The Arrival

Here it is. I got the call this afternoon and went and picked up my new 2009 Skeeter ZX190 with a 2009 Yamaha 175 VMax HPDI. The dealer tells me it should hit 70 MPH, but we'll see.

My New Tackle Box

Well, we made a sweet little purchase today. My wife allowed me to order a brand new tackle box. That is, a very expensive tackle box with a Yamaha 175 on the back of it. That's right, we got a bass boat. It's a Skeeter ZX 190. For the most part it's black and white with a 175 Yamaha, a Humminbird 997cSI fish finder in the dash and then my 787c2i will be mounted on the bow so I can still use it in it's portable function. We ordered it today and will take possession around March 19th. Here is the list of all the goodies.

Cockpit Features
Cockpit Command Center w/ Tachometer, Speedometer, Fuel Gauge, Water Pressure Gauge, and 12V Acc.
Volt Meter and Trim Gauge
Passenger Custom Console (Installed)
Bolstered Full-Flex Driver & Passenger Seating
30-Quart Ice Chest between Driver & Passenger Seats
Fold Down Center Seat
Driver and Passenger Glove Boxes
Drink Holders
Bow Panel w/ Troll Receptacle and Trim, Courtesy, & Anchor Light Switches
Passenger Grab Handle
Modular Consoles
Interior & Exterior Decals
Fish Chair with 13" Fixed Extension and Bike Seat w/Power Pro Pole

Electronic Features
Humminbird® 787c w/GPS Antenna & Transducer (Bow)
Humminbird® 997cSI w/GPS Antenna (Dash-Ram Mount)
Minn Kota® 10 Amp x 3-Bank Battery Charger
6-Gauge Troll Motor Wiring System with 3 Battery Trays


Construction & Safety
Composite Construction
Torque Transfer Transom and Stringer System
Insulated Aluminum Doors
Stretched Sponsons
No Splashwell Design
Aluminum Frame Deck Inserts (Front & Rear)
Gas Assisted Lifts on Storage, Rod Box, Bilge Access Doors
Livewell System w/ Independent Fill, Recirculating, and Drain Modes, with Timer and Pump-out
Interior Lighting
Integrated Rod Storage System
Retractable Rod Staze (3)
Skeeter Measuring Board w/ Storage
Bow and Stern Lights w/Holders
Flush-Mounted Latch/Locking System
Stainless Steel Pull-Up Cleats (4)
Tinted Windscreen
Bow Traction Mat
Jackplate Mount Boarding Ladder

Power & Performance Features
Minn Kota® 70Edge F, 42" shaft Troll Motor w/ Mount
12" Manual Jackplate w/ 2 Stern Eyes
1500 GPH Bilge Pump and Auto. Bilge Switch
Tilt Hydraulic Steering
Interior Decal Package
Foot Throttle & Pro Trim
Livewell Lights

Trailer Features
Single Axle Tube Trailer
Disc Brakes; One Axle
Spare Tire with Carrier
Ratchet Tie Downs
Back-up Lights
Skeeter Cutouts
Torsion Axles
Chrome Wheels
Custom Boat Cover

Fantasy Fishing

Sign up if you want to play, You can earn serious CASH!

Rifle Season

I was finally able to get a few pictures of my deer. I took this 8 pointer at 7:05am on 10/21/08. It was about a 15 yard shot, and the deer ran about 20 yards before plowing into a few small trees.

Meat On The Table

It was a successful hunt. Les invited me (or I invited myself) to hunt with him this year on opening weekend. The place is just northwest of Truxton. Jeff and Les had their stands picked out so they gave me the remaining stand. This worked out in my favor. My stand was setup for a bow. It had the start of a power cut in front of me which turned into thick brush about 50 yards past my stand and there were woods on the other side of the power cut. To the left was a small grassy strip between the edge of the woods and some thick cedar trees. Behind me and to the right was thick woods that you could hardly see through, more less shoot through.
About 7:30 Saturday morning I had a deer come out of the woods across from me and step into the brush in the power lines. I knew it was a buck, but didn't know how big. I could have probably shot it, but didn't want to get into a situation where he was only a 6 pointer. (New conservation laws state that a buck has to have at least 4 points on one side to be legal to shoot). So I had my scope on him and started counting. There were only 3 on the right side that I could count. Then it turned back and I counted 4 on the left side, which means he was a shooter. When he turned back to move into the woods I saw two, nearly 3 inch long brow tines. This made this a 9 point deer. At this point I only saw the body of the deer when it moved into the brush. As it moved into the woods it kept stepping slightly away from me and I never got a clear shot. I did notice it was limping on it's left front leg a bit. Then, just like that, it was gone.
After going back to the truck to get a bit of coffee and a bite to eat, I went back to the stand. It was probably around 11:00 when I thought I heard a squirrel almost under my stand behind me. I turned my head to see a really small button buck. He walked right under my stand, smelled the air, looked at me but must not have seen me and then walked along my right side headed toward the power cut. He stood in the brush a bit and then moved away down the north side of the power cut.
After letting that one pass, I kept thinking to myself that it may have been a mistake to do that. Les and Gary had only gotten one deer off this property since they started hunting here 6 years ago. Now it's starting to get dark and there is only about an hour left in the hunt. I'm hoping that I stick it out longer than the neighboring hunters and they may kick something my way. The wait worked out. I spotted this doe walking up on me from behind me and to my left. She was in the grassy area between the cedars and the woods. About 75 yards behind me she started into the woods. That gave me the opportunity to flip my seat up and turn around in my stand. I had my sights on her, but there were so many trees that I didn't have a shot. I had one opportunity to shoot between the trees and above and below two branches if she kept walking in the same direction. She wasn't in a hurry. She finally reached my shooting lane, but was angled away from me. After letting 2 deer get passed me, I wasn't going to take a chance to let this on e get passed. She took one more step and I shot. It was dark enough that I remember seeing the muzzle flash in my scope. She ran 75 yards in a circle fell down and did the death thrash. It was dark by the time we got her field dressed. But it all worked out. We hung her at Linda's cousin's house over night and got her cut up on Sunday.
Sunday mooring I saw one more 5 point buck. He was coming from my left just on the other side of the power cut. He was carrying his left front leg next to his chest. It looked like someone had shot him in his leg but he seemed to be OK. My guess is that he will make it.
Sunday night Linda let me debone my deer at the kitchen counter. After I set the back straps and tenderloins aside, I ended up with 30 pounds of meat to be processed and I didn't have to cut on the front quarter that was mutilated by the gun shot. I'll be taking the meat in this week for processing.

Saw a 9 point

Saw a 9 pointer move through here at 7:30 but he stayed just beyond the brush and I never got the shot.

Opening Morning

Sitting in my deer stand waiting on a deer.

More Flooding

Got the call to go get the boat this morning due to more flooding. I was also warned that Huster was already under. When I got near Huster on Hwighway B water was over the road. B was covered from there as far as I could see. Huster looked like a river coming down the pavement. I'm going to guess it to be 18+ inches deep between Huster and Riverside.

Lake 33

Adam and I went fishing last Monday. We went out to busch wildlife early in the morning to fish lake 33. The place was packed because it was opening day of dove season too. We rented a boat so we could try out the trolling motor i got. IT WORKS GREAT!! Fishing was slow i caught one crappie and Adam caught one nice bass.

Opening Day of Dove Season

As most hunters know today was opening day of dove season. As we usually do, Les and I headed up to Blackwalnut to the Wehmeyer's place to see if we could take down our dozen birds. We didn't expect to see any, just becuase we had not been seeing any flying in the days leading up to today. We suspect it is due to the cold snap we got for the few weeks prior to today. I picked Les up about 5:30 and we were at our spot before 6:00. We finished our coffee and watched the sun start to give the back side of our hunting area an early morning glow. That was our signal to load the guns and take our positions, dove season was open. We sat for a while with some gun shots off in the distance. Distant shots are good, because it wasn't long after that and we had our first round of birds coming through. Most of the morning they would come in waves. A few at a time, mostly towards Les. They would circle in the field next to him where the neighbors had a decoy line set up and when they missed, Les would BLAST them. Brad showed up about an hour after we got there. We each had about 4 birds, and it didn't take long and Brad had 3 on the ground. Brad and I hunted 75 yards from each other facing opposite directions and calling out birds for each other while Les sat over behind the barns in his perfect spot, blasting one bird after another. By the end of the day Les had 10 with one lost, I had 9 with one lost and Brad had 4, two lost and one on top of the barn. For not expecting to even see any birds, we had a really good morning. By 11:00 we were home with the birds soaking in brine just waiting to be wrapped in a half a slice of bacon with a jalapeno pepper slice and a slice of pepper jack cheese sandwiched between the two pieces of breast meat, grilled with a dab of barbeque sauce. Now that is some good eatin'!

River Fishing

Matt, Uncle Steve and I spent Saturday morning fishing the river for catfish. We did pretty good. 7 landed so far 4 on a stringer so far with about a half hour left. The bait to use has been stink bait. Matt did get some hits on shad, but nothing in the boat.

BULL SHOALS

Here is a nice 3 lbs. that i caught on vacation. I caught it trolling with a firecracker grub.

FISH ON!

Went down to new town last night and caught a bunch. Seems like the Bass are just getting ready to spawn. Crazy how late it is, but the Bass belly's looked to be full of eggs. Check out the pics.

Clarification on the Number of Rods

So I was always under the impression that we could only use 3 rods a piece to fish on the Mississippi... I was wrong. We can use as many as we would like as long as we have less than 50 hooks and we label rod number 3 and over with our name and address. This is an excerpt from Chapter 6 of the Missouri Wildlife Code: Sport Fishing: Seasons, Methods, Limits, part 3 CSR 10-6.410 Fishing Methods
"(2) Number of Poles and Hooks.
(A) Not more than three (3) unlabeled poles and not more than thirty-three (33) hooks in the aggregate, for any or all methods, may be used by any person at one time.
(B) On the Mississippi River, not more than two (2) unlabeled poles and not more than fifty (50) hooks in the aggregate may be used by any person at one time. While fishing concurrently on the Mississippi River and other Missouri waters, not more than fifty (50) hooks in the aggregate may be used and not more than thirty-three (33) of those hooks may be used in waters other than the Mississippi River."
Just thought I'd throw that out there. I didn't realize this.

Tuesday at Twain

My boss, Joe, and I played hooky from work today and ran up to Mark Twain. Since neither of us have a fishing boat we rented from Indian Creek. The morning was pretty bad. Tornadoes rolled through which forced us back into the harbor. The afternoon wasn't much better but I did manage to catch a nice 12" crappie. With the water up this high and the changing weather they don't know if they want to spawn or not. Guess we'll just have to keep going back!

Fish ON!

Bryan and I (Adam) did some fishing at the regular super secret lakes around town on Sunday afternoon. As you can see from the second picture the females are just about ready to bed. Biggest of the day was 23 inches (Bryan's) and my biggest (above) was 21. Caught around 30-40 in the 11-20 inch range also. We also caught about 15 crappie, a few keepers. Only got one picture of them below.

Air temp : 75

Sunny, no clouds.

Water Color : Gin Clear

Water Temp : Getting There. :)

Cameron's First Fish of the Year

I'm out at Cart and just caught my first fish of the year. About a 12" bass, nothing special.

1st Crappie of the year

Ok i didn't have much time and i got a pass to do a little fishing on Sunday. I went to New Town and didn't catch anything. I cooked it over to Cart and caught 3 fish. Two were little bass and one was a nice crappie it was a KEEPER!! The

High Waters

Just a quick note. Didn't get to go walleye fishing on Sunday. Due to high waters all boat ramps were closed. Going to try to get out this coming Sunday.

Walleye Fishing on the Mississippi

Sunday I plan to go walleye fishing on the Mississippi. I was told to go north of Windfield dam, but between talking to people at work, and reading things on the internet I may want to be south of the dam. Here are a couple things I've found.
Missouri Game & Fish
Fishing near St. Louis for walleyes and saugers is best below the Clarksville and Winfield dams starting in the fall, when water temperatures fall below 60 degrees, said MDC fisheries management biologist Danny Brown, of St. Charles.
Some fish are caught below the Mel Price Dam in Alton, but not as many as under the more upstream dams. The river needs to be in a normal to low flow pattern for good fishing. Once it gets high and muddy, the fishing can get tough. I typically tell anglers that fishing is best when the stage at Winfield Dam is around 17 (feet) or less.
According to Brown, most anglers bounce 3/4- to one-ounce jigs tipped with minnows off the bottom near current breaks in the turbulent water below the dams. A trolling motor comes in handy to keep the line vertical in the water column for those wanting to jig. Some anglers use crankbaits along the shallower water between wing dikes and land some nice fish.
According to Schulte, the best rig on the river is a jig-and-minnow combination with a little twist. Put a minnow on a first hook and attach a stinger hook to round out this very effective bait. When a fish chases the minnow, it’ll get hooked on the stinger.
Schulte said that most of the walleyes run from 9 to 14 inches, with a few reaching 2 1/2 to 3 1/2 pounds.
Leadlining is another favorite trick used by locals to tempt a few pre-spawn fish into biting their jig or crankbait. Troll upstream with color-coded leadcore line on a trolling rod for the best lure action. Be certain to let out enough line for the bait to contact the bottom. Bumping along on the bottom is the goal, so use relatively inexpensive baits to avoid becoming gun-shy, as the chances are good that you’ll lose a few lures.
Gander Mountain
As spawning time approaches and the water warms into the 40s, the fish move shallower and begin feeding much more heavily. The two-week period before spawning offers the fastest action and the best opportunity for big fish.
Big walleyes congregate in eddies near the rock or gravel shorelines where they will spawn, usually at depths of 2 to 8 feet. Many walleye anglers make the mistake of fishing too deep in this pre-spawn period. Saugers stay 5 to 10 feet deeper than the walleyes.
If the water is high, as it often is this time of year, walleyes leave the main channel and move to the backwaters, where finding them is next to impossible. Saugers are less likely to leave the main channel.
You can catch walleyes by anchoring and casting into shallow brushy or riprapped shorelines with white or chartreuse jigs, from 1/2 to 1/4 ounce. Saugers are best taken by vertically jigging in deeper water with 1/4- to 3/8-ounce jigs. Some anglers prefer to tip their jigs with small minnows, but tipping is seldom necessary when the water temperature tops 400 F For best results, work the jig very slowly, with small hops.
Spawning begins when the water reaches the upper 40s, usually in mid- to late April. Saugers start to spawn a few days later than walleyes. Once spawning is under way, fishing turns sour. You may catch a few small males, but the big females don't start to bite until at least two weeks after they've finished spawning.
Starting about the first week in May, big walleyes go on a feeding spree that produces plenty of trophy fish for fishermen who know where to find them. Most of the fish have moved away from the dam, although a few remain all summer. The best spots are backwaters with moving water and current-brushed points in the main channel several miles downstream from the dam. You'll find most of the fish at depths of 8 to 12 feet. Productive techniques include anchoring above the points and casting with 1/4-ounce chartreuse bucktail jigs, or trolling diving plugs through channels in the backwaters.
Saugers are not far away, although they normally hang at least 5 feet deeper than the walleyes.

Fishing Report

Mississippi (above St. Louis): 42 degrees, high, muddy; all species slow. (Report made on 4/9/2008)

Mark Twain: 46 degrees, high, clear; crappie fair on minnows; all other species slow. (Report made on 4/9/2008)

Busch Memorial Conservation Area Lake 33: 55 degrees, high, muddy; black bass good on spinner baits; bluegill slow on worms; crappie fair on bright-colored jigs and scented baits; all other species slow.

Busch Memorial Conservation Area Lakes 3, 4, 5, 7, and 24: 55 degrees, high, muddy; catfish slow with some success using mealworms; catfish limit: 4; please remove litter.

Lake of the Ozarks (Bagnell Tailwater): 47 degrees, high, muddy; white bass fair on light-colored soft plastics; crappie slow with some success using minnows and crappie jigs, catfish fair on worms. (Report made on 4/10/2008)

Lake of the Ozarks (Glaize): 49 degrees, high, muddy; black bass slow on spinner baits and crank baits; white bass slow on light-colored soft plastic jigs; crappie slow on minnows and crappie jigs; catfish slow on worms. (Report made on 4/9/2008)

Lake of the Ozarks (Gravois): 49 degrees, high, dingy; black bass fair; white bass slow; catfish fair on cut shad; crappie slow on jigs. (Report made on 4/10/2008)

Lake of the Ozarks (Niangua): 49 degrees, high, muddy; black bass good using crank baits on shallow points; crappie slow, try lures that create vibration or have blades on it; white bass slow, fish near river mouths and try Road Runners; catfish slow with some success on stink baits. (Report made on 4/10/2008)

Lake of the Ozarks (Osage): 49 degrees, high, muddy; black bass good using crank baits on shallow points; crappie slow, try lures that create vibration or have blades on it; white bass slow, fish near river mouths and try Road Runners; catfish slow with some success on stink baits. (Report made on 4/10/2008)

Table Rock (James River arm): 55 degrees, high, dingy; water is very high; minimal visibility; all species slow. (Report made on 4/10/2008)

Table Rock (main lake): 55 degrees, high, dingy; water levels very high; all species slow. (Report made on 4/10/2008)

fishing

Sorry here is another pic. I am also trying to post straight from my cell phone.

I went Fishing today down at New Town. I caught one bass on a Spinner Bait with a white bleeding skirt. I didn't get water or air temp.

---

TEMP: ° °
TIME:
CONDITIONS:

First Fish of the Year

Bryan, Adam and I went fishing on Saturday. We just went down to "Cart". Fishing was Slow. I caught 5 bass all around 10". Fish were only biting on live minnows. Water temp was 49.

---

TEMP: ° °
TIME: Midday
CONDITIONS: OverCast

William R. Logan & Whiteside

           
The day started out a little rough. Les, Matt, Jeff, Mark and I headed out to Logan and Whiteside, but I didn't go far enough and we started out on the back side of Logan. Turned out that was just the shooting range and there wasn't a good place to rabbit hunt so we continued on up 61 and got to another entrance to Logan. We stopped in a camping area and worked a couple fields. It was still pretty cool with an overcast. Great day to be hunting. With 5 of us hunting it didn't take long to push down through a draw. We worked the area in a counterclockwise direction, heading southeast and then doubling back to work around the backside of the pond towards the road and eventually back to the truck. As we pushed up the backside of the pond, we came up on what looked to be a really nice rabbit field only to find out that it was a limited area and we couldn't shoot in the area. So we were forced west of this field. As we neared the road I got a rabbit up. He jumped about 15 feet in front of me. They were not holding tight at all. Of course the rabbit headed towards the area that we couldn't shoot. He out-smarted the dog and we pushed our way back to the truck.
We drove around Logan a little bit more, but the area was a dead end so we decided to go on down to Whiteside. The area is actually called William G. and Erma Parke White Memorial Wildlife Area, but since it's White Memorial Area, and it's just outside of the town of Whiteside, we call it Whiteside. I digress. We started in what use to be my favorite place to hunt. I say this because we have always had luck in the area. Not only have we seen a rabbit on every outing, but we've gotten quail up in the area on several occasions. We worked this field clockwise starting by heading west towards the little pond. This is where we usually have a lot of action. As we turned north on the west side of the pond we found that the entire north side of this field had been part of a control burn, similar to the area we saw at Hi Pointe a couple weeks ago. We walked along the woods until we got east of the truck at which point we were back into cover. We passed a few other hunters that had a rabbit going in the woods north of the area (we never did hear a shot). As we neared the truck, Jeff and Mark spotted a rabbit crossing from the south towards the northwest. We got the dog over as quickly as possible, but after crossing two field he wasn't driving very hard and was searching for the scent, so we called him back and headed to the truck.
After a bite to eat we went down to the large lake on the west side of the CA. We worked in a clockwise direction again. Down a draw and around to the back side of the lake. As we came down this little road, we headed up the overflow from the lake towards the back of the dam. Nearing the base of the dam Chip started barking about 10 feet to my right. There was no rabbit in site, but he pushed over towards Mark, and on up the side of a wooded hill. We decided to let him go and see what he does. He hesitated in several different areas lost the scent and then got it back. He got almost out of ear-shot and seemed to be holding in one area. Mark, Les and I headed after him while Matt and Jeff stayed put. Chip was on the other side of the conservation line when Les saw both him and the rabbit in a full sprint. I ran west down the path to try to catch the rabbit crossing the path towards the north, but got there about the same time the dog did. Chip stayed in pursuit all the way back to where Jeff and Matt were waiting, but just before arriving at their location, the rabbit was gone. Three rabbits up, three lost. We continued to hunt, but it was after 1:00 and we were all a bit tired. We talked to another couple of hunters who were had not seen a thing all day. We exchanged hunting stories and headed back to the truck. It was a good day of hunting.

---

TEMP: 27° - 35°
TIME: 8:00 - 2:00
CONDITIONS: Overcast and cold in the morning. Had a little bit of spitting snow when we first headed out. A good day to utilize layers. As it got later in the day, the clouds broke up and we had some sunshine. The wind was on and off. Not too bad, but very cold. It was pretty dry. Great day to be in the fields.