Mark Hofman
Well-Known Member
- Joined
- Nov 12, 2001
- Messages
- 3,095
- Reaction score
- 5
Wellll, we just returned from three glorious days and nights at the Lake of the Ozarks. Lemme tell ya, boy can the weather change in just four hours.
Friday, the temps were in the uppper 40's, cloudy skies and we didn't catch a darn thing all afternoon.
On Saturday, the skies were clear, the temps were in the mid-to upper 50's. I caught three throw-back bass and three keeper crappie. My father-in-law tied into two crappie, one of which almost measured thirteen inches (legal is nine, average is 9.5). The big boats and big sparklies were all over the lake. I ran the boat hard to try and break the transom. No dice.
On Sunday, the temps started out nice, but by noon they had fallen into the low 40's. The wind kicked up, the big boats disappeared and we ended up with four keeper crappie caught way in the back of a main lake cove in twenty feet of water. The run back to the cabin was in heavy whitecapped chop. By the time we tied up and stowed everything, the freezing drizzle had started. No more fishin'.
This morning, I made a three-mile run to a public boat ramp with the temperature at 26. Folks may laugh at my Darth Vader Helmet, but I was really glad I had it along.
Oh, and I learned something new. BEFORE you launch a boat at an unfamiliar ramp, go back and look at how far the concrete extends into the lake - and especially to see if there is a ten-inch drop-off at the END of that concrete BEFORE you back the trailer into the water. Boats can make a big splash when that trailer just drops out from underneath them. Having a 4x4 makes a big difference in getting that trailer out too. Anybody got any extra gloss-black spraypaint layin' around? I gotta spray some sections of my trailer now.
Friday, the temps were in the uppper 40's, cloudy skies and we didn't catch a darn thing all afternoon.
On Saturday, the skies were clear, the temps were in the mid-to upper 50's. I caught three throw-back bass and three keeper crappie. My father-in-law tied into two crappie, one of which almost measured thirteen inches (legal is nine, average is 9.5). The big boats and big sparklies were all over the lake. I ran the boat hard to try and break the transom. No dice.
On Sunday, the temps started out nice, but by noon they had fallen into the low 40's. The wind kicked up, the big boats disappeared and we ended up with four keeper crappie caught way in the back of a main lake cove in twenty feet of water. The run back to the cabin was in heavy whitecapped chop. By the time we tied up and stowed everything, the freezing drizzle had started. No more fishin'.
This morning, I made a three-mile run to a public boat ramp with the temperature at 26. Folks may laugh at my Darth Vader Helmet, but I was really glad I had it along.
Oh, and I learned something new. BEFORE you launch a boat at an unfamiliar ramp, go back and look at how far the concrete extends into the lake - and especially to see if there is a ten-inch drop-off at the END of that concrete BEFORE you back the trailer into the water. Boats can make a big splash when that trailer just drops out from underneath them. Having a 4x4 makes a big difference in getting that trailer out too. Anybody got any extra gloss-black spraypaint layin' around? I gotta spray some sections of my trailer now.
