Crappie on Monday

[Phil Lilley]

Yea- it got BIG BASSIN to sign up and post... so it's not all that bad.

BB said today he was trying to get something going... I told him to put a next time he was goshin'.

On a serious note... back in the 80's when I was trying to decide what brand of motor to buy, I had more than one mechanic tell me not to buy BP because of cheap Japanese parts in their motors compared to a regular motor, Merc at the time I think. That kinda sticks with you thru the years- did me. But I think the right thing now is take care of what you have and it will last, most of the time.

[gonefishin]

I caught two crappie.

[Terry Beeson]

You guys have been doin' some crappy f... I mean crappie fishin'...

[crappiefisherman]

my crappie can beat up your crappie

[markg]

This has been quite interesting to me. Being an outsider that doesn't live there it did offend me at first. But coming from big deer country I can understand how we become possessive over things we take for granted and feel we have ownership in. I will apologize to any or all if I anger you for asking for information. I may even be the guy that will cut you off. Since I live 8 hours away from Table Rock & try to make 2 one week trips a year I reliy on the information on this site to give me a head start. I don't own the lake or the fish but am just trying to get the most out of my time down there. I do recall the first of the week being upset at boats driving by me at a fast rate and causing a big wake but by the end of the week I was doing it also....no win situation. Sitting back in a cove I had to anchor because of the wind. Had plans to work the cove but there was enough room for a guy to squeeze between me and the bank so he could work it instead. Yep it irritated me, but it was much better when I yanked for keepers while he watched. There are just days that you have all the intentions of having a good time but sometime forget our actions affect others.

Bill, that first post really surprised me but it was truly from the heart and understood. Hopefully the fish will start biting great and everyone will be happy. Thanks for all the reports

[dwiebenga]

I am sure where anyone could take offense to Bill's post. It is the truth. I see guys saying, " I want to make the most of my trip". So that is their justification for cutting guys off and being disrespectful. I make 1 maybe 2 trips a spring and they are for 2 or 3 days and I never act in this manner. It is simply rude. Like I said in an earlier post....THIS LAKE IS HUGE!!! FIND NEW WATER. FIND YOUR OWN HOLE!!! Or if you are obsessed with the same water, hit another spot and come back and fish it different than the guy that was just their. We need to encourage eachother to be gentlemanly, not continue the problem.

[Kicknbass]

To say that Bill touched a nerve is an understatment...........

[J.E.]

We should all be like ducks and let the pee roll off our backs.

Lilley,

I need your lawyers number, I laughed so hard I broke something!!!

Remind me to stay away from the ducks you hang out with, a guy could be wet!!!! LOL>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

[Bill Babler]

Guys, I knew I was going to get a reaction, but this is great. The cut offs, were a problem, but the Bass Pro Stuff was poking fun at a lot of my buddies, that have no choice but too fish it.

You may notice none of them took offense.

This is BP country, and if you want to guide for BigC, as one of them says, you have to drive a rickety sled.

Gentlemen, I have been in the boat and resort business all my life. Owning over 50 boats of almost every brand. I have been a boat safety and operational instructor for the Mo. State Water Patrol, I have also served as Water Safety Instructor the the Mo. State Hiway Patrol AS well as a training instructor.

We have owned 7 Bass Trackers, 1 Sun Tracker and I have guided and fished from Nitro's since there inception. I have spent 1000"s of tournament hours and Practice hours in the BP boats.

I choise not to own them.

BP marine is the master of the fishing package boat. They are market savey and they not only want the boat sale, but any ansellery business, ie all your tackle and gear.

They price afforable packages, with a target market and this comes from their marketing department, for first time, and occosioal boater. Repeat business is a very low part of their marine revenue.

First time and origioal sales is their bread and butter.

Everyone has a market stradgity. None are good, or bad, Its just how a company wants to do business. It works great for them.

Why do people buy certain boat lines? Some are extremely educated. Some very price specific. Lots, great sales person. Some great resale, and very knowledable local dealer. Some by reccomendation from friend or past experence. Some want the best money can buy, Some just want to get by.

For me safety is number number one. Durability and Resale are by far very important. I trade every two years and will use that rig about 600 commercial days in that span, it has to be good.

I will put between 1200 and 1400 hunderd people into that rig and it has to maintain. Do you realize how many people that is walking on carpet and steping on seats and generally treating that $50,000 boat like trash? It has to hold up.

Some boats will not hold up to this, but again, they were not designed too.

One of the origional boat lines I started with other than the BP Stuff, was Charger, again, probably because they were made in Mo. Everyone I owned I used and guided out of for several years, and sold the boats for more than I paid for them.

I have owned Ranger, JD Power awards out the kazoo, Safety upmost. Extreme low profile, great in the wind. Rides so rough your back hurts for months.

Any cross wind and spray in the face is an all day thing. Made with the finest materials money can buy and absolute top of the resale market.

Champion, Safety, turanbility, quality personified. Everything on these boats is what a fisherman needs with none of the crap, just to sell the boats.

Fantastic regional resale market. Safe at any speed.

Stratos, Complete top of the line materials go into this boat. Only company to employ Chemical Engineers to analize every structural material. Without a doubt the driest boat on the market, low profile, and safe at any speed. Fantastic national resale along with the JD power awards.

Bass Cat, A family owned company, that truely builds them 1 at a time. Inovative, Extreme Quality, Attention to detail, Top of the line resale, Most people just hand them down to their children or sell them to their best friend. Dig deep and you will have one of the best rigs on the market.

Skeeter, One of the origionals with a history and a preformance record that is as good as it gets in this business. A complete joy to fish from and maintain. I would own one in a country minute.

Triton, Probably the most inovative boat builder this country has every known in Earl Benz. From the Rod Storage systems to the astetics the boats are very popular, They tend to have a few too many sales toys and bells and whistles for me. There are also edges that bite.

If you cannot find a boat and a price that suit you in one of the above mentioned brands, you are just not looking.

\I can really go deep on the metal boat, deck boats and pontoons, but thats for later.

No hard feeling, Nitro guys.

[crappiefisherman]

Guys, this has been an interesting discussion.I can tell the haves and have nots.Im one of the have nots.I am a middle aged family man with 2 teen and one preteen children.I do have a bassboat but it is an older champion.It runs well on occasion and crappy at best often.Be thankful for what you have.I actually think if you think you need a multithousand dollar 80 mph bass boat, more power to you, but it sure aint a fighting or even a valid argument in my humble worthless opinion.The sport of fishing isnt all about fluff, its about enjoying the lake, friends with you, and the fish.And I also think the reason for the dozens of boats in any particular area of the lake is because of the incredible weather we have been having and the bored to tears fisherman wanting some excitement , and maybe a crappie fillet for the pallet.Oh and if you see the baby blue(my wife says its a cute color and matches my eyes) champion on bull shoals , stop by and throw me a cold pepsi.Mines usually shook up or rolling around in the floor of the boat.

Oh and please forgive this statement as it was just told me by my wifeypoo.Its not the size of the boat , its the thrust of the trolling motor that counts. Forgive me for that one Lord and be with those starving pigmies in africa