Summer Bass Fishing
No question about it, summer bass fishing can be challenging. With the recent record heat and very little rain it's only made conditions even more difficult. However, you can still have hot weather fishing success if you follow a few of these tips.
First, try fishing at night or during the low light time of day. Night fishing, especially at some of our clear Ozarks lakes like Stockton and Table Rock is the best time to be on the water. Not only is it cooler, bass and other predator fish use the darkness to their advantage to catch prey. Plan to fish deep on points, creek channel bends, and underwater humps. The best baits are big worms, jigs, crawdad type soft-plastics, and slow rolled big bladed spinner-baits. It may seem counter-intuitive but darker colors work best. The dark baits silhouette against the night sky and make them easier for bass to find.
If you're not comfortable fishing in the dark, the next best time of day is very early in the morning and late in the evening. Boat traffic is lighter then and bass are always more active during these low light conditions. Fish tend to move up shallower during that time of day as well and that makes them more accessible. Top water baits often work well. Buzz baits, Zara Spooks and other walking baits, and prop baits are the best choices. These "noisy" top water baits can draw strikes from deeper water and can trigger inactive fish into biting. As the sun moves higher, switch to big plastic worms, deep diving crankbaits, and slow rolled big spinner-baits. Vertical fishing a drop-shot rig or hopping a jigging spoon can be very effective. Also too, if you're on the water when the winds blowing, fish deeper banks where the waves are crashing. Fish are always looking for an advantage and the wind pushes bait-fish around and bass move up to catch them. The bass in the photo was caught in the late afternoon in just such a spot.
It's important too to get the fish you catch back into the water as soon as possible. If you catch a nice one, get a pic and then quickly release it. The warm water temps, and the battle reeling them in, stress bass so ease them back into the water as soon and possible.
Also too, it looks like some relief from the sweltering heat may be on the way. Clouds, rain, and cooler weather will often get inactive summertime bass going so plan to hit the water as soon as conditions improve.
No doubt, summer bass fishing can be tough but it shouldn't keep you off the water. You'll get less sleep but the effort will be well worth it. Fish are cold-blooded creatures so the warm water has their metabolism in high gear. If you hit it right, you can still have success even in the heat of the summer! Good luck!
Wind's Your Friend!
Like most things, too much of it can be a problem. However, the right amount of wind can make all the difference in having fishing success or not! Sure, it's easier to make a cast and control the boat out of the wind but chances are that's not the best place to be making a cast.
Wind creates current and pushes bait-fish into areas and onto banks that makes it easier for the predator fish to ambush prey. It can also dislodge crayfish from under rocks, stir up minnows, and generally gets the whole "food chain" thing going. Add in a little cloud cover, especially in the warmer months, and the wind & clouds combination can make for quality day on the lake.
Keep an on the wind direction for a few days before you head out. If it blows in the same general direction for a couple days, plan to start in the area where the waves have been crashing. If that bank or point's close to a creek or river channel bend, the better. A small pocket that's had the wind blowing into it, close to that deeper water, helps corral the shad and other bait-fish and makes it easier for the predator fish to slip up and grab a bite. If the wind's pushing through a cut-through or narrow channel the increased current will funnel bait and intern draw the game fish to the area.
When I say "predator fish" I mean you can except to catch several different species. On a recent afternoon I caught dozens of fish off one stretch of bank. Sure I hooked a few drum, they're predators too, several white bass, a couple nice "eating size" channel catfish, a few largemouths, some sunfish, and a couple nice walleye! One beauty that's gonna wind up on my grill someday soon!
So your next time out pay close attention to the wind and it's direction. Yes, it's a challenge standing on the trolling motor all day (no I don't have "spot lock" on my boat) but the work usually pays off. The wind is your friend and can make all the difference in having fishing success or failure.
The Bull Rolls Through The Marshfield 4th Of July Parade!
It's not everyday that you get to be a part of history. On Monday, the 4th 105.1 The Bull rolled around the historic Marshfield Square for the 143rd Annual Fourth of July Parade! Sure, it was hot, but that didn't keep folks away as thousands lined the route through town and around the square. The Marshfield 4th of July Parade is the oldest, continuous running, Independence Day parade west of the Mississippi river! Amazing!
Kids snatched up candy tossed from The Bull van. I believe most did better on the 4th than they do on Halloween! There was candy tossed from several floats. I noticed a few kids had a cooler handy to toss then candy into once it hit the pavement. Good idea! They're likely to have thoughtful parents to thank for that idea. I'm sure who was tossing out chocolate kisses and candy bars but that stuff didn't stay in solid form for more than a few seconds after hitting the asphalt!
There were some creative parade entries. I snapped a few pics of some of the entries as we lined up to roll through. Most were sponsored by local business owners or had an affiliation with a local church or organization.
It was an amazing event and we here at 105.1 The Bull were honored to be part of the fun! Special thanks to the Webster Electric Co-Operative, Brooks Gas, Your Midwest Ford Dealers, and Clear Creek Golf Carts! God bless America and we'll see you next year!
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Schooling White Bass Are A Blast!
After a very wet spring things are drying out and warming up. About this time of year white bass are schooling and feeding on shad fry. That makes for some fast and furious action! Another contributing factor is the pulling of water through the dams to generate hydro-electric power to meet soaring summer demands. The combination of current and abundant bait-fish get the white bass and hybrids going.
This years shad fry are get some size to them and schooling up. When they reach about a 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch long they're perfect bite size morsels for white bass. The water is clearing too from the spring rains and all of this adds up to some fun on the water.
Most of the action takes place later in the afternoon and evenings. When the lake flattens out the surface becomes a wall that the predator fish use to help corral the shad. The shad school near the surface to feed on the plankton growth created by the summer sun. Because most of the action is later in the day, plan to arrive around 4 or 5 and stay till late that evening. Be sure to bring the kids! There's no better way to get them hooked on fishing than catching a fish on nearly every cast as the whites tear in the shad fry.
Bait selection is pretty basic too. All you need are some white or shad colored Road Runners, Rooster-Tails, or chrome Tiny Traps. Your lures should be small to match the size of the shad. Keep your eye out for the schooling action. Look for gulls and aquatic birds diving into the schools looking to grab an easy meal as the whites push the shad to the surface.
Good luck and have fun! We'll see you on the water!
Add Red Rocks To Your Bucket List!
The fact is, there's no place like it on earth. The Red Rocks Amphitheater is a geological phenomenon, the only naturally-occurring, acoustically perfect amphitheater in the world. My first visit to this amazing place was in the late 80's. It took me 30 years to make it back. One of the first things I did after accepting a radio job in Grand Junction, Colorado in 2016 I started making plans to return. Since then, I've made it back several times, including twice in three days just last week!
It's about a 11 hour drive from Springfield, Missouri to Denver, Colorado. The elevation at the venue is 6,450 feet above sea level. It's location, a unique transitional zone between the Great Plains and the Rocky Mountains make for an amazing view. The rocks are "Fountain Formation" stones that vary in color from light gray to pale red to dark rust. Over the millennia the erosion and weathering decomposed the rock, releasing minerals such as iron that give Red Rocks its reddish-pink color.
Be sure and arrive early. Parking is tricky with limited lots and the later you arrive the further up the mountain you'll have to hike. The venue is located inside a park that's 738 acres in size filled with wildlife, dinosaurs tracks, pine trees, and all types of geological wonders. Also on the premises is the Visitor Center, Trading Post, Red Rocks Hall of Fame, and more!
Need a great country show it see? The Chicks are doing two shows coming up August 2nd and 3rd. Plus, Thomas Rhett takes the legendary stage at Red Rocks on August 12th.
No trip to Colorado is complete without a visit to Estes Park and The Rocky Mountain National Park. About 45 minutes to the north and west of Red Rocks, try and make time to take in the town and one of the most beautiful places in the US. Red Rocks, add it to your bucket list and start making plans to get there. I guarantee you'll not be disappointed!
It's Always A Good Time At The Springfield Cardinals!
The Springfield Cardinals are back in town this week and the weather forecast is calling for hot and dry conditions! Sounds like baseball weather to me! Schools out too so there's no reason not to load up the family and head to Hammond's Field.
There's something special about minor league baseball games. For starters, the ballparks are smaller and that makes for a more personal experience. Plus, between every inning there's some kind of contest, promotion, or giveaway. Be ready! You never know when a t-shirt may come flying your way!
This week The Cardinals take on Corpus Christi. The "Hooks" roll into town Tuesday, June 14th. The home-stand continues though Sunday and there's something fun scheduled for every game. Tuesday evening is Great Southern Bank's "$2 Tuesday", all brats and hot dogs are just two bucks, Wednesday is "Purina Woof Wednesday" so grab the leash and bring out the pooch, Thursday will be cool as the first 2,000 at the park snag a St. Louis Cardinals Yadier Molina & Adam Wainwright Mystery Championship Replica Ring, Friday evening break out your cape and tights and join the fun that is "Marvel's Defenders of the Diamond" night and don't miss the fireworks, the "St. Louis Cardinals Mike Shannon Bobblehead Giveaway" is Saturday evening, and finally on Sunday afternoon is Hiland Dairy Ice Cream day and kids run the bases.
It's gonna be a fun week at the "ole ball game" so make plans to come out!
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Ray caught the firework show a couple weeks ago shown above! You can watch the firework show AND try to win a St. Louis Cardinals Mike Shannon Bobblehead at their giveaway THIS Saturday night! Get your tickets and more info by clicking HERE!
Kids Fishing Fun Day!
The smiles on their faces tells you everything you need to know! The Kids Fun Fishing Day at Rutledge-Wilson Farm Park was a huge success! The Springfield-Greene County Park Board partnered with the Missouri Department of Conservation for the 41st annual event.
“Living in the Ozarks it’s easy to imagine that all kids know to fish, but that’s not true,” says Jenny Fillmer-Edwards, public information administrator for the Springfield-Greene County Park Board. For those of us who were raised with a fishing pole in our hands it's hard to imagine life without fishing. For many kids that's not their reality and this Saturday's event offered the chance for kids, and parents alike, to enjoy a few hours of fishing in the parks fully stocked pond.
Getting kids into the fishing game early in life is beneficial in so many ways. First, fishing is a hobby you can enjoy for nearly your whole life, second, it's a great family activity, plus it gets everyone off those tiny screens and focused on the pure pleasure that is "reelin'em in"!
If you missed this year's event, no worries. Summer's just getting started and there are so many great places to take your kids fishing in The Ozarks. Many regional landowners will allow fishing in their ponds. Most times it just takes a knock on the door and asking, especially if you're planning to practice "catch-n-release." Again, another cool thing about fishing is that you can have the fun of catching a fish, get a quick photo, and then toss it back to be caught again another day.
If you can't find a pond, they are plenty of rivers and streams, many of which are accessible by automobile. The Missouri Stream Team map is a great place to start. They are literally dozens of locations in and around Springfield. Click the link to find an access location near you.
https://mostreamteam.org/interactive-map.html
Take your kids fishing. You'll make memories that will last a lifetime. You just may find yourself having as much, if not more fun, than they do!
Fishing On Holiday Weekends
It takes effort and planning but you can have fishing success on a holiday weekend. With most of the area lakes well above normal pool, and the water stained from the recent rains, game fish will be shallow and active.
This bass was caught on Memorial Day a year ago. The recently spawned female was set up in just a couple feet of water in some flooded bushes. When I rolled my spinnerbait by, she crushed it. The water level was high last year as well and the cooler water temps kept the fish shallow. After recovering from the spawn, they're usually hungry and looking to ambush what they perceive as an easy meal.
Similar conditions are setting up this Memorial Day weekend as well. This fish was caught this week on that very same spinnerbait. Notice the flooded bushes and water color behind me. A slight breeze was blowing into this pocket and within a few casts, I had a few fish in the boat. Chartreuse and other brightly colored baits will be more visible to the fish. Willow leaf and Indiana blades will work best. If the waters really stained, go with Colorado blades to add the extra "thump."
You'll want to get on the water early or later in the evening, away from the traditional skiing and tubing time. Plan to fish in the upper ends of the lake away from most pontoons and cruisers. Look for coves with scattered flooded bushes. Too much flooded cover is difficult to pinpoint where the fish may be set up. Lure selection is pretty simple too. Since you'll be fishing around cover, stay away from anything with a treble hook. Again, a spinnerbait or buzz bait will do the trick. If the fish aren't aggressively hitting the moving lures, a jig or a soft plastic creature bait pitched into the shady side of the bush will usually draw a strike.
If you're taking the kids, tie them on a smaller Beetle Spin type of bait. Those will come through the brush without getting hung up as much. Sure, you'll need to go get their bait out of a tree or a bush from time to time but they may also be rewarded with a size sized bass on their line. The smile on their face will be worth the extra hassle. White bass too may be roaming the flatter windy banks. Again, the kids won't care as long as they getting bit and 12 inch white will put up a heck of a fight.
So don't talk yourself out of going fishing this weekend because "all the crazies will be on the water." Sure, it takes extra effort and planning but holiday weekends can be productive. For me, a day on the water, success or not, is better than hanging around the house. Plus, it'll get you and kids off those tiny screens. Good luck!
Brooks & Dunn Rocked The House!
Sunday's Brooks & Dunn show at the Great Southern Bank Arena was one great song after another after another! The whole place was on their feet and singing along to every hit! Kix Brooks acknowledged "the Springfield choir" and their singing ability. Kix had been battling a cold and asked the crowd to "help me out" and everyone obliged. As Ronnie Dunn said "I'll take a 90% Kix Brooks over anyone else any day."
The best selling country duo of all-time have been together since 1990. Since then they've recorded 11 studio albums, one holiday record, and five compilation albums. In the 30 plus years, the duo have released 50 singles, of which 20 went to #1 on the Hot County Charts. 19 other tracks reached the top 10.
One of the many highlights was during "Only In America" when US service men and woman took the stage saluting the red, white, and blue! The crowd was on their feet and applauded showing their appreciation!
Jordan Davis was great and got the crowd revved up with his hits "Singles You up", "Take It From Me", and "Buy Dirt," a song nominated for 2020 ACM Song and Single of the Year.
Concerts are back! Keep up with all the shows on the Concert page and we'll see you at the next one!
Kansas Speedway NASCAR Race Day Festivities
There's not anything quite like NASCAR race day! Crews and I got the opportunity to take in the pre-race festivities this Sunday at the Kansas Speedway. If you've not been, I highly recommend you add a NASCAR race to your bucket list. TV just doesn't do it justice. Racing assaults all your senses! The roar of the engines, the smell of ethanol and burning rubber, plus the speed of the cars as they zoom around the track, it's one of the biggest spectacles in all of sports.
I've always enjoyed racing. When I was little, my mom and her friends would load up my cousins and I and take us to the old I-70 Speedway outside of Kansas City. I even made it to the Indy 500 back in the early 90's. That's one I'd be up for doing again someday. Sprint Car racing is a lot of fun! Those dirt track, fin clad, sliding machines are great! I love boat racing too. I made it the Lake of the Ozarks for "The Shootout" in 2020. We used to hit that boat race every year back when it took place out front of Shooter's 21.
https://youtu.be/POlcMV4dqMs
Roaming the garage area, walking along Pit Road, getting to meet a few of the drivers was great, but the best highlight of any NASCAR race is the National Anthem and flyover. Whiteman Air Force Base represented our nation's military with the presentation of the colors, singing of the anthem, and the 303rd Fighter Squadron pilots as they jetted a pair of A-10 Thunderbolt attack aircraft over the track! NASCAR returns to the Kansas Speedway the weekend of September 11th. Start making your plans to be there! You'll be glad you did!