Bankbeater

Welcome to the forums. There are a lot of nice smallie streams down in southern Missouri.

Missouri resident license is $12.00. Nonresident is $49.00. They expire at the end of February but are valid for the entire year.

It depends on what type of cover and what the water clarity is like. I'll make long casts to the outside of a brush pile if the water is clear and there is no vegetation growing. If the lake is all weeded up then I'll get close to the brush and pitch into it.

My wife tells me to go fishing when she gets tired of hearing me talk about fishing.

I wish I had that problem.

I like the Bitsy Flip and the Strike King KVD swimjig.

I was fishing in a cove a couple of years ago when a fog bank rolled right across the lake. It was a little bit unnerving to see how fast it moved across the water.

Husky Jerks remind me of Rogues. Both have been around for a while and both catch bass.

Small 1/8 jig with a small trailer to keep the profile low, or a small bait on a split shot rig.

I haven't used a ned rig in a few years. Where I fish it either gets snagged or it picks up a ton of vegetation.

I just play it by ear and wing it until I get a feel for what the bass are wanting. Sometimes I need to do a complete 180 and use a different bait than everyone else and then sometimes I just have to change the presentation or change up the retrieve a bit.

Very sorry for your loss.

Netbaits Tiny Paca Chunk to give the bait a smaller profile.

Last month it was 35 years for me. Our champagne flutes are on a shelf in the living room and they have our wedding date etched in them. Every November I look at them to make sure I remember our anniversary.

I sweep the rod when I'm fishing around small clumps of patchy submerged vegetation. I'll bring the bait up the patch and then sweep the rod. Sometimes that little extra burst will draw the bass out of the cover. I don't think I have ever let a lipless sink to the bottom on purpose. Around here you risk getting snagged.

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year to everyone at Bass Resource.

I never use it.

I couldn't get a bite on jigs, plastics, or crankbaits this morning so I decided to go after panfish. Sure enough, I caught a small bass on a Rooster Tail. First December bass since 2015.

There are a lot of nice fish on this thread!

It was 22 degrees here yesterday morning. This morning the temps is around 35 degrees. Thursday and Friday the morning temps are going to be in the low to mid-40s before rain moves in. I wish the weather would make up its mind.

@Woody B, I'm another one that keeps going back to Big Game. Fluoro is too stiff and too expensive, and braid is a real pain if you snag and can't get the hook out.

Zoom Ultravibe Speed Craw. BPS Stik-o in the 5-3/8" size.

I racked up 49 trips for bass and 1 trip for panfish for a total of 50 trips. Some weeks I went 2 or 3 times, other weeks I didn't didn't get out at all.

Fighting and landing a nice catfish is always fun.

I have two 35 size reels that I got back in 2011, and one 30 size I bought back in 2016. I don't use the 30 that much but the 35's are still as smooth as when I got them.