Al Agnew Posted May 28, 2014 Posted May 28, 2014 On 5/27/2014 at 10:37 PM, msamatt said: Andy, thanks for the compliment. Saturday was good but Sunday was great. I felt completely satisfied and rejuvenated by the end of the day. Al, I guess I have the Wilderness on my mind since I'm trying to figure out how to justify spending $1300 on a new canoe, which I covet more than need, to my wife. My Vagabond still fits the bill just fine but I've rubbed all the way through the green royalex outer coating in back and its time to install some rub strips. I made a classic pennywise yet pound foolish decision when I bought it and didn't spend the extra $75 or whatever small amount it cost to have them installed at the factory. My Vagabond is old enough that it doesn't have that newer seat hanger which almost nobody seems to like. The fish on the Huzzah just weren't connecting with the ZipnZiggy for me on Saturday. They would rise and wack at it but then shy away (I think they might have been seeing me in the crystal clear water (or I would get excited and mess up my candence when I would see the fishing swimming out after the bait. I guess that's the fishing equivalent of buck fever). To be honest, I love to catch fish as much as the next guy but I'm just as thrilled when a fish just knocks the snot out of a topwater and sends it flying. That said, on Saturday I got aggravated after a bit and switched to the popper on which I caught fish the rest of the day. On Sunday, they were whacking the ZipnZiggy pretty well but the water in the Meramec had much more color than the Huzzah. You could see 6-8 feet down in the Huzaah no problem. I never put on the skid plates until the bottom gets worn through. At least that way you get a few years of top paddling performance before the skid plates slow it down a bit and add some weight. Just tell your wife the new canoe is an investment, since Royalex is now extinct. It'll be a collector's item. I had quite a few fish whack at my topwaters and miss, too. That's just the usual thing when fishing walk the dog topwaters. Biggest one of the day blew up on a Gunfish and knocked it two feet in the air...it didn't come back and hit it again. Looked to be an 18-19 incher.
Mitch f Posted May 28, 2014 Posted May 28, 2014 My theory on topwater this time of the year is go large. It's a defensive bite still anyway even though most of the spawn is over. They will still stay in this mode for a while yet. I still like the slow moving walker poppers now. It no surprise the skitter pop did so well. Stay away from the gliders IMO "Honor is a man's gift to himself" Rob Roy McGregor
msamatt Posted May 29, 2014 Author Posted May 29, 2014 Mitch, I also like the larger baits but when I was on the Huzzah the water was just so darn clear. I'll never throw one of my saltwater spooks which I'll use in Canda in July, but I'll routinely throw a super spook jr. here in the summer. As much as I enjoy throwing a walk-the-dog type bait I also like the slow and easy approach with a popper. It's fun watching everyting from little green sunfish tap at that feathered treble to having a pig just roll on it. I' m like a little kid laughing and giggling when I'm watching a fish just smack the snot out of one of my topwater baits. It's definitely my favorite type of lure to throw. Matt Wier http://missourismallmouthalliance.blogspot.com The Missouri Smallmouth Alliance: Recreation, Education, and Conservation since 1992
cwc87 Posted May 29, 2014 Posted May 29, 2014 The way the water temp been changing this spring the bigger fish are "slurping " my top water baits and if they miss it I use my follow up jig. And the fishing has been spotty at best but finally some of the spawn is winding down and the fish are moving around. With the extra snow last winter means nitrogen and the algae / water weeds are growing fast so I predict frogs, flukes and buzz baits to be tied on my arsenal every trip.
msamatt Posted May 30, 2014 Author Posted May 30, 2014 Corey: That's a great observation abou the extra nitrogen and water weeds. Dan mentioned that there were beds of smaller lilly pads in the Courtois that the fish were using as cover. He'd run his baby 1 minus right along the front edge of those beds and they would zap out and whack it. Matt Wier http://missourismallmouthalliance.blogspot.com The Missouri Smallmouth Alliance: Recreation, Education, and Conservation since 1992
Terrierman Posted June 7, 2014 Posted June 7, 2014 On 5/30/2014 at 4:35 PM, msamatt said: Corey: That's a great observation abou the extra nitrogen and water weeds. Dan mentioned that there were beds of smaller lilly pads in the Courtois that the fish were using as cover. He'd run his baby 1 minus right along the front edge of those beds and they would zap out and whack it. In most waters in Missouri, (most states actually) phosphorus is the nutrient that limits plant growth.
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