked was not a moccasin. It was either one of those water snakes that looks like a copper head or it was a copper head. I've always figured, if I was close enough to tell the difference, I was too darn close.

[Bill Babler]

RPS lol, I'm with you. Believe all these were just the non-bitter types. Still yet, they don't need to be in the boat with a redfin stuck in their head.

[dtrs5kprs]

Ick and Ick-O.

Y'all obviously didn't see that episode of "Swamp People" with the kid grabbing snakes by hand to sell. Got bit everytime, and apparently even the "non-venomous" variety have enough toxin to make you sick because he was ready to pass out from it.

Think if TR was a little more like Truman and less like LOZ I'd be tempted to take something out with me to address the issue. And lower the snake population.