senile1

I've been using the 15 lb Boga for a few years now. It's a great scale and gripper. The only minor complaint I have is that as my eyes get older it is more difficult to make an educated guess for the ounces when the measurement is between the quarter pound marks. I guess I could just always round up.

That sounds like an awesome day. Congratulations to your son!

Congratulations on the new PB!

@Bluebasser86, I haven't been on the forums much lately due to work and other responsibilities so I missed this, but I wanted to put in a word that I am glad your son is OK and all is well. As you know, there is nothing more crushing than the fear of losing a child. I am happy for you and your family!

Awesome fish! Congratulations!

Congratulations!

That's a beautiful and huge bronzeback! Congratulations!

Congratulations on the new PB!

Ah yes. The beastmaster has returned. That is an amazing group of fish, Dwight!

Another anecdote that goes along with the point. My wife and I hit Table Rock only a week or so after @Bluebasser86 and the bite was similar. The biggest fish came on a 3.75 inch Rage swimmer but the large quantity of fish came off a 2.8 inch Keitech and a Ned rig. I wasted a lot of time with the 3.75" swimbait and a bigger jig before I finally learned my lesson. @everythingthatswims, 4th in points for team of the year is excellent in my book. Keep up the good work and I hope to see you moving up!

This is pretty much it. If the person is a family member or a good friend, you deal with it in the nicest way you can. If it gets to be too much, just limit the fishing trips to how much you can stand it.

I assume they will have to operate to remove that. Let us know how this goes. Best wishes.

I agree with much of the information above. Fishing the standing timber at Smithville can be a recipe for a skunk if one doesn't know which trees to look for and when. When I first started fishing the lake quite a few years ago that is what I did and I had very little success. Find channel banks with laydowns and brush as @Weedwhacker stated, and also, look for underwater channel swings with good drop-offs and either brush or trees on the lip, especially those close to rockier shallow areas. Those are the trees where you will find fish. The rest of the trees should be ignored in my opinion, unless you find one with a structure item that is conducive for bass movements. As for baits, I would add brush hogs and jigs with craw trailers to the list given.

Yeah, but I believe he could use a good cleaning at the dentist. ?

Words fail me! Amazing freak of a fish! Congratulations. That beats our state record smallie by 2 lbs 5 oz.

My wife and I spent 3 days at Table Rock Lake last week. We caught over 60 bass in 10 - 25 feet of water on gravel points and gravel spawning banks, but nothing huge to speak of. I saw some beds but all were empty, which was kind of surprising with the full moon and surface water temperatures ranging from 58.5 to 62 degrees. I caught a 19 inch largemouth that weighed in at 4 lbs even. My wife had the biggest smallie at 2 lbs 11 oz.

Nice one, A-Jay. Man, I love your pic quality. I can see every detail on that fish. Beautiful!

Congratulations on the 5 lb'er! Sounds like the kids are hanging in there too.

I use spoons under specific conditions. In the summer on clear water mountain impoundments a spoon can be the best lure for suspended fish at times. A jigged spoon has been my go-to lure when bass are suspended over trees in 30 to 50 feet of water at Table Rock Lake. Jigging a spoon can be effective for winter fish on the bottom as well. Additionally, when Kentucky spots are busting shad at the surface using the correct spoon can be deadly.

Nice chunky fish!

Cottonmouths are poisonous but I would only kill one if I was in danger of being bitten - the old "Its either the snake or me" scenario.

From the looks of both of your pics, 7.3 doesn't look like a bad estimate. She has a heck of a mouth. Congratulations on the PB.

Heavens Peak, Glacier National Park.

Awesome fish and great narrative. Congratulations!

Very happy for you, Jim! I bet you can't wait to get some fish smell in that thing.