Bam—-I don’t have a best color !!! I see a lot of guys fall into this. You need to always remain flexable and change to fit the situation. Not to say you need to carry 100 different colored jigs! But keep a good variety of basic river colors,
such as : Chartruse, hot pink, white, lime green, black, and orange.
A basic rule of thumb that applies to all our river sport fish
would be – dark day/dark water use color, brite day/clear water use natural more sedate colors.
Kensyl Reading
Ol’ Miss Guide Service

t–I don’t have a favorite length. It’s all about control and where the eye are hang’n.

I use a short lead 12-24″ in current and snaggy situations. I like longer leads when the eye are under a lot of fishing pressure or like now with the water table very cold and the fish
are hugging the bottom.

Kensyl Reading
Ol’ Miss Guide Service

81, check my fishing reports for the pool !! That’s why I put them in The Corp has a set of Nav. Charts that have been rcently updated with all the new wdams. Go to
http://www.mvr.usace.army.mil, also you can get flow data at :
http://www.riverwatch.noaa.gov/u_mississippi.shtml

Watch for my reports–by the way I was out on the south portion of pool 14 today and had some real nice bass action
anchored by (2) that were in the 4# range——-one word—–
ROCKs

Kensyl Reading——-EFN ProStaff
Ol’ Miss Guide Service

Glen, personally I use both methods. I don’t have a preference. My opinion is that you shouldn’t either !

“Let the structure your going to work dictate your method”.
Example: open water to channel drops or rock (Smallies)–
jig style/open hook, weed beds/wood (LBass)–texas rig
etc.
I might add though, the best action imparted on the tube comes from the jig/exposed hook style. Fish love that slow undulating fall with the tube remaining horizontal on its way down.

Kensyl Reading————-EFN ProStaff
Ol’ Miss Guide Service

Jeremy, I maybe should have clarified myself. ” I hate spinning gear”. I’m old school. I even do 90% of my Eye fishing with “Bcasting” gear !

That’s exactly what I’m say’n ” Casting gear gives you much better efficiency” . But as you’ll see with this www everybody has a different approach and oppinion. That’s what’s great about this www

Kensyl Reading———-EFN ProStaff

Wooley, prop dia. doesn’t necessarily mean +/- RPMs. The big determiner is “blade pitch”. From your existing prop you now have a base line established. It’s far cheaper to change the “pitch” especially with an Allum. one. Your local hammer
smith with the proper dies can do it for ya !

Actually the worst propeller you could ever use is an Alluminum one , but they come standard. A steel prop is your best choice–you pay extra but in the long run they are a mush better performer Why you ask–with out getting to technical—-when under power the blade does not “deform” like an allum blade does. This essentually means that “you’re blade is taking a full bite” and the prop is moving the proper length linearly with each rev. oops sorry there I go
getting cared away again !!

Kensyl Reading——–EFN ProStaff
Ol’ Miss Guide Service

Lure preference is really a personal confidence thing.

From a lure mechanics thing — what separates many of the wiglers where talk’n about is their width. You’ll notice the Frenzy and the Rap are wider at the nose. Here lies why some prefer the original RTrap and the others ! The RTrap comes thru the water with much less restance. This trait gives the lure much better feel and responsiveness.

Most guys above the Mason/Dixson line, throw those lures with a 6′ med. action spinning rod ! Here’s the experiment !
Throw a Frenzy or a Rap out and watch the rod tip bend ! Now throw a RTrap out —— big difference. That’s what I’m talk’n about. Where talk’n effeciency here. but now you can start talk’n about the difference between how a “bait caster”
handles ’em as opposed to “spinning”
Man I can get carried away—-sorry !

Kensyl Reading——EFN ProStaff
Ol’ Miss Guide Service

Nice go’n. I’ve caught big Northern but no ski. Sounds like a plausible theory.

Kensyl Reading——-EFN ProStaff

Interesting ! I’ve cught them from pools 3 up and into the Croix
Every once in a while I hear about one being caught down on the warm water pools (you said pool 10).

Don’t take this wrong, but Musky that far south is rare !! Usually, they are Northerns, IDd as Musky. A lot of times those fish coming from the warm, muddy waters of the Ol’ Miss. will be washed out color wise and hard to tell apart!
But, crimeny guy, you hear of Trout being caught too !!!!

Hope you didn’t handle’m to much, and got’m back in the water quickly. Stress and body slime removall, kills em quick in the summer months.

Kensyl Reading——–EFN ProStaff
Ol’ Miss Guide Service

I don’t know what this tourney is but your buddy needs to make sure he can legally do it.
I’ve pre-fished with BASS guys, RedMan guys, Federation guys, local guys, they all have different rules. A polygraph has a way of catching up with a guy.

Kensyl Reading———-EFN ProStaff
Ol’ Miss Guide Service

Crimeny, I didn’t even get into any “Sven and Ollie” jokes !

Let me second Bobbers commments.

Kensyl Reading——-EFN ProStaff
OL’ Miss Guide Service

You’re absolutely correct ! A fish begins a downward spiral as soon as it leaves the water and is held vertical !! Stress is the cause of most fish mortality. Every one needs to be mindfull of this! and take better care. People should treat them as a resource-renewable or not.

Gofish

Kensyl Reading——–EFN ProStaff

Ol’ Miss Guide Service

Yo Guy——We’re flooding in these parts. Up river Pool 6>

looks like its back in it’s banks or close.

Gofish

Crimeny Young. —–your pick’n a bad weekend !! Weather’s bring’n in 1-2″ of rain for Saturday. Both rivers are run’n high and muddy !!! Sorry for the bad news

Gofish

Kensyl Reading——-EFN ProStaff

Yo Guys — This is showing my age but the dots your refering to used to be called “coach Dog” pattern. The modern day stuff doesn’t call it that anymore– Tiger now, like “fire tiger”

Bomber gave me a half dozen in that color scheme in 92 and between river trammel nets and N.Pike I eventually lost ’em all. It wasn’t to long about mid 90’s Cordell Walley Divers came out with the all red——–I airbrush the orange belly.

Tracker——ya use’n “vinyl red”

Gofish

Kensyl Reading———EFN ProStaff

Yo Bomber—Interesting, I’ve been looking for 4yrs for the same red Bomber but with an “orange” belly, coach dog pattern ! 92-93 I did some promo work for the Company and they gave me a bunch of prototypes to grade out. That color scheme was hot!!! But they only produced it for a couple yrs.

I’ve seen the color pattern on their stick baits but I found them at a bait shop that sells “liquidator stuff”. Good luck Tell me if you find ’em.

Gofish

Kensyl Reading———-EFN ProStaff

Ol’ Miss Guide Service

Eyes your living in the past !! The farmers are now taking out their fences!!! Crimeny, they can get 2 more rows in now !!!!!!

I never thought I’d ever thank the guys put’n cable in the ground. Hey, it keeps the farmers from plant’n in the ditches !!!!!!!!!!!!

Gofish

Nice report Eyes ! Keep the diologe go’in with him please !

and when you run out of questions, I have a thousand more.

Ask him about the Zebra’s. Have ya noticed all the shells

covering the ramp at Clinton-I also found a huge section down in the old lock section by Leclaire covered with them also !

I also read an article written by him, where he stated the the lower pools where silting in so fast that the Walleye fry having no where to go, reside in the river channels where-by they are suffering a high mortality due to the barges plying the channel also.

Hey guy, somebody up at pool 14 said you wheren’t that smart. “I guess I’ll defend ya next time !!

Keep up the good work ! This stuff is interesting !!

Gofish

Kensyl Reading———EFN ProStaff

Crimeny Guy, the river almost looked virgin. Took several nice pike while you where Crow hunt’n on a hand painted 6″

stick bait I made. Now if ya could get rid of a few Raccon, we’ll have to make the Turkey the new state bird !!

Yup, Herb here we go ! Let me clarify. First, I talked directly

to the head honcho incharge of ramps/docks, maintenance, etc. of Davenports river areas. Second, I wasn’t talking a whole slough. I was referring to a 50′ entrance to the slough.

Guys, you need to remember the taxpayers pay for all the waterways operations. What the Barge company’s contribute is a joke. It’s the must subsidized industry there is, even ahead of farming.

I also volunteer many hours to the river: cleaning a local marsh project, hauling river trash, migratory bird taging,river beach clean-up, and (this one’s selfish) ramp snow/ice removal.

GoFish

Kensyl Reading——–EFN Prostaff

Ya Hey Eric, Here’s an interesting tip, and a rule of thumb I’ve used for years and one nurtured from my years fishing

the TVA lakes in S. Missouri. and NW. Wisc. :

Let nature give you your que – In the Ozarks when the Dog Wood trees bloomed, the Bass where mov’n shallow .

Up in our neck of the woods I don’t watch for Dog Wood, but I watch the Hawthorn Shrub. It’s a low 3-4′ shrub used as an ornamental around foundations, fences and borders. It’s the first flowering shrub to bloom, and you can recognize it with its yellow spike like flowers running vertically along its branches. More simply, the water temps will be 55-58 degrees, thus the bass will be moving shallow and feeding!!

GoFish

Kensyl Reading——EFN ProSTaff

Sorry Herb—-you Odessa NUT !! Hey ya never did tell me about those Beaver. Ya been down to Ft Lauderdale on Spring break haven’t ya , guy !!!!!!!

GoFish

Yo bigdog – I must have read your play book !! You hit the nail on the head !! I fish the Donahue section.

Did ya read my small stream pike post-you should have written it.

GoFish

Kensyl Reading——-EFN ProStaff

Yo coonry – Until I started making my my own lures and above all, have spent 33 yrs learning how to find fish (Bass).

I have a garage full of “hot” baits.

LEARN TO FIND’EM and the rest is easy.

GoFish

Kensyl Reading——-EFN ProStaff

Hey Der HYBES – The barges have the right-of-way in all incidenses. The other questions go to the Corps web site

http://www.mvr.usace.army.mil

Gofish

Kensyl Reading——EFN ProStaff

Yo kc – are you related to TeamCrappie. He emailed with the same question. The short answer is yes to pools 14 & 16 a

bonus pool for ya is 17. You can check my last fishing report

for pool 17 – check the archives

Gofish

Kensyl Reading——-EFN ProStaff

Ya Hey Guys, I put about 13,000 + mi on my boat trailer tires each year and I don’t even Tourney fish.

Gofish

Kensyl Reading—–EFN ProStaff

Yo Flathead— You’ve got some tuff questions for River Rats!

I’m not sure what State you live in, but the Iowa DNR has a bunch of Fishery guys that help out “In-Fisherman”. Search on IA DNR.

Gofish

Bill, the Wapsipinican River runs from n.central Iowa southeastwards to the Ol’ Miss emptying into it below Clinton, Ia. Since the river flows through farm country I don’t need to tell ya the environmental problems it has, plus the usual flooding associated with river tributaries. That being said it can be a very nice river suitable for canoe, tube, and in places boat. A 14-16′ flat bottom & 25hp is the standard.

Every kind of freshwater fish is in the waters, obviously some species do better than others.

Iowa not being blessed with a Thousand Lakes like some States, has to rely on its tributairy rivers. Iowa has over 18 major feeder rivers running into ether the Missouri or the Miss.

Gofish

Kensyl Reading——–EFN ProStaff