senile1

This weekend I ran into a similar problem. I tried a couple of lures and finally went with a spinnerbait but I slow-rolled it and in some places I was yo-yoing it. I discovered a number of bass on wood in the nearest drop-off where the water was 9 - 12 feet. Most of these were only dinks and up to 2 lbs. I switched to a c-rigged lizard and fished the same areas and caught some bigger fish with the biggest being a 6 lb 3 oz.

Oh, I guess I should have said "Welcome to posting." I've been reading this site for almost a year but I didn't start posting until recently so I assume I'm new to the forum even though I've read it alot.

Jim, You know how to make a guy jealous. A half-dozen 6 - 7 pounders!!! Geez. I see you're from Arkansas. Is this lake in Arkansas and where? I'm somewhat familiar with some of the larger reservoirs on the White River in Northern Arkansas but nothing else.

These sites have good pictures. This is very helpful.

Excellent advice from Cart7. If this trailer is rusty I'd be checking the wheel bearings too. I bought a "bargain" bass boat a few years back and the bearings were grinding when I would spin the wheels. When I pulled the hubs to replace the bearings, it was as if the races had been welded in. I don't think the previous owner ever greased the bearings. I had to take the hubs to a machine shop to remove two of the races and they had to break them to get them out.

This is a good question. I've been watching this thread since it started because I know one of the smart cookies in this forum will have an answer. KU_B, I noticed you live in Overland Park, KS. I'm in Kansas City North on the Missouri side and I was noticing similar behavior on the beds.

I would absolutely avoid this bargain unless you are wanting to learn alot about boats and you enjoy projects. I bought a bargain 15 1/2 foot bassboat with a 70 horse Johnson a few years back. After spending approximately $4000 extra on the boat, engine, and trailer plus numerous hours of my own time working on it I have a pretty good fishing rig. But I never want to go through what I went through again. For the money I spent, I could have bought a good used rig without wasting all of my free time. The only positive out of this situation is that I know exactly what to look for the next time I'm shopping for a used boat.

It all depends on what technique you're trying to use. If you're flippin' or pitchin' you're going to be fairly close to the bank. If you're trying to fish your lure parallel to the bank you're going to be closer. If the wind is blowing parallel to the bank and you want to fish your lure with the current you're going to be closer. If you have calmer or clearer water and you don't want to spook fish, you'll place yourself much further from the bank.

Welcome to the forum, Fatman. I haven't been posting too long either. I'd love to get hooked up on some farm ponds. Are these owned by people you know or did you just drive around and ask farmers for permission?

Hey, BassinAndrew. I live in the Park Hill area about 8 miles south of KCI airport. I fish mostly at Smithville and Truman. Do you know anything about the fishing at Jacomo and Blue Springs Lake? Ed

I rarely eat bass. I'll only keep them when it is needed for the reservoir I'm fishing. I'll eat crappie, bluegill, and catfish any time.

I'm in the Kansas City, MO area. I chose wood but I've been finding the bigger bass on rock banks with wood and laydowns in less than 6 feet of water at Smithville Lake, Truman Lake, and Belcher Branch. I haven't been catching many keepers in the coontail moss, although I have seen some beds in these areas. The water level on these lakes is really low now so some of the weedy areas I would have fished last year are high and dry.

Yes, thanks, Jim. I am in the market for a new depth finder myself. Currently I am using a very old Humminbird 200 DX. I can find concentrations of fish with it but the accuracy leaves much to be desired.

Hmm . . . I don't know Shawnee Mission Lake. I fish the Missouri side, but I know the last two weeks most of the bass I've caught of any size have been on the edges of spawning flats in a little deeper water. They hadn't moved up yet. Since you're fishing from the bank maybe that's part of the problem.

Smithville Lake was 62 degrees earlier this week and Truman was 68 degrees on the Tebo arm last weekend. So 65 sounds pretty close for Gardner. I agree with avid. Try a slower presentation.

I fish alone about 80% of the time. I like the time away from noise and the hustle and bustle. I have a couple of fishing partners, and the main one is my wife. Our trouble is that she is almost strictly a crappie fisherman and I love to fish for bass. This does lead to an occasional disagreement on the water. :-/