mcipinkie

Lake Jacomo - Monday Night - June 17, 2013. I know I keep promising that the fishing is going to pick up, but it's still tough on Lake Jacomo. Water temp mid to upper 70's. All the grass is coming up, but fish are still hard to find, particularly quality fish. Monday night was an absolutely beautiful night. The little rain from mid afternoon went away, and all the thunderstorms stayed south of us. Our turnout on Monday night is staying right where we would like it. We had fourteen boats this week. Good enough turnout to pay three places, still have some good paybacks, and not enough boats to crowd the lake. We can always stand a couple more. Don't be shy. Come and join us. Keven Bollinger and Max Nelson won with 2 fish at 6.3 lbs. Keven had big fish at 4.2 lbs. $245 pay back for 3 1/2 hours of fun fishing. Beats going to the bar. Fourteen boats weighed in 16 fish, so fishing is slowly improving. I've seen a lot worse tournaments. I can't say what the fish are doing. I had expected them to be in the submergent weeds, and fished that way most of the tournament. Caught a handful of shorts and one 15 1/2 incher. Jigs and Chatterbait. My plastic bite was dead, but I heard of other guys that caught fish shallow on plastic. Blue Springs is fishing tonight, and every Tuesday, from 600P to 930P. $50 entry. 4 - fish limit. Jacomo is on Wednesday night, from 600P to 930P. $40 entry. 4 - fish limit. We're back on Monday night from 600P to 930P. $30 entry. 2 - Fish limit. If you like to fish alone, this is the place to be on Monday night. We set this tournament up with the 2 - fish limit to allow fishing alone. We had 6 out of the 14 this week fishing single. If you've never been, but always wanted to try, tournament fishing, these are good places to start. Close to home. Low entry fees. Bunch of good guys, and we'll coach you on how to get started. We have a lot of fun. You will too. Try any of these events. You'll enjoy yourself.

Lake Jacomo - Monday, June 10, 2013 I've been promising that the fishing is going to get better, but it's still tough for most people. The fish are, the best I can tell, still in that post-spawn funk and hard to find. Eleven boats came out to enjoy a beautiful evening Monday. Almost calm, probably too calm, with reasonable temperatures. Water temps are in the low to mid 70's and shooting up quickly with the hot weather. Six - two fish limits were brought in. Pretty good for 11 boats. Tom Yankee and George Fischer had big string with 7.5 lbs. George had big fish at 3.9 lbs. Every one else struggled to bring in two - 15 inch fish. Yours truly can't find 'em. I had one fish blow up three times on a spook and never got it. My only activity for the night. My shallow plastic bite is gone. This is the only tournament I fished this week, so all I can report. I heard that the other Jacomo derbies and Blue Springs similarly were tough. We're back on Monday night, June 17, from 600P to 930P. $30 entry. 2 - fish limit. Jacomo Wednesday nights are still fishing every Wednesday night from 600P to 930P. $40 entry. 4 - fish limit. Blue Springs every Tuesday night from 600P to 930P. $50 entry. 4 - fish limit. The weeds are still coming up on Jacomo, both the submergent weeds and the water willows. I expect the weed bite, ever how you like to fish them, to dominate the rest of the summer. I didn't come prepared this week. I thought I could still find the shallow, soft plastic bite, but I'll have my weed fishing stuff next week. Come on out and join us. These are great tournaments, close to home, and pretty cheap.

It's on the way. Quiet a bit up now. The other weed we call "sticky grass" is ahead of the coontail.

Lake Jacomo - Monday, June 3, 2013 I've been predicting the fishing to improve once the weather stabilizes. The weather has been anything but stable, but the fishing is improving, at least on Jacomo. All the rain last week had the lake way high through the weekend with water running over the spillway into Blue Springs Lake looking like Niagara Falls. By Monday night the lake was near normal, probably 8 - 10 inches high. The weather was exceptionally nice, and 12 boats came out to fish. Seven limits of two fish were weighed in. A couple teams said they had small limits that wouldn't cash so didn't weigh. Weights are still a little down as the big females seem hard to find. Lots of little bucks are on the bank, either spawning or guarding fry. I saw several fry schools, so some fish have already spawned. Dwayne Lambeth fishing alone won with a two fish limit at 8.0 lbs. Not bad fishing. Donnie Crist had big fish at 5.0 lbs. I went through close to 20 little fish to scrounge up two keepers at 4.0 lbs. One was a skinny 15 incher that wouldn't weigh a pound and a half. Jacomo is getting right. The weeds, both the submergent weeds, and the water willows, are growing fast. It seems like the worst of the snot algae has gone away making it a lot easier to fish. I didn't fish anything else this week so no other information you can't find in the KC Star. Blue Springs is fishing tonight, and every Tuesday, from 600P to 930P. $50 entry. 4 fish limit. Jacomo is fishing Wednesday, and every Wednesday, from 600P to 930P. $40 entry. 4 fish limit. They also have a Saturday night/Sunday morning tournament from 900P Saturday to 300A Sunday. These night tournaments are a lot of fun and historically have some big strings weighed in. We are back at Jacomo Monday night from 600P to 930P. $30 entry. 2 fish limit. We set these Monday night tournaments up with the 2 fish limit to allow one person to fish alone if he/she want since the lake limit is two fish per person. We had four singles this week. You don't need a partner. Come on and join in. These are all good tournaments. Low entry. Close to home.

T-rig shallow.

Green tube.

Lake Jacomo - Monday night, May 20, 2013 The late afternoon thunderstorms scared off several of our regular competitors, so our turn out was off, or maybe they knew the fishing was going to be tough and just didn't show. We only had six boats in what turned out to be a very nice evening. The fish are still where ever they go when they are wanting to spawn, and apparently not eating. Six boats only weighed in four fish. Jason Hahn and Josh Mills won with a gigantic two fish limit weighing 3.7 lbs. They also scored the first place lunker at 2.1 lbs. Two other fish were brought to the scales: 1 at 1.7 lbs and 1 at 2.0 lbs, which took second place. The author caught a 10 incher in the first 5 - 10 minutes of the tournament and then just cast for three hours. I understand the Sunday tournament was not much better. I didn't fish, but heard it was just as tough. Fishing should improve. In fact, it has. I went back out this afternoon from 330 to about 700. Caught several fish. Five of which were keepers. The big four would probably have gone 11 lbs. Different day, different part of the lake, different lure. This is what makes fishing such a challenge. No tournament Monday, May 27 due to holiday. Back on Monday, June 3, 2013 from 600P to 930P. Two fish limit. $30 entry. Blue Springs is fishing Tuesday nights from 600P to 930P. Four fish limit. $50 entry. Jacomo Wednesday/Sunday is fishing Wednesday night, May 22, 2013 from 600P to 930P. Four fish limit. $40 entry. Come on out and join us. Once this spawning funk is over, fishing will only get better.

That Kool-Aid must taste great. Micro guides and fluorocarbon line and all of a sudden you're in Guntersville. If was in the market for new rods and I liked a rod, either micro or macro guides, I'd buy it, but not because of the guides. I note that Duckett, probably the leading proponent of micro guides, is making a macro series of rods. I wouldn't buy a micro guide rod just because they look so difficult to wrap. It's hard enough to wrap a normal little single foot guide.

Can you say "Gimmick" in a sentence? Next year it will be be super jumbo guides and every one will swear they are the best thing ever.

Blue Springs - Saturday, May 11, 2013 Saturday was the spring Jackpot Tournament where entry fees doubled. Fierce winds, pushing 25 mph, greeted the field of 14 teams in what was an other wise fine spring day. Water temps typically in low 60's. Fishing was tough, but as always, someone gets on them. Mark Slocum and Terry Apple won with a four fish limit at 15.93 lbs. Jason Crist had big bass at 5.24 lbs. I popped a small keeper in the first 10 minutes and should have gone home. Had some boat damage to work on, so I didn't get the dock talk after weigh in. This is the last Saturday tournament until fall. This tournament moves to Tuesday nights during the summer. Next tournament is tonight, May 14, 2013. 600P - 930P. 4 - fish limit. $50.00 entry. Lake Jacomo - Monday, May 13, 2011 Nine boats came out for what turned out to be a beautiful evening Monday. Light winds, partly cloudy skies. Water temps varied from upper 50's to mid 60's depending on location. Fishing is still strange. The big females have not moved up generally, although tournament results seem to indicate they have. We had a few nice fish weighed in, but none of them show any signs of bedding. No ragged tails nor any of the other normal signs. Randal Keith and Dana Zander won with a two fish limit at 8.5 lbs. Randal had big bass at 6.2 lbs. They barely edged out the writer. I had two fish at 8.3 lbs. My fish were shallow on square bill and soft plastic. No rhyme or reason as to where caught. Just kept fishing and eventually collided with a couple. Next Tournament: Monday, May 20, 2013. 600P-900P. Two fish limit. $30 entry. The Sunday/Wednesday guys are fishing Wednesday night 600P-930P. They also have a Sunday morning tournament on May 19 from 600A-1200 noon. Four fish limit. $40 entry. Come on out and join us. The bad weather is surely over by now. These are fun tournaments, close to home, with reasonable entry fees.

Another abbreviated report this week. I did not fish Blue Springs on May 4. Didn't like the weather. It's an old man's prerogative. I did make the weigh in. There were a lot of fish caught. George Fischer and David Smith moved into the lead for annual big string with a 4 - fish limit at 16.17 lbs. That's a nice string of fish anywhere. George also had big bass at 5.70 lbs. Next event: Saturday, May 11, 2013. 700A - 200P. This is the spring jackpot tournament. Four fish limit. Entry is $100. Jacomo Monday Night - May 6, 2013 It looks the females are still hanging out where ever they hang out while the bucks go in. Most of the guys reported catching lots of short fish, but few keepers. My song. I caught close to 20 fish in three hours, but only one keeper. Water temperature around 60, but it's warming up every day. I caught my fish on jigs and plastic around shallow wood. Greg Askew fishing alone won with a 2 - fish limit at 6.5 lbs. Not a bad string of fish. Randal Keith had big fish at 5.1 lbs. Next event: Monday, May 13, 2013. 600P - 900P. Two fish limit. $30 entry. The Jacomo Wednesday/Sunday is Wednesday night, May 15, 2013. 600P - 930P. Four fish limit. $40 entry. Come on out and join us. These are good tournaments, close to home and lots of fun.

My report is shorter than normal this week since I did not fish the Blue Springs tournament on Saturday due to conflict with Joe Bass at Pomme de Terre. I have to brag a little. Fishing alone, I finished in fifth place, and cashed a little check. I was also highest finishing Skeeter driver and cashed a bigger check. If you are running a Skeeter of any age, you really should check out the Joe Bass Team Trail. Highly recommended. Schedules, etc. on line. Jacomo Monday Night Buddy Bass - April 29, 2013. We got what we wanted with the break in the weather Sunday and Monday. Monday was nice at tournament time. Low to mid 80's, but pretty breezy. Water temps varied from mid 50's in the main lake to upper 50's, even a little 60 degree water in the creeks. The fish, apparently, were in that funk they get in just before moving in to spawn. It was tough Monday night. We had a decent draw. Eight boats showed. We'd like to stay in the eight to twelve range. Jacomo fishes really nice with 10 - 12 boats. Most competitors, including yours truly, reported catching a fairly good number of short fish, but keepers were hard to come by. Randal Keith and Dana Zander won with a limit of two fish at 5.5 lbs. Randal also had big bass at 3.1 lbs. Jason Hahn and Josh Mills had second place with one fish at 2.4 lbs. Two other smaller keepers were weighed in also. Pretty small compared to the nice fish we have been catching. Blue Springs is fishing again Saturday, May 4, from 700A to 100P. $50 entry. Jacomo Wednesday/Sunday on Wednesday night, May 1, from 600p to 900P. $40 entry. We're on again Monday night, May 6, from 600P to 900P. $30 entry. If you are wanting to try your hand at tournament fishing, these are great tournaments to start. Low entry, close to home, good bunch of guys. COME ON OUT AND JOIN US !!

I took mine apart. It's not that difficult. Stuck it in the fork of a tree and worked it until eyeball straight. Got it in garage with a couple 2 x 4's and fine tuned. If you have a little kink or dimple in the shaft, you may have to drive a piece of pipe or a socket through the tube to round out, but if the shaft is not actually broken not hard to fix. Biggest PITA is splicing the wires back together. It took a couple hours three years ago and I'm still going.

Everything said is correct, or not, depending on what material your cover is made from. Aurora recommends 303 for my old cover. I use it. Your cover may be different. Check with your maker. If you have an inexpensive cover, may have to replace.

Same song, different week. The weather continues to play havoc for the Jackson County tournament fishermen. Quality fish are still being caught, if you find them. Blue Springs Lake - Saturday, April 20, 2013 12 boats came out on cool, blustery day. Seems like it's always cool and blustery. Water temps aren't changing due to the cool rain we got this week. Mid to upper 40's main lake, some low 50's in the back of the creeks. Water came up about a foot with the rain. George Fisher and David Smith won with 4 - fish at 13.55 lbs. Scott Hudson had big fish with 5.54 lbs. Fish are still scattered, wanting to move up if the water will ever warm up. Yours truly continues his run of 2 fish at 7 plus pounds. I had two at 7.33. A pair of nice fish, but just couldn't find the other two. Next tournament: Saturday, April 27, 2013, 700A to 100P. $50 entry. Lake Jacomo - Monday, April 22, 2013 Weather forecast of thunderstorms kept all the competitors snug at home except the three idiots that always fish on Monday nights. We missed the rain, and actually had a pleasant evening's fishing. The wind quit early, always a mixed blessing, but it was nice to be able to fish comfortably for a change. Water temps are still mid-upper 40's main lake, low 50's in the backs of the creeks. Tom Yankee and George Fischer won (again) with two fish at 7.0 lbs. I had big bass at 4.8 lbs, caught at 620P, but could never find her any company in the livewell. Next tournament: Monday, April 29, 2013, 600P to 900P. $30 entry. Fish quality continues to be good, although down little from last week. For these two tournaments, 23 fish at 77.04 lbs. were weighed in. That's still a 3.3 lb. average. Hopefully, this is the last of the bad weather and tournament draws will pick up. Come on out and join us. Some of you Kansas boys need to get on I-435 and come fish with us. We will continue Monday nights at Jacomo through mid-October. Blue Springs has two more regular Saturday tournaments with the $50 entry, then the spring shoot out on May 11 with $100 entry fee. The Wednesday/Sunday tournaments continue through October also. Come on out.

The weather man continues to reign havoc on the fishing in the Kansas City area. The cold, wind and rain are not only making the fishing tough, but keeping a lot of people from coming out to fish. The Jacomo Wednesday night tournament planned for April 10 was cancelled. However, fish are being caught, and the quality is staying up. Blue Springs Lake - Saturday, April 13, 2013. Cold and windy, water temps in upper 40's to low 50's in the creeks. Mike Young and Jason Conard repeated their win of last week with 2 - fish at 11.13 lbs. They also had big bass at 5.76 lbs. If you only catch two keepers, that's the right two. I had to leave the weigh in for another mission, but there were at least 4, if not more, fish over 5 lbs. weighed in. Most of the competitors reported a jig bite, however, yours truly did not get on it. Another zero for the author. Blue Springs is continuing to whip me, but it's a long season. Next tournament - Saturday, April 20, 2013 - 700A to 100P $50.00 entry. Lake Jacomo - Monday, April 15, 2013. Another cold, windy night kept the competitors at home this week. Only three boats again this week. This will pick up once it warms up. Water temp's still in upper 40's, The fishing was good though. All three boats had their 2 - fish limits. I had exactly the same weight I won with last week and came up last. Tom Yankee and George Fischer had 2 fish at 10.1 lbs for first place. Mark Slocum had big bass with a beautiful fish at exactly 6.0 lbs. There were 6 bass weighed in with a total weight of 26.6 lbs. That's an average of almost 4 1/2 lbs. Good fishing by any standards. Next tournament - Monday, April 22, 2013 - 600P to 900P $30.00 entry. Come on out and join us. These are great tournaments with reasonable entry fees close to home. If you have been wanting to try a tournament or two, good starting places.

Well, $90 is better than a sharp stick in the eye, but I was disappointed with the draw. The last two years we usually have 8 - 10 boats and this makes nice tournament. The other Jacomo guys had there last day tournament on Sunday, so I'm sure this kept a few away. I've commited to run them so I'm always there, plus a couple other die hards. All these tournaments will pick up if it ever warms up.

The last spring Sunday tournament at Lake Jacomo was held April 7. Thirteen boats came out for what turned out to be a fantastic fishing day. Water temperatures were in the upper 40's to low 50's depending on location. Six - four fish limits were weighed in. Dave Wagner and Kerry Moore won with a 4 - fish limit at 15.48 lbs. Joe Inda had big bass at 6.10 lbs. I did not find out what Dave and Kerry were throwing, but based on conversations with other anglers, the fish were hitting almost anything if you got in front of one. Next Jacomo tournament is Wednesday night from 600P to 900P. Entry fee $40.00 The first Monday night tournament on April 8 drew only three boats due the forecast of thunderstorms. The weather held off, and yours truly managed to get in front of some fish. I had a limit of 2 fish at 7.4 lbs., with big bass at 3.9. Both fish came out of the same lay down. They DID NOT hit a jerk bait. I think that bite is about to end. Next tournament is Monday, April 15 from 600P to 900P. Entry fee $30.00. We run the Monday night tournaments with a two fish limit. This allows an angler to fish alone if he, or she, wishes. It also allows anglers with less experience on Jacomo to have a fair chance against the regular Jacomo sticks. It's a fairly low key tournament. Good place to get some tournament experience close to home with a minimal cost. Come out and join us. We have a lot fun on Mondays.

This Monday will be the first this year. Tim didn't fish them last year, at least after I got back in town, but as good as Tim is, he isn't necessarily the man to beat on Jacomo. I don't expect the big worm bite to really come on till the water gets into the 70's, but fish are crazy. If they'll hit a jerk bait, they'll hit anything. Come on out.

Tim is a good fisherman. No. The jerk bait ain't over yet, but hopefully it won't last much longer. Dadgum it!

The Jacomo Buddy Bass Club held its first Wednesday night tournament, April 3, 2013. Nine boats were greeted by cold gusty winds. Water temperatures were in the low to mid 40's. It looks like the jerk bait is starting to die on Jacomo. At least that was the report on Monday night. Most of the reports indicate fish caught on jigs or crank baits. Tim Burt and Joe Inda won with 3 fish at 10.48 lbs. Dwayne Lambeth had big bass at 5.16 lbs. Next tournament is Sunday, 4/7/13 from 800A to 200P. Entry fee - $40.00 Twelve boats turned out at Blue Springs on Saturday, April 6, 2013. Water temperatures varied from mid 40's on the main lake to low 50's in the creeks. Winds gusting to nearly 30 mph made fishing an adventure, but the fish were biting. Numerous 4 - fish limits were weighed in, topped by Mike Young and Jason Conrad with 4 - fish at 14.76 lbs. Mike and Jason also had big fish at 6.94 lbs. Jerk baits are still the key pattern on Blue Springs. Next tournament is Saturday, 4/13/13 from 700A to 100P. Entry fee - $50.00. We start Jacomo Monday nights on 4/8/13. 600P - 900P. This tournament has a two fish limit, so you can fish alone if you want. Several of us do. Entry fee is only $30.00. Come on out Monday night and join us.

Sixteen boats turned out at Blue Springs Saturday morning, March 30. Another cloudy, rainy, breezy day for the jerk bait fishermen. Water temperature low to mid 40's depending on location. Jeff Davis and Danny Carter weighed in a four fish limit weighing 17.07 lbs., including big bass of 6.10. $330 payback. Not bad for a $50 entry fee close to home. The water is warming up rapidly. I'd expect another few degrees by the weekend. Hopefully the jerk bait bite will slow and the jig fishermen can start catching some fish. I prefished Thursday for 6 hours trying to find a deep jig bite. It just isn't there. The shallow bite in the woods is starting to happen. Could be hot this weekend. Jacomo did not fish due to Easter Sunday. Blue Springs is on again Saturday, 4/6, from 700A to 100P. $50 entry fee. Jacomo on Wednesday night 4/3, from 600P to 900P. $40 entry fee - 4 fish limit. Jacomo again on Sunday, 4/7, from 800A to 200P. $40 entry fee - 4 fish limit. Jacomo Monday nights start 4/8, from 600P to 900P. $30 entry fee, 2 - fish limit. Come on out and join us.

There are some of the serious sticks on Monday, also. The two fish limit helps equalize a little.

Lot less competition on Mondays for sure. I'm tournament director on Monday,s circuit, so almost always out there.

There are guys that only fish Jacomo because of the horsepower limit. You don't need too big a boat to fish there. Some guys fish with a 10 horse motor. They are Jacomo studs. Better bring your A-game on Sunday or Wednesdays if you expect to beat them.