Ham

Hey John, have the new size regs gone into effect for Brown Trout? Trout ate jigs and jerkbaits for me this morning in the Cotter area.

I thow a 4 inch tube on a 1/4 oz weedless jighead. I am using mostly heavy bodied tubes like Bass Pro's 4 inch Mag Flipping Tube. If I throw a tube, I'm looking for a little bit better sized fish. I have lots of smaller plastics I fish on ML if I am looking for numbers. My favorite colors are almost always greens and browns with various glitters. I always look at water color and amount of available light. I don't like to t rig my tubes, but the old Shaw Grisby HP hook will let you t rig any size tube. Someone is most likely still offering a hook like that.

Sounds about right. I don't think you need fluro for tubes, but that's your call. You could use a MH for tubes especially if you are using the BIG multi-dip ones. A medium should do for most tubes. A ML woould for for exposed hook jigheads, but I prefer the Medium.

We fish for fun and Blue Herons fish to survive. It would be pretty crappy to whack a Blue Heron because you want to "help" the Browns. If you want to help the Brown Trout, give up trout fishing. That's the only way to make sure you don't kill any accidentily. There are thousands of trout in the Lake. Plenty to share with the birds and other wildlife. Truth be told, there are most likely too many fish in Taney and a certain level of predation and catch and kill fishing is NEEDED to keep things in balance.

Cajun Angler busted on me for not mentioning prices of the two rods I am using. Both of those rods retail for around $180. I would agree that less expensive stiks can get it done. The two rods I mentioned are definitely in that range where you are throwing more and more dollars for less and less difference in quality. I love the St Croix Premiers also and they are in the $100 range or so. I went with the Avids because of a better warranty and because they have an "extra fast" action. The Avids are also lighter and have a little better balance. Better gear IS NOT a substitute for time on the water. An experienced fisherman with crap for gear will outfish a total beginner with he best that could possibly be bought. HOWEVER if you are gonna fish and it matters to you, you owe it to yourself to get away from the lower end combos. I kind of think that price break point is around $150 for baitcaster combos and around $120 for spinning combos. Guys will go buy 3 baitcaster combos that were $60 each and still not have a decent functional outfit in the bunch. They could have taken the same money and gotten something really nice. Rods and reels with care are going to last you years. Add one good combo a year and soon you have more good stuff than you have time to fish with.

I've literally got a boatload and I'm sure they'll all catch fish. I feel most confident when throwing a jig with a Zoom Super Chunk Jr. I also use twin tail grubs, Zoom Swimming Chunks, and small craw imitations. I've played the pork gane in the past and I have certainly caught fish with jig and pig, but I don't feel pork is necessary.

I've got two I like a bunch. I just got an Falcon Cara T7 Eakins rod ( 6'10" MH). I also have a St Croix Avid 7' MH Extra Fast (AC70MHXF). I've been using 3/8 oz and 1/2 oz jigs with 15-17 pound line. Pretty good combos. I really can't blame my gear. I have also heard a lot of positives about the Johnny Morris Signature series, but I don't know the model number. It was the MH 6'10". 6'6" is a good length and I like it in a lot of rods, but for the application I prefer 6'8" to 7' 4" or so.

Swing by Blue Ribbon Fly on Hwy 5 South just North of the 62 Bypass. They have Handy Dandy maps of both rivers with access points FREE. While you're there, you should pick up a Y2K or three. Ask Bob or Larry for some advice on DRC. The advice is free and dead on.

Ehhhh, I have no idea aout MO regs so I can't answer the poll. I prefer big fat dumb trout. I would be ok with total C&R. I think barbless on flies are unnecesary. Very few fish are killed by flies. Why not have fly only zones instead? Live Bait and PowerBait are the trout killers. I'd like to use jerkbaits, spoons, and inlines in the C&R areas BUT I can't. So I use flys or ZigJigs instead.

Waders YES. Camera YES YES. BIG FREAKIN NET. No Less than 4X and 2x or 3x might be ok if you can get it through the hook eye. SJW, Y2K, Scuds Drys might work. My kids have never tried em. Trout do eat he indicator from time to time. Don't hog the good spots. I plan on taking my kids some those days as well.

Sometimes if you can't match em, you should try something really different like a WB or another streamer. I'd would have tried a Chick's Emerger though. I LOVE an emerger bite.

I'm still wondering about water temp and how low is too low to bother throwing the FB jig. The bites definitely got a lot more difficult for me to detect in 49' water, but that could just have been the fishes mood that one day. I've got a rod dedicated to the FB jig now and want more chances to use it. Also I'm curious if folks have the FB jig as a part of their early Spring arsenal. I try to have general guidelines that help me decide what to try first: 40's and rising- Jerkbait ; 50 or so FB jig ; 53 rattletrap ; wart is 50-60 ; 56 spinnerbait ; > 60 soft plastics come into play Bueler ? Bueler ?

I'd like to get some opinions on seasonal preferences for throwing the football jig. I have certainly enjoyed throwing it this fall. I'll probably keep one tied on once water temp hits the 60's and fishit hard when water temp hits the 50's. I caught fish on it the other day when water was 49'. At what water temp should I put down the jig and pick up a spoon? Does early Spring give me another shot with the football jig? Maybe a CR like drag rather than an active hopping retrieve. Again, I would look for low 50's. For better or worse, lure selection is a LOT easier when water temp is less than 55'.

I broke down and bought some Seagar Invisx line Saturday. I spooled up for a trip CajunAngler and I made to upper BUll Shoals. We had heard there was a pretty good Wart bite going on and with the weather getting nasty we decided to sneak in one more trip prior to the change. We took his boat which was a good choice because it was a little windy. The wart bite didn't really happen for us, but the jig bite did. Smallies, LMB, and Spots. Size was a mixed bag. I wanted a limit of largemouth, but that didn't work out. I caught too many keeper smallies which I refuse to kill. I could tell I was fishing a different line. I can feel the extra weight of the line when I cast. Reminds me of throwing a flyrod a bit. The Invisx didn't coil on me at all. It was more sensitive (I think) and held up well to the rocks. I did re-tie a time or three ; some of which might not have been necessary. I did not lose a jig all day. (I did tear the hook up on one getting it out of a fat pig spotted bass though) I am not overly concerned with the line being invisible, but it doesn't bother me that it is. Cajun Angler caught more than his share of the fish, but every dog has his day. We caught 45 bass between us for the day and over 40 of those came on football jigs.

And wear a hat.

Someone mentioned Jewel jigs as being wirth their higher cost, but they are moderately priced compared to some of the national brands. I'm throwing the Heavy Cover Finesse, but I'm guessing most are using the Heavy Duty for the stronger hook? Why does the stinkin fluro have to be SO expensive? I'm got lots of line from 4 lb to 20 lb already so I hate to buy more. Are the main advantages of the fluro the increased sensitivity and the fact that is sinks so it helps your jig get down and stay down. I was hoping for extra abrasion resistance to the rocks. I have used P Line CX Premium which is fluro coated, but I'm not sure you get the extra sensitivity or the stay down with it maybe just the abrasion resistance. Hmmm.

I'm glad to see you guys are mentioning rods as well. I use a 7' medium spining for 1/4 oz with 8-10 lb, but if wind forces me to go up in weight to 3/8 oz I throw it on a St Croix AC68MXF (6'8" medium Xtra fast). When I go up to 1/2 oz, 17 lb on a St Croix AC70MHXF gets the nod. Now, Its not like I need another rod, but if there was a clear choice for a "better" rod well I'm all ears. Anyone use the Falcon Eakin's rod? I'm snap setting mostly and too hard at that which is why I do tend to open up the Jewel Finesse FB's after a while, but my jigs have J hooks instead of the semi EWG hooks some jigs have. I try to make myself sweep set on EWG style hooks and real wimpy hooks. Hey Ealy Are you fishing a G3? That looks like the bow of my HP180.

I know lots of guys are throwing FB jigheads bioth skirted and plain with plastic trailers. There seems to be a WIDE range in prices for the skirted and plain jigs. Given the fact that I will lose some number of jigs over the course of the day, I'd like to get a decent jig for a decent price. I'm been fishing Jewel Finesse Football heads and Right Bite skirted heads. The hooks are a little light in the Jewels. I'm been using a mish mash of un-skirted jigheads with twin tailed Hula grubs. Both catch fish. I do vary weights based on depth I'm fishing and the amount of wind on the area I am fishing. All sorts of greens and browns including PB & J, Green Pumpkin, Mo Craw, and more. Is there a general water temp where a skirted jig will outfish a jighead with a Hula Grub? Are there real world advantages to some of these > 4 dollars each FB head jigs? Are you guys snap setting or sweep setting? What is too light or too heavy a line for this technique in this clear water?

The COE office in Mountain Home told me they have the "new" passes for the next 12 mionths, BUT they aren't selling them now or chargeing for area ramps ????

Dang Phil you seemed to be having more trouble keeping the fish off the jig than you were catching them.

Hey Matt, I have yet to catch a crappie from Norfork, but I am told that this time of year the crappie can be caught from the brushpiles by swimming jigs with soft plastics around and through them. I saw a gentleman fishing in the Redbank area tightlining minnows over brush 20-30 foot down. The wind was giving him fits, but I saw him cleaning some nice fish at thhe ramp later. You'll have to go and pay some dues. You'll learn a little more each trip.

Nope. Nothing on stripers. I saw a few individual shad no balls of shad, but I did not spend any time moving slow watching electronics over open water. Ehhhh island? No.

There's no point in getting your feelings hurt about it. I jut think it was too much detail. A PM helps someone WITHOUT putting it out there for everyone to read years later. Play around with various search engines and see what you can find from old fishing reports. I'm sure the local experts could expound on the differences between Beaver, TR, BS, and Norfork but for me they fish a lot alike. I can apply some of the overly detailed reports from TR to BS and do just fine. Basically, if someone gives me a rough idea of area of the lake fished, water temp, water level and or water color along with a date stamp and a thumb up or thumb down sucess wise. I'm a happy camper. I can make a more educated decision about where to spend my day off trying to catch a few fish.

I fished from 0930 until 1700 on Norfork. I launched out of Cranfield. Water temps 49-50 degrees. Fish still eating a jig, but the bite is light. This would be a tough time to teach someone how to jig fish. I fished various green and brown jigs in 3/8 and 1/2 oz. The wind was a lot of fun. I sure was wishing the sun would come out and warm me up, but alas it did not. The sun finally came out at about 4 pm. I really think the fish bite better when the sun is out this time of year. At least, the jig bite is better for me in the sunshine. Water has plenty of visibility BUT is not GIN clear. I also caught a few runts on a wart. I caught and released 21 bass. Most small fish, but I would have had a nice limit of LMB if I had choosen to take them home. I only had 3 little spotted bass. I guess the bigger spots are offshore pounding shad or something.

I have some interest in your boat, but I'd need to know where you are.