Samkam1

I think we were reeling in one of the lines...you can see the weights good on the graph This shot we were up in Coose

Ended up having a great weekend -- the fall weather couldnt have been more perfect. It was a bit chilly Sat morning and I think the fish were recovering from the cold front and rain -- got 4 stripers, a nice hybrid, and a couple white bass and a 5lb channel. Sunday was beautiful -- the fish turned on about an hour after light and we ended up doing pretty good. We caught about 12 stripers (biggest was 15, nothing huge), 3 huge whites, some Kentuckys. All came on threadfin and gizzard shad in about 40 FOW, the active fish seemed to be 30 ft to the surface. Not much topwater yet to speak of. The surface temp was hovering around 60 degrees. We fished in the Ventris, Coose, and Prarie Creek areas. Ready for next weekend already

Hey guys thanks for the replies. We like to get as much bait in the water as possible until we find the fish...then we will go down to 6-8 lines. We have had 8 fish on at once and landed 6 of them...one being 31lbs. That was a mess...but a fun mess at that :-) If you want to talk about a strenous, check out our lake erie vid and imagine a 2 hour boat ride in those waves (5-8 footers)...now that was fun. The starcraft held up great though. Were heading down this weekend for sat and sun...still contemplating where to go. We will likely put in at Rocky and start there. Good fishing! SK

I have a video on my youtube channel that gets me ready for Beaver winter striper fishing -- click here for the link

We need to change the subject line to "Continuing Deluge Reports"

with the water temp in the 60s already, the stripers will be spread out from the dam to the rivers

I got my biggest whitetail buck (10 point) with my Browning Gold 12 guage and a 3" magnum Slugger. He was moving through the woods pretty quick and I had to grunt at him a couple times. FINALLY he stopped in a small window between 2 trees right 100 yards. I have fiber optic sights on the rib and I put it on the top of his back and BOOM. It smacked him so hard the sound was crazy... and didnt have an exit wound.....the slug exploded his heart and lungs ! :-) Just make sure you put a lot of shells through your gun shooting a target to get comfortable with where it hits at like 25 yards, 50 yards, and 100 yards. The kinetic energy on that massive chunk of lead is amazing SK

Tried the salties a couple times....they were decent but not great IMHO

MDC site -- using dogs to track game CLICK HERE

Unfortunately...been there and done that (just last season lost a big 10 pointer). Great advice and thanks for sharing. We are a stubborn species and have to learn the hard way often times! Good luck on the rest of the season. I am getting ready to hit the woods this weekend...still have to put up stands and get prepared. This weather sure has been awesome though..making me a lot more excited to get out into the woods with the cool mornings/evenings. I usually wait until mid to late October...but this season may be an exception. SK

lol that is part of the computer technician "language"....ID10T error. We run into those errors a LOT in my line of work

There are some some great wade fishing areas if you head west towards the town of Norfork. THere is a nice spot to fish right there by the junction of the white and north fork. SK

posted this in similar TROCK forum -- it really goes for both lakes Click here: the lake is a giant septic system

There are many different guides depending on the kind of trip you want to have -- some specialize in live bait, some in artificials. Some of the guys are nice, some are quiet and get down to fishing :-) I would reccommend Don at Beaverfever anytime...just dont expect to talk much. He can be rough around the edges but definately knows the lake like none other. and he gets down to business. We have great luck from when it starts cooling off clearr through new years -- they are heading towards and up into the river arms and feeding up for the winter at that time. Some others I would reccommend are: Click on links: Beaver Lake Striper Guide Service Big 1's Striper Guide Joe's Striper Guide Rich Mikuska guide Bad Boys Guide Service - 479-927-3123 Scott Wedel - striperman2003@yahoo.com

Striper fishing has been tough on Beaver the past few days it seems -- The weather sure has been beautiful though. We did get 7 on Saturday morning around pt 3 -- Fished Monday morning and evening and only caught a couple small fish, and one fish on Tues morning. caught 2 this morning. All the guides we talk to have been having a rough go of it as well. Weather? Drawdown? All the fish we have caught have had EMPTY stomachs. They have to eat sometime you would think....right place right time. There are shad EVERYWHERE. We are thinking about heading east to Norfork for the coming weekend. SK

What were you fishing for today? Dad and I are going to be down the 15th-22nd out of Lost Bridge South. I hope they stay turned on! Has anyone heard any striped bass reports? SK

Fishing seemed a little bit tough this weekend...got bait and fished for about an hour Saturday evening by the dam; broke off one big one. Caught 4 over by point 3 this morning first thing, biggest was 12. We were in fish all morning with perfect bait and couldn't get more action after about he first hour of light. I think the combo of the lake drawdown, moonphase, etc made it tough? The guides weren't doing great either...saw a couple guys trolling pick up a fish or two. There are scattered pockets of shad EVERYWHERE. Hopefully it will stay hot and bunch them up tight in the next few days. We are going to be down the 16th-23rd this month so hopefully things will pick up! SK

lol

Fished the Rambo area Saturday morning and evening -- caught 2 fish one 10 one 8lbs. Had a couple on that we lost. We had perfect lively bait and were in STACKS of fish all day -- seems like they werent biting except that first hour of light. Figures, we find perfect 5-7 inch threadfin and gizzards, and they aren't biting. Maybe it was the front moving through? A few boats we saw didn't look like they were doing great either. Might need to hit Norfork -- a buddy down there caught a 36 lb, 32 lb and 4 more over 20 there last week. He said it was the best striper fishing that he can remember. SK

I thought they had already started? Looks like the lake is down about 1/2 a foot from the 25th?

Hopefully that current will get them stirred up and biting around the dam or lost bridge this weekend...they have so much shad to eat that they're finicky unless you have some good threadfin or gizzards in the bait tank :-) I think the bigger fish are hainging out in the deep water eating the scraps that fall down from the little ones. SK

NICE EYES!!!

I worked installing septic systems for years and I am still a licensed installer in 5 counties though I have changed lines of work. Since I am an avtive ourdoorsman and angler, I am very interested in this topic and studies that I have read indicate that the rising levels of pollution in T-rock and LOZ are due to the vast numbers of failing septic systems around the lakes. I feel it should be mandated that anyone with a septic system that is failing or that is 8 + years old should replace or repair the system. In a failing system, the sewage is no longer treated at the surface like it should be, but it goes straight down the path of least resistance and directly into the lake or river. Infrared thermal imaging taken over the last 10-15 years show a massive increase in bacteria growth caused by the failing septic systems in these bodies of water every year. That said, many residences surrounding the lakes are built on rocks and they cannot install a standard $3000-5000 pipe and gravel septic system. They have to install specialized pressure systems that pump the sewage away from the rocks to a lateral field or filtered treatment tank. These systems can cost anywhere from $15,000 on up to $30,000 depending on the system required. So, it becomes a great expense to inspect, replace, install these aging systems around the lake, but to me that expense is well worth preserving the water systems we so much enjoy. What will the lakes be like for our children in 10-15 years? Not good according to the data and what is being done to fix this issue. Just some thoughts! SK

Yeah, T-rock isn't quite as bad, depending on where you go on the lake.

Good question -- you would think that they would be drawn to the current and head closer to the dam, but its hard to tell. Were going to be down there Friday evening and Saturday around the Lost Bridge South area, hopefully it doesnt shut the bite down! Dad got 5 last weekend around the Rambo area. SK