Rain on the way

[Stump bumper]

2 hours ago, TrophyFishR said:

Beaver has become a muddy water fishery for the upper section 6-8 months out of the year. These fish don't know any different, they will feed normally in the muddy water. Look at your electronics & ignore the water color. Don't overthink the situation & make adjustments on the fly. You will catch limits of fish in the muddy water.

The Bass and crappie don't mind but IMO the stripers will stay in the cleaner water, the larger stripers and whites don't seem to spawn up stream as much when it is muddy. I have found more whites up near the dam when the river is muddy. Whites don't need moving water to spawn only a sandy bank, that is why they are called sand bass in OK. The Stripers may go down the river but don't seem to hang around as long, they can move 35 miles in one day.

Then there is a matter of finding live bait that I don't like muddy water because finding 6in gizzard shad in muddy water is an all day event. Just depends on what type of fishing you are into. I have noticed the size of bags in the bass tournaments go down when the water is cold and muddy from 20 plus pounds to win to 15 lbs to win. Still a lot of 5lbs limits but not as much culling. 

[Guest]

Side imaging has changed the game, you can see those 6" gizzard shad on the HB unit. It helps me eliminate water that's void of fish. I spend no less than 1 hour idling around my areas looking & marking fish. Then circle back & plan my attack. This makes me more efficient than years before. 

[JohnF52]

Back in the day, (1960s-70s) we used to catch more fish on Beaver without fish finders than people catch now with them.  Has the fish population declined?

[Guest]

2 hours ago, JohnF52 said:

Back in the day, (1960s-70s) we used to catch more fish on Beaver without fish finders than people catch now with them.  Has the fish population declined?

the fishing pressure plays a bigger role today, i think the fish have evolved & become harder to catch.  

[jeb]

9 hours ago, JohnF52 said:

Back in the day, (1960s-70s) we used to catch more fish on Beaver without fish finders than people catch now with them.  Has the fish population declined?

Almost all impoundments are at their best fishing early in their lives, before a lot of the newly flooded cover rots away.

[Stump bumper]

They seem to have really turned up the generation but the lake is just holding steady. If this weekend's weather forecast does not change we will see 1130 feet and a possibility of the flood gates being open. A lot of whites spawn near the dam and I think go over the dam when they open the gates, it did not happen at all for 20 years now it seems to be a yearly accorance. The high water is good for the fish but not so good for fishing and never good for Beaver Town.

 

[Phil Lilley]

This is the 7-day accumulative forecast.  I'm hoping it's accurate!

[Quillback]

Nice too see some rain forecast for SW Kansas, be good for the bird habitat (and farmers).  

[Phil Lilley]

Even more so west OK... they're really hurting for rain.