One Eyed Willy's Hosts Outdoor Writers

One Eyed Willy’s Hosts Outdoor Writers Bill Cooper 4/30/16 A plump English Bull Dog by the name Deacon waddled towards me, plopped her rump down on my feet and stared at me with big, dark eyes. The aroma of Ray Ray’s Smokehouse BBQ, from Cabool, Missouri teased my sense of smell more than Deacon’s longing eyes teased my sense of sharing. Ok, I did sneak her a tiny bite. Fifteen outdoor media members from the Missouri Outdoor Communicators enjoyed the fabulous Ray Ray’s BBQ as part of the 2016 Lebanon/Bennett Spring Area Cast and Blast sponsored by the Conservation Federation of Missouri, Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation, Ozark Ridge Calls and zMax Micro-Lubricant. One Eyed Willy’s Campground and Canoe Outfitter provided Lodging and meeting rooms. Meals were provided by Bennett Spring State Park, One Eyed Willy’s, Ray Ray’s Smokehouse BBQ and the City of Lebanon. The City of Lebanon has three times been named to Outdoor Life’s annual “Top 200 Towns for Sportsmen” list. From the great outdoors to the great indoors, Lebanon offers the experienced traveler a wide variety of options. Fishing, hiking, hunting, concerts, shows, pieces of America’s storied history on Route 66 and much more all can be found in the Lebanon area. Cast and Blast participants experienced the best of Lebanon area turkey hunting, floating and fishing the Niangua River, kayaking, hiking and trout fishing at Bennett Spring State Park. Other activities included a tour of the Missouri Department of Conservation Fish Hatchery, casting lessons and a demonstration from former St. James resident and fly fishing expert Jim Rogers, a spring tour and exploring park grounds. One Eyed Willy’s is “The Place to be on the Niangua!” Willy’s is a full-service campground and canoe outfitter located on the Niangua River. Lodging options include an assortment of rustic yet comfortable cabins and primitive camp sites. Visitors may rent canoes, kayak, and rafts to float and fish. The Whiskey River Antique Store and Gift Shop, Pete’s Place restaurant and Fire in the Hole concession make life on the river grand. www.OneEyedWillys.com. Ray Ray’s Smokehouse Barbecue is a family-owned business committed to bringing you the very best in award winning bbq sauce and rub products. Ray Ray’s was name the 2012 Grand Champion of the First Annual Fin to Fur Smoke Off. Ray Ray’s products may be found in area grocery stores. www.TinyURL.com/RayRaysBBQ.com. zMax Micro-lubricant is a science-based product with molecules smaller than those of conventional oils. Once zMax is applied to the internal parts of a firearm, it disperses carbon and other harmful deposits, protecting the firearm from the inside out. www.zmax.com/products/firearms/. Bill Green of Ozark Ridge Turkey Calls has been making quality calls for over 20 years. Each call is developed using materials and techniques that cannot be duplicated by today’s modern mass produced calls. Ozark Ridge Turkey Calls are the finest handmade calls available. www.OzarkRidgeCalls.com. Bennett Spring State Park is the fourth largest spring in Missouri, with a daily flow of over 1000 million gallons of water per day. One of Missouri’s most popular state parks, Bennett Spring offers a variety of lodging options and fabulous trout fishing. www.BennettSpringStatePark.com. The Conservation Federation of Missouri is a a private organization made up of thousands of Missourians who work together to better our natural resources and represents Missouri’s citizen conservationists. CFM speaks for sportsmen whenever and wherever it is necessary, to support our collective opinions on the future of Missouri outdoors. www.ConFedMo.org. The Missouri Conservation Heritage Foundation is a nonprofit, charitable organization founded in 1997 to help meet financial needs placed on natural resource conservation and conservation-related outdoor recreation. MCHF advances conservation and appreciation of forest, fish and wildlife resources by applying financial resources to the priorities of the Missouri Department of Conservation in collaboration with donors and other partners. www.MOCHF.org. Outdoor communicators from Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois and Oklahoma participated in the 2016 MOC Cast and Blast. The Lebanon, Missouri area will greatly benefit from the media efforts of the participants. Participants included Brent Frazee, of the Kansas City Star, Barb Ostmann, travel writer, Bobby Whitehead of Outdoor Guide Magazine, Brad Wiegmann, social media guru, Dale Bowman, of SBC Global, Dennis Whiteside, of Streamguide, Gretcehn Steele, an Illinois journalist, Jason Jenkins, of Rural Missouri, Kenny Kieser, from Kansas City, Thayne and Jeannine Farmer, Tim Kjellesvik, The Thinking Woodsman podcast and Bill Cooper, of Outside Again Adventures TV-Online. The media material produced by participants of such events provides a virtual media blitz for hosting communities, agencies and businesses. The 2016 Missouri Outdoor Communicators Cast and Blast was organized by the Missouri Outdoor Communicators executive directors, the Beenders Walker Group. Contact Kyle Stewart at 573-619-3296 fro further information. EDITOR’S NOTE: Bill Cooper is an award winning outdoor writer who may be followed on www.aoutdoorstv.com, www.facebook.com/Outsidealways, www.outsideagainadventures.blogspot.com and blogs in www.leaderjournalcom, www.therolladailynews.com, www.waynesvilledailyguide.com, and www.lakenewsonline.com. Bill Cooper lives in rural St. James with his lovely, award winning photographer wife, Dian.

Incredible Turkey Season

Incredible Turkey Season Ozark Revelations Bill Cooper Sometimes the stars align themselves perfectly. Such has been the case with my 2016 spring turkey season. I began my season at a small media camp in Eminence, Missouri. Jim Anderson, owner of Shady Lane Motel and Cabins hosted myself, Kansas City writer Ryan Miloshewski and Land Agent Joey Purpura, from Kansas. We toured the beautiful Eminence area and traversed hills, hollows and Current River in search of gobblers. We all had close encounters, but no one connected. I spent opening day with old friend retired National Park Service ranger Bill Terry. He had heard numerous gobblers at our spot the day, before, but lockjaw befell the gobblers the day we hunted together. That proved just fine. Bill and I caught up. Tuesday morning I hunted with “Ray Eye the turkey spy.” Often called a “Living Legend,” Eye is an incredible turkey hunter. He coaxed a gobbler off the limb. It landed 60 yards away. A hen landed next to it and she lead the gobbler straight away. Again, it was good to catch up. Wednesday morning I stopped by to check in with Bill Terry. The gobbler had not recovered from their lockjaw malady. Bill wanted to make a move, so I headed home. Terry’s e-mail beat me home. He killed a big gobbler at 8 a.m. Thursday night Dian and traveled to Licking, Missouri to hook up again with Ray Eye and a host of outdoor writers ann personalities including, former trout biologist Spence Turner, Linda Powell of Mossberg, Melanie Swearingen, of the National Wild Turkey Federation, John Sabati, Hawaii turkey guide, Tony Caggiano, World Slam Adventures and Scott Davis, host of “Urban Hunting TV,” out of Nashville, Tennessee. Davis made the trip home with me. I called and filmed the next day while he hunted on Jim DiPardo’s “Rosati Whitetails” property. Overcast weather held the birds down, but I managed to call in four gobblers using a lost call, which is commonly used in the fall. Scott harvested his first Missouri Gobbler. I returned to “Rosati Whitetails” on Saturday and hunted alone. Very few times, if ever, have I herd so many gobblers sounding off in one location. They shook the leaves on the trees. I came close to scoring early, but hens stole my gobblers away. Around 8:30 a.m., I heard 4 gobblers sounding off a half mile away. I called and they gobbled, Each time they sounded closer. I began a move towards them. I called and both me and the birds closed ten distance. I didn’t realize how fast the birds were coming. They had to have run most of the distance. I figured I could advance another two hundred yards. Total surprise overwhelmed me as I cleared a cedar tree. ll four gobblers stood 30 yards away. They bolted, obviously more surprised than me. Three went to my left into brush. One bolted to the right, in the clear. I rolled it. Fried turkey breast never tasted better. Monday morning, of the second week of turkey season, I returned, again, to “Rosati Whitetails.” DiPardo agreed to video for me. The early morning scenario played out much like my Saturday hunt. Gobbler seemed to be everywhere. We heard birds in every direction, but none were close. Birds gobbled on ten roost for 30 minutes, then went completely silent. DiPardo mentioned food. I informed him that the birds would not gobble again until 9a.m. or so. We had plenty of time for breakfast. We sat down to a fabulous breakfast of bacon, sausage, egg, toast, biscuits and gravy and American fries at Country Bob’s Cafe. We left with full bellies and extra heavy eyelids. Naps in the woods appeared eminent. We walked to a point, set up and I began calling. Immediately two gobblers replied, across Jim’s lake and far over a hill. On my next series of calls, three, maybe four gobblers, bellowed from a ridge not far away. We hustled towards the ridge, stopping every 100 yards to call again. We got response every time we called and the birds were traveling fast. We stopped within 200 yards of the birds and called. The gobbled, but seemed to have stopped their advance. we moved up anther 50 yards and reset. I cackled on my Bean Creek mouth call. All three birds doubled gobbled less than 100 yards away. Within two minutes I caught movement of black bodies with red crowns. The gobbler close din quickly. The lead gobbler trend sideways at 55 yards. Along, black beard as thick as a paint brush swung as the bird walked. I knew immediately that I wanted to kill that bird. I have killed 91 turkeys in my career, but have never taken one over 23 pounds. this bird looked to easily be in the 25 pound class. I may have been able to kill the giant bird, but 55 yards is a little further than I like to shoot. I had great confidence in the Spectra Shot White Lightning #6’s in my shotgun, but reasoned that here was a little too much brush between me and the patriarch. The trio of grand gobblers became nervous, flipping their massive wings and ambling to ten left. In an attempt to regain their attention, I clucked sharply on a Bean Creek glass call. A thundering gobble roared from 30 yards, directly behind our location. I spotted the majestic tom, still in full strut. As it strutted behind a big black oak tree, I turned quickly on my seat cushion to face the gobbler. Incredibly, the gobbler strutted to within three yards of Jim’s location. I could not shoot. I moved just slightly, hoping to get the bird’s attention. My tactic worked like charm. The big tom, caught my movement and began slowly moving away from Jim’s location. When the gobbler put a safe distance between himself and Jim, I sent a load of White Lightning in his direction and the strike put my second gobbler of the 2016 season on the ground. We loaded my bird and our equipment in a Can-Am Defender UTV, provided by Cowtown USA and headed to the house, to very happy turkey hunters. You can follow Bill Cooper and Outside Agin Adventures at: www.aoutdoortv.com, www.Facebook/Outsidealways, www.outsideagainadventures.blogspot.com and the St. James Leader Journal and their Community blogs.

Jewels of Little Piney Creek

Jewels of Little Piney Creek Bill Cooper It has been said that trout live in beautiful paces. Some places, however, are more beautiful than others. The Ozark Mountains of Missouri and Arkansas have been eons in the making and in the process the Great Artist spared no effort in designing gorgeous trout waters which meander through the region. Most are grand jewels of the trout order and each harbors magnificent, tiny jewels of its own that any trout monger would trade his favorite wand to discover. Little Piney Creek is a diminutive clear water stream in the south central Ozarks region of Missouri. Arguably, it is one of Missouri’s highest quality spring creek wild trout streams. Formed by several year round flow springs, the Little Piney meanders its way through traditional spectacular Ozark topography. Rugged hills, covered with hardwood ridges that support whitetail deer, wild turkey, mountain lions and black bear, provide the perfect back drop for the adventurous fly angler who hopes to experience all the wild jewels of an enchanted trout stream. The upper section of Little Piney Creek is classified by the Missouri Department of Conservation as Blue Ribbon Waters in order to protect the wild trout population found there. Only artificial flies and lures may be used in this section. One trout, over 18 inches constitutes a daily limit. Very few anglers choose to reduce such a magnificent fish to creel. Rainbows of such proportions are limited in Little Piney Creek and knowledgeable anglers realize how long it takes for a fish to reach that size. The greatest reward in releasing a trophy trout is the fact that one may be allowing another fisherman to enjoy the same experience with the crown jewel of the Little Piney. Further downstream lies the White Ribbon waters. This section is stocked. Those who want may reduce fish to creel. The Blue Ribbon section starts near the headwaters, but the most productive area of Little Piney Creek is located near and downstream of the springs near Highway 63. There is access at the Highway 63 bridge, Lane Spring Recreation Area, Milldam Hollow and Vida Slab. Fly fishing Little Piney Creek is best during spring and fall. Both seasons provide dramatic backdrops of color. Spring brings a bouquet of splendid wildflowers and flowering trees. Columbines, tall lobelias and violets blanket the stream side. Flowering dogwood and redbuds paint the sunrise for those early risers who enjoy the bejeweled, wild atmosphere as much as catching colorful rainbows. Too, water flows are increased in spring and fall giving anglers better fishing opportunities. Rainbows may be caught in the summer months, but low water can limit trout holding habitat. Long, light leaders are required because of the intense light. Trout become unceasingly wary and only the stealthiest of trout anglers will enjoy success. Little Piney Creek supports a diversity of aquatic insects and crustaceans. Blue-winged olives and brown drakes are fairly common. Mayflies and caddisflies are abundant as are small crayfish and freshwater shrimp. Imitations of these important food items are endless, but every angler have their favorites. If you want to match the most prominent food sources, stick with generic nymph in sizes 14-18 and dries in sizes 12-16. Too, Piney Creek rainbows can be fooled with glo-bugs, woolly buggers and foam flies. The creek has good hatches and blue-winged olives, adams, tan midges, elk hair caddis and pheasant tail bead head nymphs will get you into fish. Cracklebacks and renegades also work well at times. Small grasshoppers and big ants work well in late summer. Fish them along tall banks. They can be deadly. The brown drake hatch in September can provide fast action. These big brown mayflies do not emerge in massive numbers, but do provide a short lived frenzy of feeding action. Timing is everything for this jewel of the fall. “Matching the hatch” may seem a tongue in cheek statement to many, but serious fly anglers understand the importance of the idea. Presenting fly imitations that represent something other than what is present in Little Piney creek at the time, is an effort in frustration. Aquatic insects which are found in one Ozark watershed may not necessarily be found in another. Time invested in research before tackling the Little Piney will pay dividends. Google “Ozark Hatch Charts” to find out which aquatic insects hatch in a given month. You will be well ahead of the game and the quality of your trip will improve proportionately. The rainbows of Little Piney Creek are truly stunning. Brightly colored fish are attributed to hybridization between McCloud redbands and the Arlee strain introduced by the Missouri Department of Conservation. Too, rumor has it that there may have been a private stock of another strain introduced long ago, most likely Shasta or Gila. Regardless, when you catch a stunning Little Piney Creek rainbow, you immediately realize that you have experienced the Crown Jewel of the many jewels which Little Piney Creek has to offer.

Outdoor Writers Converge on Gaston's Whte River Resort

Outdoor Writers Converge on Gaston’s White River Resort Outdoor Revelations Bill Cooper 415/16 “Bill, I’d like to invite you to the Gaston’s writers event this year,” said Ron Wong, a Memphis based outdoor writer and radio personality over the phone. “Count me in,” I responded immediately. Larry Rea, an outdoor radio show host from Memphis has organized the event for nine years. “Jim Gaston ran the resort for doubt 45 years and welcomed our outdoor writers with welcome arms. His grandson, Clint, is following, graciously, in his grandfather’s footsteps.” Gaston’s White River Resort is the #1 trout fishing resort in America. Gaston’s began in 1958, when Al Gaston purchased 20 acres, 6 cottages and 6 boats on the banks of the White River, in Lakeview, Arkansas. As thy say, the rest is history. Gaston’s is now the #1 trout fishing resort in the nation. The resort now covers over 400 acres with two miles of river frontage, has 79 cottages ranging in size from two double beds and a bath to a two-story cottage with 10 private bedrooms. The original 6 boats have grown to over 70, with a massive state-of-the art dock to house them all. Additions over the years have brought a world class restaurant, with a view of the famous White River, a private club, pool, gift shop, tennis court, duck pond, game room, nature trails and a 3,200 foot airstrip. To top it off, Gaston’s offers a Conference Lodge which seats 125 people. Eighteen outdoor writers, radio ad TV show hosts converged on Gaston’s White River Resort in mid-April to enjoy the grand amenities of the resort and test the world class trout fishery. Craig Hart, of Pure Fishing, provided lures and baits for the media anglers. Attendees included: Kristine Houtman, of Crystal Bay, Minnesota and Fish on Marketing, Gil Lackey, of Nashville and president of the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association, Jimmy Jacobs, of Marietta, Georgia Examiner, Jill Rohrbach, Arkansas Department of Parks and Tourism,Steve ‘Wildman’ Wilson, Trey Reid, and Scott Wyatt of the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission TV Crew, Kelly Bostian, Tulsa World, Bill Cooper, St. James, Missouri, Outside Again Adventures TV - Online, Mike Masterson, Harrison , Arkansas, Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, Larry Rea, Outdoors with Larry Rea on ESPN, Memphis, Rob Simbeck, Nashville, Duck’s Unlimited, Glenn Wheeler, Harrison, Arkansas, Outdoor Writer and Photographer, Brad Wiegemann, Outdoor Media Expert, Ron Wong, Co-host, Outdoors with Larry Rea on ESPN Memphis, Polly Dean, Market Place and Tackle Talk, Brent Frazee, Kansas City Star, Gary Garth, Louisville Courier-Journal, and Glynn Harris, outdoor radio show host and editor, from Ruston, Louisiana. After an incredible meal of Duck Confit, and Creme Brule, prepared by Chef Rick Gollinger and a good nights rest, media members teamed up with local expert Gaston guides for their first day of trout fishing on the White River. Odds of catching trout in the White River rest high in an anglers favor. The Arkansas Game and Fish Commission’s stocking schedule includes the following numbers of fish for the White River in 2016: 966,520 rainbow trout, 13,600 brook trout , 110,000 brown trout and 130,000 cutthroat trout. It’s not a matter of catching trout in the White River, it is a matter of how many you can catch in a day’s time. I enjoyed the day with heavily experienced trout guide Joe Hicks and first time trout angler Kristine Houtman, of Minnesota. Kristine authors children's outdoor books, including “A Second Chance” and “A Whirlwind Opener.” They can be found on Amazon. Kristine quickly caught on to trout fishing and caught impressive numbers of rainbows, several of which were guests at our first shore lunch. Chef Gollinger and crew prepared a memorable shore lunch of fresh caught trout, country fried chicken, baked river beans, Dutch oven cobbler and Dutch oven biscuits. Eyelids waxed heavy during our afternoon of trout fishing, but everyone continued to boat fish. Chef Gollinger’s evening meal pushed our palettes into overdrive with Tornados of Venison ala Dunkirk, twin petite farm raised New Zealand loin steaks pan seared presented topped with grilled shrimp and sauce bearnaise served with stuffed zucchini twin mousses of carrot and broccoli accompanied by fresh chive duchess potatoes. After dinner entertainment consisted of grand performances of pickin’ and grinnin’ by members of our media group Larry Rea, Glynn Harris and others. A grand breakfast buffet spurned energy for a second day of trout fishing. I again shared a boat with Joe Hicks, accompanied by Ron Wong, of Memphis. Ron is an experienced White River trout fisherman and quickly put a 20-inch brown trout in the boat using a stick bait. I copied Wong’s tactics and soon put a nice brown on the scoreboard myself. After catching several brown trout, we switched to black jigs and caught my beautiful rainbow trout. Hicks donated several to the shore lunch, while Wong and I froze some to take home. Our second meal on the banks of the White River gave new meaning to the words: “shore lunch.” Chef Rick and crew prepared Black-n-Blue pork chops, tomato basil salad, and three bean salad, baked squash, and foil wrapped Yukon gold potatoes on the coals, and Dutch oven cobbler and biscuits. Stuffed to the gills, Wong and I struggled with the idea of more fishing. The weather came to our rescue, however. Heavy rains moved in pushing most of the writers back to their cottages for an afternoon of writing and napping. Gaston’s White River Resort caters to families and corporate groups. Check them out at www.gastons.com or e-mail them: gastons@gastons.com.

Mountain Bike for Turkeys

Mountain Bike for Turkeys Bill Cooper 4/10/16 Spring turkey hunting often involves hiking many miles, particularly if the gobblers do not cooperate. Or, if running and gunning is your style, the necessary miles can eat up a lot of shoe leather and personal strength. If that is your case, you may want to consider riding a mountain bike into your next turkey hunting destination. My wife and I were in the second mile of a three mile hike, in the dark, which became necessary to reach our turkey hunting destination before sunup. We broke our stride when a small beam of light bounced up the logging road behind us. “Someone else will be hunting in here today,” Dian said. “That’s a flashlight.” “Well that guy is in a big hurry,” I said. “He’s on a mountain bike and covering ground in a hurry.” A minute later the biker over took us and passed us up, headed in the direction of our honey hole. We worried that our long hike into a public hunting area might be doomed by the guy who got there first on a mountain bike. I determined then and there that would not happen to me again. I would become a mountain biker, too. Twenty minutes later we came to a fork in the sparsely graveled road. Fortunately, the biker went to the right. We were headed left into steeper terrain. “We were lucky he went right,” Dian said. “Yeah, we could have lost our spot even though we started very early. That young man is smart,” I replied. “He covered a lot of ground in a hurry and it seemed relatively effortless.” Had the biker taken our turn in the road, he would have arrived well ahead of us. He would have had to park his bike for the climb up a steep hill, but he still would have been well ahead of us. We would have never caught up to him. I never saw the biker again, but every time I hiked into a public hunting area, which had a network of gravel or logging roads, I thought about the advantages of riding a mountain bike. I had to join the growing crowd of mountain bike turkey hunters. I have always loved to walk and still do. I have never purchased an ATV or similar vehicle. I stubbornly clung to my ideology that walking is healthy and that hunting on foot is the way that it should be done. I turned 64 in 2013 and faced some long hikes for the fall turkey hunting season. Still in relatively good shape, I struggled with the idea of buying a bike. I began scouting a month before the season opener. Right off the bat I did not find turkeys in their usual haunts. I needed to cover a lot more ground and do it quickly. Doing it on foot was going to be an extreme challenge and time was running short. I bought a mountain bike. The area I hunted had a long, sloping hill for the first mile. I covered the three miles into the heart of the area in a matter of minutes. When I arrived at a steep hill, I simply chained my bike to a tree and continued my scouting trip on foot. However, I had put myself far ahead of what I would have accomplished on foot. I immediately knew that a mountain bike would be a part of my turkey hunting arsenal in the future. My scouting trips became a daily affair. I covered 8 to 10 miles a day, well over twice what I covered on foot. Not only did I scout more area, I had a wonderful time riding my new found means of transportation. I expanded my turkey searches into new areas, knowing that I could cover lots of ground and still be back at the truck at a designated time. Riding my new mountain bike had both physical and psychological benefits. I found that I was anxious to scout more often. Too, the ease of riding the bike soothed my mind from thoughts of making long, hard hikes into potential turkey hunting areas. As a bonus, the increased number of trips I made helped to get me into better physical condition. Turkey season became a cinch. I did not experience the usual tired, worn out feelings which accompany turkey season after the first week. I soon began adding accessories to my mountain bike. A headlamp on the handlebars made for easy riding in the dark. A series of straps made it possible for me to strap my backpack and shotgun onto the bike as well, freeing my hands for steering and making my rides much safer. If you want to purchase a mountain bike for hunting, buy the best bike you can afford. Turkey hunting often takes place in rough, rugged terrain. Well built bikes will serve your needs better than cheaper bikes. Tires take a beating, so purchase tough tires to prevent flats. Pushing a bike out of a rugged area is not much fun. Buy the attachments like water bottle racks, too. You will be happy you did. Riding my mountain bike while turkey hunting is now second nature. I wish I had thought of it sooner. I could have covered a lot more territory in the 40 years I have been chasing wild turkeys. Too, the exhilaration of passing up other turkey hunters on the way into a prime turkey are is priceless. However, one guy got me last year as I passed him and his hunting buddy. “Well, that old guy must be smarter than he looks,’ he said smuggly.

Big Bass Bite Is On!

The Big Bass Bite is On Bill Cooper 4/5/16 As water temperatures warm in early spring, largemouth bass begin to make a move towards shallow water areas to spawn. The spawn offers anglers one of their best opportunities of the year to catch a really big bass. That time has arrived. The big bass bite is on. A few big bass have been caught over the last few weeks, but last week kicked the bite into high gear. Alhonna Resort and Marina, at Lake Ozark mile marker 8, held a tournament over the weekend The big bass weighed in at 7.88 pounds. I was on the lake with Chad Brauer two weeks ago and he found several bass in the 4-to-6 pound range half back in the coves. Water temperatures had climbed enough that the annual migration for the spawn had begun. Last Thursday I met Cowtown USA pro staffer John Hewkin, from Sullivan, at public beach #2 on Lake of the Ozarks to film as he pre-fished in preparation fro an upcoming tournament. John began his bass search for big largemouths half way back in the coves, as that had been the location of the bruisers for several days. He quickly became worried when he failed to turn a strike on his War Eagle spinner bait coupled with a white Strike King trailer with the two tails dyed chartreuse. John hit every corner of each boat dock he encountered, plus rocky banks in between the docks without a single strike over a period of an hour. Rather than beat a dead horse, Hewkin made a move. Water temperatures had cooled over several days. Hewkin’s experience told him that the fish had more than likely moved back out to deeper water. John quickly brought his Ranger 521 up on plane and arrived within minutes at a main lake point being pounded by strong wind and waves. “Hopefully we will find a big one here,” he said. Less than a dozen casts later, Hewkin leaned back hard on his rod. He’d struck gold. “Oooh, my gosh,” he quipped. “This is a really big fish. Look at that,” he barked as a broad, dark fish rolled on the surface. ‘It’s a monster.” Monster indeed. John beamed as he discovered just how big the sow weighed, 8.4 pounds. “That is the biggest bass I have ever caught in a tournament or tournament pre-fish day,” he said. John allowed me to take a couple of quick photos and gently returned the big momma bass to the lake so that she could complete the annual spawning cycle that Mother Nature had set into motion. “She’s been busy,” John said. “The whole underneath potion of her tail had been worn off from fanning a nest location.” Hewkin mumbled about his big catch as he trolled on down the bank. I’d like to find her again during the tournament. Wonder if I’ll find more like that one?” He answered his own question a few minutes later. Another big female inhaled the big chartreuse spinnerbait. John had discovered a pattern. That one went perhaps four pounds. I oohed and awed at the brilliant purple colors of a clump of redbud trees that dotted ten banks of a small cove we were about to enter. True to the emerging pattern John had discovered, he whipped his rod backwards again, setting the hook on another, obviously big bass. “It’s another monster,” Hewkin yelled to me as I filmed the entire battle from the rocky bank. A broad shouldered bass rolled up next to John’s Ranger boat. After a couple of unsuccessful attempts to lip the thrashing fish, John connected and swung the hefty bass aboard. “Woo-whoooo,” he yelled in triumph. Euphoria had set in. Every bass angler dreams or such days on the water. John released the six pound brute and quickly continued the search for the next fish. Near the back of a small cove, off the main lake, he connected with another fish, this one a bit smaller. The three pound largemouth carried a large crappie jig in the corner of it’s mouth. John chucked at the fact that a crappie fish more than likely suspicioned they had lost a monster crappie. He quickly removed both his spinnerbait and the crappie jig from the fish and returned it to the lake. The sun began to peak from behind the clouds and soon brightened the otherwise overcast sky. Almost immediately the big fish bite slowed as quickly as it had begun. “The big girls are probably moving deeper or to cover to get out of the light,” John explained. His next few fish were small males. “These little guys are encouraging, too,” he said. “The males are moving up shallow too, to get ready for the spawn and to guard the nests. Fishing should only get better over the next few weeks” John rounded out the day with thanks to his sponsors and supporters, Cowtown USA, Lew’s Reels and Pitt’s Fishing. Anglers may pick up further bass fishing tips from John Hewkin by checking www.Facebook.com/cowtownUSAinc, or www.Facebook.com/Outsidealways.