Roly Poly Fish Heads
Contributors to this thread:Kansas
From: sitO
09-May-20
Why not a whole thread devoted to fish?
Exactly...boated over 80 today, kept 15. Dad was the winner with a 15 7/8"...we put all over 14" back and there were several. Our buddy Ben won best backlash ;?)
From: ksq232
09-May-20
Some nice slabs there!
Gonna start heading to the river next week, hear there are some flats and blues getting caught. Hopefully I can add to the pics soon.
From: Thornton
09-May-20
Excellent. 15 7/8"is huge
From: crestedbutte
09-May-20
What lure, color or method seemed to work the best?
From: sitO
09-May-20
Minnows on a bobber worked pretty well Jason. We bass fished(spinners/plastic) for an hour or so out of the gate, and caught 20 or so, dad won that "contest" too.
I won "best Bluegill" so...
From: Slate
10-May-20
Good times Kyle. Some great memories right there. Enjoy that’s some good eaten.
From: ROUGHCOUNTRY
11-May-20
Super impressive, I miss crappie fishing especially during spawn. Damn, I had some great honey holes at Hillsdale and Perry lake. I'd go everyday until the spawn was over and generally put up enough fish in my freezer to last through the year.
From: drbonner
12-May-20
Nothing like spending time with your dad Kyle.
From: Shawn
12-May-20
Very nice, makes my mouth water! Shawn
From: writer
13-May-20
Your father looks so normal, Kyle, and seemed so nice the few times I met him. :-)
From: keepemsharp
14-May-20
When crappie lay their eggs how many days till they pop? We had a great spawn this year but the Corps is dropping the lake everyday.
From: KsRancher
19-May-20
My brother caught a nice Kansas farm pond bass
From: be still
19-May-20
Dang that's a good one...didn't think Kansas had bass that big.
From: keepemsharp
19-May-20
Skinkitn bass, no nome eats them. Only a little above carp/
From: Kansan
19-May-20
Sure we do Calhoun!
From: KsRancher
19-May-20
Even quite a bit bigger!
From: Thornton
19-May-20
5, 6, and 7 pounders are fairly common here, it's just that they aren't too common for me :)
From: be still
19-May-20
I really need to go fish...haven't done that in a long time. growing up I fished out of our tanks...I mean ponds all the time. Think my biggest was only around 4 lbs though. Dave I remember us eating them when I was little and I thought it was good. Not quite as good as perch but still good.
From: KsRancher
19-May-20
I have always liked eating bass. Crappie and bluegill are a little better. But I like bass if they are small ones. Like 12 inches or under, I cant tell much difference in crappie and bluegill from the bass if they are small ones. I dont keep anything larger than a pound
From: be still
19-May-20
I'll remember that next time I go fishing for bass....seeing these pics makes me realize I need to take my boys out to the water more. the last 3 or 4 yrs they have been really wanting to go and I keep saying I will but never seem to find the time. Selfish me though I always find the time when its hunting season. Need to quit worrying about trying to make so much money during the summer and get them out there.
From: TwoDogs@work
20-May-20
KS Rancher I agree crappie and bluegill are difficult to tell apart on the plate. I also like bass but I do not eat the bigger ones. Yes, bass do get that big in Kansas. I catch a few 6 pounders each year from some of the local ponds I get to fish. We have caught a couple 8 pounders over the years.
From: ksq232
20-May-20
I got some bait put together for some Verdigris river fishing; but the way they're cranking out the water at Elk City Lake, I'm not sure I'll get any fishing done before the next wave of storms. Before long they are going to have to designate Kansas as rain forest. We haven't had a significant dry spell (except one in winter ('16?) that doesn't get noticed too much) since 2012; I'm quite sure we're due for a drought and each year I hope it isn't the one. That said, these super wet springs have been a pain!
From: KsRancher
20-May-20
My nephew and his girlfriend came down today and did a little fishing. She caught a nice bass! I would guess it getting close to 5lbs
From: sitO
30-May-20
Hit the "ranch" again today, bass finally started cooperating and cleaned about 25 Crappie. Ever caught a flathead on a pig-n-jig...well I have ;?)
From: Catscratch
30-May-20
Nice Sito! Caught a lot of flats while throwing roadrunners in early spring white bass riffles. Always creeks and rivers though, never in a pond.
From: t-roy
30-May-20
Nice pics, sitO! Did your dad outfish you again today?! Definitely some quality time spent there!
Never seen a catfish caught on a jig-n-pig, but I DID catch a big snapping turtle on a spinner bait once. Disclaimer: I was using it like a jig, and I could see him in the water below me ;-)
From: sitO
31-May-20
I won yesterday, and not as many big crappie but not exaggerating we caught at least 80, probably closer to 100.
From: be still
31-May-20
Dang Sito....you're having all the fun
From: KsRancher
31-May-20
My youngest son told my wife and I that he wanted to go fishing and catch us supper. So we loaded up and went out for a few hours. The bass and bluegill were biting good. My youngest son kept 3 bluegill and 2 bass, my oldest kept 1 bass. Fish for supper tonight. The biggest bluegill weighed 13oz
From: be still
31-May-20
Good stuff right there...healthy eating too
From: TwoDogs@work
01-Jun-20
It looks like great fun was had by everyone. Yesterday, I went to my brother's at Lyndon and we got a good batch of crappie again. It has been a the best crappie year I can remember on the public waters I fish. I will let the fish in the private ponds that I fish, grow another year, or until I want some fresh fish later in the year.
From: writer
01-Jun-20
When my dad was sick, towards the end, we had "go catch lunch" on Saturday mornings. He could make it the 70 or so yards to the corner of our lake and had a ball watching my kids catch enough crappie, bluegill and small bass for lunch. He always said the greatest regret was going to be not getting to spend more time with grandkids. (He'd been retired 6 months when the rare form of cancer came. No family history. Even at 64 in better shape than most of us when we were 20 years younger.. He died at 66. I need to remember that more often when I'm arguing about stupid crap...)
Fish populations are out of whack now in our lake. We need a few hundred carp killed as well as a bunch of small bass.
From: Kansan
01-Jun-20
Awesome stuff, everyone!
From: crestedbutte
01-Jun-20
Mike....KBA has a carp shoot every summer. We could help you out with your carp problem!
From: writer
02-Jun-20
Don’t think a 12-14 acre private water can handle that many people, Jason. But I’d gladly give permission to any members that want to shoot.
From: crestedbutte
02-Jun-20
Thx Mike....Roger that!
From: writer
06-Jun-20
Actually all three are about the same size, 21”. Camera lens distorts things.
Actually all three are about the same size, 21”. Camera lens distorts things.
And when I did try for bass with top-water a 14 1/2” crappie took the popper. Haven’t had that happen much.
And when I did try for bass with top-water a 14 1/2” crappie took the popper. Haven’t had that happen much.
Been an interesting week fly-fishing from a tube.
From: sitO
06-Jun-20
Loved my tubes back in the day! I'll pay you to send one of those bass filets to Dave ;?)
From: keepemsharp
06-Jun-20
You send it and I'll eat it. Really feel sorry for the fisher people that can't afford a reel.
From: writer
07-Jun-20
There's a reel on it, Dave. It's that thingy at the handle that holds the line.
From: keepemsharp
07-Jun-20
SOO, why don't you reel up the fish?
From: sitO
08-Jun-20
Dad and I tried Marion this morning. Caught just two walleye over 21", but 20 or so shorts...a few channel cats, lots of drum and a few white bass...was another great day!
From: Kansan
08-Jun-20
Can’t beat that Kyle!
From: Catscratch
09-Jun-20
Wow writer; 21" bass and 14"+ crappie are great fish (especially on fly rods)!
I can't imagine a better day than eyes and channels! Certainly a good day Sito!
From: writer
09-Jun-20
Atlantic salmon, king of salmonoids.
Atlantic salmon, king of salmonoids.
47" northern pike, caught scads of 22-25" walleye at the same lake.
47" northern pike, caught scads of 22-25" walleye at the same lake.
Dave, you’re confusing me...which isn’t hard. Our rods have reels and if the fish is big enough we use those reels. If it’s an under-handed slight of fly/fishing, I guess I’m your Huckleberry.
From: writer
09-Jun-20
Scratch...it was a fun week and all are more fun on a fly rod. It's more hands on.
I always find it humorous how many people on here slam firearms deer hunting as not being sporting,...then they go hang bait in the water on limb or trotline for catfish.
Like most gear, there are different sizes of fly rods per different fish. Same with lines. I've had friends who regularly catch 10-20# channel cat on fly rods and some who've taken flatheads to 40#. I got heavy into it when I was traveling for WSJ and luxury magazines. Most of the high-end lodges catered to fly fishing.
I enjoy it all, and would trade in every fly rod, reel and fly I own if I could gotten to fish one more day with my dad and my kids. It's been 23 years. He was only 66, never smoked, or drank and was amazingly fit...until a very rare form of cancer came along.
From: Catscratch
09-Jun-20
Amazing fly-rod fish Writer! You've had some fortunate experiences and it sounds like you have actively lived in every one of those moments. Congrats on that!
Sorry that you lost your dad at such a young age. Cancer is often ruthless and simply sucks.
No worries here about speaking of the easy route. I take the easy path often and have no room to criticize... just this past weekend the boys and I seined minnows and used them to fill a bucket with crappie. Hell, I just came in from a 7 mile run and since I could have went 13 or more it's pretty easy to say I took the easy route. I certainly won't criticize anyone who took an easier form of fitness today. Since this is a hunting site I should confess that I absolutely love to chase deer by the easiest methods available, nobody has the leg up on me for making it less challenging.
From: be still
10-Jun-20
I heard trotlines....haven't done that in awhile as well. Real fun there catching perch late in the evening and baiting out. Then sitting around the fire with good company and hoping late that night on the check or in the morning you have some good ones on. Besides a big deer coming in there's not much better that the sight of a tree limb diving deep in the water and the feel of a trot line in your hand when a good one is on.
From: Catscratch
11-Jun-20
Those are good times Be Still! I used to love running lines all night with my buddies.
From: keepemsharp
11-Jun-20
Mikee: I don't know what a huckleberry is but it must be somethin good. I enjoy giving my friends and people I know a hard time about doing it the hard way, Kent can attest to that. I even give my son, who fished next to be yesterday a hard time for fishing with those "back lashin b--astards". But we all still have a good time and this spring fishing has been reel good.
From: sitO
11-Jun-20
You still using Zebco's Dave?
From: keepemsharp
12-Jun-20
Just my ever faith full Snoopy rod.
From: writer
12-Jun-20
Davey -- knew it was in fun, and huckleberry's can give one the runs if too many are indulged within at once.
Was possibly the best crappie spring across the state of my lifetime, and I'm older than most lakes and some rocks...and you're even older. :-)
From: Catscratch
12-Jun-20
The youngest caught a PR. He was so excited that it might beat older brother's best of 18.5... but a few inches off.
From: be still
12-Jun-20
Tell him congrats...very good one.
From: keepemsharp
12-Jun-20
It was a great spawn but nothing like Tuttle in 65 or 66. Got off work at 5 and cleaned a hundred with two guys by 9.
From: sitO
12-Jun-20
Those are true "slabs" JB!
From: Habitat for Wildlife
14-Jun-20
A friend and two sons came up to fish our pond Saturday. One caught a 14" crappie. I asked him to send the picture so I could post it. They caught 40 between them in 2.5 hours and had permission to keep what they wanted, but they threw them all back. They were invited to return! The oldest son. 15, is working on his Eagle Scout project. Really nice to see such good young men.
From: sitO
14-Jun-20
From: sitO
14-Jun-20
Caught some good'ns on the Chikaskia this morning
From: Catscratch
14-Jun-20
Those are great channels for the Chikaskia Sit! How many like that did you haul in?
From: sitO
14-Jun-20
8-10 in the 4-6# range, one that was at least 8#, and a bunch smaller...they're all still there;?)
Most were plum full of eggs.
LOTS of wheat getting cut down here today from Argonia to Harper, Anthony to Caldwell.
From: be still
14-Jun-20
Dang you have a good life Kyle....you get to hunt and fish all the time.
From: be still
14-Jun-20
Catscratch since you used to run lines I thought you would like a few of these pics....been years since I have fished the river but in the summer years ago I nearly lived on it.
From: writer
14-Jun-20
Chickaskia's pretty darned special, the only major river in Kansas without a reservoir, I think. Only fished it a few times, but it was fun.
Where's the pond, Frank? On your Missouri farm?
From: Catscratch
14-Jun-20
That's a good morning of fishing Sit! I saw wheat getting cut east of Winfield yesterday.
Great flats BeStill! I love rivers and lines. I bet all of those pictured put up a hell of a fight.
From: sitO
15-Jun-20
Thought this was perty neat...
From: be still
15-Jun-20
Lol dang...never have see anything like that.
From: Catscratch
16-Jun-20
I bet that was impressive in real life! Eagles are much bigger in person, film doesn't do them justice.
I tangled with a pelican once behind the damn at Kaw. I had taken the treble hooks off of a Zara Spook and swimming it past a flock. They would chase it around and it was all a good time until one managed to get a strong enough hold to take off with it.
From: Bodyman
16-Jun-20
We were stripper fishing in and the Arkansas River one day and watched one dive over and over catching shad while we fished pretty cool stuff
From: crestedbutte
16-Jun-20
I unintentionally caught a bat out of thin air once while throwing a crank bait for bass. That was real interesting in getting that sucker loose of all the treble hooks. Might also be why I haven’t caught the Corona Virus yet, LOL!
From: TwoDogs@work
17-Jun-20
Kyle: Chicken Liver and catfish can be great fun in the summer. I enjoy wading the Cottonwood fishing that way. The constant release from Marion Res. kept the Cottonwood unfishable most of last year. It currently is running at a fishable level, so I may try it this weekend if it stays at the current level. I hate what Res. and watershed ponds have done to our rivers and streams. Crested: I have caught bats a few times while fly fishing at night in Colorado. I presume they believe the fly is food and go after it. They seem to get hooked on the back cast.
From: sitO
17-Jun-20
You can't find chicken liver anywhere around Wichita right now, it's weird! I had one tub in the freezer and then chunked up some old goose meat, worked pretty dang well and stayed on the hook way better!
From: Habitat for Wildlife
17-Jun-20
Not sure it was14" as he said, but still nice.
From: crestedbutte
17-Jun-20
HOW...nice Crappie.
Where I grew up, we atleast gave them Cats a sportin chance as we caught’em with our bare hands Mano to Mano (no gloves and sometimes they bit down and caught us and sometimes something else bit us....a small beaver once and small snapping turtles a few times. Luckily, still got all my fingers but have some scars as a result).
We call it NOODLING!
From: be still
20-Jun-20
Jason back when I fished a lot it was illegal down here to do that but it's legal now. Lol but to tell you the truth I wanted to try that sometimes but I wasn't brave enough to stuck my arm under the bank. I always told people if I knew it was a fish I would but I seen way too many other things in the river....I want to keep my fingers on my hand.
From: writer
20-Jun-20
I once watched a German tourist catch a gigantic (like there's any other kind) adult coastal brown bear with a fly rod. Well, technically the guy was snagging salmon and this big kodiak took exception and decided to live by the rule of "possession is 10 - 10ths of the law when you're a giant bear, and hungry."
The tourist took off running with the fly rod still in his hands the salmon, a small sockeye, bouncing along behind. His trolling method worked very well.
All those things they tell you about a grizzly being as fast as a horse out of chute? They're true.
Somewhere I have a photo of the guy standing in the river, a big bow in his rod and the fly line leading right to the salmon in the bear's mouth. Our fly-fishing guide finally baled down over the back and broke the guy's line.
From: One Arrow
21-Jun-20
I would love to see that photo Mike!
From: Catscratch
21-Jun-20
From: be still
21-Jun-20
Lol Jason it looks like you might have caught enough to give me some fish to eat....making me hungry.
From: Catscratch
21-Jun-20
We've been eating good! Always good for a fish fry though... nothing like sharing the catch around a fire with a barley pop in hand.
From: Catscratch
25-Jun-20
Fishing must have slowed down, this thread hasn't moved much.
Little guy decided top water was in order early this morning. Some chunks!
From: sitO
25-Jun-20
That's a NICE one! Dad and I went this morning, didn't do well on the bass only caught 10 or so. Did catch a bunch of crappie, but all under 12" so we put'm all back. Still a great day on the water!
From: Catscratch
25-Jun-20
Sit, what's your theory on crappie and slot limits? I've read to take as many small ones out of a pond as you can. Also a lot that says white crappie are bad for a pond but we catch 10 black crappie for every white. We throw back the 12-14 inchers in hopes of catching more 18 inchers.
Glad you got to fish some more with your dad!
From: sitO
25-Jun-20
There are plenty of folks taking the small ones where we fish, I guess they're making soup? It's 400+ac of water, so I'm not sure you could really control the population. We catch a few black's but it's about the same opposite ratio for us.
From: cherney12
25-Jun-20
From: Catscratch
25-Jun-20
Cherney, I took my oldest to Texoma last year for a Christmas present. The striper fishing was awesome. I always said I would never pay to fish but the trip was fun. That's a nice stringer of fish!
From: cherney12
25-Jun-20
Yeah I went down for a bachelor party. Wouldn’t have paid if not for the special occasion but we had a good time and the guide definitely spoils you.
From: sitO
25-Jun-20
Drove by E end of Texoma yesterday and thought about the times I've been there. Never caught any big ones, but lots of nice fish. There must be a heckuva spawn each year to keep up with all the pressure, of course its a huge piece of water. Glad you had fun Patrick!
From: cherney12
25-Jun-20
Yeah it blows my mind they can pull that many fish out every day. Nice place to party too!
From: Catscratch
25-Jun-20
Didnt party there, just spent a cold day on the water and had a blast. Turned most our fish back but caught a ton of them over 10lbs.
From: cherney12
26-Jun-20
Nice one. Our biggest was only like 5 pounds. I’m sure a 10 pounder would be a lot of fun.
From: cherney12
26-Jun-20
Nice one. Our biggest was only like 5 pounds. I’m sure a 10 pounder would be a lot of fun.
From: Catscratch
26-Jun-20
We went in late winter to target bigger fish. The guide said in the spring and summer they boat unreal numbers of 4-5 pounders. I don't think we caught anything that small. If I remember right you can only keep 2 that are over 20 inches (or something like that). We had to throw most of them back after we each caught a couple. Fun trip. Made me want to get a boat!
From: cherney12
26-Jun-20
Yeah it was like extreme bobber fishing but instead of constantly baiting your daughters' hooks and taking 3 oz bluegill off, the guide is doing that for you with 3 pound stripers.
From: crestedbutte
26-Jun-20
My bachelor party in 2000 was a striper fishing trip at Texhoma. Back then we caught’em in about 30 ft deep jigging with spoons.
Tore’em up for 2 days and the all you can eat Frog Legs buffet in nearby Marietta, OK. We drank all the beer and legs that place had. Got kicked out on day 2. The Asian owner came out and said “You Go Now, You Eat Like Killer Whales, You All Go Now!” Good Times!
From: Thornton
28-Jun-20
So was my bachelor party. I think we ate the same place. I caught the biggest that day but a friend broke one off that was probably bigger
From: Catscratch
07-Jul-20
Catching some real toads in the sunfish department!
From: writer
07-Jul-20
Hit the water at daybreak with fly rods. Had a great time with poppers the first two hours. Heat eventually really got to me. Should have quit sometime before the 114 “ok, last cast”s.
From: sitO
07-Jul-20
Fighters! I like fighters!
I hit the Chikaskia again a couple days ago, spawn was over so no "heavy's" but catching 50-60 in 3-4hrs is still the norm.
From: Bodyman
07-Jul-20
Grandson caught him a smally today
Grandson caught him a smally today
From: be still
07-Jul-20
She's been wanting to go fishing and so I finally took off Sunday morning to for a little bit. My cousin took us out and said the action was slower than normal but it was still a whole lot of fun.
From: Matte
23-Jul-20
Spent the last four days in Colorado Fly fishing. I really need a better camera person. We didn't land any Cutthroats but slot of nice Brook and Rainbows.
From: Quailhunter
24-Jul-20
17 lb channel cat.... I stocked this little guy in 2007. He’s done some eating over the last 13 years.
From: Catscratch
24-Jul-20
Holy cow that is a fat channel!!!
From: TwoDogs@work
24-Jul-20
Matte: Glad you had some luck. I plan on doing the same thing in three weeks. I feel certain we will catch some Cutthroats as well as Rainbows, some Brookies, maybe some Tiger Trout, maybe even a brown or two. I hope to catch one like this Rainbow my cousin caught a couple years ago.
From: writer
31-Jul-20
Made it out to our place recently with a buddy, Wayne, and his three boys, and his father. This guy was a real nightmare for you during college basketball season, Kyle and Chern... 11-0.
From: writer
31-Jul-20
From: cherney12
31-Jul-20
I was still a KU basketball fan back in those days. Enjoyed watching him play. Looks like a great day.
From: writer
31-Jul-20
Any day is a great day with that family. As things are supposed to be. Thumbs were made for Zebcos and not video games. Fortunate to be considered a legit member of the family.
From: ksq232
31-Jul-20
Very cool!! My favorite KU player of all time; for a lot more reasons than his athletic ability. Looks like quite a fish Grandpa had there.
From: keepemsharp
31-Jul-20
Hope u folks ate some bass.
From: sitO
31-Jul-20
Never heard of him Mike ;?) great pics though!
We hit the ranch for a mixed bag this morning, didn't keep any bass Dave.
From: writer
31-Jul-20
K — Sr and I have been trying to take common and grass carp out of our place. That’s a grassy. By far the most addicted, all-around angler I’ve met. He’s pure death on crappie, especially winter and mid-summer. Won some sizable bass tournaments.
Get to know Sr and Margaret and it’s easy to see how Wayne turned out so well. She straightened my wild self out when we worked together so many decades ago.
From: JL Maples
31-Jul-20
From: JL Maples
31-Jul-20
From: JL Maples
31-Jul-20
From: JL Maples
31-Jul-20
From: JL Maples
31-Jul-20
From: JL Maples
31-Jul-20
My brother in law lives down on Beaver Lake in Arkansas. He fishes for these stripers everyday so when we go down there for a week every summer it's like having my personal guide.
From: JL Maples
31-Jul-20
My brother in law lives down on Beaver Lake in Arkansas. He fishes for these stripers everyday so when we go down there for a week every summer it's like having my personal guide.
From: Catscratch
31-Jul-20
Great pics guys, and great fishing!
I knew a guy who fished beaver a lot. Caught a ton of huge stripers.
From: JL Maples
31-Jul-20
This is my personal best. 26lbs
From: Bodyman
31-Jul-20
Great stripper we catch them in Tulsa ok Arkansas River in the spring on top water like those biggest 28lbs big time fun
From: Bodyman
31-Jul-20
Hold that bass a little closer Sit
From: JL Maples
31-Jul-20
Stripers are a lot of fun on top water. Actually any of them are awesome on top water.
From: Bodyman
31-Jul-20
That last fish looks real big Live shad?
From: JL Maples
31-Jul-20
Not live bait. We troll for them.
From: sitO
17-Aug-20
Caught a few Kentucky's top water this morning, and Dad caught a ?
From: sitO
17-Aug-20
First pic wasn't mine on previous post, thanks Obama
From: TwoDogs@work
24-Aug-20
Flyrods, Float Tubes, and Cutthroats
Flyrods, Float Tubes, and Cutthroats
I just got back from seven days of fishing in Colorado, with a brother, his brother-in-law and a cousin. Here are five nice Cutthroats my cousin and I caught one day.
From: sitO
24-Aug-20
Jealous Lee, nice fish! Glad you got to spend some time with family, I think it's something we all need and miss right now.
I've neglected to post pics of our last few outings. I caught a cool looking flathead on the Chikaskia a couple weeks back. Then a few "shorts" at Eldorado, and back into the crappie last Monday and again today.
Oh, and I finally found some Ckn Livers...all the Dillons and WalMart's have been out for months? These here are fancy ;?)
From: t-roy
24-Aug-20
Those “organic” ones seem to work a lot better than the artificial ones. Better for the environment, too!
From: writer
24-Aug-20
Nice cuts, Two Dogs. What were you throwing?
From: TwoDogs@work
25-Aug-20
I caught four (daily limit) of the fish in the picture on a number 10 GoLo. It is a wet fly. I have only found it tied locally where we fish. My cousin was using a number 6 Brown Bear another local tied fly. We caught a lot of fish on various wet flies and streamers size six to twelve. Mostly locally tied flies. We did a lot of fishing in the late afternoon until dark or a little after dark. I did catch three small Tiger Trout (a very unique fish a cross between a Brook and Brown) in another lake. I believe they stock the Tigers to control undesirable fish (suckers) and a certain minnow.
From: writer
26-Aug-20
Thanks, Two Dogs. I’m envious. Need to start making trips out there again.
From: writer
26-Aug-20
Thanks, Two Dogs. I’m envious. Need to start making trips out there again.
From: TwoDogs@work
26-Aug-20
Writer: I have been fishing the area at least once a year for more years than I like to admit. My first trip was in 1974. Yes, that makes me old, but still at it. We have mostly fly fished the last 25 years or so. We sometimes use worms in creeks to catch a meal of Brookies. We keep going back because of the number of lakes and the fact that we have learned the lakes pretty well. We do not hike into the more remote lakes anymore.
From: Habitat
26-Aug-20
Surprised it didn't say "no animals were harmed "
From: Catscratch
30-Aug-20
Bass and channels hitting this morning.
From: sitO
30-Aug-20
Those are some healthy LGmouth! Topwater?
From: Catscratch
30-Aug-20
A little beetlespin with an old green feather jig on it. Running it from deep (a couple seconds drop after casting) to shallow as it gets closer to bank. Most hits were chased up to where I was almost ready to pull it out and cast again. Casting parallel to bank and running shallow didn't work, had to come from deep and go shallow.
My boy tried a top water frog for a while with no hits.
From: sitO
30-Aug-20
Right on, couldn't see the lures on my phone sorry
From: keepemsharp
30-Aug-20
I like to prove to some folks that feathers still work.
From: Thornton
30-Aug-20
Seems anything yellow now livens up the bass and bluegill if there are grasshoppers nearby.
From: Catscratch
30-Aug-20
Feathers are a tried and true classic! One of my go-to's to always have in my pocket.
Didn't even think to try yellow Thorton. Don't know why as there are plenty hoppers around.
From: TwoDogs@work
31-Aug-20
Catscratch, Nice catch.
From: Sand man
28-Sep-20
Got into a nice mess of channels earlier this year.
Made for a great fish fry!!
From: Catscratch
10-Oct-20
Bass, crappie, and bluegill are biting like crazy. Good times if you can get out!
From: keepemsharp
10-Oct-20
Good job, two good fish and a stinkin bass :)
From: sitO
10-Oct-20
Dad, his buddy, and I, boated dang near 100 Crappie on Wed...kept 18. Glad you're getting out JB, and I hope the kids outfished you!
My dad's buddy caught this thing, and my first impressions was Smallmouth...what say you?
MP, is this possibly a "War-mouth" like we discussed?
From: t-roy
10-Oct-20
Definitely looks like a war-mouth. Thornton told me there used to be lots of them around when he was a kid, but indiscriminate pasture burning and clearing of fencerows, have decimated their numbers.
From: Catscratch
10-Oct-20
Looks like a smallmouth to me Sit; connected dorsal fins and stripes on its face. I don't know the warmouth though so it could be one.?.
The boys built fence, I fished alone today. I didn't feel guilty.
Lol.
From: sitO
11-Oct-20
Sorry, "Mean-mouth" is the hybrid Smallmouth & Spotted...Warmoith is of the sunfish family.
It may just be a Smallie, which by the way is one of Dave's all time fave's!
From: Catscratch
11-Oct-20
Interesting... I was listening to a podcast a week or two ago. He brought up the hybrid and said they are very rare and only happen in waters that way out of wack for some reason. Said the two species are genetically capable of producing offspring, but their spawning patterns are so different it doesn't happen often. That's how you can get so many different species of fish living in the same pond without eventually ending up with a single hybrid species taking over... different spawning habitats and patterns.
From: writer
11-Oct-20
I’d sure think smallmouth
From: TwoDogs@work
12-Oct-20
It looks like a smallmouth to me but cant' say I have ever seen a meanmouth. Later this week I will be catching Smallmouths on an unnamed Missouri river in the Ozarks. Perhaps I can get a picture.. I will see. We release all the smallmouths.
From: sitO
12-Oct-20
We release them too Lee, good luck and post some pics!
From: Bodyman
12-Oct-20
Smallmouth for sure what we called warmouth were more Perch looking
From: jessejames
13-Oct-20
It's hard to tell from the pic. It could be a meanmouth. I have caught 2 in my lifetime both from Milford Lake. The bars on him sure look like those of a spotted bass.
From: TwoDogs@work
22-Oct-20
3 lb smallmouth
3 lb smallmouth
My 2 brothers and myself spent part of 4 days fishing in the Missouri Ozarks 10-14 thru 10-17. We caught a lot of fish. Mostly Smallmouths up to 3.5 pounds. Most were in the one pound range with several in the two pound range. We caught 5 or 6 that would go 3 pounds. I broke my cheap camera so I did not get very man pictures. Here a few of the 3 Kansas rednecks that invaded Missouri.
From: TwoDogs@work
22-Oct-20
Another picture
From: TwoDogs@work
22-Oct-20
One more of the water
From: sitO
22-Oct-20
Good times Lee, good times!
From: TwoDogs@work
23-Oct-20
They are good times. My family lived on a farm along the river we now fish from the time I was 3 until age 10. My two brothers, their wives, myself and my sister rent a Condo in Camdenton each October. We have been doing this for over 20 years. Of course my brothers and I fish every day. It has some sentimental value as part of who I am was determined by those seven years in the hills. We still have friends in the area.
From: Trebarker
23-Oct-20
Had not opened this thread, great fish shown on here!
Caught some nice bass and crappie this summer myself. Caught these bass at a pond I stocked back in the 90's that honestly I didn't expect them to last in. The pond was always a muddy water catfish pond, full of cats and bullheads. Have since caught several from it in the 3-7# range. They are all still swimming there, am not a big fish eater.
From: Catscratch
14-Nov-20
Possibly the best crappie fishing I've ever had (yesterday between hunts). Took longer to take one off the hook than it did to catch the next one.
From: Catscratch
29-Nov-20
Fish are still biting...
From: sitO
30-Nov-20
Nice stringer JB, good eatin'!
From: kscatman76
30-Nov-20
7.5 pounder at a Big Glidebait
7.5 pounder at a Big Glidebait
6 pounder.....damn pic won't flip. Ate a Huddleston swimbait
6 pounder.....damn pic won't flip. Ate a Huddleston swimbait
Huddleston swimbait chocked!
Huddleston swimbait chocked!
7.5 pounda
7.5 pounda
Just spend a few days at my favorite place on earth.......Lake Taneycomo. Famous for some amazing trout fishing but a hidden gem for bass which get BIG there from eating the trout. I love throwing big swimbaits so did that while I was there and was rewarded with a 7.5 pounder and a 6 pounder and several smaller and saw several more much bigger as well.
From: be still
30-Nov-20
Jason they’re always biting when you go...you could throw your line in a rain puddle beside the street and bring out a fish. Travis that’s a big en.
From: Ksboy
30-Nov-20
I love that place as well. Grew up spending a week there every summer and I'd spend most of each day fishing. Great memories from Lake Taneycomo. Still get down there pretty regular but not every year. Great place for a family vacation!
From: Trebarker
30-Nov-20
Nice fish! Love trout fishing in Taney, there are some huge fish in that cold water
From: crestedbutte
30-Nov-20
Nice bass. Did you catch those bass from the dock? Fished Como many times but trout only.
From: TwoDogs@work
30-Nov-20
Jason: Crappie are favorite fish to eat. That stringer makes my mouth water. Catman: Those are some great bass. I haven't been to Taneycomo in several years. I always fished for trout.
From: kscatman76
01-Dec-20
crested I had my boat down there but wanted a good proper picture so I brought her back for a good picture and released her. I try to make somewhere between 5 and 7 trips a year to Taneycomo, I trout fish 90% of the time but I know dang good and well how many big bass are in that lower part though so that always draws me down there in the winter time. I'll post a couple pictures of my better trout i've caught the last couple of years include a 10 pound 11 ounce rainbow I caught on a jig I tie and 2 pound test line. I pour and tie trout jigs and they are sold by 3 resorts down there which is pretty cool.
From: kscatman76
01-Dec-20
nice brownie from april
From: Ksboy
01-Dec-20
Man, I'm jealous of those trout! On my bucket list is to catch one big enough to mount. My dad has a 26 inch brown on his wall he caught a few years back. Such awesome looking fish. Last Spring we were down there and I was pulling my boat out to head home (most depressing part of the trip) and a lady fishing by the ramp caught a huge rainbow. She said she just arrived and had only been fishing 15 minutes. Plus, it was her first ever trout. Told her I'd been fishing down there 30 years and had never caught one that nice. Some day, some day.
From: Trebarker
01-Dec-20
We used to go down to Springfield/Branson nearly every fall for our yearly vacation (when the Fall Hunting Classic at Bass Pro still meant bargain pricing on hunting gear). Branson wasn't so crowded back then. We were young, with two young kids, it was a trip our budget could afford at the time. I always bought a lot of ammo, the prices were about half price when bought by the case, hunting clothes from the previous year were on clearance, 1/5th the price of retail the season before. I bought a lot of fishing gear, again clearance prices that weekend. You could get a room in Branson for $35 night, feed the family a big meal for under $20. Every morning I would get up well before sun up, to go fish below the Tablerock Dam by myself before the family woke up. You could park near the Hatchery, have the water pretty much to yourself, there was on occasion 1-2 other early risers there. I'd fish between the dam and the discharge channel from the hatchery until the siren went off signaling the opening of the gates to the dam. When that siren goes off, you had better head up the bank quickly, is amazing how quick the areas you had been standing fishing from were under 10-20ft of water in short order! The temperature dropped considerably once the gates were opened to let the cold water run thru the turbines. Below the dam to the outlet of the hatchery, no live bait is allowed, fly/jig fishing only. One morning after sunup, I was down there fishing from the bank, trout visibly surfacing all over the place eating mayflies off the water surface, I never got a strike. There were guys in waders out in the water, fancy vests and hats covered with flies, fishing with hi-end fly rods and reels, they were not catching any trout either. A young local long curly haired kid dressed in the stereotypical bib overalls with the pant legs cut off, no shirt underneath, torn billed straw hat, untied lace up leather boots, walked up beside me carrying a cheap Zebco reel combo and a small rusty and dented metal tackle box. I told him good morning, told him the fish weren't biting too good that morning. He looked at me, nodded his head to say howdy, walked just below the outlet channel and set down on a rock. He studied the water for 5 minutes or so, looked both ways up and down the bank, then reached down in the front of his bibs and pulled out a small soup can full of fish worms. He baited his hook, again looking up and down the banks, casted his hook and within seconds of his bait hitting the water, he reeled in a large trout. 30 minutes after getting there, he headed out with at least a dozen large trout on his metal stringer. As he walked by me, again he said nothing, just a nod of the head to me as he walked by but this time he was grinning big. The last time I fished there, I tried the kid's fishing worm trick where it was legal to use live bait further downstream from the hatchery. I didn't get a single strike, guess I needed to be wearing my bibs with no shirt on, or know where to dig my own worms.
From: Catscratch
01-Dec-20
Those trout are beautiful! Never caught one and never heard of Takeycomo before... might need to get out of the yard once in a while!
From: sitO
16-Mar-21
Caught a few crappie today at "the ranch", nothing of size,...and then this beast
From: Kansan
16-Mar-21
Had a good day on Saturday. 26 slab crappie, and 4 snow geese. Surf n’ turf!
From: sitO
16-Mar-21
Really like the different color phases of the Snow's, and congrats on the slab's!
From: Quailhunter
16-Mar-21
You guys quit sending us so much water! Already screwed up my spring break sandbass!
From: writer
16-Mar-21
That's what you get for calling them "sandbass."
From: Quailhunter
16-Mar-21
Us okies aren’t sophisticated enough to call them white bass.
From: Thornton
17-Mar-21
Travis- I've seen some trout by the fish cleaning docks there that I guessed were at least 20 lbs. If I remember right, an old guy down on the White River caught the world record brown using a jig back in the 90's. I usually scuba dive up on the Table Rock side and spearfish around the islands and a sunken pontoon boat we found.
From: Slate
17-Mar-21
Kyler how long will it take you to eat those fish or how short of time?
From: Kansan
18-Mar-21
Todd, I split them with a friend, so I brought 13 of them home. I figure that I can feed myself 3 or 4 meals with them. With fried potatoes, of course!
From: TwoDogs@work
18-Mar-21
No better eating fish than Crappie in my opinion. I can eat them 3 or 4 times a week. I am having some tonight from a couple of weeks ago.
From: Slate
18-Mar-21
Sounds delicious. I also think they are one of the best fresh water fish.
From: Kansan
18-Mar-21
I’ll be frying some up tomorrow night!
From: Thornton
20-Mar-21
Watched a documentary on Vox about Japanese method of killing fish after they're caught. It's called Ike Jime and it keeps fish fresh at refrigerater temp for up to two weeks. Basically it's just killing them tight after they're caught and bleeding them out so blood and lactic acid don't cause the meat to spoil quickly
From: keepemsharp
20-Mar-21
Cut the tails off and keep them in the water on the stringer to bleed out.
From: Kansan
20-Mar-21
Fried up a mess of crappie for supper last night. Golly they’re tasty!
