A bit more stink shook off...

[Jim Spriggs]

Al, Your recent posts indicated you were having some trouble finding a consistent Spring pattern (like many of us). What do you attribute this good outing to?   That it's later in Spring?  Fishing just before the storm?  Random fishing variation? Or some other factor?  Maybe Hog Wally is a good luck charm...

thanks for the posts. 

[Al Agnew]

I have no idea...Hog Wally's fish-attracting pheromones?  The Meramec finally taking pity on me?

I used to fish flukes with spinning tackle but I've grown to hate spinning tackle so much that I simply don't fish it at all anymore.  It WAS nice to be able to skip a fluke under overhanging limbs like you could with spinning tackle, though.

[Brian Jones]

15 hours ago, Al Agnew said:

At first we thought we were catching spawning fish, and maybe a few of them were, but they were just too concentrated to all be on beds.  And most seemed to be hitting to eat the baits, not just carry them out of beds or kill them.  So the Meramec was kind to us, but did not really give up many secrets.

I don't feel like they are spawning yet as none of the ones I caught Monday sprayed milt when handling them.  In my past fishing experiences this time of year that has been a pretty good indicator of whether or not the fish were spawning.

[mjk86]

15 hours ago, Mitch f said:

Here's what the storm looked like in Washington, MO

 

 

Amazing picture.

[Flysmallie]

Yep that's a cool pic Mitch.

[Mitch f]

Just now, Flysmallie said:

Yep that's a cool pic Mitch.

I didn't take it, it was off of STL today!

[Flysmallie]

Just now, Mitch f said:

I didn't take it, it was off of STL today!

 

Cheater!!

Well that's probably best anyway. You are supposed to run away from clouds like that.

[Hog Wally]

4 hours ago, Jim Spriggs said:

Al, Your recent posts indicated you were having some trouble finding a consistent Spring pattern (like many of us). What do you attribute this good outing to?   That it's later in Spring?  Fishing just before the storm?  Random fishing variation? Or some other factor?  Maybe Hog Wally is a good luck charm...

thanks for the posts. 

That's funny,  I asked Al all the same questions when they turned on for us.  Al setting the hook with the fluke is a memorable sight   I love it !  Surrounding myself with these river and tackle gurus has flipped a switch in me.  I'm out of control.  Somebody stop me.  

[Seth]

Al, what kind of setup are you throwing your flukes on? I've alway uses a spinning rod for it too, but I think I would prefer to use a bait casting setup with flukes since I usually throw them on much stouter hook than I would say a senko or trick worm.

[Al Agnew]

Well, Seth, ya can't buy a rod like the one I was using on this trip  

My usual fluke rod is an old Loomis 6 ft. medium power, with an old green Shimano Curado reel, with 4-15 pound Power Pro braid.  But I had switched things up before this trip for some reason, and had put that reel on a Kistler Helium that had started out being 6' 6" medium power, but I'd broken about 4 inches off the tip of it at some point, so now it's closer to a medium heavy.  With that rod and the braid, I certainly had no trouble setting the hook through all the plastic.  In fact, on one hookset, the lack of give in the rod and lack of stretch in the line caused the rod to slip out of my hand, and I had to scramble to grab it before it went into the drink!