FISHING, LURE AND PRODUCT REVIEWS, HUNTING and COOL PETS! Welcome to our channel (Est. 2007) that primarily shares "real life" outdoor adventures and demonstrates fishing lures and products in actual situations and in an honorable manner. Formerly of Springfield (200-2016) and Jefferson City (2016-2022), the Homebase is now Holden, Missouri in Johnson County. The channel's original name (2007 was WinkieDoodles, an homage to our pets. The current "Doodles" - (Winkie and Rudie = Papillons, Leila - Yorkie and 'all-star' K.C. the Cockatiel) occasionally appear in cameos for their fans. Enjoy the shows - No profanity is allowed in any comments.
As a predominantly bass fisherman, The zman micro finesse baits are fantastic for crappie/bluegills....Shad Fryz & Ballerz are my top 2 for ultralight fun fishing
Thanks, Andy. I'm on your bass team, especially when the panfishing slows down. I've got every type of small crappie style lure known to mankind 😂 but consistently reach for the Z-man micro finesse family of lures and those Bear Paws garden worms if I'm serious about catching something for dinner. Hope the rest of the season goes well here in SW Missouri and for you as well. Best wishes, Don
You are welcome atb, and I'm glad you enjoyed the show. I was hoping to catch panfish so those two rigs I brought were perfect. The Lew's UL with Shad FryZ works great and that Dark and Stormy (purple-ish) color has been a favorite. The other ultra-ultra "soda straw" rig with the garden worm hanging over the side worked great too. Had to react quickly to grab it at times before something dragged it overboard 😅😅😅. Fun to hear you did good with your UL. All the best. Don
@BillMikesAnglingAdventures thank you Bill. I know you are a big fan of crappie and have some good places to catch them. This lake was really hit hard by the drought and was unfishable earlier this year. Thank goodness for all the spring rains! I'll have the phone-on-tripod thing solved next time out... a taller tripod will improve the angle. Have a blessed week, Don
Thanks so much for your kind comments ky22. Generally speaking, the panfishing suffered this year as we were coming back from many years of drought. Some of my spots were so low I couldn't find any fish...but we are in pretty good condition now. We enjoy panfish for the table and catching them does stretch the grocery budget. Plus, they are a blast! Have a wonderful week, Don
Thanks KY22. I don't like using the apron scale on my float tube because it isn't flat, but it showed the crappie was 16 inches. Quite a surprise for sure! Thanks for stopping by and have a great week, Don
Thanks, Rick, and I'm glad you enjoyed the show. We've been teased with a week of cooler Canadian air but the warmer temps are due back soon. As long as we can stay out of the high 90s and 100% humidity I'll be happy. Hope to get the yak out soon. Have a wonderful week, Don
Your opening shot was a really big crappie...love it. 😊 Just saw a show where they used ffs to locate crappie...wha?..they just stared at the screen until one was hooked.....not my style...choosing your bait, line / pole combo, presentation.....= experience or lots of time avoiding the wife 😂😂
Ha, fun comments Jeff. That FFS is a very controversial technology. A lot of OG anglers, especially bass tournament guys, consider it cheating. I've never fished with FFS but I suppose using a fish finder could be considered a technology advantage because it helps see underwater structure and even fish sometimes when using Down Imaging setting. I've used those (now old fashioned) "flasher" Lowrance units for trolling in Oklahoma lakes since the 80s. I use my FF on the yak to locate depth and structure, especially in larger lakes. Now if they only had a yak Spot Locker....😅 have a great week, Don
Thank you for the ride along Don. That was a great day for sure. I'm not able to get out for a bit due to knee problems, so really enjoy your sharing of your adventures. Surgery on the 9th of Sept. as of now. will be back out as soon as I can after for sure...
Thanks, Eric. Hope the knee surgery goes well and you recover quickly. You are always welcome to ride along and I was glad that I took a chance on the first cooler day in quite a while. Blessings, Don
Thanks, Bill. I think my camcorder got a little too much exposure to wet conditions and the contacts to the view screen went bye bye. Not to worry, I've figured out how to use my Samsung phone with a cool tripod with Bluetooth controller. Now if only some cooler weather will permit a trip to see howxit works out! Best wishes. Don
Thanks, Clarence. I'm sure you have been dealing with a lot of heat in NM as well. We get the joy of high humidity and heat...yuk. Time marches on and there's a lot of season left so I'm twiddling my thumbs in the a/c. 😂😂 best wishes, Don
Rain, rain go away, but a great day to catch fish and try out your Hard (wobble) Head with Hulu stick PBJ lure weedless of course! Yippee…. lots of big my favorite nuisance bass! 😊. Where did you find your hat? That is a must have especially this time of year with mosquitos and especially gnats swarming. So cool👍. Fun fishing and glad it was recorded!!
Thanks, Sis! PB&J strikes again... No surprise. Can't wait for some cooler weather to roll in later this week. It has been quite a while since highs have been below 90.. and the humidity has been so high. I hope to wet a line later this week! RTR xxxxxoo Don
Howdy, William and thanks for the kind comment. Truth be known, I'm pretty sure I got stuck in the YT "deplorable" bucket back in 2007 when my channel began. Who cares? I like to share these stories with family and friends in a (hopefully) entertaining, honorable and informative way. God bless, Don
I caught some good bass on the Zoom Horny Toad, initially, though not buoyant enough to float, sometimes I would pause it at an opening to sink into the coontail, but didn't induce a strike with that method. The main problem with the Zoom offering was durability, often losing a leg after just one fish, or leg-tearing after coming into contact with structure. I soon switched to the Z Man Toadz and haven't looked back, caught many fish on same bait with nothing more than teeth marks, an amazing material, I refer to it as a "semi-solid ooze".
Thanks for stopping by, peghead; much appreciated. I hear you on Z-Man Elaztech topwaters...of which there are many to choose from. Re-tying from time to time and accurate casting pretty much assures a long life for them on the end of the line. Suffice it to say that my collection of Spro and other brands of topwater frogs is enjoying a long hibernation. If you haven't already, you will probably enjoy the small Finesse FrogZ too. Tight lines and have a great week, Don
So says the Cat Master Bill! I've said before that I can't imagine catching the size of cats you do on Kool aid chicken and liver or worms. Those vids you made showing big cats swimming around and getting caught right below you in lakes Erie were astonishing. Hope all's well with you guys....heat and humidity are keeping me from getting motivated to get out most of the time. Have a wonderful week, Don
Hello Don, haven't watched your channel for a while and have been catching up. Nothing like hooking a two pound channel on light tackle. You have more will power than me and released it. It would have come home with me and into a skillet of lemon butter, pepper and salt Gotta go, now I'm hungry..........God Bless. .
Thanks, Kenny and I appreciate that you stopped by again. This pond has lots of channel cats and I catch or more every time. They hit topwaters, soft plastics and spinnerbaits and sure put up a fun fight for their size. Have a blessed week, Don
Yipeee. My favorite, froggies!! That looks easier than it is and oh man you can catch the bass. You spent a lot of time teaching me how to keep my frog out of the trees!!😂 The sticks are a super winner too! Thanks for the awesome fishing trip😘.
I think the Reaper Team has experienced this before and actually right here!🤣. Great fishing Don and so fun to watch, beautiful bluegill!❤. Always exciting to get dragged around from a kitty cat!!! Hahaha
@lorrainejudd2425 Thanks, Sis! It has been a challenge to find a day with reasonable temperature and overcast skies. The heat and humidity are rough, as you know. I was targeting bluegill and Redear Sunfish on this excursion but you well know that Mr B and C always find a way of showing up. Those crazy cats are fun to catch for sure. Xxxxxoo RTR Don
@aneedmorehead9006 Thanks aneed, and I hope you enjoyed the wet show. It has been a challenge recently to find days that are not too hot to fish. Typically, when the bright sun comes out, the fish go dormant. Blessings to you as well, Don
Thanks so much for the nice comment. This excursion took place when we lived in Springfield, MO many years ago...and I had good cell reception since this river was only a few miles from home. Nowadays, since moving to our new digs in W Central MO, I'm often out of range from a cell tower so I can't receive calls from home. Of course I call as soon as I have reception! :) Best wishes, Don
nice day of fishing in the cumberland ✌i was out on lake erie in 30' of water and my cumberland finally sprung a leak - had to kick hard to make it in before it deflated fully
Thanks, Bill. Sorry to hear about your tube. I've patched my bladders several times. It can be a pain to find tiny holes caused by thorns and briars. Lots happening, and fast, in the USA....
@HugDeeznueces great comments, Hug. I would still be loving mine but had to sell it and get a kayak last year because we moved to a much smaller home without my beloved huge garage haha. Btw, I never had an issue with the pontoons and kept them inflated all the time. Best wishes and I'm sure you will enjoy the pontoon. Don
Thanks for stopping by, 22 lb. Since this 2022 excursion the Shad FryZ have been excellent in a lot of different places. Basically I'm a fan of the Z-man micro finesse collection because of their size, durability and performance. Best wishes, Don
Thanks. Went fishing today (sat.)...caught 1 crappie 😢...Went to the car and switched to a 1/8 oz. Chatterbait with a beaver style bait rigged vertical (bait fish appearance)....2nd cast near lilly pads...the swamp donkey came out...4 lb test..light rod..= 5 lb bass. Finally nice to catch one myself instead of watching you have all the fun ❤. Ps. The pond is about 800 ×500ft with competition from other anglers. 😊
Oh, my, I realky enjoyed your story Jeff! Had to grin about the big Swamp Donkey on ultralight gear! This heat wave/stormy weather has tamped down my desire to get out there and/or suffer a heat stroke. But if mother nature and domestic obligations permit, I'm still watching for opportunities to go fishing. Summer can be rough. Have a great week, Don
Thank you Aneed and so glad you enjoyed the show. I've been pleased with the yak and will be testing the steering system I recently installed next time out. Being able to access bigger waters is a nice advantage. Can't wait till the waters cool this fall to learn more! All the best, Don
Thanks, Sis. So far, 2024 hasn't been much of a lunker bass year. Those 20+ inch big girls are on vacation I suppose hahaha. Nice to catch some 17-19" ones now and then though. I bet L Joy has some bruisers and the better water level will fatten them up even more! RTR xxxxxoo Don
Thanks so much for the nice comments, TSF. I keep a journal and make notes on every fishing trio, good or bad. At times a video journal like this one helps me to remember what strategies I was thinking about while out there running around. There's a lot more to learn about this lake and I'm looking forward to future trips. Have a blessed week, Don
@brianlocal3 thanks a lot Brian, much appreciated. I got to the trout slayer game a little late but was definitely impressed by their performance. I am already imagining a normal spring with no drought or flooding and I bet these little craws will be panfish champions. Have a great week, Don
Thanks for this video - I've got a few of these little TRDs coming soon, and it was great to see how well they worked. What was your rod, reel, and line setup?
Thanks Synaptik, much appreciated. When the micro finesse family of Z-man lures came out it was very exciting. I've tried all of them in various locations in W central Missouri and they work great. My favorite is Shad FryZ bc they are swimmers and can also work like a little Ned rig. Best wishes, Don
Thanks, Bill. It's a lot of fun to tango with some jumbos from time to time. The summer can be tricky with the heat. The weather in our area has been unusually wet and windy so it is pretty unpredictable too. Hope all's well on your end, Don
I bought a bunch of hand tied skirted ned jigs bc I watch you slay them so much on them. Any suggestions on retrieve? I recall in one video you had said you do a single pop and swim them back?
Aneed, I've actually used just about every kind of jigs on the market including hair, skirted, and swim. On Ned rigs, the usual retrieve I use is the lift-swim-drop. There's other retrieves like the drag, hop and jiggle and just swim. It's a good idea to try different retrieves . Sometimes an aggressive twitch (jiggle) can get good reaction strikes. All the best, Don
I always make sure my hook has some good exposure for maximum hook ups with this. The powerbait is such a good attractant they rarely care about a hook point are barb not being hidden
@ColtonWilson3000 6 for stopping by Colton and thanks for the tip! I've also thought about using the PBait dough on a single egg hook to see if more of the "yankers" would get hooked. Best wishes. Don
Thanks so much Colton from Canada and glad you enjoyed the show. I've been a fan of this small businesses in New York for a long time. The owner, John, is a real artisan and everything is hand poured. The Funky color is a new custom color (over 100 cors are available) and has worked really well here in W central Missouri. Oh, by the way, my fush finder mounts.com is made by a great company in British Columbia. Have a wonderful week. Don
Thanks, Big Al. I've been a big fan of micro finesse lures since Z-man started introducing all their tiny lures. Even before that I was cutting and super glueing a lot of Elaztech stuff up to make little things that work great. I'm a little late to the trout slayer party but I'll use them in different places as time goes on. Happy 4th! Don
Thanks, Jack. Everharts has a good selection of lures (I googled them because I didn't know Clinton had a sporting goods store). Make sense since you are so close to Truman. Hope you have a great 4th of July! Don
What a show today with the trout slayers!! Lots of nice bluegill, greenies and of course bass! These tiny crawdads really catch fish! Fun fishing Don❤!!
Thanks, Sis! I ran across a YT video on these slayers and wondered about them because there wasn't much of a description. As a fan of Crappie Magnets. I checked into them and ordered the kit. They are seriously Cutsey Wootsey little craws and are excellent micro finesse fish catchers. There's a lot of places I'd like to try them out in the future...as long as they don't pinch Rudie's nose hahaha. Welcome to July! Xxxooo RTR Don
@@rickbrown7067 thank you for the nice compliment on our Reaper Team fishing shows! Don and I had such fun bringing everyone along on our sibling trips and glad you enjoyed watching. It’s been a challenge to get back together as we don’t live in the same city anymore. We hope to get back on the water again so be sure to stay tuned 😊. Doing well, thank you, Lorraine. RTR Don and Lorraine❣️
Thanks, Bill. I really enjoyed using the tiny lures. And, yes, agree that the secret is to have an aquarium hahaha where there's lots of fish to be caught. The later we get into summer the more I will probably wilt in the sun, but hopefully some decent days for fishing will occur. All the best, Don
Hi, Rick. I was using 4 lb Spiderwire super mono on the Slayers. It worked well but I'm always worried about 4 lb test anything hahaha when fishing in the Aquarium. Those bass, and there's big ones, can easily rip through light line. I didn't show the fail scene when a larger bass took my Slayer to the house hahaha. I retied with 6 lb fluoro. Have a great 4th of July. Don
Thanks, Gary. I think they are a great addition to the toolbox for anyone who enjoys the micro finesse scene. I can see how they would work well in streams with running water... unfortunately i dont know of any streams like that hereabouts. But since fish in impoundments love craws too, I'll be carrying my Kit! Happy 4th to you, too. Don
Thanks, Virgillio. I really enjoyed using a new (for me) tiny lure and having some success. I think the slayers are very realistic fish catchers for panfish and everything else. Best wishes, Don
Thanks for stopping by and commenting on this rather vintage show. It was fun for me to be reminded of those areas of the river that I discovered held lots of fish. A fish finder sure can help. Best wishes, Don
