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.

On The Lite Side ?

Hear is a little bass fishing humor, to brighten up our snowy and cold weather, here in Missouri and pretty much all the surrounding states  right now! Enjoy! We could all use a smile right about now I am sure!

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Near a highway bridge several boats were scattered about in the lake as there was the Annual Bass Catchers Classic fishing tournament in progress, when a funeral procession came by on the bridge.

Everybody just kept on fishing except for one fisherman, who put his fishing pole down, stood up, removed his hat and remained in that fashion until the funeral procession was passed.

A nearby fisherman happened to see this and was impressed at how respectful the man had been, so he cranked up his boat and pulled up beside the other mans boat.

"Howdy, I saw how considerate you were toward that funeral procession, pausing and standing like that. I wish I had been as thoughtful!"

The other man replied, "I reckon it's the least I could do. After all, we'd been married for nearly 30 years."

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Two boys were sitting on the rivers edge fishing. One turns to the other and says "Do fish grow fast?".

The other boy replies "I think so. Every time my Dad tells the story about the one that got away it grows another foot"

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Two guys are talking about fishing. One says to the other, "I am NEVER going to take my wife fishing with me, ever again!"

"That bad, huh?"

"She did everything wrong! She did everything wrong! She talked too much, made the boat rock constantly, tried o stand up in the boat, baited the hook wrong, used the wrong lures and worst of all she caught more fish than me!" he replied.
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I made a few phone calls and gathered all the fishing reports around the area lakes that I could and here are the results:
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Stockton Lake

Water temp 36-38 or cold to really cold

Crappie are biting excellent in 50-60 foot of water in brush piles.  Use a jig and a 2" grub and get right into the brush.  The brush close to drop offs, channel swings and on points seem to produce bigger fish.  Look for schools of shad and the fish seem to be a little more active.

Bass- All reports so far have been pretty slow.

Walleye are fair in 35-45 foot of water on jigs and minnows.  Some of these are being caught by crappie fishing.  Won't be long till the big ones are biting!!

No report on catfish
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Lake Of The Ozarks

 The ice has melted from the main channel due to all the current in the main Osage. There are also some launch areas that have ice cleared from their coves. The water is still very cold. The coves are still frozen and the main lake is 37-38 degrees for the most part. There are some warmer temps over on the North Shore area. The water was clear. But now since it has risen and with all the current there is some stain to it. Most of the fishing is main channel stuff. The coves were frozen and the fish I've been catching are deep with their bellies on the bottom. More will develope as the lake thaws out in the Gravois. This will be the good clear water.
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Lake Norfork

101 Grocery and Bait said cold weather has kept some anglers off the water, but fishing has been good for those who have managed to get out. Live bait and jigging spoons are catching fish well. The surface water temp is in the mid-30s depending on the area of the lake you are in.

Norfork Tailwater:

John Berry from Berry Brothers Guide Service said generation has been around the clock, with no wadable water. Brightly colored San Juan worms (red, cerise and hot fluorescent pink) and egg patterns (peach and orange) have been the go-to flies. Long leader tippet combinations and heavy weight have been the secret to success. Work the banks and submerged weed beds. Be on the lookout for a shad kill. Dry Run Creek has fished well. The hot fly has been a sow bug in size 14. Worm brown San Juan worms and egg patterns also have done well. The weather has improved a bit and now is the perfect time to take your youngster to Dry Run.
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Bull Shoals Lake

As the temperature goes up and down so do the fishing patterns,habits,and locations. When the temps were rising the shad started to die, Thus the stick bait bite increased. Then the temps dropped and the Bass went back to the main lake bluffs where soft plastics and twin spins did the trick.When the hard overnight  rains came the fish started feeding where the stained water entered the lake. Crank baits and spinnerbaits were best fished at the 'stain' line. This time of the year it is imperative to pay attention to the weather and adjust accordingly.
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Truman  Lake - No report


You can usually always, catch fish on Missouri's Lakes and streams - if you check with the locals you can find out where and how to catch those fish! Good luck and tight lines!

Cabin Fever? Try Striper Fishing!

Do you have cabin fever yet? Here is the remedy for that cabin fever! I think it will tide you over until warmer weather comes and its back to norm fishing again! I find striper fishing to be exciting, and quite exhilarating, to the cooped up feeling of late winter, cabin fever!

Striped bass fishing is one of the many types of bass fishing that has become very popular in the last ten or fifteen years. Fishing for these predators is both challenging and fun!  As a matter of fact I am planning a trip in February to pursue these awesome predators! If I get to go, I will keep you posted! 

 There are several ways to catch these fish such as by casting, trolling and even bottom fishing. In most areas, stripers do not reproduce well requiring extensive game management and stocking. The best months for catching this game fish are late February through May. This is because striped bass begin to feed aggressively as they prepare to spawn, although you can catch them year round!

Bait - Finding and using the right type of bait for stripers is the same as any other type of fishing. The more experienced striped bass fisherman will spend a lot of time looking for schools of bait fish. They know that when they find these schools that the big stripers will be very close by. Netting your bait is quite the challenge sometimes, but well worth the effort!

 Live shad are the bait of choice when using live bait because they are the primary forage food for stripers,here in Missouri Lakes.You had better hang on when one of the stripers hit a live shad on your hook! They hit like a locomotive and the fight is on leaving the fisherman numb armed and weary at best!

When it comes to bass fishing, striped bass fishing is one of the favorites for many and you can also find yourself hooked by this incredible experience. There is just no way to describe the exhilaration you feel when you hook into one of these monsters and you discover that you are in for the fight of your life!

So if you happen to be at the lake try your luck at striper fishing, but be careful, if you hook a striper, you'll be hooked on stripers from then on! No pun intended of course! If you haven't tried striper fishing, then you just haven't lived yet! Just kidding, but it can be very addictive!

So until next time keep your hooks wet, and be sure to boat safely,and unless your fish hungry, practice catch and release! See ya out there I hope, and good luck on YOUR
next outdoor adventure!

Fall Outdoor Adventures - Very Busy?

Wow, the last week or so has been so busy, what with all the last minute activities of fall! Busy time of the year here as all outdoor activities are in full swing! Fall bass fishing is fantastic and has been easy to catch them fall bass! Went twice last week, once on Truman Lake, and once on Lake of the Ozarks! Both trips were really good! I caught a lot of large mouth bass on Bill Dance fat free shad! Caught several on rattle traps, spinners, and bass bandits were all good!

I found several mushrooms in the past week! We all call them "deer antler" mushrooms or coral mushrooms! They are excellent rolled in flower and fried in vegetable oil! They are excellent just sauteed in butter too!

Bow season is in full swing, which is what I mainly am doing right now! I have seen several deer, but haven't had a shot yet! There is a lot of squirrels, and the acorn crop is good this year so squirrel, deer, and turkeys are surely to be scattered every where! I have had squirrel and dumplings quite often as of late, yummy!

Gigging season is in full swing and I have been getting several suckers, wow, they are tasty and plentiful, as I have been eating, probably more than my share, though the river is up and muddy right now, so the gigging seems to be out for a few days till the rivers around here clear up again.

Oh well, that still leaves plenty to do around here, as I am still cutting fire wood and clearing some land around here, I cut and sell fire wood so that is a lot of work in itself, so yes, it has been extremely busy around here , doing all the work , and fishing, around here! It 's a tough job but someone has to do it! It might had well be me, don't you think?

Rabbit season and the gun deer season is still around the corner, but by then the fishing at the lake will be red hot again and well as you can see, no wonder, I haven't had time to post anything, even though I have had lots of things to post , just not nearly enough time to sit down and type! So this is just a recap of the last week or so to bring you all back up to sluff, here at "Kenny's Great Outdoors"

So until next time, keep your hooks wet, and your lines tight!
See ya all out there I hope!

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!

Big Piney Late Summer Fishing!

It's that time of year again, you know, schools are gearing up again, August is drawing to an end and we are getting near the end of summer! Baseball is gearing up for the final pennant races and fishing starts to pick it up once again! We are all doing all the outdoor stuff that we can possibly get into each and every remaining day of summer.

I went fishing today and floated on the river. You could just feel the weather and sense the changes about to come. I caught several goggle eyes and small mouth bass, before noon and I was just enjoying the 82 degree day, kinda over cast and a gentle breeze blowing across the water. Squirrels were jumping from tree to tree, and I saw a few deer getting a drink from the river! They are really beautiful with their velvet attire and all. I lost a couple of good smallies, so I settled in for a noon time sandwich and a soda and of course some chips!

I spent the rest of the day just relaxing and enjoying the scenery, the sounds, just taking it all in and catching some decent fish. I took out of the river and went home and cleaned all of my fish and while the wife was cooking the fish and fries and hush puppies, I was out side building a fire to enjoy after dark, when the temperatures drop down into the 50s again! We sat around eating fish and chips and drinking cold soda and watching the great fire as the sun went down.

We were enjoying the fish, listening to all the nite creatures, like frogs, crickets, hoot owls, coyotes, and whipper wills. Of course the smell of the fire and listening to the noises a fire puts out like the wood cracking and popping, and the gases hissing as It burns of as the wood is consumed by the blazing blue fire. Was a pretty neat picture and a wonderful evening in the "Great Outdoors!"

Oh, by the way, we ate all the fish but 2 pieces and the fire felt good all evening! Just taking in the outdoors and enjoying the rest of summer! It just seems natural to be in the outdoors and enjoying all it has to offer, see ya out there, I hope!

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!

Tough Day At Truman Lake - But Still Fun!

Well, last Sunday we had a northern cool front and about a 3 inch rain to boot! I figured it would put a damper on bass fishing, but none the less, had a trip to Truman Lake on the agenda for Tuesday, so we went ahead as planned and went fishing anyways!

We started off fishing with crank baits and spinner baits, and we tried every lure in the tackle boxes! Well, not every lure, but you know how it seems when the bite is not there. We fished hard and managed to catch 3 bass with only one being a keeper but a pretty good one at that! He weighed about 3 1/2 lbs! Not bad quality, but poor on the quantity side! One of those days, which we all experience from time to time, but we still enjoyed the "Great Outdoors" anyway!

Couldn't ask for a better day, weather wise, 78 degrees and pretty much sunny all day, even though we did endure a 5 minute shower early on in the morning. We saw a few eagles, deer, and a half dozen or so big gobbler turkeys! There weren't many other fishermen and we didn't take long to figure out why!

After lunch, we decided to try a different approach, Tom tied on a jig n pig and I tied on a 10 inch Texas rigged worm. You know, the old reliable stand bye lures! Now most of you that follow me, regularly, know that I always manage a limit by days end on Truman, but it wasn't to be the case this day! I did manage to catch 3 bass, all about the 3 or 4 lb range, and all of them big chunky fat ones!

We called it quits about 4 pm and put the old Blazer into the wind and headed home. Sometimes you just have to be grateful just to spend the day on the water, just enjoying the "Great Outdoors" and good old fishing buddy fellowship. We had a blast, and both commented about not remembering the last time we was on Truman in July, with 70 degree sunny weather, and almost no wind, to speak of. At times the lake was like a mirror, and that is truly beautiful and fun to cruise the lake when it is smooth!

If you all enjoyed this post, be sure to leave a comment and check out the archives for a whole lot more of the great adventures in the great outdoors, and loads of tips and articles to make your next trip, hopefully, more productive and fun! I hope you all like the new look of the site and Please, give me some feedback, good or bad it all helps me to make things more exciting and more enjoyable for you all, here, at "Kenny's Great Outdoors!"

See Ya out there, and good luck with your next outdoor adventure!

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!

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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Wade Fishing - Enjoyable, And Rewarding!

I haven't been doing much fishing as of late, due to catching up on all the things on my "honey do" list, you know, honey do this, and honey do that! Anyway, I finally caught them up,and checked them all off as I completed them.

Recently, the weather here in Missouri has been hot and humid! I finished my list, and was hot and soaked from perspiration, which can make a guy downright offensive, if you catch my drift. I grabbed my ultra light and a few lures, and headed for my favorite spot on the Piney River to do some wade fishing!

I immediately dove in and submersed my entire body, clothes and all and washed that stench off of me and then proceeded to fish a section of about a mile of pretty fast moving water! I had tied on a beetle spin and was belly button deep in nice cool water and was feeling just fine! Now mind you I caught several nice goggle eye, and some real nice small mouth bass!

Just as the sun was setting and the temperature started cooling down, I tied on a top water lure called a Jitterbug! I would stay with this lure until well after dark. Hoot owls were hooting, and coyotes started their thing howling and all, and the tree frogs were screaming for rain, some say! Bull frogs were yelling and all the night sounds of the outdoors came to life!

About 45 minutes after dark I caught a real nice smally, and was putting him on the stringer with the other 12 nice goggle eye, and was totally concentrating on this as I didn't want to lose this 21 inch smally! When I got the smally secured on the stringer, I lit up a cigarette, I know, this is a bad vice of mine that I am trying to do away with, but for me it will take time.

I was working my way slowly back to the truck and caught a few more nice goggle eye and bass and released them as I already had enough for a nice fish fry for my wife and I. When all of a sudden I stepped off a ledge and into a deep hole of water, you know, over my head and now I was swimming for shallower water. After dark when you are wet, it tends to get a little chilly and I was starting to shiver a little bit,but, still proceeded to fish to the truck!

About 100 yds before the truck , I had to wade thru a little eddie, and it was really quiet, I stopped to light up another smoke, which, when I am wading , I keep in a water proof zip lock bag! I lit up and because of the bright light and then, practically pitch black night, I couldn't see a thing, so I remain still, until my eyes readjusted to the dark. About the same time, a loud splash about 3 foot from me made me jump out of my skin. A beaver had been swimming up the river and practically ran into me.

I scared him and he scared the @%$& out of me for a second! I swallowed my heart back down into my chest and laughed so loud, that you could of heard me for a country mile! Then he smacked his tail again on the other side of me and got me again!

What a night, I totally enjoyed myself, got a good cool bath and caught a good mess of river fish! When I got home I cleaned my fish, and the wifey cooked them up, and I believe, that was the best fish I had ever eaten! My wife says That I say that every time we cook fish! ;-) I think she's right! She also said that I smelled better too! Can't wait until next time , but I guess I will have to!

So until next time, try your luck at an enjoyable evening, wade fishing, It really is super fun, and is a great way to cool off on those hot summer evenings! Oh yeah, when I got home a hot shower was necessary to knock off the chill of the Big Piney River. You wouldn't think you would get chilled on a 85 degree evening in June, But, it is worth it! The Piney is spring fed and is cold any time of the year!

Big Piney RIver - Fish Are Biting Good!

Took a day off from fishing to do some work......not really, I just went fishing! Bet I had you going though! ;-) But I just took the day off and hit the "Big Piney" river! I have told you about her many times! I have a lot of good old memories of this old river from about 8 yrs old until now! That's a long time and many float trips ago!

This old river is full of goggle eyes, and small mouth bass and it has a good population of large mouth bass too! I just grabbed the canoe and put in the river at the mason bridge access on hwy 32 west of Licking, Missouri. I floated down to the slab town access, which is roughly 10 or 11 miles on the river. It's a beautiful float trip and the scenery is out of this world!

I took only my 2 ultra lights and a box of light or small lures! I tied on a beetle spin with a brown twister. and shoved off to a day of just me and nature. Now this story kind of takes a twist because I am going to tell you about the trip, and also explain what I believe is good conservation. Most of the fish I caught were still full of eggs and I noticed the large mouth bass where on nests in the backups!

I have watched this old river grow and change in many ways over the last 47 years and believe me when I say, there has been a time or two when I was very concerned about the old river and her fish population. Today it was catch and release, just have fun and kinda just take a census of the river, once again.

I caught goggle eyes and small mouth bass all day steady and the bite was real good all day! I caught several keeper goggle eye. Now here is a point that I want to get across, They implemented this creel size a few years back, and the fishing was ruined, it seemed to me and others. But the conservation had biologist taking surveys of the fish caught and they came up with this.

They also did this with small mouth bass and found the same thing!
they implemented a creel size on the small mouth bass and basically made it a catch and release stream. Now when I was a kid there was lots of great big goggle eyes and bass, But I had witnessed without realizing, that the river was Not the same. Gigging season you could see all of the piney and fish were small and far and few between!

Now in a relatively short time the rivers fish population is better by far and getting better each year after the spawn! I caught close to a hundred nice goggle eyes, and 50 or 60 small mouth bass with a lot of the small mouth between 1ft and 23 inches. These river smallies are a blast to battle on an ultra light, they just seem to go where they want to go!

I will support these creel size limits and because I see it at work, I watched a bountiful river, go down hill and then back up hill, only because of a careful watch eye,local fishermen and conservation and biologists working together to ensure the future of our lakes and streams! While I don't agree with all of the conservation activities, This one is right on!

I had a wonderful day once again, and learned a little bit more about myself and what makes me do and think about being a conservationist and doing my part to contribute to the future generations of fishermen! If nothing else, just returning and maintaining nature and its wildlife, which I feel is the responsibility of all fishermen, and anyone who cares! If we respect our rivers and streams then nature will in turn reward us with her beauty!

Looking forward to the next adventure on the old piney, and once again she logged a good trip in my journal and I know there will be many more, if the good Lord's willing and the creeks don't rise!

So, Until next time, Keep your hooks wet and your lines tight, and remember to practice and maintain good boat safety!

Truman Lake - Bass Fishing Fun!

The weather here in Missouri is still doing its thing, some days are nice and some days are rainy and if you can catch the water color when it's right then you can have a fairly decent day! Tuesday, Jerry and I went to Truman Lake and the plan was 2 days!

We hit it hard and caught several large mouth on the deep running "fat free shad" believe it or not this lure is one of my old reliable bass getters! Pearl white colored "fat free shad" by Bill Dance is a lure I go to, and I would put it up against any crank bait on the market!

We caught bass on it all day long until about 3 pm! The bass was running small but we managed several 3 or more pounders! We caught around 40 bass. We liked 2 for our limit and moved to another good spot and I tied on a "Zara Spook!" It was a good call as soon caught a nice 7 lb bass and lost 2 more good ones! One broke my line and stole my spook! We watched him try for 15 minutes trying to get that spook out of his lip and finally threw that spook at Jerry and hit him right in the chest!

Jerry said that the bass was throwing it at me and missed! I am just glad it hit Jerry instead of me. He now has a few holes in his shirt where he had to cut the shirt to get my spook back! I think he still is pouting about that , but he will soon get over it! Jerry was tossing a glass shad rap and when it hit the water , the water and lure simply exploded and Jerry was wearing another lure in his already damaged shirt. I was of course, laughing my butt off when something blew up on my spook and off it went!

He bent my pole double, and was stripping off line with little or no resistance, and I yelled to Jerry "Grab the net!" A huge striper had snagged me and was not in the mood to stop! Now my ambassador will hold close to 300 yds of 14 lb of Berkley big game line and he was getting past the half way mark and then the line went slack! I told Jerry he came off and started reeling it in and when I got caught up to the slack, he took off again and darned near took my rod and reel with him!

And then, the line went slack and that was it! He came off! Now those of you who keep up with my posts, know that this is starting to become a habit of mine this year. These Missouri stripers are kicking my butt this year! Well enough pouting we got up this morning and started fishing again. Now if you remember earlier I said it was a 2 day trip plan, well , guess what?

Today the wind and rain provided by a northern front, was tolerable at best. It was windy, wet and the wind chill was down right COLD! Not as in freezing, but it was cool enough to make your butt pucker up to the seat and you would shiver and shake when you would rung across the lake! We fished till lunch and only caught 4 keepers and trailered the boat and pointed that old Blazer into the wind and came home!

So to sum it all up if the weather cooperates you can catch a lot of good fish, and of course you can have loads of fun either way, but it sure is a lot more fun when you catch! The bass loved the spook and the fat free shad, we didn't use much else, but then why would you change lures, if the lures you have on are working? ;-)

Truman Bass Fishing - Excellent!

It's been a while since my last post, it's not from the lack of material to post, just a case of "writers block" is all! Seems like I can post a story , but when I sit down to write, a big fat "nothing" so rather than fight it I just hang loose until it comes easy!

Hope you all had a good "memorial weekend" I did, but I didn't do anything but watch the cardinals play baseball. I hate to fight the big 3 day crowds at the lakes and streams. I pretty well fish during the week when most people have to work. So it's really not a necessity to fish, during these high fishing pressure week ends!

Tuesday, I went to "Truman" and had a real successful fishing trip! There was a lot of action on suspending rogue, and we caught 12, 2 - 3 lb large mouth! We probably caught 50 or 60 bass and the 12 we kept were the biggest. We caught no big fish, but we had a blast!

Wednesday we decided to catch the whites , if we could find them! We had noted Tuesday that the whites surfaced in a few locations where we were bass fishing, and decided to give them a try! We trolled most of the morning and did manage to catch 9 nice whites and one 8lb hybrid! We started hitting the flats and humps, late in the afternoon and we caught several big whites on white roadrunners.

We were fishing this long submersed point and the whites started surfacing around us! You know, like pirahnas, boiling the shad, and scared the" *&^%" out of us! We caught 2 nice stripers and 12 nice whites, and then it was over. It is truly amazing at the action during a big school of stripes and hybrids, surfacing, it is a free for all, and you can catch a lot quick, if you're in the right place when it happens!

Fishing is great all over the area lakes, between rises, and muddy conditions, with all the rainfall. We would gladly send some of this rain to other places, as we have had more than enough, and some aren't getting any rain. If you can get out and get to fishing , you will catch fish.

Keep your hooks wet and boat safely, please practice catch and release, only keep what you can clean and eat!

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!