Snow, Snow, Snow, And Then, More Snow!

Man, we have been getting pounded over and over, ever since the new year began! I have noticed that the whole country has been getting one snow after another! Seems as though it has been the worst winter on record ( my opinion ) !

Well, today, tonight and tomorrow the weather forecast here in Missouri, again, snow? Oh well , snow is pretty and so I took a walk yesterday and just made the best of it! After all it won't really be that long until spring anyway!

I didn't hear if the ground hog saw it's shadow or not, not that it really matters! March the 21 or 22 is officially the first day of spring and that is about 6 weeks, if the ground hog sees his shadow it means early spring, roughly six weeks! Now, I don't think there is much proof that you can accurately predict weather by a ground hog shadow anyway!

I walked around for a couple of hours, seen some deer, and lots of critter tracks every where I went. All them poor critters are looking for something to eat and a place to seek shelter from the storm, so it's difficult for them and us! We have to deal with it getting to work, trying to hunt or fish, and I know every one is tired of dealing with it, and ready for spring! How about the wildlife? I am sure they are ready for spring too!

Spring will get here when spring wants or decides to and not a moment sooner, so I guess we just need to make the best of it and enjoy it while it lasts! Hopefully, not too much more snow though, I am tired of shoveling and slipping and sliding and spinning and looking at the outdoors through a window.

It's just like humans to complain, if its dry we complain about no rain, if its raining we complain about that! Its either too hot or too cold, too dry or too wet! I am guilty of this very thing myself and I am going to work on that, too! We just need to make the best of the situation no matter what it is. I think God knows what he's doing! I guess we should just be thankful! It could be worse!

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!

Take A Stand - Get Involved - Speak Up!

As summer draws to an end and fall settles in, I want to address an issue, that, believe it or not, effects all Missourians and those of you in all the other states of this country. Water Pollution!

I fish in several streams and reserviors in Missouri and Arkansas and I have been observing for many years, that the quality of water in our reserviors and streams has been slowly but surely, becoming polluted in one way or another! Being quiet is not the answer, people!

Those of us who fish, or boat for recreational purposes, have become careless and down right inconsiderate to the fish, and wildlife that depend upon these streams and water sources for their very survival!

How many times have you flipped a cigarette, lure box, trash, or whatever on to the bank or into the water? I have observed jugs used for cat fishing just floating around, deserted and left for some one else to worry about. Well in fact here in Missouri, there are people who do care, and I am one of those who do care!

I remember a commercial on TV, of an Indian in a canoe, paddling down the river and the Indian, was observing trash, broken glass, etc! At the end of the commercial it showed the Indian with tears streaming down his face. I, as a little boy was touched by this commercial and all my life, I have had high regards for the outdoors, whether it be rivers and streams or lakes and woods. The very wildlife that we seek depend on us to keep it clean!

Here is an exact copy of an article, that I hope you will read and get involved!!!!! You don't have to be a Missourian to get involved, because, whether you know it or not, affects all the people in the USA! Not only does the wildlife and fish depend on clean water, but so do WE!

Read on Please! This is the article from the - "Missouri Coalition For the Environment"

Please join in the effort to restore and protect Missouri's streams -- your streams -- for ourselves and generations to come.

Missouri is a "water" state, being home to over 180,000 miles of streams, as well as many lakes and reservoirs. We would like to say that all of these waters are clean, safe for recreation, and healthy enough to support a full range of aquatic life. But we can't--not by a long shot.

In fact, Missouri streams are in serious trouble, and they need your help.

Platte Creek More than 85% of Missouri's streams lack basic protections for recreation and aquatic life -- protections required by the federal Clean Water Act but never put in place in Missouri. As a result, most of the thousands of legal waste water discharges to our streams do not remove dangerous bacteria or keep hazardous toxics to levels safe for fish and other life.

And then there are the other sources of damage to our streams:

* agricultural runoff that dumps huge amounts of soil into streams as well as nitrogen and phosphorus that create algae blooms and suck critical oxygen from the water
* storm water that erodes streams and fills them with oil, grease, bacteria, road salt, and other chemicals from streets, parking lots, and lawns
* development construction that covers, channels, and allows sediment to wash into streams
* gravel mining that alters stream channels and destroys ecosystem integrity
* 4-wheel drive vehicles and ATVs that damage stream beds and banks
* and, unfortunately, much, much more...

So, there are lots of problems. Can you really make a difference? Yes!

Click on this link to learn more---->"Missouri Coalition For the Environment" Do Not be quiet when you see some one or a business polluting our land and streams, it is our responsibility to maintain and preserve our outdoor lands and water resources, if not for the wildlife, just do it for yourself and the future generations of your family!

So, until next time, boat safely, and take your trash home with you! Report all violations of pollution whether it be an individual are a big enterprise, It Is STILL POLLUTION! GET INVOLVED, SPEAK UP!



Cool quote of the day:

Happiness is a perfume you cannot pour on others without getting a few drops on yourself. --Anonymous

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? ;-)

Loads Of Rain Keeps Missouri Rivers Muddy!

Missouri, as of late, has been getting a lot of much needed rain!
We have been getting rain almost every day for over a week
now! Now, these rivers are running into our lakes and, well,
you know what that means! Dirty water!

So we have watched the river and lake levels rise up and
down all spring, but we need the water. This has the fishing
and spawning all messed up, this could be good for us when
the water clears up some. Those fish are needing to spawn!

This next picture is "Mason Bridge" decommissioned and
closed due to age and deterioration, the floor of the bridge
was made of oak timbers several yearsago! Notice the water
on bridge girders, it is dropping pretty fast, again!

This is the "Big Piney" river and it is usually clear, it is spring
fed, and you can see the bottom in almost every bit of the
river except really deep water! With "Memorial Day
weekend coming up, you probably should check the rivers
out or contact someone who can check them for you! I will
try to remember to keep you all posted.

So until next time, keep your hooks wet! Good luck to you
and yours!

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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