Oldplug

I was out a.couple of hours ago. Got nervous about some dark cloud and got off the water. We have been under tornado watch all day. I have been there and done that on this lake and get myself off now real early. I can tell you many areas on the lake are getting a lot of color into them. The temperature in the Gravois is about 55 degrees at the surface. I have no idea what's being caught in the way of bass. There are very few people fishing.

I am one of those old ugly stik guys. I have owned them since the first year they were made. I do not need a highly sensitive rod to feel. I can feel very well though my stiks. That is something else that is only learned through experience. I just feel a lot of his high priced stuff is being pushed on people. I want to relate something funny happened to me concerning ugly stiks. The first year they were made they gave you a baseball cap with ugly stik rods printed on it. Well we were in a restaurant and with my manners being what they are I left my hat on. I noticed some people at another table giving me dirty looks. Next thing I know the manager of the restaurant shows up and tells me there was no sexual references allowed in the restaurant. I told him that it was a fishing rod and he was skeptical and ask me totally it off. I did only because my wife did not want me to challenge it .

Exerience vs equipment. Well experience is what it is really all about. I used to fish with a guy that grew up with a fishing rod in his hands. He used to walk down on the dock and look at the water and the weather and he would say " they don't like that" meaning the conditions and he was very rarely wrong. He could feel and sense the fish because he was in tune with the nature side of it. You can talk all you want,but unless you can feel the environment your fishing in the mot expensive tackle in the world won't help you. That is experience. When some guy wins one of these big tournaments it is almost certain he is reading the conditions that give him the feel of the fish.

I cleaned fish from the Crappiethon national tournament here last Saturday. They brought in between 4-500 crappie. Took 6 or7 of us over 2 hrs to clean them. Nearly every single competitor in the tournament fished above the 40 mile marker. That is where they should have been and anyone wanting to really catch crappie would be well advised to fish that end of the lake. It has always been that way. In this tournament a awful lot of the fish they brought in were 1lb or better. They were so awful thick. These fish were donate to the Elks lodge and will be used to raise money for local children's needs. The moss has started to abate some. I would be out this evening except it to windy and I have to go pick up some stuff for my hosta plants.

A Carolina rig is like a y other system to me. It has it time and places. It also has many variations and you need to spend a lot of time trying them out. I am currently fishing a fishing a 6 inch worm about a foot in back of a 1/8 oz split shot. In a finesse way. I fish it on channel banks. It is very effective this time if the year. To be honest though in the past few years I have been fishing the Carolina less and less I have found that I can get better results casting a drop shot and retrieving it. I really believe it is more versatile.

I wonder how large your boat is and where you are going to fish in tournaments. Lake like where I live here on LOZ and grand lake are really no place for a very small low freeboard boat.

Well the lake has rose a good bit today and the moss is less if a problem. Tomorrow is Crappiethon. I have to be up in Laurie at 4:30 to help clean fish for a fish fry. They done this last year and the Elks lodge cleans and helps with the fish after the weigh in. Judging from what going on around here in my area there is going to be a awful lot if crappie coming in along with some big ones. It is real cold and windy right now and I just went down to check on the covers on my Hosta plants( we have a small collection of about100 of them that is another one if my passions ) and caught 2 about 11 inches. I bet next week the bass are going to be terrific. I have seen giant schools if shad coming by the dock in preparation to spawn. No wonder you caught bass on that shad. Around here the shad are about 3-4 inches long. Wait till the blue been munching on all those shad awhile. That is going to help the catfish fishing. I think thing will really be popping next week. Have to leave Thursday morning for Ohio and won't get back till Saturday sometime. Then I will have the grandkids until about Wednesday. But until it starts I am going to be out there daily as much as I can.

I lost the post. I am not a big fan of this IPad. Yes I did a bit of fishing with the jerk type baits. The present problem is the moss is floating, suspending and on the bottom and everything else. In the Gravois were I fish most of the problems seems to be worse. I am basically a worm and jig person anyway. They are so versatile. At my age and after over 60 yrs of fishing I tend to just want to go out and fish. I do not go down as far as the 13 mile marker much anymore. I tend to stick around the Gravois and the area were it junctions with the Osage. A lot of guys do not like the Gravois and that is understandable. It can be a beast to fish at times because if the topography of the bottom. It is hard to figure out. I have not been out hardly at all until the past few days. I am 74 and have blood circulation problems that make my hand useless very fast in temperatures under 45 degrees. The crappie showed up in good numbers around my dock yesterday. They got very shallow. I think they were just in for the day and the warm surface temperatures I caught some but only kept 3 for my wife and I for supper this evening. I seen some really large females in that group. I imagine the females will all go back to the deeper water in a day or so until the spawn. Might be a good bet if nothing else if they hold for a few days. You mentioned blue catfish. I dearly love fishing for them with spoons. There are times when the White Bass are in the jumps that big blues will fll to a spoon real easy. Because the whites slash and kill about twice what they eat the other injured and dying shade fall to the bottom. You can see the catfish a lot if the time down there scooping up those shad on your depth finder. I have caught many in the 15 to 20 lb range doing that. Try it sometime. On 10 lb test and a light rod it is a poor hill billies salt water fishing.

I think it would do everyone to listen to RM. The man has a wealth of knowledge on this subject I am sure. RM I have been fishing for over 60 yrs. I have done my share of rod and reel repair. Also made a few rods from scratch. I really like what you said at the bottom of your post. I was trying to make a point that the cost of a reel did not make the fishermen. in the prior post. I do have 3 reels that cost over 100. But they were given to me by a very good fishing buddy who was dying with cancer and wanted me have them. All I can tell you about them is they are gold colored Calcutta 's. I know they are very expensive. He bought all three together (pocket change for him ) several years ago. The reason was he never could cast well. But he never got any better with them either. His problem was he could never get the reel adjusted right and he had the worst feathering thumb I ever seen. I have used them several times, but frankly I see no need for anything like that myself. What I have works fine. They are setting a drawer where they will probably be when I am gone also.

What area are you going to fish. It ranges from mid 50s to upper 40s. That does not mean thy are getting ready to spawn. That is the surface temperature. There is a awful lot of moss in many parts of the lake. Making it hard to fish the channel banks. Bass fishing has been generally very slow. The upper lake might be best bet. Be real careful out there thy are talking about big storms tonight and tomorrow. It is not a good place to be in a tornado. I been there and done that. Because of the moss I have been fishing a small 3/16 oz jig with a 5in Bass Pro shakes worm for a trailer. It comes through the moss better but you have to fish it ultra slow,and wind can defeat your efforts. I tried a 1/4 oz it it sinks sinks in the moss and turns into a stinking glob . Have only been out in spurts. Only one keeper . In 3 tries.

I never said I never had used reels over $100 in value. II said I never paid that much for one. I am saying is it really worth it to pay that much for a reel. ???? Can you really gain anything from it as far as actual fishing. Do you think because your using a expensive reel it is going to give you a better chance at catching a bass than me are anyone else. I do not think so. That is my point. So that is all I have to say on it.

I use mono. The cheap Pro Bass brand at that. I fish almost everyday 9 months a year. It is about as good as anything else. Only difference is I like 8 lb fire line on my light crappie rod. But it s not my favorite by any means. Mono shows you signs if wear. I have a habit of running my fingers down my line frequently feeling for the tell tale nic etc. With fire line and braid you cannot feel wear most of the time. In over 60 years I cannot say for certain I have ever had a instance of mono line failure due to the lines material construction. I have had large fish like catfish chew up a line and get off. But they can chew up any line. I have caught 48 lb blue Catfish on 10lb test mono. I am not a regular catfish fisherman but there are certain situations that larger catfish fall sucker to a spoon and I do dearly love to try and catch them on light light tackle at those times. Most line breakage is from wear and knot failure. All the rest of this stuff about line I think is mostly malarkey. I have only been on this forum a short time but I cannot believe all the money being spent on alleged superior tackle.

I have never paid $100 for any freshwater reel. I have some that are 15 yrs old and still get plenty of use. To me a reel holds line that I cast and retrieve. All the rest of the stuff like dual anti backlash, a whole bunch of ball bearings and everything else they claim make them better means nothing. You cannot tell the quality of the materials. Most if that stuff looks nice,sounds nice a sells even better. It does not mean your going to cast better or the reel will last longer. They are far to complicated with to many parts. My old Garcia reels cast fast long and retrieve smoothly. The spools are adjusted to the point where there is a tiny slight wobble. I also keep them oiled with light oil like 3 in 1. I think today stuff is way over rated and defiantly over priced.

I never seen it before but nothing surprises me. In the days before depth finders we would often look for hidden crappie beds by putting a weight on a line and attaching a leader about 2 ft long made out of 6 lb test line with a single hook on the end. We would cast this around until we snagged a hidden brush pile and just break it off. I have caught bass on the bare hook on a few occasions doing that. My dad used to say a good fisherman can catch fish on his false teeth if he wants to. That's so true. It's not the lure its your concentration, confidence and experience with the lure that does it.

I have only fished fla freshwater 1tine. You got so many things to take into consideration like, grass ,reeds trees, lilly pads and suns heat. But I would go to the darker bank in the morning. I would be looking for shaded water anytime of the day.