Busch Wildlife Conservation Area, December 30th: Trout Excellent once again

Another great day of fishing. Fished Lake 24 (one of my favorites). The lake had a partial freeze toward the road, so went out near the dam. They were hitting right where the freeze line hit the non-frozen water. I really think that the depth of the water had more to do with it than the ice, however. Went out around 1:00- had my limit by 2:00.

Once again, Spoons are the key. I think with spoons, Super Dupers, Rooster tails, the action is different than bait. It seems that when you do hit, the action is WILD! and when you do not catch any, you do not catch any for hours.

I am glad I limited out- we smoke these for the new year- it is our annual event.

Busch Wildlife CA, St. Charles County, MO, December 29th: Trout Fishing Good

Trout fishing was good, but not at first. Walked all around lake 22 (needed the exercise, anyhow) with no luck. It is amazing to me how low these lakes still are. We need a heavy snow this winter to get them up again.

Most of the people out were fishing baits (power baits, some hatchery powder baits) and having some success. After fishing about 2 1/2 hours, I almost changed my approach. I forgot my tackle box that had all the baits- I was getting ready to switch over to bait fishing. I am glad I stuck with my guns, however.

Around 4:30 got to some brush and BAM! They started to hit on the little cleo gold/red spoon. I limited out within about 1/2 an hour, and came out with more fish than the guys who were bait fishing it.

Lesson learned: When you have experience with something that works, and you know it will work- never doubt the "game plan" you started with. I think most of my "non-success" in the past had to do with second guessing the "game plan."

This sounds like something I could use in one of our business talks. Principles in fishing and business really have a lot of similarities, do they not?

Fish ON!

MLT

Bennett Spring: Day before last of "catch and keep" season (October 30th, 2007)

Great day at Bennett Spring. Caught 6 or so nice ones (catch and release). Good crowd- water a bit skinny (we need some more rain) I cannot wait until catch and release season and the winter keep season in STL.

Weldon Spring CA, St. Charles County, MO- Got on some major fish!

Good day of fishing at Weldon Spring CA (Lost Valley Trail Area). Started off slow- lake was low like all lakes around here. Caught the bass on a silver beetle spin with a blue/sparkle plastic minnow, spinning rod. Several closed to the edge- pond/lake difficult to fish- hard to see where structure is. A few minutes later caught a red ear sunfish around 10" on slip bobber and night crawler- then it got slow. Walked around lake, flogged my legs big time (next time- wear pants- note to self). Almost went home (figured I could watch the KU-KSU game).
Then they started to hit- dead middle of lake. Same spot I have caught numerous bass in the past. Started with really nice Blugill. Was using the same slip bobber and nightcrawler. Then came the channel catfish. Almost limited out. The photo shows one of the largest cats. Ran out of baby nightcrawlers so I started to use the box of "glow" nightcrawlers. Man, do they stain your fingers. Think I will stick with the traditional nightcrawlers.
Total for day: 3 Channel Catfish, 1 Redear Sunfish, 10 Bluegill. Sunny and about 90 degrees, with moments of wind and clouds (almost looked like it was going to storm up). That was when the channel cats hit. Caught all (3) in about a 15-20 minute period. Had to stop fishing do to the fact that I ran out of bait.

Fish ON!

MLT

Meremec Spring Trout Fishing- September 28th

Great Day of fishing at Meremac Spring- Arrived about an hour after the horn went off (I always underestimate how long it takes to get there from my home). Dallas needed a break from school and I needed a break from work, so this was a great fit. Caught one nice size one, the rest were small. I am actually saving these in my freezer- plan on smoking them on the smoker grill.
Tried a lot of things, caught them on gold little cleo spoons, used a little trout gravey on them as well. Fishing was slow for most, but people were cleaning fish, so some things worked. Meremec can be a bit of a challenge. Probably has to do with the fact that the stream is not zoned out.
Couple of cool hatchery pictures as well. You could not have asked for better weather.

Fish ON,

MLT

Busch Wildlife CA, Lake 37 St. Charles County, MO.- Catfish and redear sunfish! Sept. 16th

Great day of fishing. Overcast all day. water temp around 73. Nothing artificial worked (could have left baitcast rods and big tackle box at home) but they were hitting on nightcrawlers! Used slipbobbers and had them about 8' deep in 14' of water.

Took 5 redear sunfish (the largest was 10") and two catfish (the largest was 20"). Caught several small catfish and bass (the largest bass was 13")

This lake is turning into a really good redear lake. The key to redear fishing is being able to go were timber and deep meet (you need a boat) and fishing it deep enough.

Very productive day

Fish On!

MLT

Busch Wildlife Area, St. Charles County, Lake 33- Catfish are back

Good day of fishing. Cool and foggy when I set out, fish hit hard up to noon. Used my traditional live bait set up, slip bobbers and nightcrawlers. Hit close to cover, as the photo shows.

Lost one of good size in the timber (snapped the line), but soon came to realize later, I was having gear problems (reel is so old, it is nicking up the line- damaged carrier) so I will probably have to retire that reel and break down and buy a new one.

Fish was good! took them home, cleaned them, and baked the filets in the oven with lemon and cajun seasoning.

Fish On!

MLT

August Report- Fishing good!

due to lack of a good digital camera, I have slacked for August. Here were some highlights:

1. Little Dixie CA in Callaway County: Caught quite a few bass (some in slot, some smaller) on Gold flex plastic worms 9". Caught a couple of nice red ear sunfish on worms with a slip bobber.


2. Lake 33 at Busch Wildlife in St. Charles County: Very slow for month of August. Early in the month caught quite a few early in the day on Gene Larew Salt Craws


3. Lake 37 at Busch Wildlife in St. Charles county: had some good days right in the middle of the lake, near the deep w/ timber. Good size red ear sunfish on slip bobbers and nightcrawlers


4. Bennett Spring State Park- Fished in one time, but it was a good one. Caught over (30) trout in about a 3 hour period on gold Little Cleo spoons, 2# test


5. Meremec Park: Got Skunked (fished only one time, no big deal)

Fish ON!

MLT

Bass fishing good today! Lake 33, Busch Wildlife CA

Bass fishing good today at Busch Wildlife CA. Water temp about 83 degrees, overcast skies that switched to sunny. Fished from about 8:00 to 11:30 on a boat. Went to drain some of the water out of the boat, and observed (4) of the biggest crawdads I have ever seen at Busch. So guess what I decided to throw? (can you say "match the hatch?")

Caught (3) bass this morning. The first was a 16" largemouth on a Jig (no skirt) and pumpkin Chomper Hula Grub. I was using one of my favorite rods for a Jig, my 6" rod with 14# Stren. Pulled back and the line started to move the other way (kind of like when you are cranking a crankbait that is out of tune), so I reeled back and really set the hook. That got the "fight on". Very nice bass, could have very easily missed the set.

Caught another smaller one (12") in the same area. They shut off for a while, so I took the boat down the levy a little. No action after throwing worms, senkos, chompers, and zipper worms, so I went back to the original spot (it was almost time to leave anyway).

Caught another good one on a Gene Larew black/gold claw Salt Craw. Nice fish (it is the one that you can see the red chair in the background). Used a 7' light/medium action rod with 12# Shakespeare Cajun Line. Measured out about 14".

Great morning of fishing. What a great lake for largemouths.

Fish On!

MLT

Lake Sherwood, Warren County, MO, July 4th

Before we start, quick report on Lake 35, Busch CA. This is a dying lake. I fished it in the spring, and the lake levels were at normal pool- it is lower again and has hydrilla growing all over it (even in the deep section- saw it on the fish finder). Seems that lake still has problems. Went out around 4:00 pm. and came back around 8:00. One small tap and that was it.

Let's talk about Sherwood. Rob and I got his pontoon boat out and hit the lake around 7:30 a.m. Something to keep in mind- we are in a summer pattern. My thought are that you need to fish the soft plastics much slower. We got several "taps" but no fish (I had 2 that were either small fish, or bad hook sets on my part). This pattern continued until 11:00 a.m. or so. Then they turned on (how weird is that).

Rob caught the first couple and it looked like I was going to get skunked (no problem- it has happened before!). I then caught the real nice bass- such a light hit, he was laying on the bottom with the plastic in his mouth- when I pulled up, I felt the weight and set the hook.

We were really tearing them up on Senko worms, in particular, Wave Worms, Sweet Potato Pie Color (yellow,black, red, etc) using a spinning rod with 10# test and a very small bullet weight (so it almost went down "weightless").

Later that day, we took the kids out and they caught a good amount of panfish on slip bobbers and worms. Good day of fishing

Fish On!

MLT

Busch CA, Lake 37- Bass off and on, still my favorite lake July 1st, 2007

Got off to a late start- hit it around 3:00 p.m. and fished until 7:00. Water temp at around 84 dg. Cloudy start, went with my theory of dark colors. Started with a spinning rod and a slip bobber with night crawlers. Caught a real small Channel Cat and caught a nice size Bluegill.

A little later in the day, caught my first large mouth bass with a black/purple jig, and a dark blue pig- very cool. He was laying in a lilly pad close to shore.

The sun came out shortly after, and the dark lure formula ceased to work, so I switched over to a spinning rod, 10# test, and a zoom shad/light green fluke with a fluke weighted hook. Got the boat over towards the back of the lake (around the tall grass and lilly pads) and had instant success- caught about 5-6 within an hour. They were all smaller bass, but the action was fun. What a great way to fish for bass! The fluke is my new friend!

Fish On!

MLT

Busch CA, Lake 33- Bass hitting early in the morning June 30th, 2007

Good overcast (wet weather west, but never arrived) water temp at about 84 dg. Got a boat and headed out to my favorite spot (the same one the large catfish came out of). Had a spinning rod with 6" test, slip bobber and minnows- they are NOT hitting on that (not one bite all day)

Early that morning, caught several large mouths on a Texas-Rig, 12# test with a black/pink tail jelly worm (I have had these in my tackle box for a couple of years, never really caught anything) Just goes to show, when it is dark, and the water is less than clear, throw darker colors.

Rest of the day, REAL slow- we are most assured in a summer bass pattern. One guy threw some small, chartreuse crank baits and caught several right off the bat- maybe it was because the sun came out? It is amazing how they will turn on and off.

Fish On!

MLT

The Outer Banks North Carolina Ruled! Check out the photos

The saltwater fishing absolutly ruled! I caught so many redfish (puppy drums) around the shipwreck outside of the house we rented, I became tired and had to go back and take a nap! We used a Cajun Rattle Cork (it is like a bobber, with a glass bead, brass bead "clacker"- like a top water carolina rig). Below the Bobber, we used red jigs with Gulp! shrimp. What an amazing rig!

The fishing was great- a couple of days into it, I realized that there were about 10-20 small sharks swimming around the wreck while we were out there. They left us alone, but once the huge Man-O-Wars moved in, I was out of there!

Table Rock Lake, MO.- Cape Fair June 19-21st

Camping was great at Cape Fair last week. Got a chance to fish from shore just a little (business has been incredible as of late!.

Caught a couple of nice bass off of the dock by the boat launch. Caught one on a Chomper crawdad texas rigged throwing a 6' rod, 14# test. Caught another bass later on a Bomber Crawdad crank bait. Some small Longear Sunfish on night crawlers and slip bobbers.

Fish On!

MLT

Surf fishing great in the Outer Banks

We just got back from a week in the Outer Banks, NC. The weather and fishing was incredible! We really got on some fish this week. My brother-in-law, Rob, came down with us and we fished all week long- very cool!
We could not have done it without the help of the local tackle and bait shop, Hatteras Jacks. They were so helpful in assisting us with strategies for saltwater (not like we have any saltwater in the midwest- I wish!).
I think that is the secret if you really want to get on some fish- ask for direction. I know that when people ask me about what is biting and how to go about it, I really try to make myself and open book. We live in a fishing world of abundance. What you sow in this world is what you reap-Givers Gain, as we say in BNI. The same holds true to fishing.

Fish On!

MLT

Bennett Spring, May 11th- Caught my first Brown!

What a great day of fishing! Water was at normal stage, but had a lot of debris floating in it as well as being very cloudy (must be on the fall)

Used two ultralight spinning rods, caught 6-7 Rainbows, 1 brown. Used my favorite spinning spoon, Little Cleo Silver/lime for the majority of the fish, including the brown. Caught a couple more on a brown/white rooster tail. Used the fly rod for a while with a lime San Juan worm, but just could not get into it (by the spring), so I went back to the ultra-lights.

Fish on!

MLT

Busch CA, Lake 33, April 29th- Catfish are back!

Went back to Lake 33 Sunday. Wind had died down quite a bit- very warm. Water temp is starting to warm up as well (was at around 72 towards the end of the day)

Crappie not as active, but larger in size on minnows. Hit the spot that I had hit a week or so ago before the storm (north side of lake). Look at the catfish that my mother got on a nightcrawler! Same spot as the mess of catfish I caught last week. We originally thought that this big guy was a Blue Catfish, but really it is a Channel Cat (I forgot that they start to lose their spots the bigger they get). Sure looked like a Blue when we pulled it out of the water. She was using a light action rod on what appeared to be 6" test (line was very old)

This may be a very good year for catfish- at least right now.

Fish on!

MLT

Busch Wildlife CA, Lake 33, Crappies are hitting! April 27th, 2007

Hit the lake with my good friend, Ray. We used minnows and spinning rods. Tried the normal bass gear, bass seem sporadic right now- this weekends 80 degree weather should change that. Windy conditions, about 70 degrees outside, water temp around 64.

Check out the crappie- about 10.25" in length. Most of the crappie very small- typical lake 33. Just goes to show if you keep fishing, there are some fish worth keep out there.

Fish On!

MLT

Busch Wildlife CA, Lake 33 Catfish hitting on minnows- Big Time April 24th, 2007

Weather finally starting to warm up after the cold snap. Caught a ton of catfish and crappies before the big thunderstorm hit. The large on measured out to about 23". Used slip bobbers and minnows in some heavy tree/ brush cover along the north side of the dam.

Caught a 15" bass first (hit the minnow hard), caught about 8 crappies and then the catfish hit (channels). Limited out on the catfish- should be great for the fish fry that we are going to have for my grandmother in Ohio.

Glad I brought the boat back- lightning and heavy rain soon after. It is amazing how the barometer effects the catfish.

Fish on!

MLT

Little Dixie CA, Callaway County, MO. Friday, April 20th

Fishing was good, caught 4 good size bass on a BB filled silver rattle trap, 12# test just on the outside of cover near shoreside. Water temperature was about 60 degrees. One of the bass had a chunck of tail worn out- tried to spawn earlier and then had to go deep with the cold snap. Should be in spawn mode real soon

Busch Wildlife CA, St. Charles County ,MO. Lake 16, March 25th, 2007

Caught 10-12 bass and 4-5 bluegill on gold micro-spins with bleeding hook jig and metallic blue minnow. Bass are still hugging very close to cover and shore line. Average Bass very small, but that should change later in the year. This is the same lake I caught a HUGE channel cat on a Zipper Worm last summer.