Low speed impact with unforgiving structure on July 7 put a serious crimp in both guide work and fishin’. Was able to run several trips out out client’s boats since prop, propt shaft & pinion/forward gear sent the structure kiss up the line. Outboard still ran well enough to sneak out close to home–but not well enough to take folks out on the River for hire.

Biggest snag:pinion/forward gear. Zero available in the 4 nat’l distribution centers. Just 3 in dealer inventory nationwide. I was able to secure the one out in KS. Lord’ willin’ will be back on the water soon.

Here’s the deal: amount of ‘fishable water’ has dropped about 70% below an average summer do to historic low water levels in the Miss. Navigating just a few feet beyond the channel can have dire consequences. 3 out of 5 guides working this stretch of River have had lower unit impact issues over the past couple months–and all of ’em have a pretty fair idea of how to run the River.

With such a decrease of fishable water obvious spots are getting POUNDED. Quality gamefish realize this. Finesse is key to hooking up! A great deal of this is bait presentation, often driven by boat location/orientation.

Often, the scenario is like deer hunting from a strategically placed stand instead of even a well orchestrated drive. Putting that hook at the optimum point for a quality fish to slurp it in may take a drop shot or Ned rig presentation for bass & walleyes. Z-Man products set the bar in both these presentations.

I’ve had a fair amount of success drop shotting willocats–both live and #liquidewillowcat plastics doused with ‘da juice’ for quality walleye over the past couple months and the #liquidwillowcat leech for SMB. Downside of getting bit is the mixed blessing that the fish tear these baits up. The Z-Man ElaZtech plastic is usually good for several fish.

Weird thing is some of the nicer SMB have chomped when the drop shot is firmly snagged in the rocks! Fishin’ 40 lb. braid to the hook and 10 lb. floro to the weight means the weight is often lost, but a fish is in the net.

29,30 & 8/2 are open for half-day trips in the a.m. Next open date for an extended tour is 8/9…with maybe a half dozen open days during the week the rest of the month.

have y’all ever seen the movie “Second Hand Lions” starring Robert Duvall & Micheal Caine? That’s kinda where guide john Bomkamp & me are right now…with Galen Bremmer still ridin’ hard but slowing down.

The FWS extorts a $3 ‘head tax’ on every person we share the wonders of the River with as fishin’ guides. Of course, my thought of being compensated for working at teaching others is counter to conventional government wisdom. Paying folks not to work is why there are only 3 forward gears available for 90 h.p E-techs in the entire USA. Maybe I’ll invoice the FWS for 15-20 folks I wasn’t able to take out when my motor was down. Oh, well the FWS inequitable tax for ‘administrative purposes’ is Biblical…right out of Isaiah 5:20.

stay safe out there!