Bluebasser86

I was driving with a buddy through a tiny little town in western Kansas next to the lake we were going to fish a tourny on the next day when this crazy lady runs out into the road in front of me waving her arms to flag me down. I had to lock my breaks up just to avoid running her over. I rolled my window down to figure out what in the world was going on that was so important to almost get run over. As soon as I started to talk she shushed me and leaned in close and said very quietly "There was a hummingbird on the feeder!" I was stunned and my friend was doing everything he could to not burst out laughing. As soon as she gave me a chance I hit the gas and got out of there. It was one of the most bizarre situations I've been in outside of work.

Well the plans to go to Miami got changed a little bit. I met up with Flash (Sam) at Lake Wabunsee after being shown some pictures of some really nice largemouth and smallmouth and being all but guaranteed some quality fish. The lake did not disappoint. I got there about an hour before he did and got to work quickly, catching a solid 18+ inch keeper on one of my homemade jigs, which turned out to be the bait of choice for almost all of the bigger fish I caught. Sam got there and I was basically on a guided trip for the day only I was running the trolling motor. Mostly caught largemouth but did get a few smaller smallmouth mixed in too. We for sure had 12-15 that would have been close to being keepers (18") and in the 3 pound range and they where munching jigs. Despite the numbers of quality fish the big fish eluded us, until about 15 minutes before I had to leave. I got a light bite and my hands set the hook before my brain truly registered the bite. Although all the fish fought hard and I'd be mistaken several times thinking I'd hooked a big fish that turned out to be "just another 3 pounder" this fish had strength and weight. After a pretty good little tussle, Sam got the net under her. Board was too short for a measurement but she was very thick and 5lbs 10ozs and almost swallowed my homemade 3/8oz Texas craw jig. I ended the day with 27 fish to put me at 727 bass on the year.

Well the plans to go to Miami got changed a little bit. I met up with Flash (Sam) at Lake Wabunsee after being shown some pictures of some really nice largemouth and smallmouth and being all but guaranteed some quality fish. The lake did not disappoint. I got there about an hour before he did and got to work quickly, catching a solid 18+ inch keeper on one of my homemade jigs, which turned out to be the bait of choice for almost all of the bigger fish I caught. Sam got there and I was basically on a guided trip for the day only I was running the trolling motor. Mostly caught largemouth but did get a few smaller smallmouth mixed in too. We for sure had 12-15 that would have been close to being keepers (18") and in the 3 pound range and they where munching jigs. Despite the numbers of quality fish the big fish eluded us, until about 15 minutes before I had to leave. I got a light bite and my hands set the hook before my brain truly registered the bite. Although all the fish fought hard and I'd be mistaken several times thinking I'd hooked a big fish that turned out to be "just another 3 pounder" this fish had strength and weight. After a pretty good little tussle, Sam got the net under her. Board was too short for a measurement but she was very thick and 5lbs 10ozs and almost swallowed my homemade 3/8oz Texas craw jig. I ended the day with 27 fish to put me at 727 bass on the year. It was good to meet up with another guy from the board. If any of you get the chance to fish with him Sam is a heck of a guy and a really knowledgable fisherman.

Going fishing somewhere tomorrow, thinking Miami or Pleasanton. All my regular fishing buddies are working tomorrow so if any of you guys want to tag along I've got an empty back of the boat tomorrow. I'll be leaving early though so if you want to hitch a ride down there be ready to lose some sleep

LAKE PAHO It’s unlikely that more than a handful of Missouri’s several hundred thousand bass anglers know the state has a Mercer County, and even fewer could locate it on a map. That’s just fine with lunker ***s lucky enough to live in or near Princeton, because the more unknown “their” local honeyhole remains, the better they like it. Sorry fellow bassin’ guys and gals, but Lake Paho’s 273 acres of lunker heaven is simply too good a secret to keep. At least that’s the impression I got from MDC fisheries biologist Jerry Wickman when I asked him to name northwestern Missouri’s No. 1 MDC owned or managed impoundment specifically for big (4-pounds or larger) largemouths. He scarcely drew a breath before replying, “Lake Paho. “There are several other very good big bass impoundments in Missouri’s northwestern quadrant, of course,” he explained, “but you asked me to name the best one.” I learned many years ago to listen when biologists speak, but that didn’t keep me from wanting to know exactly what it was that made him so quick to flag this out-of-the-way body of water. First, he wowed me with statistics by noting that, in 2009, 75 percent of the bass the agency sampled in Lake Paho were more than 15 inches long. A significant number of those fish ranged from 20 inches to more than 23 inches in length. If the mere thought of a 23-inch, broad-shouldered largemouth doesn’t make your hands shake, you probably shouldn’t be reading this article! That's what I read that got my attention. My concern is that this article is from '09 but barring a big fish kill or something I wouldn't think much would change in a lake with a 2 fish over 18" a day limit as long as it's being enforced.

Thanks for the research man! I thought I'd looked all over their website but I guess not. We'll probably be headed up there at the end of the month to check it out.

Anyone ever fished it? From what I've read it's supposed to be the best big bass lake in the state with lots of fish from 20" to over 23". Thinking about camping up there a couple days but I read in an article from '09 that you can't bring your own boat but it said that might change as soon as later that year. It says it has a boat ramp but didn't know if that was just to lauch the rental boats or what? Thanks for any help.

Got an invite from a friend whose parents live on Lake Quivira to do a little night fishing tonight, the wife wasn't thrilled but I didn't want to pass up the chance. Wasn't sure we would get to fish long with lightning in the distance and a few raindrops falling but it ended up being a really nice night. I only fished a jig and a chatterbait, both homemade ones. The jig was getting the numbers but the chatterbait was getting the better quality. Biggest one of the night was a nice healthy 4lb 4oz fish. Ended the night with 33 fish to put me at a nice even 700 bass on the year so far. Not going to make the 1,000 mark by my birthday like I was hoping but 3/4 of the way there ain't bad

Congrats on retiring! As long as there is still such a thing as retirement by then, I only have 40 more years to go

Fished Wyco for 2.5 hours after work today, wish it would have been a tournament night! We caught 3 keepers and probably could have had a 3rd that was in the 3 or 3 1/2 pound range but it came off at the boat while I was playing it out. I caught 17 bass and a keeper walleye also. All of our keeper bass were on shakeyheads but we caught quite a few bass on jerkbaits also including one really fat, healthy smallmouth in the 15-16 inch range.

Thanks for the info. Wish I would have known that. Last night would have been my only chance to fish one until July or August.

I went out there a year or two ago and I had to buy a permit but that may have changed since then, I guess I'll have to look and see. Are you talking about La Cygne? If you go to the main ramps that are in Linn County you have to pay everytime or have a year pass you can buy in the shop by the southernmost ramp. I launch in the river when possible. It's easier if there is a lot of wind, there's good fish in the river at times, and it's free.

Some states have at fault laws, if you hit someone from behind it's your fault regardless of the situation. I know Missouri does because I hit someone from behind because they didn't have breaklights and I didn't realize it until it was too late. Hope it turns out well for you and it could be worse. I saw a boat get rear ended at a red light a few years ago that knocked the motor off the boat along with a big chunk of the transom.

That your first one? I've fished for them several times, only caught 3 with the biggest being 36.5 inches the smallest being 10 inches on a crappie jig. Every one was an awesome fish that I'm very glad to have had the chance to catch.

15 or 20 pound fluoro, depends if I'm pitching or casting.

Had a similar thread to this awhile ago I believe. Mine was and still is a Rapala Rattling Rap. I like rattle baits and I've caught fish on all kinds of them but I don't think I've ever caught a single fish on the Rapala one, even tossing them at schooling whites. I know they work, just not for me.

I'm guessing carp digging around in the bottom and releasing trapped gases. I've seem big carp leave bubble trails behind when they get spooked out of shallow water.

Hit Gardner on lunch again today, 17 this time putting me at 44 in two days in about an hours time. They're gorging on the shad schools there. This one was obviously doing a good job catching the shad. 2012 bass count-625

I think it has to do with the constant water level changes. I'd have to think it makes it almost impossible for the fish to spawn without a lot of the beds ending up on the bank.

That's a nice fish. I've heard there is nice ones in that lake but I've only fished it once, Just a little to far and one more city permit that I don't need to buy. Not surprised about Olathe, I have stopped even trying thatlake until it starts to get hot and then during the fall also. No but that would be funny wouldn't it? I'm doing my annual core training this week to keep my certification and we had a long lunch. Since the lake is less than a mile from the building it's an easy way to burn the extra time I had. Normally can't leave the building for lunch in case of emergency but since I'm training this week it's a different set of rules. I haven't fished Atchison for a couple years but the same baits worked there for the 4 or 5 years in a row that I fished it so I'm assuming they still would. I never did very well on jig out there but I never fished it in a boat with electronics so we were always just beating the bank and fishing visible cover.

Went to Garnder Lake today from shore on my lunch break. I was at the far south end just past the very last no wake buoy throwing a one knocker xcaliber 50 in ghost color as far as I could throw it, which was over halfway across the cove. 27 bass in 30 minutes, talk about lighting a school up! The shad were schooled up the bass were waiting in the grass along the channel and rushing them as they swam by. Also caught one catfish that a couple pounds. I sure wish I'd of had my boat and more time! Tried a grass pig on a jighead and a heavy spinnerbait but they weren't interested in either. Most bites were at the top of a rip when I ripped it out of the weeds, or at the bottom of the fall. Nothing big but still a lot of fun.

I've talked to people for hours when I worked in the fishing department at Cabela's. I don't mind sharing what I know with people and I like helping people that are just getting into the sport or trying to learn something new but it's time consuming explaining some things. I also had people who knew a lot of tricks and spots that I didn't know about that would share with me after they learned I was willing to share with them, I've met some of my best fishing buddies that way.

You'll frustrate yourself even more trying to learn La Cygne. I've fished that lake dozens of times in the last several years and really don't know that much more about what the fish in it do on a day to day basis that I did when I started fishing it. The power plant has so much of an effect on them and they are so tempermental and selective about what they eat, it's insane really. Plus they get so much fishing pressure on them all year long. I've had times I killed them one day and went down the next with no weather or pressure changes and done the exact same things and struggled to get a bite. I have a navionics chip in on of my depthfinders and it has improved my fishing a lot now that I have a topo map of the lake on the boat with me that I can scroll around and help me find likely fish holding areas.

Atchison is a fun little lake. Lots and lots of dinks with a few bigger ones mixed in. The fishing piers on the south bank are usually good to run a crankbait along. The north side usually has a lot of milfoil that you should be able to run a crankbait over the top. My best baits out there are usually bandit 100's in tennessee shad or louisiana shad. There's lots of brushpiles that have been placed in the lake, don't be scared to run a crankbait into those trees, that's how I've caught some of my biggest fish out of there. Flipping the trees is hit or miss for me. Flipping green pumpkin baby brush hogs has been really good a few times up there. One of the best days I've had up there was this time of year on a Strike King Quad shad spinnerbait in white with silver blades. I would also suggest checking out Warnock Lake while you're up there. It's also called Atchison city lake 23. It's in the town of Atchison and it's even smaller than the state lake. It's very shallow and weedy with several brushpiles but it has very good quality sized bass in it. I haven't caught anything as big as I have out of the state lake but I've caught way more 3-5 pounders out of it that I have from the state lake. It doesn't have the numbers in it either but it seems like when you get one it's usually pretty solid.

Yeah we saw several on beds but left them all alone. No need to stick a fish on a bed out there. It's days like that where you see hundreds of fish and catch quite a few of them that make the days during the summer where you struggle to catch a dozen that much more frustrating.