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.
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Outstanding day!!
@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
excellent video, very good captures, congratulations. greetings, blessings, a big hug.
Many thanks, Virgillio. This was a fun trip and I really like the Funky (custom) color of lures. 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
Oh, I was using a 7' 10" ML 0:04 Johnny Morris rod, 8 lb Mr Crappie hi-vis line with 4 lb spiderwire super mono leader.
well done 👍👍 some quality bucketmouths there 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?
Slay on ned jigs that is. I don’t think I’ve seen you mess with skirted jigs
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
Thank ya sir
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
Great video, I love fishing curly tail grubs. Never tried this brand before. Shout out from Canada!
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
Been fishing these for years, they catch just about anything that’s swims.
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
so random question is that number 131 res.
No Gman, it isn't. Do you know who to call in the bass pro administration to see about access to 131? Don
No, I do not. I was just looking at the map of that county trying to figure out where you were because you have the most coolest places where you go.
Next stop, Everharts Outdoors for some of these Slayers. Don, you caught some very nice bluegill on this bait. Enjoyed the video.
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
So Lorraine when is the team REAPER getting back together? Haven’t see you guys ripping lips in a while. Hope you are well, Rick
@@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❣️
trout slayer did the trick but it seems you catch em no matter what you throw at them Don 😎✌
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 Don, What size leader are you running off your main line. Another fun time in the water.
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
I use those myself and they work well. Thanks for sharing those with all of us. Happy 4th 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
What a good video, excellent fishing, congratulations. greetings, a big hug, blessings.
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
Even though it is the right species, it IS a fish. Made me laugh. Thanks for that! Have a good one!
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
Love those little puppies, Rudie and Leila 😍so sweet and lots of company!! Well, you got slimmed with catfish today. They are really fun to catch but we always threw them back too. It’s always amazing to hear them “croaking”!! There must be an awful lot of catfish in that pond.
Thanks Sis. Yes, it probably has a great number of catfish. I was just out pulling my Pitt Boss around the back yard a short distance so I could put the riding mower back and said to myself NO MORE hikes in hot weather hahaha. Old age and worms for sure 😆😆😆 xxxxxoo RTR Don
Oh wow Don, you know how much I loved seeing that bobber bounce!!! Hahaha. So exciting and of course the Garden worms are sooo fantastic to use. Was that the PBJ color? So fun snagging those beautiful bluegill then down it went catching my Fav nuisance bass! Some nice ones loved that bobber too. Reminds me of our pond fishing as kids…wonderful memories and a great video.❤️
Thanks, Sis. Yes, bobber and artificial worms like Bear Paws garden worms is reminiscent of the goid old cane pole days. The color of the BP worms was Funky...it is really good. The aquarium hahaha has such a great population of panfish and bass that the action was practically non stop and lots of fun. Those modern Thill slip bobbers are quite the improved version of the clip on ones we had as kids. I remember having no bobber and finding a piece of a stick and tying my line on it... invention was the mother of necessity.... and grasshoppers were great bait in the creek! Xxxooo RTR Don
What type of boat/kayak is that?
Thanks for stopping in Jayrock. That craft is called a float tube or belly boat. This one is a Cumberland by Classic Accessories. These platforms are really good for small waters and I use mine about 75% of the time. Best wishes, Don
Good deal Don as always
John, your Garden Worms are the cat's meow no matter how they are fished. Funky color must look very realistic to the fish and you pour them beautifully. With this heat my hiking adventures will be curtailed, but so will heat exhaustion 😂😂. Have a wonderful week, Don
Nice video, Don, looking forward to part 2. Stay cool, out there.
Thanks Dennis. I know a lot of folks often use slip bobbers. Recently, a friend and I were discussing the Float and Fly technique that was a cold water fad on big lakes some years ago. I decided to see how the fish in the "aquarium" would like it. Part 2 will be a bit of a surprise. I'd never used those tiny Trout Slayers before but they are definitely micro finesse! Have a wonderful week, Don
got to love watchin the float drop 👍👍 nice Gills 😁 almost too hot for fishin
Thanks, Bill. Man I'm with you on the heat. 100 here today so I'm melting and inside with the a/c. You are a slop bobber king so this was nothing new to you, but watching it go under is always great fun, isn't it. Best wishes to you and your family. Have a great week, Don
I love this entire micro finesse line.
Yes, indeed. These micro finesse lures are phenomenal. Thanks for stopping in and best wishes. Don
New subscriber here!! Those are some huge green sunfish!!!
Thanks KY22 and so glad you enjoyed the show. Always nice to welcome a new subscriber and hope you will enjoy the upcoming shows too. Best wishes, Don
The lures are very effective. excellent video congratulations. greetings, a big hug, blessings.
Thanks as always, Virgillio. So glad you enjoyed the show. It was a different kind of fishing but lots of fun. Best wishes, Don
Would you still recommend this for sea water in this year?
Thanks for stopping by, much appreciated. The Pro 2000 is no longer made by Caddis. I didn't purchase the new pro 3000 when my 2000 finally fell apart. I can't comment on saltwater tubes because I'm in Missouri, all fresh water. Surely there are other channels who fish salt water you might ask. Best wishes, Don
thanks Don ❤
Would you still recommend this for sea water in this year?
Do you store your float tube inflated? Would it handle being left outside under a deck away from sun?
Great questions, Brian. I'm fortunate to have a nice 10x12 shed with an upper level. I store two (mine and my sisters) Cumberland tubes INFLATED on the upper deck and the floor space is for my kayak and all other kinds of guy/yard stuff. A float tube should be ok under a deck if it is on a pallet of some sort. I don't think rodents would build nests.... If stored inflated, do not be alarmed with the loss of pressure in the tube as the temperature rises and falls. Sometimes Boston valves allow a little aircto leak over time. If you have any questions about float tubing please ask. I've been a "tuber" since the 80s. Don
If the algorithm ever catches up to you , this channel will blow up!!! This is so very well done , and I love how you freely share your fishing tips and knowledge
Thanks so much, Brian, and glad you enjoyed the show. I'm pretty sure I've been shadow banned by the YT algorithm since starting the (family friendly) channel in 2007 because I'm unapologetically a conservative. Fortunately, I've never chased subscribers but rather believe in the "if you build it, they will come" philosophy. I enjoy videography as a hobby and make these (hopefully informative and entertaining) shows for family and friends. Have a wonderful week. Don
nice fishing spots you got there Don - even get your own personal air show 😁
Thanks, Bill. When I fished this lake a few years ago in the drought era it was a total mess of clogged lily pads. If we get a steady diet of normal rains, it might become one of my favorites. Have a great week, Don
Happy Father’s Day Don. Another great post.
Thanks a lot, Rick. I'm keeping this lake on my radar because it has a lot of inviting characteristics. Since we are just now emerging from a really bad drought that messed up nearly all the small waters around here, I think there's still a lot to learn about this one. Have a wonderful week, Don
Nice video Don. Happy Father's Day! Enjoy your day.
Thanks, Dennis, and I'm glad you enjoyed the show. Hope you had a happy Father's Day as well. Blessings, Don
another excellent video. greetings, a big hug. blessings.
Thank you, Virgillio. Exploring the potential of a new spot can take quite a bit of time and require a lot of techniques. I'll be exploring if there's crappie gathered in the forest of trees one of these days. Typically it will require dropping jigs straight down into the limbs... thankfully, I've got plenty of those lures. Best wishes, Don
HEY BUDDY, CAN YOU HEAR ME , GREAT BLUEGILL ACTION KEEP THEM COMING!
Nice to hear from you, Bill. Hope all's well up there in Chitown. I sure hope to keep some fishing adventures coming this season. We have broken the drought and now have to wait a bit for the fish to return to their old neighborhoods. Best wishes, Don
Great fishing day Don! Beautiful Bluegill ❤️.
Thanks, Sis! What a surprise to see how good those fake worms worked. Also, this trip was remininiscent of the good old cane pole days. That aquarium should be settled down by now and I'll see what's up if we get a nice cloudy day. Have a wonderful week xxxxxoo RTR Don
another excellent video congratulations. greetings, a big hug.
Thank you, Virgillio and I appreciate your kind comments. I'm looking forward to fishing this place again when we have a nice cloudy day. It is starting to be very much summertime hot! Have a blessed week, Don
NICE 👍👍 the Cats sure know how to put a good bend in the rod ✌
Thanks Bill and always good to hear from a Catfish King! Those smaller cats were a hoot on an ultralight rod. If I had a Catfish river like you do I'm pretty sure I'd have to buy a Heavy action rod to tangle with those giants. Have a wonderful week, Don
they sure are noisy creatures
Do you have these crazy insects where you are in NY Bill? I remember that some years these cicada swarms made it difficult to sleep at night when in a tent or camper. Fish love them, of course. Don
@@Winkiedoodles dont have any yet but i hear them in my trees every summer but not like you have it there
Great video Don as always. Enjoyed it very much. One never knows what the fishes are going to bite on next. Thank you for the ride along. Eric in Springfield.
Thanks, Eric and so glad you enjoyed the show. My friend in Stratford said you guys have lots of cicadas too. Hardly any at our house only 30 +/- miles from this noisy aquarium. Do you fish the James and Lake Springfield? Don
@@Winkiedoodles You know Don, I really should. I haven't been out in a while. Since momma had her knee surgery, she's been really depressed, and really been afraid to go much any where. Now in the next month or so, I get to have it done...I do have a question for you though. Do you still have your Colorado XTS??? I bought a used one, just a Colorado, that didn't come with a travel wheel. Classic Acessories don't carry the line no more. While I was able to get a seat frame with the square tubing, no Travel wheel kits are available. If you have yours still, could you take the measurements so I can get one made. the tubing is 1" square, but thats all I have. Thank you for any help my friend. Eric.
@ericpierce4510 Eric. Sorry, I sold my xts a while back and got a kayak. I really enjoyed using the xts on the James River east of L Springfield. The swivel seat was a nice feature for easier use of the trolling motor. I know you must have had some really high water/floods in May and also some heavy rains recently as well. When everything settles down there's no current, after a while the fish congregate in certain areas. Excellent bass and crappie. Plus lots of Redear Sunfish but I didn't fish for them.
@@Winkiedoodles Well, Thats ok. I'll get someone down here to help me out and weld up what I'm needing. I thank you or the info anyway. You were talking about the cicada's. Right now, not many here around the house. I'm about a mile west directly behind the Walmart on Kansas Expressway. And yes we have had the rain this year. I've been here since Jan. 2018 and this is the first year Fellows Lake and Mcdanial's lake has been closed due to flooding and debris. They not sure when they'll let us back. I can only imagine what the river and Springfield lake is like. Class 10 rapids below the dam I'm sure...
@ericpierce4510 Wow, never saw Fellows closed due to high water. There's a lot of good fish out there and it has a white bass bonus too. Speaking of where you lived, we lived in perhaps the same place... Windsor Park. We almost bought in Crown Meadows when we moved there in 2000. I missed the good fishing when we moved to Jefferson City 2016.
Thanks for the videos and you and Rudy keep them coming please!!
Thanks, Charlie. I think Rudie has some more ideas up his 4 sleeves 😅😅😅. Looks like we are clear of the every other day storms for a while...but the heat is on the way. It will be interesting to see how the fishing goes when we start baking. Best wishes, Don
❤ 👍
Heck yeah, you had a great day!!!❤ 👍
Thanks Charlie! Add up the panfish, bass and kitties and I was a busy boy for sure. It might be worth another trip later in the season but I hope it doesn't get choked with lily pads like it was during the drought. Have a great week, Don
The catfish is a different species but it puts up good fights when it is big and it is voracious and attacks everything when it is hungry. excellent video congratulations. greetings, a big hug, blessings.
Thanks as always, Virgillio. A lot of anglers specialize in catching catfish and they are plentiful in almost every body of water. Really huge ones 100 kg + are in major rivers and large lakes. As for me, I run into the crazy things all the time using artificial lures. They fight like tigers! Glad you liked the show and have a blessed week. Don
Is there a web site that shows where the MDC ponds are located
MO Fishing app on your phone shows them.
Ken, although it can be a bit of a pain to navigate, mdc.gov breaks down the state by county and lists conservation areas. I usually Google map the area on satellite view to see the pond(s). Have a great week, Don
On second thought, I agree with Charlie. The MO Fishing app is probably the easiest thing to use to research the places because it also gives an estimate of the driving distance. I've been trying to scout several new locations but the results have been lackluster. I think the drought took a toll on a lot of our waters.
Great job Don. Catfish and hush puppies time…
Thanks, Rick. Many years ago I used to deliberately fish for catfish. Yes, cat filets and nuggets can be excellent! These days I just order the catfish special at our favorite small restaurants and enjoy them immensely. Glad you enjoyed the show; have a wonderful week. Don
@@Winkiedoodles Don I’m heading out for my first float tube trip this weekend since hip replacement! Can’t wait!
@rickbrown7067 wow, please let me know how it went! I'm using a new FFM.com lightweight system for my tubes fish finder. I'll show it in a video shortly. Don
Love your dogs. My 90 lb knuckle head is loving yet has a mind to do what he wants. ❤ Thanks. Jeff
Ha, love your description of your 90 lb knucklehead, Jeff. We've always had little guys and gals and they seem to enjoy tricks and learn quickly from each other, especially at a young age. My KZread channel actually started as WinkieDoodles and was a way to show our family and friends the antics and adventures of Winkie the papillon and the "Doodles". That bunch, through the years has included Corky (Shih Tzu), Louie (lop eared rabbit), KC (cockatiel), Tinkie (papillon), and Rudie and Leila. We've lost all the originals except Winkie and he will be 20 years old in a month or so. These precious little family members are only with us for such a short time. 😪😪😪. Don
Hey Don. great video! How come you don't cast AND retrieve with the same hand, so you can fight your fish with your non-dominant arm....like the 'pros' do?😆
Ha, thanks, Charlie, for commenting and taking me back to this duck weed adventure. That goop was a real mess to spray out of my float tube and off my gear when I got home. The fish didn't seem to mind so it was a fun day. Actually I can cast "pro" style and learned the (to me) clumsy hand switcheroo thing first. Somewhere in the past, I saw L handled reels and loved them right off the bat. They are normally what I use these days with casting reels and have the same "rod stays in power hand" as spinning (open faced) outfits do. Have a wonderful June, Don
Hi Don, another great video and a chance to see sweet Rudie running! He gets more beautiful every video❣️. Another fun fishing day and lots of action catching my fav Bass! Never a disappointment using Bare Paws Garden Worms!! Bass were hungry and sure liked seeing you reel them in! RTR😘
Howdy Sis and glad you liked the "N-bass" show 😅😅😅. A March 2021 video of this same pond at full pool just popped up on my YT. While watching the big bass on a Project Z Chatterbait it sure reminded me of the reason I loved this place before the drought and the hole in the dam. It is/was almost on par with Lake Joy...if that is even possible. In the march 2021 video Rudie Tootie is barking and keeping squirrels out of the yard. He's come a long way and now runs the show around here hahaha. RTR xxxxxoo Don
excellent video. very good catches. congratulations greetings a big hug blessings.
Thank you, Virgillio, and as always, I appreciate your nice comments. For a small body of water, this pond has always been a good place to catch bass. Have a fantastic week, Don
Thank you for another wonderful video 🙏
Thanks for the kind comments, Falcon. I'm glad you liked the show and have a great week, Don