Schooner Creek under the rainbow

The winter of 2009-2010 has been one of the coldest on record here in south west Missouri. The temperature hit -11 one morning in early January and other than a one day breather we had no January thaw. Its the end of March and the temperature is still having a hard time getting above 60. The James River arm of Tablerock froze over above the White River arm at point 9. Not so hard as you can walk on it, it did support snow and folks up that way said it had not happened since 1963 or 4.

I for one am very glad that by the end of this week the temp's are suppose to be in the low 70's. The grass is turning green and them bushes people put in their front yards are turning yellow. All we need now is to see the Red Buds pop and right behind them come the wild cherry and plum trees then the Bradford pears and the Dogwoods. Hot dog.....when the oak leaves get to the size of squirrels ears and the dogwoods bloom, the crappie are jumping in the boat.

The rainbow in the picture hits the dock where my boat is sitting. I took that as a good sign, The water there is too deep to dive for the gold so I hope the luck fills my live well for safe keeping.

I had a lot of folks ask me today about my blog novel, From the Journal of Deputy Issac McNamara. I'm working on that to be my Thursday entry. So thanks again for following. Keep in touch and let me know what you like and dislike.....

Off to a GREAT start

I'm passionate about my fishing, like some folks are mad about cars, golf, basketball, baseball and football. I love to go fishing. The way I look at it, I work hard 40 hours a week, pay my bills, stay out of trouble ( most of the time) and if I have a weakness ,it is fishing. Now Bass fishing is my favorite, the hours I spend just casting for the species more than pays for the price of the lures. When I catch one like the one on the right then all the money is worth it. When I'm out on the water my blood pressure drops, the idiots I have to deal with are forgotten, and everything is at peace in my world. I had a person explain to me one time that if I added the cost of the boat, license and all the tackle then every fish I catch is like $10.00 a pound. I got news for that person, I seen a new bass boat on a show room floor this past week and sticker price on it was over $41.000.00 That means that the fish I catch is like $200.00 a pound. Thank the good Lord I don't need a boat.
I walked through the lure department of my local Bass Pro Shop and readers, if I told you there were lures there that cost as much as $25.00 would you believe me? I remember when I thought spending a $1.50 on one was outrageous. Not only that but they have videos playing at the end of every isle telling you if you only buy this $25.00 piece of painted plastic you are going to catch these monster fish and be famous. I guess my age and experience saves me because much like a gambler can not help from dropping a quarter in a slot machine I have a hard time resisting the urge to grab up four or five of them high dollar lures just so I can try them in case they might catch a fish. Heavy emphasis in the word might.
I started fishing next to my dad on farm ponds and creeks near my grandparents homes in Texas County, Missouri. We used worms we dug up ourselves or grass hoppers we had to catch. We spent hours catching bluegill, small bass, and a red eyed fish called a goggle-eye. As I grew up, Dad took us to Minnesota for Pike and walleye, and later yet Lake of the Ozarks for Crappie fishing. Most of all we used natural baits we caught or trapped ourselves and caught a lot of fish.
Then when I was 18 a friend, named Don Kramer, made me into a monster. We were fishing a small creek called the Courtious (Coat-a-way) when he tied on a blue wooden bait with a couple of treble hooks hanging off it and cast it into a eddy. The thing floated there a few minutes, Don took up the slack, and the water exploded right before my eyes. A few minutes later Don lipped one of the biggest bass I had ever seen up to that point in my life. I was hooked, deep. Why if I could catch fish like that with out digging up worms, or crawling around in a chigger infested hay field catching grasshoppers, or waiting while a minnow trap does its job, then I was signing up. I did and several years later, and a whole lot of money spent, I'm still at it. I go just as often as I can and stay just as long as possible.
The first fish of the season was caught on a painted piece of plastic I paid a lot of money for....Ain't life good!

Did you think I Expired?

Folks and readers that may or may not be following me I have returned. Its been a long cold winter here on Schooner Creek. There has been a lot of water under the bridge since my last entry. Let it be said that things are almost back to normal. I can almost see out of my eye,my daughters health is good right now, my computers health needs to be worried over. I made the mistake of installing a Norton anti-virus program that slowed my computer down so much it lost a race with poured molasses.
The weather is improving here in southwest Missouri, it is finally warming up a little. Tablerock Lake, here at Schooner Creek, has a surface temperature at 47 degrees prior to the heavy rains we have received since Monday. The rain was warm and hopefully has had a positive impact. Three days of fishing produced one fish, to small to keep. My grandson Joe has not let me forget about it yet, prior to the rain. Joe and I made the 45 minute run down to Cricket Creek in search of Crappie. The water there was stained getting on to muddy. Temperature was 49-51 degrees and the crappie had lock jaw. My friend Doug and I have worked our favorite places around the Kimberling City area with nothing to report. We are going out again this afternoon to try again.
The Lake level dropped below 915 for the first time in almost a year. Due to the rains it is back up there again around 917. I was told that to find stained water now you have to get up the James River arm above point 10. Last week the White Bass was making themselves popular up above Cape Fair, and for what it is worth fisher folk on Bull Shoals at Forsyth were have a lot of fun catching them off the banks near Shadow Rock Park.
Crappie are still spotty, they are still a few warm days from getting really active. My guess the water is still to cold. The coming week has several days of 70's and nights in the 50's. That will bring up the temp pretty fast.
My thanks to everyone that takes the time to read my entries. I have missed being able to put my thoughts down. Hopefully I'm back at it again and who knows, writing this blog will do more for me than the health plan.