It is hard to believe December has arrived.  However, when we woke up this morning we had snow showers and a cold north wind so it is a littler easier to believe now.

We want to wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  We are looking forward to the 2010 season and seeing all of our old friends as well as meeting some new friends.

Our Boat Show Schedule for 2010 is as follows:

January  8 - 10  Let's Go Fishing Show
                  Collinsville, IL

January 15 - 17  River City Hunting,     
                  Fishing, Boat Show
                  Council Bluffs, IA

January 29 - 31  Illinois Fish Feather Expo
                  Bloomington, IL

February 18 - 21  QCCA Outdoor Show
                  Rock Island, IL

Come by and say hello if you are at any of these shows. 

Your friends at Reel & Trigger Resort
Russell, Carole & Bill

PS:  Russ & Bill built five new eight foot picnic tables last month out of treated lumber....They are really nice.  I know you will enjoy them

It is hard to believe tomorrow is the first day of November.  Where has our year gone.  We had beautiful fall colors for about 2-3 days and then the winds came and the leaves started falling. 

We have had several folks catching hybrid bass and a few are crappie fishing.  The catfish are still biting and now that the weather is stablizing for a week or so the crappie fishing should pick up.

We are building some new picnic tables for next year (Acutally, Russ & Bill are building them).  They hope to have them done in a few days.  If the weather holds we might slip away for a day and go fishing ourselves.  We don't get much chance to go during April thru September so we always look forward to fall.

We got the leaf blower out and dusted it off in preparation of our annual leaf blowing party!  HA HA HA!  We love the trees and the shade they provide but the leaves are a real pain in the fall.

Give us a call if you need a cabin for a few days.  There is still good fishing and hunting season is upon us.  We saw a large flock of turkey near the resort; Bill and Russ are always seeing large bucks and plenty of doe when they go dump the fish remains.

If we don't see you before November 26 have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving.

Your friends at Reel & Trigger,

Russell, Carole and Bill

We just had a cancellation for Heritage Days.  It is a single room cabin with 2 double beds.  If you are planning on atending Heritage Days (October 17 - 18)give us a call.  SORRY, the remaining cabin has been booked.  We are full for Heritage Days.

See you soon,

Your Reel & Trigger Friends

If you like catfish we have seen several really nice ones caught.  One of our folks caught a 15.5 pound cat on a 6 pound test line.  She was really excited.

Weather has cooled down but it hasn't been too bad.  We have filled the last spot for Heritage Days.  If you need a place to stay give us a call and we will try to help you find one.  We are always glad to help anyone that plans to visit the Warsaw area.

Hope to see you soon!  Your friends at Reel & Trigger

Russell, Carole and Bill

September is just flying by.  Last weekend we had a wonderful bass club staying with us plus a few other wonderful regulars.  Everyone said they had a really great time.  We saw some nice fish remains in our buckets (crappie and catfish) and the bass club said they were releasing some nice bass.

This weekend we have another bass club and a wide variety of folks staying with us.  The fishing has been good. Even if you don't catch a lot of big fish a day spent on the lake fishing is always a good day! Folks are starting to set around the fire rings of an evening making smores and roasting hot dogs!

The weather has been absolutly perfect.  The high temp has been in upper 70's to low 80's and the evenings have cooled down in the mid 50's to mid 60's.  No need for air conditioning!

The weekends in October are fast filling up.  We have only one cabin left for Heritage Days (October 17-18) as of this posting.  So if you are planning on attending be sure to call soon!  The available cabin is our Liars Den Lodge (three bedrooms & a loft).

Soon we will have beautiful fall folage for all to enjoy.  The pelicans are starting to arrive on Truman.  It is quite a sight to see them come in during migration.

Don't forget we are open for deer season! 

We look forward to seeing many of our friends during this fall season.

Your friends at Reel & Trigger Resort

Russell, Carole & Bill

Wow we had such a wonderful July! We are hoping August will be kind and keep the temperatures low!!

One of our friends went fishing on August 1 and caught his limit of crappie in one hour!  He caught one 17" crappie and several 12 - 14" crappies!  They had so much fun they did it two days in a row!  Although he said it took them 2 hours the second day!

We have seen some nice bass and catfish brought in to our fish cleaning station. So I would say the fishing is good.

We still have some August openings so give us a call and enjoy the last few days of summer having a great time on Truman Lake!

See you soon,

Your friends at Reel & Trigger Resort

Russell, Carole & Bill

It is hard to belive that the 4th of July has come and gone.  We had one of the best 4th of July's ever.  The temperature was wonderful!  The days were cool (between 75-84 for highs).  It was hard to believe it is July!  Everyone had a great time enjoying the fireworks, fishing, and relaxing.  We are looking forward to the rest of July and August. 

The fishing has been good.  Several people got their limit of crappie almost daily.  Of course we had some folks that were not fishing....just enjoying time with family and friends.

We hope to see all our old friends and new friends during the rest of the summer months.

Have a great summer!

Russell, Carole, and Bill

I can't believe it is almost June!  We have been very busy the past two months.  Lots of great fishing despite the higher water.  Yesterday a group that is staying in our Liar's Den caught their limit of crappie!  They said it was a very good day.  Most of our guests are catching good crappie, bass, hybrids, and walleye. 

THe lake level is dropping back down and this weekend looks to be prime fishing!

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer.  We hope to see you soon.

Your Friends at Reel & Trigger

Russell, Carole & Bill

Wow! It is hard to believe that spring is here!  I heard the crappie are biting!  We know someone that has got his limit the last three days.  So break out those poles and come on down!

  We have completed the construction on our home.  The new office is almost ready!  We have purchased the new playground equipment and will be getting it ready over the next two weeks.

We are looking forward to seeing all of you again soon.  Have a great spring!

Russell, Carole & Bill

Hi Everyone!  We will be attending the following shows in 2009:

Let's Go Fishing Show        Jan. 2-3-4
Gateway Center, Collinsville, IL

River City Hunting Fishing Expo  Jan. 16-17-18
Mid Amercia Center, Council Bluffs, IA

IL Fish & Feather Expo      Jan. 23-24-25
Interstate Conference Center, Bloomington, IL

Hunting Fishing & Outdoor    Feb. 19-20-21-22
QCCA Expo Center, Rock Island, IL

Springfield Boat Show        Feb. 27-28 March 1
State Fairgrounds, Springfield, IL

Be sure to stop by and say hello!

This weekend was a special deer hunt in Truman State Park!  They are harvesting doe to control the deer population.  It is my understanding that the hunt is going well.  However the wind is blowing very hard.  The gusts are up to 45 mph!  The temp is in upper 50's which make the wind bearable!

Our new addition is coming along great.  It has now been insulated and the dry wall guys will be here Tuesday to do their part!  By Friday we should have the new additional completely insulated and sheet rocked!  That means we will have heat and can start painting ceilings and walls.  We hope to have everything painted by Christmas so the flooring can be in January!  Once the new addition is done the remodel will begin in the old part of the house.

The weather is suppose to change dramatically starting tomight.  It is suppose to get cold and snow/sleet are in the forecast!

We hope to see you all at the boat shows!  I will post a list of the shows we will be attending soon!

Merry Christmas everyone!

Just wanted to let everyone know our office door will be removed and placed in the new addition on November 19.  Just knock on our door (door bell is not working) when you arrive and we will take you thru the house to the office.  Sorry for the mess and inconvenience.  We will try to make everything as smooth as possible for our guests.

We appreciate your patience and understanding.

Russell, Carole & Bill

The leaves are really starting to fall.  We have raked, blown and burned leaves twice and you can't even tell it!  It is way too windy today to even consider raking and burning.  I am sure we will be back at it again as soon as the wind calms down.

We have one guest that caught his limit of whites this morning!  He said he might try his luck with crappie later on today but for now he is just going to kick back and relax!  For the past three days the best color to use is white regardless of what your fishing for.  The bass and crappie have really been hitting the white jigs and lures.

We are keeping a few cabins open for the deer hunters and winter fishermen so give us a call if you need a place to stay.

Our new addition is taking shape.  It is framed, roofed and the siding is going on as we speak.  We are really excited about the prospect of having more space soon.  I am anxious to get every thing finished.  Our builder has cautioned me that what is being done now shows lots of progress but the rest of the job (plumbing, electrical, etc.) will take some time to complete.  Think he is afraid we will become to anxious!

The leaves are turning and the weather has been fabulous!  We have been staying very busy with our weekend guests and the new construction on our home.

Today the boom truck was here!  He lifted the trusses up to the second story while Mark & crew nailed them in place.  We hope to have a roof on and windows in before the week is out! 

If you want to see some beautiful follage on the trees now is the time to make your reservations!   

Deer season is arriving!  We look forward to seeing all our hunters again. 

Since the weather is great we still have folks dropping hooks in the water to see if they can catch dinner!

We have had a great year so far thanks to all of you!  We look forward to seeing our fall guests.  See you soon!

Your friends at Reel & Trigger

Russell, Carole & Bill

Wow!  Can you believe this beautiful weather.  During last weekend's downpour (Thanks to Ike) we had some very hardy fishermen that didn't let a little rain get them down.  They fished during the rain and caught their limit of white bass!  We had several groups here catching crappie, bass, walleye, and catfish.  Some did really well and others had to work a little harder.  When I asked them about the weather they said they didn't mind getting a little wet when the fishing was so good. 

We have started getting ready to add on the new office, laundry room, garage and a couple of bedroom to our house.  We have a large green dumpster in front of the house now and Bill & Russ have been demolishing the inside of our garage.  So please excuse the mess around the office.

We will keep you posted on the fishing news and let you know how the construction project is coming along.  See you soon!

Russell, Bill & Carole

Wow! Can you believe it's almost Labor Day!  We have had a very mild August and it's hard to believe we are nearing the end of the month. 

The fishing has been good and we have been really busy.

We had a family wedding last Friday here at the resort!  It was a beautiful day for a wedding on the bluff(slightly overcast, but no rain!).  We are very pleased to welcome the newest member of our family.  In case you are wondering Russell's son Josh (my grandson) was married 8/22/08 to his sweetheart Britney.  They make a great couple.

The lake is at normal pool.  Everyone has been enjoying the cooler August weather.  We have seen lots of old friends and made some new friends this month. 

We are looking forward to September.  We will be starting the excavation work in late September for the addition onto our home.  The building is scheduled to begin October 1.  So please excuse the mess around the house during the construction. 

We look forward to seeing you soon!

Russell, Carole & Bill

It is hard to believe the 4th of July has come and gone.  Our guests enjoyed a cooler than normal 4th and a fantastic fireworks display!

The rain has stopped for now and the Corps is releasing around 100,000 cfs from the dam so our water level is dropping.  The shad are sure working the top of the water all over the lake so hybrid fishing should be at a premium!

We saw some nice crappie and catfish during the last couple of weeks.  One guest made the mistake of leaving his crappie in a cooler on ice outside his cabin over night and "Ricky Racoon" managed to get into his cooler and releive him of part of his catch! He had put another cooler on top but old Ricky still managed to get away with their 2 1/2 pound crappie! 

We are looking forward to the lake getting back to normal soon!  By the way we added Direct TV to our cabins on June 19!  Everyone likes all the channels and seems pleased with the addition.

We will see you soon! 

Russell, Carole & Bill

Wow, it is already June.  We have been busy visiting with everyone.  We have had several guests that did great crappie fishing and some that really had to work hard to get their fish.  However, most of the fish that were caught were really nice ones.

We had bass and crappie tournament fishermen staying with us in May.  I know we had one guest who had the second largest crappie at the end of the 1st day and I understand the bass guys were doing well also.  We didn't hear the final results but I know everyone that stayed here said they were enjoying themselves.

The weather has been up and down with lots of rain.  We had quite a storm last night but today the sun is shining and look like a great day.  We are looking forward to sunny days in June and seeing all of you!

Russell, Carole, & Bill

It is now May 1!  The crappie fishermen have been going out each day.  Many are bringing back their limits and some are not doing as well.  The wind and rain has had a big impact on fishing each day.  Some days are great and some are slow.  However most of the crappie we have seen were 10 - 13".  We also had one guest who caught a 6 pound walleye & 6 1/2 pound bass!  The lake is still up about 8 feet. 

The crappie are moving closer to the banks.  Most crappie were being caught below dam.  However we are now hearing some reports of crappie being caught on the lake.

Catfishing has been good.  We have had some really nice blue cats brought in last week.  Bass fishing is slowly starting to pick up.

May should prove to be a great month for fishing!

See you soon

Russell, Carole & Bill

The lake is up but the fishing is great!  We have a group of great guys here from Iowa and Nebraska.  They arrived yesterday, checked in and started fishing.  They came in last night (April 3)with 6 very nice spoonbill and three catfish!  They weighed the two largest (54 & 50 pounds) The other spoonbill weighed approximately 35, 45 and 49 pounds!  One of the guys had only been fishing 5 minutes when he got his spoonbill!

This weekend looks good, we anticipate our  guests will have a great time fishing!

Russell, Carole & Bill

March 15 marked the beginning of our spoonbill season on Truman Lake!  We are pleased to report that Travis snagged a 52 pound spoonbill on March 15.  A great way to start the season!  Don't forget spoonbill (paddlefish) season closes April 30.  The minimum body length of 34" (eye to fork of tail) is required with a daily limit of 2 paddlefish.

Water surface temp is 47 so the walleye are starting to move.  Walleye must be 15" long with a daily limit of 4.

The crappie fishing should be great this year since we had a record crappie hatching 4 years ago!  The crappie limit remains 15 per day with a minimum of 9".  Jerry caught a 17" crappie this week and some 12 & 15" crappie!

See you soon!

Russell, Carole & Bill

We enjoyed seeing everyone at the boats shows this year!  We met some new friends and look forward to seeing them this year along with our other friends.

The weather is warming up and the fish are biting.  They have been catching crappie and walleye!  We purchased some new bait at the boat shows we attended.  We will let you know how it works!

See you soon!

Russell, Carole, and Bill

January is almost behind us.  We enjoyed seeing many of our customers and friends at the boat shows in January!  We also met some new folks who are planning to stay with us in 2008.  We are always happy to visit with all who stop by our booth.  We hope to visit with many old and new friends at the February boat shows.