Ham

I have a livewell pump, but I have NEVER needed it. The livewell has a small hole on bottom to let water drain out and a larger hole on the side that has a drain plug that can be removed. With the drain plug out water cycles in and out as ppl move around in the boat and the few times I have put trout in the live well they were a little too healthy when I tried to fetch them out of the livewell.

That guy named Ned would have caught em too. Just sayin.

I think that is a doable set up. I think Nanofil throws a crap tonne better than braid, but whatevs. If you went Nanofil go 8 lb. If you don't have a rod in mind already or don't own that rod, I would suggest you take a look see at the rods Phil sells in his store. Phil is the Man on Taney and a heck of a jig fisherman. I would trust that those rods would get it done. Power Bait works. If you plan on keeping the fish, that's a cool deal. IF you are catch and releasing, Power Bait and Natural baits gut hook a lot of fish. I love to jig fish for trout. You can really catch em on jigs ESPECIALLY if they are running a little water. Good Luck!

I think he's really busy helping coach football. I doubt that this is the best way to get in touch with him. Email?

numbers of trips this year for me are down a little bit, but I've had a lot of good trips. I've fished OK, TX, LA, AR, and MO. About to head out on a mulitday adventure tomorrow. 39 species of fish caught so far. Not sure that I'll add anything new over the next three days If they wil ver get the water bled out of BSL, I'll get to start abusing trout with a Zig Jig again. I am MORE than mad at em.

You can lose top water baits. A had a Striper in Lake Ouachita take a Sammy from me. He sounded in 50 plus foot of water and broke me off on a rockpile of bottom. I really did not see that coming.

You're a BAD Man Fish24/7

I've been loading boats for about 4 decades. I got really use to kinda gliding up on the trailer and steering at minimal speed. jets have no steering unless you are under power. Throw in the current of the White River and things get interesting. I looked pretty foolish until I got the hang of it.

90 or 130

Jets are loud, less efficient, and more difficult to load on a trailer BUT they go shallow like nothing else and you won't have to worry about spare props and lower unit repair ever. I ended up with a jet with no previous thought about owning one. It's been great. There is no reason that a jet won't bpdo all the things you are talking about doing. Heavy leaf debris and or heavy grass beds can be a pain in the butt as well, but for me the advantages of a jet outweighs the disadvantages.

Nice fish man!

Looking at it, I think I will be able to go. I'll ask the boss for Friday, but I don't think I'll be able to do Thursday. Looking forward to it. I'll see if Richard can make it, but I think he always has some work thing.

I hate you won't be there, but that's awesome news. If you had mentioned it before, it must have slipped my mind. That's great my man. Good for y'all!

I love my BassCat. That's a great boat.

I never understand why guys hang a monster fish and are having a great time, but lose their enthusiasm when they see it is a drum or a carp. Enjoy what you catch. Enjoy everything you catch!

Gravelbars are my preferred camping spot. Running water year round. Low rates. Lots of space. Incredible views.

You da man.

Shipps isn't too far, but the confluence is a lot further down IMO, but if they are running 6-8 units it won't take too long I guess.

I have not been able to tell a difference between 1 and 2 piece rods when fishing them. I like em both.

That's great man.

I think you'll be fine. Lots of guys run 10 HP. The big water is a pain, but it shouldn't be a safety concern. You'll zip along nicely at 5000 CFCs. It'll be a little slower at 20 K. I had a tough stretch at work, but a coworker has healed very nicely from his surgery and is back at work. My OT hours are over for a little while. I did not fish today. I power washed my house. Fishing would have been more fun.

My wife and I are finishing out a 1200 sq foot shack in Marion County that looks across the river at Cotter, AR. It's not gonna be as pretty as yours, but I hope it will be home before too, too long. Look forward to meeting you one of these days.

I floated from the dam at BSL to Rim Shoals at > 20K with nary a moments concern. My daughter complained about it being too mild. I would not be uneasy at all about floating down to Shipps Ferry as a take out. Shipp's Ferry will be on river left and the ramp itself is fairly protected from the heavy flow by a rocky outcropping just above it. It really shouldn't be a big deal, but certainly think about things and do what YOU are comfortable with.

Skipjack Shad, Northern Hog Sucker, Common Carp

Sorry to hear about the setback from the Red Bugs. I hate to use DEET directly on me, but spraying beforehand does help AND I try to bathe promptly after exiting the brush and scrub with tea tree oil containing soap. I've been pretty lucky using that protocol. I've been wondering about you and the move down. Shoot me a PM next time you're down this way.