White Bass - Truman Lake

Been so busy lately, I haven't had time to turn around! The weather settled down and we have been enjoying normal weather around here! With spring right around the corner ( fishing season ), I had to get all my spring cleaning , honey do items done! Enough said!

February 19,-21 spent a few days in the hospital, not me, but I had to be present for the birth of my new grandson, Tyler Lee Robinson! He weighed in as a feather weight @ 4.9 lbs about 3 weeks early, but the doctor said he was full developed and doing great, he already stayed at grandpa's  a night or two and did just fine. I think he might turn out to be another fishing buddy?

Anyway, I got to go to the lake fishing this past week and the weather was great! We were after white bass and stripers and hybrids, as we thought they might bite if we could find them!

Headed over to Truman Lake and went to Sap Landing, the Pomme de terre branch of of Truman, it's a pretty good size river at this area and when the whites are running a  good place to get healthy if you know what I mean!

We threw everything we had and manage to catch 22 whites and I mean they were hard to come by! They were not schooling where we caught them, but were scattered! We caught them mainly trolling a blue backed glass shad rap! The whites seem to like them, but not hitting them very aggressively, like they normally do! They usually jerked your rod out of your hand, they hit them so hard! Bit more like a crappy if you know what I mean!

Last Saturday, we went back to Truman and the whites weren't to be found around Sap Landing for some reason, we couldn't find them so we headed out toward the main lake trolling and we found a big striper, or at least Jerry landed one after about a 20 minute battle he landed a 19 lb striper and I hung one but he got off and left me looking like a dumbfounded idiot! Ha! but we hauled in 25 nice whites that would have impressed any fisherman and headed back to the farm!

Now I haven't eaten any fish for a while so Jerry and his family and my wife and I, settled in to having us a fish fry, good ole hush puppies, french fries, white bass, and of course some good ole red onions! We pigged out and now all is well again, here at "Kenny's Great Outdoors!"

Now when the whites are running you can catch a limit of 15 in less than an hour, and these two days, it took all day both days, but we did get close to our limits both days! So it is a few weeks until the white bass fishing gets hot, that is if the weather hold up and continues to get warmer! They should start staging real soon and then let the "action" begin!

So until next time keep your lines tight and your hooks wet, see ya out there!

Missouri Hunting And Fishing Permits!

 

I just wanted to post this article today, because it is, once again, that time of the year, when Missourians, need to purchase hunting and/or fishing permits! Missouri permits expire after February 28!

This also applies to non resident permits as well. According to the Missouri Conservation Department the prices of permits for hunting and fishing are as follows:

Youth 15 and under, not required to have a license and Youths 65 or older are not required to have a license, unless they are trout fishing, and then are required to have a daily tag or a trout stamp, depending on what waters they are fishing.

Those  people 16 - 65 are required to have a fishing and/or hunting permit, and also must have a daily trout tag or yearly trout stamp.

Resident fishing license - daily fishing permit = $7.00

Resident Fishing annual permit = $12.00

Resident huntin and fishing annual permit combo =$19.00

non resident fishing annual permits =$42.00

I searched the whole site over and couldn't find a price on non resident  hunting and fishing combo so you will have to contact the Conservation department for the details on that!

These are just the general guidelines of permit requirements, and there are more details on the exact regulations on the MDOC website.

So for the time being enjoy your 2009 permits while you can and if you can, weather permitting of course! March 1 will be here soon and this is why I am reminding everyone to make sure not to forget to purchase and possess your permits, before then!

Permit Obligations
Accepting a permit means that you: agree to observe all the rules of the Wildlife
 Code;

1 will not loan your permit to another;

2 will allow inspection of your permit, picture identification, catch and
equipment by an agent of the Conservation Department;

3 will carry your permit while fishing.

If you ordered your permit by telephone or on the internet and have not received
it by mail, you must carry the permit authorization number and picture
identification with you while fishing until your permit arrives.

Out Door Reflections - Sharing With Others!

Here not to long ago, Kristine , over at the "Outdoors Bloggers Summit" asked the members to answer a question! " Why do you Blog?" Sounds simple doesn't it? Well, doesn't it? I sat down at my computer and got ready to answer this "simple" question. I got writers block or something! I have pondered on this for a few days and I think I am ready to share my feelings on this!

First off, I always wanted to be a writer of some sort, even at a very young age! I loved the outdoors and all it had to offer! And I might add, she has a lot to offer!

Well I met a lot of people and talked of the outdoors and all the different activities, like river fishing , lake fishing deer hunting, etc... You get the picture, and a lot of them didn't even seem to relate to the outdoors in that way! They always seemed to ask a lot of questions and enjoy
the stories I told them of my personal experiences in the outdoors!

About 2 years ago, I decided to start a blog and share these experiences with the world wide web and I just love to write and share my outdoor life with all that will read! I guess what I am trying to say is this.. I want to contribute to society in some way that all mankind can benefit from it. I figure if I share my knowledge of the outdoors, and the conservation of all the wildlife etc. in the out doors, then I can do my part to ensure the next generation of outdoor people can enjoy all that I have and maintain it for all the future generations!

Some blog to make money, some blog for fun, some blog for both reasons. The money is not so good so far, but I have made a lot of friends and I love to share all of my 54 years of outdoor wisdom With all of you who want to read about it. Your comments and feedback brings me satisfaction in knowing that people are reading and enjoying what I write about! That about sums it up!

Kristine, is one cool lady and I hope this gives her some insight as to why we do what we do! If you all don't support her cause at the "Outdoor Bloggers Summit" then you should, I have a gut feeling you will, if you will just visit the site, and it costs nothing to be a member or supporter! All those who support the Outdoor Bloggers Summit, have formed a large community of Outdoor supporters and bloggers!

Fall Bass Fishing - Truman Lake Always Good

Hello, and welcome to "Kenny's Great Outdoors", where bass fishing is the main topic and sometimes the tales are pretty tall, but always true! I just got back from a 2 day trip on Truman lake!

Rather than tell you all the lures we did use, we will tell you the lure of choice, not my choice, but the lure that the bass seemed to choose! This is of course what we are suppose to be doing when we fish, what the fish want seems to pay higher dividends in the long run!

With the days getting shorter and the weather and water cooling down, the bass are going into the transition of getting ready for winter! This in itself can be a challenge, and can be a hit or miss, situation. Friday we spent half the day giving the bass a wide selection and a large variety of lures to choose from. Mid afternoon I stumbled upon the lure of choice, again, the bass chose, and I limited out on large mouth bass in about 3 hours!

The rattle trap, chrome with a black back, 1/2 ounce, turned out to be the ticket for the afternoon limit! I caught 6 bass ranging from 2-4 lbs. Now mind you these fish weren't big, but we cleaned and fried them, along with some potatoes, and lounged around the campfire all evening and turned in early as to rest up for a long day Saturday. We got up at day break and fried some eggs and bacon, and a pot of coffee. We had to fuel up for the big day. I tied on a Zara spook and Steve tied on a chrome wiggle wart.

We fished hard all morning and Steve hammered me pretty hard catching 3 four pound large mouths, with me catching only 1 two pound bass. I was catching some nice hybrids on the spook as we caught them surfacing for about 5 minutes! I caught 3 nice hybrids and Steve caught 2 on his wiggle wart!

I had notice, Steve, was getting a lot of action on the chrome wiggle wart, so I decided to try the black backed chrome rattle trap again, why not, It was a hot lure Friday! I fished it hard for about an hour and was about to change lures when, BAM a big one hit and the fight was on! I thought I had hung a big striper and Steve grabbed the net to help me! Now for you regulars , you know I have had trouble landing stripers (big ones) this year! Not to be the case this time. When I got it up to the boat and we saw that it was not a striper , but a huge large mouth!

Steve netted him for me and he came off as he entered the net! I got lucky this time, we weighed him on my digital scales and he weighed in at 11.50 lbs. Not the biggest bass for me but a lunker never the less! Steve made a cast while I was taking care of jaws and hung a huge striper! He fought him for a while and I netted him. He weighed in at 27.25 lbs.

We both limited out on bass, and had close to 30 whites, 27 to be exact. Turned out to be a rather enjoyable trip. The weather was awesome, in the upper 70's partly sunny and partly cloudy. To top it off, the wind was almost non existent, which made it a beautiful day on Truman Lake! Steve caught an 8 lb walleye trolling back to the truck and he had another big one get off at the boat with me trying to net it! That's OK, you can't catch them all. Better luck next time, Steve!

With winter closing in some of the best bass fishing is just ahead! Bass fishing gets really hot on Truman in October and November! So get your butts out there and make sure to try the rattle trap, You can fish it fast and cover a lot of water quick. Once you find them you can really catch a lot of them old lunker jaws.

So until next time, keep your hooks wet and boat safe! Make sure you enjoy the "Great Outdoors!" See ya out there, I hope! Good luck to you and yours, and practise catch and release, after you keep what you can eat! See ya!

You, Might Be A Fisherman, If...

1) You have a power worm dangling from your rear view mirror because you think it makes a good air freshener.

2) Your wedding party had to tie tin cans to the back of your bass boat.

3) You call your boat "sweetheart" and your wife "skeeter".

4) Your local tackle shop has your credit card number on file.

5) You keep a flippin stick by your favorite chair to change the TV channels with.

6) You name your black lab "Mercury" and your cat "Evinrude".

7) Bass Pro Shop has a private line just for you.

8) You have your name painted on a parking space at the launch ramp.

9) You have a photo of your 10 lb. bass on your desk at work instead of your family.

10) You consider viennies and crackers a complete meal.

11) You think MEGABYTES means a great day fishing.

12) You send your kid off to the first day of school with his shoes tied in a palomar knot.

13) You think there are four seasons--Pre-spawn, Spawn, Post Spawn and Hunting.

14) Your $30,000 bass boat's trailer needs new tires so you just "borrow" the ones off your house.

15) You trade your wife's van for a smaller vehicle so your bass boat will fit in the garage.

16) Your kids know it's Saturday---Because the boats gone!

ProperBoat Ramp Etiquitte- Helps To Avoid Ramp Rage!

Just recently, I witnessed a terrible scene at a local lake boat ramp, boaters getting into a fist fight and cussing each other because of impatience and inexperience at the ramp! While entertaining to some, ramp rage is aggravating, dangerous, and time consuming, and can easily be avoided!

While this can be a sensitive and delicate subject, especially at the ramp, on the lake, it needs to be addressed in a way that makes sense to all boaters. It is a matter that we all deal with every time we access the lakes and streams where we fish or boat.

We get up early in the morning and drive to our favorite lakes and streams and anticipate a wonderful day on the water. By the time we get to the boat ramp we are wired for sound and the Adrenalin is flowing good. When we pull into the ramp access parking lot, we immediately see that there are 10 or 15 rigs waiting for their turn to untrailer and go fishing, or boating which ever the case might be!

Now while there are no set rules for unloading your boat, everyone has their own routine they go through to get from point A, boat on trailer to point B, boat in water! Some people are very quick and some are very slow. Some are slow deliberately, while some just don't have the experience yet, usually a new boat owner!

Here are a few pointers to make your trailering and untrailering experience go a little smoother at the ramp.

Pull into the parking lot and get your boat ready to launch BEFORE backing down to the ramp! This is the best procedure even for the most experienced boater and down to the least experienced boater! This is where you tie on lures, put in drain plugs, organize your gear, and transfer gear from truck to boat.I know while this is going, on a few boats might get in front of you and cause you to get a later start, but in the long run , avoids hassles, and ramp rage, which can quickly ruin the atmosphere of the day, making an unpleasant experience!

If you are a new boat owner go to a large parking lot and practice backing up your rig, as this is tricky, for new boat owners, and can cause you a lot of anguish at the ramp with other boaters waiting their turn. If you have a new boater in front of you , remember, you were inexperienced and slow when you first started out with your new rig. Practice being patient and offer the newbie, assistance with untrailering his new rig. Offer practical advice in a friendly tone of voice, so that his next experience along with the present experience , can be more pleasant and enjoyable.

It is hard enough to untrailer and trailer your boat, without someone chewing on your keister, and arguing, and quite possible even fist fighting! I have witnessed these very unpleasant situations and I am sure you all have witnessed them too!

If you have properly readied your boat and trailer, all you have to do is back it into the water, unhook the bow hook from your boat, and pull your vehicle out of the lake and up to the parking lot. With 2 people this is rather simple, and if you fish alone, there is always someone who will pull your rig up to the parking lot for you. After you dock your boat, you can always go get your keys and lock up your rig or reposition your rig where you want it. Drop your access fee in the box, and off you go fishing!

Now I haven't given you a check list , on what all needs to be done, because to me, this is just common sense. Before you go to the lake get a routine that works down, and practice it till you are quick and efficient with this procedure, and when you get to the access you will appear to have experience, and will not slow down anyone waiting behind you! No one will ever no you are a newbie!

While we wait our turn, be patient, and offer assistance, nicely, and make this part of boating as pleasant and enjoyable for all involved.Another thing, if you are easily agitated, and don't like to wait, then leave earlier and arrive at the ramp before all the other boaters, this will help to insure, you don't have to wait.Remember, one day you will be in front of an impatient boater and what you have put out in the past will in fact come back to haunt you.

While there really is no set rules or secrets on launching your boat, a little common sense goes along way. So until next time, boat safely, and enjoy the "Great Outdoors!" See ya Out there!

Who Is Catching Who?

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First off today, I want to apologize to my readers, and visitors, for my inactivity of posting! It is not like I don't take my readers seriously, because I value each and everyone of you as loyal readers and good friends! Things have been hectic and in the fast lane for me here lately and I haven't had the time to post. It appears to be slowing down to normal again and I am able to catch up on duties again. Honey do list about normal, so things are looking up and time to get to work again!

This past Monday evening it was threatening rain and I decided to take another round of wade fishing to the "Big Piney" once again! It is rather refreshing and relaxing, belly deep in the river and catching them fiesty goggle eyes and small mouth bass! Drizzling rain doesn't really matter and in the heat of the summer months a front coming thru definitely can cause a feeding frenzy especially just as it starts to rain a good shower, the cooler water usually adds oxygen to the water as it spatters and makes the fishing absolutely red hot!

I waded into my favorite wading water on the Big Piney and the rain was just drizzling and the water surface was rough, making the fish unable to see me as equally as me not being able to see them! I caught so many small mouth that it was impossible to catch anything else. Not that I am complaining but You can only keep one small mouth!

After about an hour it quit raining and I hung into a good smallmouth and tired him out and was about to grab him when he flipped real hard and buried the treble hook past the barb into the side of my right hand! Ouch! It hurt super bad and I grabbed the small mouth with my left hand and hang on for dear life. Now mind you this small mouth is still flopping and such that it was inflicting intense pain on my hand, I am trying to figure out how to get my hemostats out of my back pocket and my side cutters.

After about 20 minutes of struggling with this situation, I some how managed to grab the treble hook that by this time was buried deep and hurting intensely! I had just, believe it or not the nite before watched a video on u tube about a doctor who was giving a demonstration on how to remove a hook without the pain and damaging the penetrations area too badly. A pretty nifty trick, I might add, but never realized I would use his method so soon and on myself at that.

I grabbed the hook firmly, twisted, and yanked, It hurt for just a second but not nearly badly as I had imagined, and it never got sore, Like I have experienced before. After my mishap was over it was a relief to go back to fishing, It took me 10 or 15 minutes to recover from the experience, I really freaked out for a little while.

I managed a good keeper small mouth bass and 15 nice keeper goggle eyes! I know that the evening turned out great and fun, but it was quite an ordeal, for anyone especially if you are by yourself and about a half mile from the truck and besides with a hook and a pole in one hand and a floppy old small mouth int the other, well, I think you might be able to imagine trying to wade the river a half mile and then driving down the rode about 20 miles down a crooked road and rough at that!

If you have never seen any films on people removing hooks you should watch a few and remember, you might not have a friend with you and you have to figure out a way to do it alone. It would be tough with a friend to help you, but it is really, really tough for you to do it solo!

So until next time practice fishing and boating safely, and see ya out there, I hope!

Sworming Hornet Lures! Hot Summer Time Lures!

Now that the post spawn bass are headed back to their summer time haunts, and the water heats up, we all know that the bass and other species of predatory fish can be illusive, and hard to catch. They get lock jawed and even suspend a lot of the time!

While even the most skilled bass fishermen will tell you that it is extremely difficult at best, to catch these stubborn fish. A lot of people have asked me how to locate these bass. While I don't think locating these bass is hard to do, catching these bass is where the challenge is at!

I don't think people have trouble finding bass in the heat of summer, they think that if the bass aren't biting, they are not there!
I know, there has been times I have been in that situation, and it can be very frustrating. I truely believe, that picking the right lure is the answer 80 percent of the time! You see, bass are like us they have to eat pretty regular!

This lure among a few other lures can help you during these times of difficult fishing. Sworming Hornet Lures, are go to lures when this happens! They are relatively new lures, and believe me when I say, these are just a few of the lures in my arsenal that is the ticket, for suspended bass and very well might keep you from getting skunked during these hot days, or the dog days of summer!

Below is a video that demonstrates how to rig and fish these sworming hornet lures, be sure to watch the video and then if you don't have any, get you some and use them, when the bass are not cooperating on those hot summer days, for whatever reason!
You will be glad you did!

Bass Fishing Humor!

Dear Dr. Phil,

When I retired, I could hardly wait to spend time enjoying my favorite pastime -- bass fishing. I got my own little fishing boat and tried to get my wife to join me, but she just never liked fishing. Finally, one day at the Bait & Tackle Shop, I got to talking to Sam the shop owner who it turned out loves bass fishing as much as I do. We quickly became fishing buddies. As I said the wife doesn't care about fishing. She not only refuses to join us she always complains that I spend too much time fishing.

A few weeks ago Sam and I had the best fishing trip ever. Not only did I catch the most beautiful bass you've ever seen, only a few minutes later Sam must have caught his twin brother! So I took a picture of Sam holding up the two nice bass that we caught and showed the picture to the wife hoping that maybe she'd get interested. Instead she says she doesn't want me to go fishing at all anymore! And she wants me to sell the boat! I think she just doesn't like to see me enjoying myself. What would you do? Tell the wife to forget it and continue my hobby or quit fishing and sell the boat as she insists?

Thanks,

P.S. Enclosed is a picture of Sam with the two bass we caught!


Dear Fisherman,

Get rid of that narrow minded wife. That's a nice pair of bass!

Dr. Phil

The above joke and photo can be found at http://www.rickroot.com/blog/1/2007/06/Bass-Fishing-Humor.cfm

River Fishing Post Poned Due To Rain!

Well folks, I started off going fishing today, but didn't get to go! I didn't have a break down, or any thing bad happen, but as you can see in the picture above, the Gasconade river was up, and muddy! So I turned the old truck around and sulked and pouted all the way home!

I know there will be another day, but dang it anyway, I was all excited and looking forward to another wonderful day on the river.I knew it had rained some but I guess up river it rained a
lot more than what we had experienced down river. So I hate to disappoint you all but it
couldn't be helped.

So, I have a story to tell, that I was going to post back during turkey season! I know it is a little late, but it is still a funny story and worth telling, I think! I will keep it short and to the point, so here goes!

I had hunted for 2 or 3 days and heard a lot of gobblers, but had no success in calling one up to me! So on the 4th day I changed locations and was hoping to change my luck. I got set up before sunrise, poured me a cup of coffee and listened to the gobblers gobble all around me before the sun came up. I was getting the buck acre so bad I couldn't stand it. I know it is turkey season but I still got the buck acre so hush, and just listen! These gobblers were no more than 200 yds from me, still on the roost, gobbling every breath!

By the time the sun came up I was wired for sound and Adrenalin was flowing strong. They flew down from the roost and settled just over the ridge where I was set up, of course just out of sight! I made a few calls and they blew up all around me, but I couldn't see any of them. This went on for about 30 minutes and then all got quiet!

Fifteen or twenty minutes later, I heard something behind me and I figured one of them gobblers snuck in behind me. I turned ever so slowly and .... well the picture below will tell....
the rest of the story!

Have no clue where this dang emu came from or who he belonged to but he totally caught me off guard and started chasing me around. I just called it a day and scurried to the truck and took shelter in the safety of my truck. I didn't want to shoot the darned old thing, but he ran as fast as me and he didn't get as winded as me either! ;-)

So the next time you are turkey hunting, watch out for stray emus and if you do, either climb a tree or run like hell, because they are fast and they nip hard! I left him with the turkeys and maybe next time I turn around to see what is behind me, maybe it will be a gobbler! I did get a gobbler but not on this day! ;-)

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Catching Those Summertime - Suspended Bass!

Memorial weekend has come and gone, hopefully, everyone has taken care of that awful disease that all fishermen get in the winter time, "cabin fever!" I call it BASS fever! Hopefully everyone has caught enough bass, white bass , bluegill, walleye, stripers, hybrids, etc to get them through till the next fishing trip!

With spring fishing well under way, and the spawn is nearly over, at least in most of the area lakes around here, of course some are still spawning, but as a whole , we are in post spawn. It won't be long until we are dealing with summertime and those lock jawed bass!

If we can catch them feeding, we can have a successful trip, but this is not always the case. When bass are full of grub, and or the weather has shut off the bite, bass have a tendency to... SUSPEND!

Oh my, sorry for the vulgar language but it's not like we haven't heard this nasty word before. I have a tip or two , that will put those finicky , lock jawed , stubborn, large mouth bass, along with other predatory fish like stripers, etc. into the boat or live well.

Introducing, Berkley's "Power bait Hollow Body" a relatively new Lure but growing in popularity on the pro circuit and hopefully after today, enjoyed by all who fish!



Have you ever been on the lake fishing and no fish can be found , except, suspending fish. When this is the situation it can be down right frustrating and a pain in the #@*! <------- censored!

These soft swim baits can be virtually fished from the surface to the bottom of the drink, which makes it a complete tackle box, all in one lure! You can fish it weedless for thick cover or open hook for open water! While there are many ways to rig this little critter, my favorite, personal preference is rigging it with the hook that comes with it and fish it weedless. Because the bait is hollow and soft hook set is relatively easy and this increases your chances of a higher percentage of hook ups!

Now you can cast this out over suspended fish and count it down until it is right on top of these suspended fish and swim it to the boat and it stays at the desired depth of the fish! You want to use good line, lets say 12 to 15 lb test and a good strong rod as you don't want to break your line on the hook set! You will find that turning these suspended fish on the hook set, will put a lot of shock on your line and reel.

Just be sure to let the fish run with it before you set the hook! I know that this sounds too simple , but try this soft swim bait and then you be the judge , I think you will find that this is the ideal bait for almost all fishing situations, especially handy on suspended fish, but a very versatile, all conditions, all terrain fish bait.

If you don't have these baits then get some and then be sure to USE them as you can't catch fish on them if they are at home or in your tackle box. They have to be fished, to be effective! ;-)

So Until next time, keep your swim baits wet and boat safely! But above all, enjoy the "Great Outdoors!"

Norfork Lake, Striper and Bass Fishing Heats Up!

This past week I managed to go to Norfork Lake in Arkansas! I took 2 days away from the storm clean up operations around home. I got the major work done and out of the way, and I hang a sign on the door saying "Gone Fishing!" Norfork Lake bound and ready to just get away from all of the madness for a couple of days

Leo and I spent about a half hour catching shad the first morning and found a big school of shad and what appeared to be big fish below the shad, and we assumed stripers, since other boats were starting to arrive on the scene. We fished it hard and out of 4 boats none was observed catching any fish.

I got the idea to move to another location about 15 minutes away where we had gotten into them about 3 weeks before. We circled around until we found bait fish on our fish finder , again with big fish below, we cast out and was talking about fishing stuff, you know the drill always another big fish tail bigger than it was before, and before you know it we had a fish on, Leo had been bitten and it was peeling off line at ease! Leo was pulling and tugging and the striper was tugging and pulling and Both seemed to be tiring just a bit!

Then as quick as it started his line went slack and it was over, Mr. Striper had won this round. Dang! Of course you know I had to really bust Leo's chops but he would not live this one down, nor would he let me off that easy! This was going to be a fun day and we had to dog each other, just to bring light to the frustration of the big one getting away. We ended up catching 5 real nice stripers weighing between 10 and 14 lbs, not bad for a first days catch!

The next day a cold front moved into the area and it was down right chilly! Wind coming straight from due north was dominating the region, and we caught 6 bass total 3-5 lbs, real nice stringer of bass,considering they weren't too eager to cooperate , what few we caught came on the jig n pig, very light bite or bump should I say. They bit like a sun fish, bump,bump!

We originally started out on the trip just to get away, and do some fishing, and while we didn't set any records, or hurt the fish population we did manage to have fun, and catch some nice bass and stripers! Leo and I are always eager to exchange fish stories and occasionally one of us might successfully pull of a prank, and we just over all,have a blast! Enjoying the "Great Outdoors!"

Until next time boat safely, practice catch and release, and we hope to see ya all out there!

Missouri Storms Cause Lots Of Damage!

I need to update my subscribers and readers, to the latest here at "Kenny's Great Outdoors" The last 2 weeks has been busy for Missouri residents! Due to tons of rain and one severe thunderstorm after another, the fishing has been " iffy " at best! Some days you can catch the fire out of the fish, other days, the fish seem to have disappeared.

Rivers are running into the area lakes high and muddy, and then after 2 or 3 days, they run in clear again. I am not saying that you can't catch fish, it just requires more patience and skill, or knowledge of how to fish during these times of water conditions, not only that , but one northern cold front after another seems to give the bass lock jaw.

My Internet comes via satellite and my system got hit by lightning and I have been out of commission since the 6th of May. I have several posts on bass fishing , stripers, whites, and turkey hunting! But simply haven't been able to post articles with out access to the internet! My internet was restored May 13 which was yesterday. Then last night it stormed here again and I lost my internet all night last night.

We have had all kinds of straight wind damage, tornadoes, hail, trees uprooting, from the ground being too wet and all the high winds! They simply are just uprooting and falling over, because of all the high wind conditions , we have been experiencing.

I have managed to fish and hunt during turkey season, between storms and storm cleanup around here. Last week I spent 2 full days clearing out the trees and limbs on local back roads, just to help people get out of their houses and into town. Hundreds of people are removing trees from roads, peoples houses, and we have been without electricity quite a bit here lately.

Anyway, we hopefully will see the weather stabilize and then maybe life can get back to the norm, for all of us here in the mid west. I just wanted to let everyone know , why it has been so quiet here. It has to get better , I hope, even though gas prices have soared from $1.69.9 a gallon to the latest price gouging of $2.18.9 a gallon! I figure it will get even higher by the big "Memorial" weekend!

So stay tuned and check back often, as things WILL return to normal and posts WILL be more frequent again. I love you all and hate it when I can't update with consistency!

So until next time, keep your hooks wet and your lines tight!
Fishing is good , when you can fish, so the fish will cooperate, if you can find them and its not too muddy for them to see you lures and baits! See ya out there!

Spring Time Bass Fishing - Getting Started!

Every Spring, we get ready to go bass fishing and we all start asking " What lures do I use?" or "What color lures?" I have recieved several emails lately asking these very questions!

Spring bass fishing can be either hit or miss, or you can catch them consistently , time and time again. Bass are dependent on food to stay alive so even when the weather doesn't cooperate, bass do, If you know how to find them and give them what they want!

In order to understand how we determine what lure to use, we have to break spring down into four parts, and choose lures accordingly.

Note that this is what I have learned and it works for me! This is just a basic guide to help you prepare yourself for "Spring Bass Fishing!" The weather will effect bass at this time and you need to be flexible with your selection, because not all bass spawn, or stage at the same time! Bass will be in various stages of spawn whether it be pre-spawn, spawn, or post spawn!

Pre-Spawn

. During pre-spawn the bass are staging in the eight- to fifteen-foot area waiting for the shallows to warm. Crankbaits, Texas rigs, jigs, and Carolina rigs work well at this depth.

Spawn

During the spawn, while bass are on the beds, jerkbaits, floating lizards and worms rigged without weights, spinnerbaits, shallow crankbaits and lipless crankbaits are all good choices.

Post-Spawn

In post-spawn periods bass move back to the same depth and areas as they were during pre-spawn and the same lures will work.

Late Spring - Pre-Summer

In late spring bass are moving into shore early and back to the first structure change later in the morning. It's about the same as an early summer pattern. Spinnerbaits, buzzbaits, and lipless crankbaits are a good choice this time of year along with the other spring baits.

Springtime colors should be shad and crawfish-related whites, white/chartreuse, reds and browns. These are basic lures and colors to get you started in the right direction at minimal cost, and that means a lot.

Hope this helps you in determining lure selection and colors to use during the Spring and don't forget to be different sometimes, this really pays off sometimes and that's what we are after! Not just fishing, but CATCHING!



So try this basic, lure selection and expand your bass fishing adventures, hope you all catch more bass and bigger bass with these tips! Keep your lures wet! See ya out there!

Missouri - New High School Sport?

While I am a supporter of this program, all credit goes to "Women's Outdoor News" for an update to this fantastic opportunity for high school students! Here is the story word for word, with all credit, going to the "Women's Outdoor News!"

Last year, the Illinois High School Activities Association sanctioned bass fishing as a school activity and will hold sectionals and a state championship this year. Already, more than 220 schools have signed on for the bass fishing program.

In Missouri, there’s movement to imitate the program in Illinois and it’s being supported by B.A.S.S., the worldwide authority on bass fishing and its Federation Nation Youth, a foundation of B.A.S.S./ESPN Outdoors. In a letter from Stacy S. Twiggs, Senior Manager, Federation Nation Youth, to the Missouri State High School Activities Association MSHSAA), he writes, “The sport of fishing is clearly different than stick-and-ball sports, but the activity has effective ties for developing student athletes with a sound education. While competition includes physical factors, it’s easy to apply an extensive classroom curriculum to the program. A balanced program of competition combined with emphasis on conservation, environment, science, mathematics, reading, geography, art, water safety, character development and the heritage of the great outdoors has the potential to be universally accepted and strongly grounded in our nation’s schools.”

And besides all that … fishing is fun and it takes place outdoors!

The Missouri State High School Activities Association will review this proposal this month. Missourians are encouraged to contact their local high school principals and recommend action to accept this program. Let’s not stop with Missouri; let’s spread this idea nationwide.

For more information about how to start a bass fishing extra-curricular program in your state, contact Stacy Twigs: stacy.s.twiggs at Bassmaster.com

What is your opinion? Is this really a good Idea? Sound off and let us know, what are your thoughts or opinion on this matter?

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