senile1

In most of the lakes I fish the lake bottom dictates an erratic retrieve for crankbaits though there are some spots where I can employ a steady cranking action. Bottoms littered with brush, branches, stumps, and unevenly sized rock can eat a lot of bottom dragging crankbaits. When I hit something, which is often, I pause because if I don't it is likely I will lose the bait at some point. Plus, the pause is often where the bite occurs if a bass is hanging near that location. For baits that don't drag the bottom, I try both until I find something that works.

I have two MBR GLX 844Cs and I agree they are great jig rods. I also have an NRX 854C which isn't listed as a choice in this thread but it is a phenomenal jig rod. I do believe I have caught fish with it that I wouldn't have felt with any of my other rods.

These are the prices currently quoted on Amazon: Hardcover from $128.0512 Used from $128.053 New from $286.29 Paperback from $169.0322 Used from $169.035 New from $301.83 Somebody must have collected the last of the new ones and are now selling them at a premium. I'm thinking about renting my copy out . . . . maybe $50 a pop?

If I were looking for big bass I would go to Mozingo up by Maryville, MO. West of Maryville, Bilby Ranch lake is known for large bass as well. Mozingo is just over 1000 acres and maximum boat speed is limited to 40 mph. Bilby is 110 acres.

Yep . . . . and submerged treetops. And by the way, @dblades, welcome to Bass Resource!

It was a terrible year for me. My Father lived about 6 hours from me and was on his last legs so when I had free time I was visiting him (12 - 13 hour round trip). He died New Years Day, 2018. I don't keep an exact account of all fish, but I know that I had 100 bass by May. I caught between 150 and 200 bass and it was probably closer to the lower end of that range. I did not keep track of the assorted walleye, catfish, crappie, and white bass that I caught.

Two or three years ago I seem to recall the MDC report that stated what you described above though I believe it did say there was an occasional 20 inch fish. At the time, the lake was about 7 - 8 years old. This is not a numbers lake but there are nice drop-offs into deeper water that make for quite a few good spots for deep summer and winter fishing. The latest "prospects" I read from the MDC states the following: Largemouth bass are moderately abundant in the lake. Anglers will find fair numbers of both catch-and-release bass that are up to 15 inches long, and harvestable fish 15 to 20 inches long and larger. https://fishing.mdc.mo.gov/reports/lake-remembrance Unfortunately, anybody who reads the online prospects from MDC knows about the Mill.

This would be my take as well. I was going to say that if a rattle were designed to make a sound in the frequency range that a bass hears then, yes, it would hear it. But many are not. @Bluebasser86 made a good statement in a thread I was reading the other day but I don't remember which one it was. He stated something to the effect that we must remember that bait fish don't start making rattling sounds when the water gets muddy and the bass still find them.

Good read. That first tug of the line after the ice is gone is a magical elixir and is a good remedy for the seasonal affective disorder brought on by the gloomy days of winter.

That's right. In the warmer months most people fish from the dam. I have never seen more than 4 or 5 boats/kayaks at a time out there.

You have a lot to consider. You didn't mention what additional features come with the Ranger. Model and type of depth finders, shallow water anchors, and trolling motor are all items that could make a big difference. If you tend to fish bigger lakes of thousands of acres 115 horses with the Ranger hull would be a lot better than a 60 horse motor, at least for me. Also, have a mechanic check out the used Ranger, perform compression tests on the motor, etc. If all is well with the boat and motor, then make your decision based on which one best fits your fishing situation.

That's a tank! What did it weigh?

Ain't that the truth! Work and family obligations can really cut into fishing time. Retirement isn't that far off, however, and the paradigm will shift.

Fishing from the bank can be hit or miss on Table Rock, but if that is all you have available to you, I can give you a spot that produces spotted bass quite often for me from my boat and it is reachable from the bank. Take Highway 65 south from Branson down to highway 86 and turn right going west. Go to the bridge that crosses the Long Creek arm. You will know you are there because it is the first bridge you cross. Park on the east side of the bridge and go down underneath on the south side. There are trees about 25 yards south of the bridge in the water and the water reaches 30 - 40 feet deep a half a cast from the bank. Work those trees with a jig and craw or spoons. More often than not I catch a few spotted bass there every time I fish that spot. Be ready to lose some lures a there are hidden submerged trees out beyond the ones you can see next to the bank. Sit there long enough and you may see the spots busting shad at the surface over the 40 feet of water and even deeper. Cast a small silver spoon where they are busting and let it sink a second or two and then work it back. You can often catch one on every cast if you work it right. The North point of the island at the south side of the mouth of Clevinger Hollow is an excellent spot. The bass stage there in 20 - 35 feet deep water in pre and post spawn. If you are out in a jon boat and the wind is from the South you should be able to hold it steady on that side of the island. Otherwise, you will need a good anchor.

FYI If you are near the metro area and fish the Missouri side now and then, you might want to give Lake Remembrance a try. It is on the outskirts of the metro area at the Adams Dairy Parkway exit and is managed by the MDC. You can see the lake from I-70. It is 55 acres and no motors are allowed. You have to walk your craft down to the water as the ramp is blocked by poles inserted into the concrete. I have fished there a few times over the last two years and there are some decent fish in there. I haven't caught anything over 6 lbs yet but I have caught quite a few 3s and 4s along with a couple of 5 plus fish. I fished it Saturday, and back in the middle of December and both times produced 5 lb'ers in rather cold water. The water is somewhat clear to mildly stained usually, though it can remain heavily stained for a few days after a rain. Currently the water is down about 4 feet. Weights for the fish below in order from top to bottom: 5 lb 4 oz 5 lb 4 oz (Same fish as the above) 5 lb 11 oz 4 lbs 9 oz

Very nice fish!

That's a toad. Congrats to your son!

Thanks, but I think I do a crappy job on pics. I left my small tripod in my bass boat so I had to set my little fishing camera on a rock. Without the tripod I never seem to get it right. The bigger bass, while no giant, was a pretty fish and I don't think my camera work did justice to her.

Today, I caught my first 5 lb'er for the year 2018. I hope there are more and bigger fish to come. I give more detail in the thread below.

Since the beginning of the year, for the most part, the lakes I fish have been iced over. However, over the past couple of weeks it has warmed enough for the water to reach a liquid state. I visited a small 55 acre lake today that stays fairly clear so I don't have to worry about cold, muddy water. The last time I visited this lake in December I managed one over 4 lbs and a 5 lb 11 oz fish in 42 - 43 degree water right before it really became cold so I thought I would give this lake another shot. When I got to the ramp the water was down about 4 feet and I needed to walk through a few yards of muck to get my jon boat down to the water. I decided against that and started to leave to find another place. As I circled I noticed that the low water levels had decreased the distance to reach some of the deeper water from the bank so I thought I would try a little bank fishing. I parked and grabbed three rods, two with jigs and one with a jerkbait, and followed the path through the brush to a spot that looked promising. Within 5 casts I had the third fish below which I didn't weigh because it looked to be maybe 2.5 to 3 lbs. After about 10 more slow casts of my finesse jig, I landed my second fish which weighed 5 lbs 4 oz and is shown in the first two pics. I was casting beyond the tall tree to my left in the second and third pictures for both of these fish and then dragging my jig slowly back to the bank. The water out there is typically 28 or 29 feet, so today it was probably only 25 feet and the water just this side of the tree would have only been 18 feet. Since I didn't take my boat out I didn't get a read on the surface water temperature but I suspect it hasn't broken 40 degrees yet. I managed to catch one more fish that wasn't picture-worthy before I left.

Very nice smallmouth!

For a finesse jig, I use 3/16 oz. For all of the other finesse presentations mentioned, I use almost the same as BlueBasser's response except for a slight difference on the Ned as I use the 1/15 oz offered by Zman. Ned-1/15 Slider-1/8 Shaky-1/8 Grub-1/8

Indeed it is. Thank you for bringing this back up. I missed it the first time around.

Good one, Sam!

This may be the number one goal for every working stiff.