5/3/22 battling heavy winds and white caps this past weekend

I left Truman State Park around 10:30 Saturday morning, the wind wasn’t blowing THAT bad. I turned right out of the park and headed to the Osage river. Mistake.

As I rounded the point I saw a bass boat coming at me and his prop was about a foot out of the water. BIG WAVES!

I got by him and slowed WAY down cruising along the bluff, no one fishes the first cove, (maybe this fall, conservation put a BIG fish attractor there few weeks ago). The second cove, which is my 2nd goto spot had 3 bass boats in it with 1 parked over the crappie bed. The 3rd cove and my favorite spot had 2 bass boats in it and they were fishing nose to nose over my honey hole. Sigh.

I went on up to a cove I’d never fished before (and probably won’t again). Stump after stump after tree barely below the water in 40 ft of water. There were fish there but over 25 ft deep. Not worth the time, especially in the wind and catching a small one and releasing from that depth will kill them. I got to the back of the cove, it was somewhat calm until the wind would swirl. I tied off to a tree and I was spinning around it. Livescope was useless, so I attached a bobber and started casting to the banks. Nothing but turtles sunbathing. Sigh

I decided, eh, it’s not that bad I’ll cruise along the bluffs towards Osage Bluff, under the mile long bridge (dodging the No boat bouys put out for maintenance on the bridge). I was feeling pretty good about buying some minnows, maybe a few beers at Osage marina and cruising along. ALL OF THE sudden HUGE white caps just as I approached KK island. I pushed partially thru and said ”heck with this” as 4 foot swells sucked me down into the trough, water came over the sides of the boat then spit me back out to do it again. (Can’t sink a Ranger but you can fill one up and the water is cold). Made the turn and headed back home. Lived to fish another day.

Sunday I went to the farm, mowed and did a little fishing in the pond. I call it Tractor therapy. Just kind of zone out and listen to the brush hog do it’s work.

Teresa and I got out on the boat around 6:00 Sunday night. We were mostly looking for a relaxing boat ride but I decided to turn left and head towards Long Shoal. There’s a tree line that’s “mostly” been good to me and I parked over a spot I found a few months ago. 2 trees laying at 45 degree angles pointing away from each other and always holding fish.

I caught 10 keepers in about an hour, the wind had slowed and it was/is a beautiful Missouri spring day/evening.

They were in about 12 ft of water, water temp around 58 with more rain on the way.

Fish on!