20210514 Fishing – Lake Of the Ozarks

My dad and I have been fishing my whole life. He has a great setup at his home. He lives about 15 minutes from Eagle Creek Resevoir. He can even take work calls from the Lake. He mentioned that he would like to go on a guided trip for Crappies at Lake of the Ozarks.

I did a little research. He picked out Terry Blankenship http://www.terryblankenship.com . Terry is a pro crappie guide on Lake of the Ozarks (LOTO). Terry has some amazing videos of his fishing and casting and fishing electronics. He was a great choice.

It’s not the size of the boat.

Eagle Creek is 1400 acres. LOTO is 53,996.8 acres. We covered a bunch of fishing holes south the 54 Bridge. Terry has an amazing boat with an array of electronics that would be suitable for hunting Russian Subs in the North Sea. Our first fishing boat had an LED light that spun around in a circle blinking that allegedly displayed how deep. Terry’s boat show the fishing lure dropping down, while using GPS Satellites hold the boat over a fishes mouth. Technology has gotten to the point you can drive the boat from shore with an iPhone. I am not kidding.

I am not exaggerating.

Boating technology has improved by leaps and bounds in all dimensions. Boat engines are more powerful and efficient. Batteries remain charged. Trolling Motors are so advanced that they will move the boat in the intended direction or stay in one spot. Boats lurching in a random direction was the height of trolling motor technology my entire life.

The secret weapon

We had brought some drinks and snacks for the trip. Terry broke out some leftover fried chicken his wife had packed. It was awesome. Crappie Fishing Fun Fact: Calories consumed on board a fishing boat are zero points and low in cholesterol.

Terry has also partnered with Jakked Baits to make jig heads that hold bait. I didn’t realize that losing bait was an issue until this trip. We were on fish the whole time. The bait was getting worked over but stayed attached. I am used to fishing with meal worms and getting robbed by blue gill all day long.