So it looks like we’ll be on them tomorrow…sweet!!!

Stable water levels all year, sudden cold temps and the fact there’s a 10+ square mile grass flat right above that dam I’m sure doesnt help.

Like Old Rat I use a regular 3/0 or 4/0 J-bend worm hook. Hook up ratio seems to be a lot better with that style hook. If the bait has a thin profile like a sinco, worm, lizard, etc I always use the J-bend.

Snopes says it was actually a Ford Escape that was not hit dead center. The driver side actually was still intact and the driver had minor injuries….I still wouldnt own a Smart Car though.

Congrats Jeff!

From what I can tell here in the Lacrosse area that the main river smallies spawned later then the LM so they are still somewhat scattered (saw fish still on beds about a week and a half ago)…they should be where they’re supposed to be soon.

did you find a link yet?

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so you’re calling a victory then Jim???

it’s final – you’ll be going in as the #1 seed….

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Don’t put that kind of preasure on me. I’ll end up spending a weeks worth of vacation and many $$$$’s prefishing in the hope I live up to that # 1 seed prediction.

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I have…

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Is that your assessment of Dutch Hollow or Slop Bass….?

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Both…

I have…

A friend of mine caught a 36″ on the upper end of Pool 8 a couple years back during a bass tourney. I think that same year a 40″+ was taken out the same pool in the Black River. The rumor has it though these fish are from a stocking of the La Crosse River near West Salem a few years back. I think I read that the DNR stocked several brood stock size muskies in Lake Nechonec and the river below it not too long ago.

Go to futurebass.com forum and under tournament anouncements there is a running total of how many have signed up…I believe they are up to 20 boats as of today.

April 26… not sure of the time though.

For me, I guess I like the old fasioned, low speed, round reel for this application. If I’m fishing heavy “snot” weed or throwing way back into a thick pad field I like the cranking power of my 5.8:1 Shimano 200 Cardiff. This reel is geared for light saltwatwer applications and has the “nuts” I think I need to hall in 20lbs of crud and fish without having a malfunction. I know the key is to get the fish up and out but there are times that just doesnt happen. At 8.6 oz, the reel is also farely light for an all metal round reel and it casts as far as my curados if not further…It also holds more line than most 200 low profile reels.

One of their club members told me they were waiting for the MSBC schedule to come out so they won’t conflict. They also changed their club name from “West Salem” to “3 Rivers”.

arr, me go fast!!!

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i have an 03 stratos 200 with a 225 ho. i drive across lake pepin everytime i launch with little problem. those of you who have been on pepin know it can get rough. ive hit 77 so far and im not done setting it up yet. ive never riden in a triton but all i can say is im very happy with my stratos

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77mph come on ……………

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Yes, coyote & bassman, they go that fast. I’ve got a 2005 200xl Strat and have hit that speed (GPS)on several occasions. Of coarse thats with a light load and just me in the boat. 74-75 mph with 2 guys and gear.

The club that runs this tourney changed their name from “West Salem” to “3 Rivers”. Don’t know if they’re running one this year…I dont think they had one last yr but I could be wrong.

With the forecasted high water I predict no tourney.(sorry about the negativity ) However if it does go the weights will probably be drastically reduced because of the no wake law.

About 45 degrees for me. Went out today for the first time this year and all I got was an 8+ pound walleye on a 1/2oz blk/brn skirted football head jig. This is the second big eye I’ve got on a bass jig..got one about 7 last year in the fall on a blk/blu jig and pig…ringworms are for wussies . J/K walleye guys/gals.

One more week and I’m done…although I’ve been telling my wife that for about a month now so who knows .
I think the colder weather next week should make it even better.

Was out on pool 8 yesterday looking for cleaner backwater areas and didn’t find any. Water is so high right now that pretty much everywhere has current and about 3 inches or less of visibility. Water temps are not that great either. One of the back channels I was in had a 69 degree water temp…I’m no expert but I’m think’n that’s not good.

Our club had a tourney on 8 on Sat…hope it wasnt one of us. However, from what I could tell we all went south at takeoff from 7th St. Nobody mentioned anything at weigh-in either about any clashes with other fishermen.

I’m a little new to the river lock and dam deal, but if there’s flooding south do they try and hold back the river north by closing gates on up-stream dams.

Dear Matt Prescott,

After reading your letter I decided to give up fishing, I even went as far as to list all my fishing gear on e-bay at a rock bottom price, to include my boat…heck, I’m so disgusted with myself I might even give it all away for nothing. Your letter and ideas are so profound that they touched me right here .

Haywood, Ace Hardware in Lacrosse has the Donkey.

I agree with Blue Fleck’s analogy about the swim jig. I have to be in the “right place at the right time” and hopefully I’ve got the right color tied on to match the hatch. I only throw it if there’s active feeding going on or there’s agitated bait fish flickering around in the area. To me, because of the smallish size of the bait, it’s a finesse tactic and with any finesse presentation your downsizing your bait trying to duplicate what they’re feeding on. It also is a great follow-up bait if you get a blow-up on a frog because I belelive that once a bass has blown up on that frog you’ve turned a “reaction bite” fish into an active feeder but only for a short period of time so its important to fire right back in there before its mood changes and alot of times they just can’t pass up that small shad or gill imitator that has landed right on their dinner table…

I’ve got the new Cruxis, Citica, and Curado 200’s. Outside the 7:0 gear ratio on the Curado they all are pretty simular in weight and casting ability. The Cruxis only comes in 6:2:1.

My partner and I fished the MSBC yesterday and started down by Stoddard. Spent about 3 hours working the slop only catching 2, 2 1/2 pounders…only saw about 3 boats the entire time we were down there and everyone was pretty spread out. I’ll have to admit, the fishing was pretty good down there a few days ago but for whatever reason we couldnt figure them out yesterday so we bailed. The only thing I could detemine was the strong winds dirtied up the water we were fishing and the fish moved. The Stoddard area is one of the biggest community holes on the river and its a relatively large area to boot, so I’m not sure what the guys beef was, you still have to catch them…we sure didn’t . Keep posting Cade and stay enthusiastic about what your doing, don’t let the actions of one hard core individual get you down. Fishing is ment to be a stress reliever not a stress giver.

Great job!