A Story, #6

[D.W. Verts]

Okay, a little braggin' in this one. Again, the facts are as I remember them- maybe some of the Missouri Boys can weigh in, correct me, or make additions...

Missouri has always been a hotbed for bass fishin'. Many times I've felt we were second only to Texas in producing quality fisherman. But we've done so much more here in the Show Me State.

Did you know that the art of fishin' jerkbaits was invented on lakes like Bull Shoals, Table Rock and Lake of the Ozarks? The yanking of a Smithwick Rogue (and for years we said we were "jerkin' a Rogue" or "workin' a stickbait") was implemented by guys like Jimmy Crisp, Dick Collier, Howard McCallister and Shorty Evans (of course among others, help with the names!). This was in the mid-to-late 70's, and to this day, with minor refinements, is still a killer way to catch bass not just in our Ozark hills, but all over the country.

It was mentioned in another topic that the method of throwing HUGE willow leaf spinnerbaits started on Truman Lake, and I'm sure that's true. A guy by the name of Jim Joy was one of the first, and he was maybe the finest spinnerbait fisherman that I've ever seen. He could put a blade bait into and thru stuff that'd scare an experienced beagle, and could make fish bite that bait twelve months out of the year.

Rumor has it that it began as an accident. The Missouri Department of Conservation thought that they'd try stocking Tiger Musky (a cross between a Musky and a Northern Pike) in Truman and Stockton Lakes when Truman was dammed up in 1979. There were a few nice ones caught the first few years of the lake, but just like the pure Musky, they weren't predictable. Guide clients wanted to catch a Musky, so Jim, or one of the other guides, stole some huge #7 and #8 willow leafs off of some Musky in-line spinners, and the concept was born.

Truman Lake legend and guide Al Dunning along with sidekick Ron Williams built the only ones that I ever saw in the area that were for sale commercially with their Alron Lure Company.

The cool thing was, they caught BASS. BIG bass. So there you go.

Fishin' those big 10" worms for suspended fish in the trees was also, I believe, a Truman (and MISSOURI) deal. I say this because I remember in September of '89 when B.A.S.S. came here, the word was that no one was going to be able to compete with the locals and their suspended bass with those monster (again, Alron Lure company) worms. And while some really big fish were caught that way, it's a true summer pattern, and the water had cooled down enough to put the fish back onto shallower water, and Hank Parker ended up winning with a spinnerbait.

But the skinny was that the Texas boys who fished Reyburn and Toledo Bend couldn't WAIT to take those worms home with them and play around some.

Did you know that today's high-performance propellers that push our boats (relatively) safely to such high speeds didn't always exist? Well, they didn't, not until some pretty smart Ozark Hillbilly bass fisherman put their heads down and made the concept work.

Prior to 1979 bass boats were semi or "modified" V-hulls, or tri-hulls. They worked great, but no matter how many horses you hung on the back, they were still lead sleds that couldn't get out of their own way. If you ever did get one to "lift", chances are it would try to blow-over, or bow hook badly, especially when you chopped the throttle. They were dangerous to try to push too hard.

Then in 1979 Skeeter came out with the Wrangler, a "Pad-V" hull that had "steps" built in to help the back of the boat lift up higher out of the water, hence making it faster (less drag). It was the first hull to actually "get up on the pad".

But there was a problem. The propeller technology of the day was based on pushing those lead sleds, and ski boats & pontoons around. They didn't do much for a performance hull.

So you get guys like Gary Pendergrass, Richard Jennings, and our old friend Basil Bacon in the picture. Give a thinkin' man a welder and a ball peen hammer, and over the course of the next few years true performance bass boat props were born. And they had cool names, like "Hooter" and the "ProTestR" (and although I've been trying, my stoke-riddled mind won't let me recall the names of any of the others, but Bo or Wiz will know). Richard also invented the four-blade prop, and Basil invented the system of venting the blades, and using plugs to control the air flow over the blades. How's that for COOL.

Dick Collier, Charlie Campbell and Wallace Lea were also involved with these innovations. All great fisherman too.

I remember there was some serious bickering amongst these guys as they tried to out-do each other. I also remember that OMC (Evinrude and Johnson) pretty much stole all of their work when they came out with the "Raker", the first commercially produced performance prop. I don't believe any of the guys ever received a penny for all of their hard work. And now many folks don't remember, or never knew. 'Til now.

And of course there's always Guido Hibdon. Skippin' that Gitzit under boat docks, and putting a lure in places that none had ever been. I'm sure it was done by other folks in other locals, but GETE was the one who made it famous.

Watch out for us Ozark Hickbillies. Some of us 'uns are smarter that we look. So there ya go.

[zippyduck]

Redneck inginuity! The one thing that makes America different.

[Oldfart9999]

Another great look back, we need to get a pot bellied stove and barrel of Saltines so we can sit around and reminisce during winter. I remember BPS selling 1 ounce spinnerbaits with those big willows, don't have any left, dang pike liked them. It must have been from Guido Hibdon I learned to skip tubes, a 6' 3 " Daiwa spinning rod, Hibdon model with matching reel and those pontoon boats weren't safe. It's a pleasure to learn where this stuff all comes from, the history is important!!!
Thank you Dale!!!
Rodney 

[loomisguy]

The Raker prop deal I remember. Also the stickbaits I remember were actually floating Rapalas that guys would drill and add shot to make them suspend.
They were hard to come by as I recall and you could actually rent them at a some marinas. I believe it was Baxter and maybe Campbell point.
I can remember staying at the Shadrack resort when Gene Larew owned it, I believe he was guiding out of Cape Fair and had starting making plastics and they looked like they had rock salt in them.
I drive by the place all the time and can't help thinking of the history that was made there.
I was blessed to have father who Bass fished and took me along .
   Thanks for reminding me.

[D.W. Verts]

Those first Larew worms were CHUNKY. And they caught fish too.

I was at Eagle Rock Boat Dock in 1978, and they were arguing about the weighted jerkbaits. I guess that they were burning some of those Rapalas up by trying to POUR molten lead in a cavity that they'd cut out of the belly. I guess only about one in four took...

[Wizard]

There used to be early spring tournaments at LOZ called Rouge tournaments. Only a Rogue was used with other makes not allowed. A young guy named Marty Mcguire was really good with the Rouge. Jim Bitter made the Rouge famous in the south, especially in Florida. He would fish them in the summer heat of Florida around docks and cover. Fished a Rouge as fast as he could. Before I saw him fishing it, I only used it in cool or cold weather.
Not long after the hillbilly's invented the large spinnerbait, Roland built the biggest I have seen. He called it the "Okefenokee Special" and it was a monster. I caught the Missouri record crappie on it in 1983. Unfortunately, my partner dropped the net in the water from excitement and I couldn't count it. I know it was the record because I was bass fishing with one of Roland's Special spinnerbait and the crappie COMPLETELY swallowed the spinner. We saw the crappie clearly and it was in the 7-8 pound range. Now, that's a crappie. It was in a 10 acre farm lake that hadn't been fished for 40 years.
One of the early performance props was built by MazcoProps in Fenton, Missouri. It was named the Cheater. When I picked up my new Ranger from the factory, I drove immediately to Mazco for a prop. They took pictures of the hull and pad along with measuring the hull, strakes and pad. They used an early CADCAM to build me a blueprinted prop. It was one of the first of it's kind. If you think a prop made just for YOUR boat isn't worth it---you be wrong. I was about 5 mph faster than the Ranger boats of my competitors.

Wizard

[D.W. Verts]

Fred Mazzar (sp?)... I sold several of his props over the years. Very well built. Very expensive. My fastest bass boat drive ever in an Allison (kind of a bass boat) was at 103 mph, with a Mazco prop. Nothin' else would top 100... Boy, that was fun. Well, not really.

[Wizard]

My last ride in an Allison, I thought I'd have to change my shorts. 95 mph on LOZ isn't fun, it's a death wish. To me, an Allison was a racing hull with a bass deck on it. I think they weighed 850-900 pounds without motor. Just too light for the waves at LOZ.

Wizard

[loomisguy]

Those first Larew worms were CHUNKY. And they caught fish too.

I was at Eagle Rock Boat Dock in 1978, and they were arguing about the weighted jerkbaits. I guess that they were burning some of those Rapalas up by trying to POUR molten lead in a cavity that they'd cut out of the belly. I guess only about one in four took...

Yep, it's kinda like the Redfin. My recipe is 3 or 4 suspend dots behind the joint, add a feathered treble to the back and hope for the best.
I'd guess 1 out of 6 will wake right. I've seen guys heat the bill with a lighter and try to bend it down but I've put a bunch in the trash with that method.
I think Mazco is still in buisness or at least the building was still there the last time I passed through.
I've been told that old garage at the corner on Hwy 76 and Shadrack road was one of the first Champion dealerships.

[loomisguy]

D.W., One thing I've always rembered is how slow the old timers would fish those stickbaits.
They'd roll em down 4 or 5 turns and wait...and wait.. smoke about half a cigarette and give it a twitch and wait some more.

[D.W. Verts]

D.W., One thing I've always rembered is how slow the old timers would fish those stickbaits.
They'd roll em down 4 or 5 turns and wait...and wait.. smoke about half a cigarette and give it a twitch and wait some more.

I guess that makes me one of the "old timers'. I've made many a four or five-minute cast.

[loomisguy]

I've tried.....can't do it.

[Lipripper]

Dale and Wizard thanks again for y'all history stories.  I was fishing back in then but not Bass fishing and it's good to read y'alls stories about the history of Bass fishing.

[Wizard]

Loomis, when it's cold and the wind is blowing on the Rock, it's time for the s l o w jerkbait bite. I'll sometimes cast, pull the bait to depth and let it sit. I may pour me a coffee or hot chocolate and warm up but I don't move the lure. Let the wind and wave action work the lure. 3-4-5 minutes if you're patient enough. Then a pull to move it a few feet and break time again. Horton likes to work slow with his Table Rock Shad color. I use LOZ Shad color which has more white to it. They and other color patterns work well. When you move the lure, a bass may already have gently sucked it up or may be eye balling it close up. Either way, when you feel some weight or the lure feels "different", sweep set the hook.  Good Luck next winter.

Wizard

[D.W. Verts]

I've tried.....can't do it.

I used to fight it too. Then one miserable February day I was on Stockton Lake, and I think it was on Point 10. You could see fish suspended all over the depthfinder, and I'd had one good one follow a crankbait in. So I said "to heck with it", chunked my best suspending clown-colored Rogue WAY out across the point, cranked her down, and like Wizard said, I let 'er sit. And sit. Then for a change I let it sit some more. Then I twitched it, then I let it set. Some more.

After several minutes I was maybe halfway thru the retrieve and it was really gettin' old. I was probably about seven seconds from giving up on that experiment forever, when I gave the bait about a six-inch drag. The next time I tried to move the bait it got real heavy, and a five-pounder was stuck on it like a good girl. I was SOLD.

The very next cast I caught a carbon-copy of the first fish, the  on the third cast I caught a 5-2 Brownie. 

So when the water is below 42-44 throughout the lake, I know what to do.

You really have to have confidence in your weighting to do this, 'cuz you need to know that your bait is staying right where you want. And since this changes with water temperatures it can be a tedious deal.

If this tactic hadn't been invented in MO, and I hadn't watched (spied) other guys doin' it, I don't think it would have ever took with me.

On LOZ it was a man by the name of Fred Lewis who was the master, and I watched him carefully. He was a great guy too, and extremely helpful, at least until I started to beat him some. He got downright incommunicable after that!

[Lipripper]

Thanks for the follow up story Dale and I don't fish any lakes or ponds around here that are that deep and for sure I know of now where I could reach that deep of water from the bank. 

[loomisguy]

Thanks for the tips gentlemen. Speaking of the Table Rock shad color,  Tim Hughes over in Reeds Spring was the originator of that color. I have a old Rogue  he painted for me years ago .
He does some great wiggle wart work as well as stick baits.

[loomisguy]

Loomis, when it's cold and the wind is blowing on the Rock, it's time for the s l o w jerkbait bite. I'll sometimes cast, pull the bait to depth and let it sit. I may pour me a coffee or hot chocolate and warm up but I don't move the lure. Let the wind and wave action work the lure. 3-4-5 minutes if you're patient enough. Then a pull to move it a few feet and break time again. Horton likes to work slow with his Table Rock Shad color. I use LOZ Shad color which has more white to it. They and other color patterns work well. When you move the lure, a bass may already have gently sucked it up or may be eye balling it close up. Either way, when you feel some weight or the lure feels "different", sweep set the hook.  Good Luck next winter.


Wizard
Yes sir , One of the best stickbait bites I've ever had started out with a cold rain, then sleet and a few snow flurries. My wife looks at me like I've lost my mind but that's Table Rock weather.

[D.W. Verts]

Tim does paint some very pretty baits.

You have to be a little crazy to fish in those conditions. Except for at the LOZ.

[Donald Garner]

Guys tks for sharing the stories with us.  They are enjoyable reading 

[aclawrence]

Really cool history. I wish I knew some of the history down here where I'm at on Wilson and Pickwick lakes on the TN river. I believe the world record Smallie was caught here right below Wheeler dam in 1950. I can't remember when it was broken. Is the Dale Hollow bass still the record now?  I need to find some local guys here and start recording some of the stories.


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[D.W. Verts]

The Official Word Record Bronzeback came from Dale Hollow lake in 1955, at 11lbs. 15 oz. Quite the interesting story an controversy surround that catch.

[Wizard]

It's still the record. I fished with Billy Westmoreland several times on Dale Hollow. Billy fished mostly hair jigs. I learned a lot about hair jig colors on one trip. He was catching SM on his jigs and I looked down at his day box when he opened it. He had various weights of jigs but only four colors. White, black, brown and green. No patterns to the colors. Just straight mono colored hair jigs. I asked where he kept his secret colors. He said that was it. He would tie on a color, it didn't matter which, and fished and changed colors till the bass told him which color they preferred. I asked, "What do you do if they reject all four colors?" Billy repled,"I go home". Of course, he fished other lures. The Silver Buddy, Bass Magnet, etc. but he really enjoyed fishing hair jigs.

Wizard

[D.W. Verts]

Billy was the KING of Smallmouth fishin' in the 70's. He was a durn good Bigmouth guy too. If he'd had a better back he would have had a helluva B.A.S.S. career. As it was, he still had some success.

And of the little experience I have with the Bronzebacks, I've found that our MO fish are the same- they eat up hair jigs twelve months out of twelve.

[cros3]

I met Billy a few times back in the 80s thru the guy that used to make the hair jigs for him. The guy that made those jigs lived here in Ohio in the town I lived in but was always traveling around to fishing shows with Billy.

Both were nice guys. Wild bill was the guy that made the hair jigs and if anyone ever met him knows he had one hell of a long handle bar mustache .

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