OutdoorMissouri.com

I guess I should join the B.A.S,S. pro circuit, because I do the same thing that pro Ozark wrote about. About the only real difference is that I usually go all day without a bite.....unless I'm fly rodding for bull bluegills...I can usually put a whuppin' on them if we find the beds.
Seriously though...those guys all have one thing in common: they are meticulously methodical. They always have a plan A, and if that doesn't work, there is a plan B, all the way to Plan Z. If the fish are biting at all, sooner or later they will find the pattern and capitalize on it. Last year my plan A consisted of putting the boat in the water and throwing something at likely looking spots. Plan B was put the boat back on the trailer if that didn't work. Hopefully this year I can fine tune the process just a little bit.

TR, Todd prefished with Gofron last year. Said he was the least friendly of the bunch--EXTREMELY focused. Get him off the water, he's a load of fun, but when he's fishing he's a man on a mission. The key for him was fishing a few feet deeper than the others. He cut his teeth on the Fox Chain in northern Illinois--Chicago's playground, a marginal walleye fishery at best, with eggbeaters and cigarette speedboats and big cruisers pulling drunken skiers over just about every square inch of water. So he obviously knows how to dial it in.

Next lake up, just over the state line was my home lake, Geneva. Same scenario, but somehow I never developed whatever it takes to achieve much success. Some got it, some ain't.

Ozark, I don't pay too much attention to bass fishing these days (maybe I should), but every now and then I'll leaf thru a Bassmaster magazine. I really, really like Don Wirth's monthly feature called "A Day with a Pro" or something like that. Sounds like what you're talking about. Sheds a lot of light on how the thinking process works.

Not that I ever apply anything I learn, just interesting...

Oh, I'm not too worried about any of the pro's being unfriendly. I know how to bring the best out in everybody...



Speaking of Todd. His 2nd day pro, Larry Smith, was great. He's doing really well in the PWT too. He fishes from a tiller boat. Had a limit on day 2. Day 2 was TOUGH (for most)... He'd be a good guy to pre-fish with, but I doubt he's a BPS or Glyde Ryde user.....

Next time Team Tablerock is en banc for a tournament, I'm going to remind you about how you bring out the best in everybody. Then maybe CW can boat a couple of weigh fish.
You trial lawyer types can explain what "en banc" means...I just heard it during the reporting of that lady in Houston who killed her five kids and now she gets a new trial.

Hey all, Great Site!! Better believe I will be checking this one out a bunch before May.



If anyone would like to set up some pre-fishing for the Bull Shoals PWT, shoot me an e-mail and we can get it all put together. I can't wait to get back there. Hopefully the big girls will be a little easier to come by this time.



See you all soon.



Johnnie Candle

johnnie@stellarnet.com

Hey Johnnie. Glad you found the board. Let me be the first to welcome you. I'm going to give you a shout when I find out exactly what days I can be available. How early are you coming down ?

Hi Johnnie, nice to "meet" you! I'm a BPS guy--was going to be contacting you soon. Welcome!

Welcome Johnnie! Not sure if this gang of no-walleye catchin' goofs and knuckleheads will be of much help to ya, but we will certainly try!

Ditto on the welcome, Mr. Candle. We can always use some expert advice around here, as opposed to our own expert opinions...<<grin>....we're certainly looking forward to meeting you in person prior to the PWT, and if that Table Rock fella doesn't take up all your time, I would certainly be honored to pre-fish with you as well. Again, welcome aboard and join in the fracas any time.

Talked to Johnnie C. via email today, and he said he hasn't yet finalized his plans for Bull Shoals, but he expects to prefish for 5 or 6 days. If you would like to fish with him, email him directly and he will get back to you when things are nailed down.

Done. In addition to unashamed begging to pre-fish, I also put in a nice word for the rest of you guys....except for Bill Ackermann who keeps calling me a goof! One thing Wild Bill has done is to obtain some pieces of stiff wire with a twist at one end, which I understand are supposed to put in some kind of mold to become bottom bouncers. The quick clip kind, of course. You guys are on your own for the regular tie on type. We won't have them for the upcoming weekend, but the time after that there should be enough for everybody to get a few. These are going to be mostly 1-1/2 and 2 oz size. The lighter weights don't seem to stay down quite as well. Anyway, we'll give it a shot and see how they turn out. See you guys Saturday morning....brrrrrrrr.
Almost forgot...for Table Rock...arrrrrrrrgh!

Saturday morning that'll be Brrrrrrrrrrrr..............

A-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-r-g-h!

Just an FYI...we may see a couple more pros chiming in as the days go by, as AA posted a link on a WC thread. That's great! But I think most are just now in the process of arranging their schedules, making their Bull Shoals plans, so it may be a little bit yet before dates can be finalized. It's a pretty neat opportunity that may not come this way again anytime soon, and I can't emphasize enough how much I learned in just one day on the water last year. So talk directly with the guys you'd like to fish with, and it can probably happen.

Also, I talked with Gary Parsons the other day. It'll likely be a little while yet before we hear from some of the pros mentioned earlier; some may have openings, some may not...again, no guarantees at this point, but at least things are on the move and he knows we're here.

Every one of these guys is incredibly good and would be a treat to fish with. We can help them (a little), and they can help us (a lot). Ain't it great?