scaleface

There is an in-between, at least where I live . There are numerous small Missouri dept of Conservation Dept lakes within 100 miles of me . Small jon boats , kayaks... is all that is needed . You can fish the whole lake in a single day , so location isnt even that important . Just go fishing . They are loaded with bass . The lake I go to frequently has boats , all I have to bring is an elec. motor , battery , and sonar that I rigged by taking an old Eagle and mounting it on a gutted trolling motor. My sonar unit gets quite a bit of attention from the other anglers .

For several years I kept a camper on a Mississippi river bay protected by a levee . My dad was in deteriorating health .The place I had the camper was easily accessible and level , which was important because Dad could not walk very well . Mom and Dad would come out and we would listen to the St Louis Cardinals and tight line for carp and catfish . Dad passed away last year so I sold the camper . He is the main reason I bought it as he loved to fish and he loved ball. He was a fast pitch pitcher and pretty darn good at it . Right now I'm really missing sitting out there catching fish and listening to baseball with Dad . Heres a photo of him , me and my twin brothers . Looks like we are on our way to the ball park .

I hope that it turns out well .

I have never punched . I have fished with the sinker pegged with a bobber stop . It doesnt stay pegged . It slides up the line when fighting the fish .

I'm kind of an odd ball when it comes to poppers . I use them when there is a fair amount of wave action during the hottest parts of the year . I dont get out much anymore during the heat so I dont use them like I once did . There are two poppers that I utilize . One is a large Rebel popper and the other a Large Pico Pop . Both vintage lures . I dont know the weights but they're twice the size of a regular Pop R .These things spit water 6 foot or more with a short , sharp snap of the wrist . Thats what I'm looking for in the high waves . On Mark Twain during hot July , August days I'd target main lake standing timber . I fished the edges and caught large numbers of bass , sometimes over fifty a day .The best rod is a 5.5 foot to 6 foot pistol grip . I can not get the lure to work properly with a longer rod .It needs to spit 6 foot and yet only move a couple of inches .

I watched season 3 of Ozark .

Not allowed in BASS . They are afraid it will harm the fish . I'm more concerned about angler safety in trying to land a scrappy bass with a couple of trebles in its mouth .

I put a pork butt in the smoker this morning then in a few fours I'll put some ribs in there .

They work . I've caught fish on them . Cant say they work better or worse though .

After buzzbaits they are my second favorite top water . I use the Bomber Long A Minnow almost exclusively in silver flash . Sometimes I just let it set and get some explosive hits that way . If that doesnt work then use slight twitches . Sometimes I work it as fast as I can yet still remain in contact with the surface . They excel post spawn . You posted while I was typing mine . This is a killer retrieve . Do you use the ones with the flash insert ?

Pitching from a raised deck is easy . Standing up in a jon boat with sidewalls , a trolling motor and depth finder clamped to the side and one has to learn how to pitch with a shorter amount of line . I'm surprised my old Eagle depth finder is still working as many times as I have whacked it.

At one time we were all new to fishing .A couple of reasons I catch more bass now than I use to are because : I'm better at choosing what lures to use for various cover. I'm not wasting time switching lure after lure trying to find that magic bait . : Boat positioning is crucial .I keep my lure in the strike zone longer . Yesterday I went fishing and caught 31 bass with 5 over the 15 inch min limit . Another angler I spoke with afterwards had little success and we were both chucking spinnerbaits at the same cover . I was mostly pitching the lure at small pockets in buck-brush , he was casting . It was difficult for me to hit those small targets casting .

I never had much success pre spawn on top waters but there can always be exceptions . A Bomber Long a Minnow in silver flash twitched on top works but its a slow way to fish .

I have some oldies . One is an inline spinner by Spalding that has a baseball on the blade .

The casting couch for strippers .

Sounds like you are doing the same thing . The bite changes ,the bass move , their activity level changes .

Look for long extended points that lead out in the lake . They are the easiest deep structure to find .Look for a thermocline with your depth finder , that will be the maximum depth . Look for fish with the sonar out in open water . Take note of the depth they are the most numerous . Go to the point and start out fishing the depth that held the most fish in open water . Then you can move shallower or deeper, just make a guess . I use a variety of bottom bouncing baits and deep diving crankbaits .Pretty simple but It works for me . That same strategy can be used on flats .Fish the depth that seems to hold the most fish . I like to cover water on flats , so I go with crankbaits or Carolina rigs with a 3/4 ounce sinker . If I hookup , I toss a buoy and fish that spot more thoroughly .

Hula grubs are awesome . I prefer to Texas trig them . Smallmouths love them that way .

I still have some 10 inch ones I believe . Not sure they are Rebel though .

I'm talking about a 200 acre elec motor only lake . I already know where the points are at . I would look for the creek channels , and channel intersections . Also an old timer told me where a spring was before the lake filled . I havent found it in 45 years now . I would fish the areas with various bottom bouncing lures and deep diving cranks .

15 lb Big Game is difficult to break . 65 lb braid would suck . Glad I dont use the stuff .

You have better eyes than me .

You can tell the Rapala by the foil and eye .

I'm not a crime scene investigator but here is what I see . A large deceased bass on bank with a smaller one stuck in its throat . The large bass has been eaten . So, a clever otter caught the small bass but wanted a larger meal . He laid the small bass on bank to lure the large one . The big bass crawled up on bank , engulfed the small one but before it could return to the water , the otter caught it and ate it . The clues are all there . I'm surprised Bluebasser didnt figure this one out , being a cop and all .

With this virus tyhing going on , its understandable that a start up business is going through difficulties . There are a lot of businesses that owe me money and I expect to not get paid by lots of them .