Ham

Not quite crappie fisherman. The fact that the report is weeks old is the only saving grace, but the fishing pattern has been REALLY steady on TR, BS, and Norfork for the last 6-8 weeks with daily variations in depth on the same location. I'm happy they caught fish and that's cool that he wants to give all his intell away, but a PM limits the damage. With a PM, Champ just tells all his friends instead of 100's of eyes see these boards.

It was a LOT more than a little info. That much detail is better shared via a PM. Most spots can't stand the fishing pressure that a well intentioned but overly detailed post like that one can bring. I'm always pissed when I have found fish on my own and then someone being helpful invites the world to fish the areas I found. The appropriate response would have been yes the ramp is open.

Thanks Don and T. I'm relatively new to the area and trying to get a general feel for when and where. God knows that the "rules" are meant to be broken, but a basic understanding of what "most" of the fish are doing at general water temperature ranges would be a huge help to me.

You mention the water being "too warm". Was that too warm for a good spoon bite? I'm really wishing I could hold on to this 50-55 ' water for another month. Will the bass still eat a FB jig as the water cools below 50'?

Hey Larry, about how cold does the water have to get down to to stop the fun. TR, BS, and Norfork are all "hot" right now. Will the bite still be strong at 50'? I understand the fish will move and the "hot" bait may change, but how cold is too cold to feel good about my chances?

I ALMOST had a slam on the Norfork this fall with my flyrod. I had a BIG Brookie on that came off as I reached out to net it. Great day none the less.

I'd want to be real careful about slander. What if it looks like a performer in Branson, but it isn't that guy. You "out" him and his show goes down the tubes which he could show financial damages dmages, you could be sued for saying on a public forum something that isn't true. The police should control this. They have the same problem in Shreveport at parks associated with boat ramps along the Red River. A few plainscolthes policemen making a few high profile arrests would slow this down a bunch. Going to the local media about this might work as well.

Hey Don: I haven't read anything about minimum flow being as high as you mentioned. I had read about 300 more CFS on the White and 150 or so more CFS on Norfork. Both of those numbers would keep the water cooler, expand the area where scuds and sowbugs grow, help a little bit with O2 (maybe), and maybe expand areas where people can wade. MOST of the folks I have talked to are in favor of it and most seem to think it might improve the fishery; More fish for everybody. I've never had the feeling that it was being pused by the guides so that more people would have to hire a guide. I've also never considered that the folks lobbying for it just want to dilute their pollution. I guess I'm just naive. I've heard Mr. Wood is a good guy and wants to improve things. He's been a good guy in the past in regards to how he ran his plant and donations for various area projects. In regards to your first point about extra water in the lakes PRIOR to the flooding rains; l would hope that with the knowledge they had less room to spare, the decision of when to begin letting water out might have been different. I don't think I would assume that five extra foot would have made things 5 foot worse. I also think that the extra 5 foot isn't going to be static. They may keep if 5 foot higher in the spring and reduce the lake level by five foot less in the fall. Norfork was 8 foot low last fall maybe this year they will only run int to 5 foot low. I'm firmly against giving SWPA money for energy NOT generated.

Jerkbaits already Larry ? I've fishing the Wiggle out of my warts lately. I've also been slinging blades and jigs.

Thanks Doug. I was expecting mid lake or upper lake, but Thanks man.

Kill the pigs.

Could you give me a general area of the lake that you were fishing?

Gary the fish get used to the noise. They live under these docks FULL TIME. The docks always have fish. I don't fish these areas at "rush hour". Usually there are any other boats gassing up or stopping to shop. I have caught some pretty decent fish and had some follows by true PIGS at some of the commercial docks that they have made illegal. Knowing the location of a few fish that can become bites on still bluebird days was a nice option to have.

I love the thump when a bass takes a jig. I carry two versions of skirted jigs, weedless football heads, ballheads, a shad head, sliderheads, horsehead jigs and weedless tube jigheads. I try not to leave home without them. Find jigheads you are happy with and stock up. Great choice in lots of weather and a wide range of water temps.

There is another ad in this section for an AFF boat. Maybe that guy has pics. There is an ad for almost exactly what you're after in the Baxter Bulletin right now. You could probably get the number via the online version. 2007 Supreme wide boat with a 40 HP jet. From memory, I think the guy wanted around 12 K. I understand cheaper is better, but for you it will be a business expense and can be written off. If you made 10 guide trips a year in it, you would probably cover you notes. With reasonable care, a trout boat is good for 20 years.

It was hard for me to tell if you were solo camping on the Buffalo. Nights are a LOT longer without electricity and especially if you are going solo. The photos were very nice.

The 2nd Ammendment just went before the Supreme Court. It survived this trip, but who knows what will be handed down the next time around. Obama will likely get to appoint Supreme Court justices and I really doubt they will be conservatives. Obama will be got in 8 years, but his appointees to the different levels of the judical branch will be a stain that lingers.

The thing I am looking for in fishing reports are GENERAL AREAS ie upper lake creek arms or mid-lake main lake points and general patterns ie slinging a blade or working jigs in 10-20 ft. Water temp, level, and water color would be real handy as well. We really tell too much a lot of times and load an area with more pressure than it can stand which ruins the area for other guys that found it on their own. Cool details about what it took that day to trigger a bite are great, but leave a little something for guys to figure out on their own. Sometimes it is like an infomercial. Guys vomit up every detail up to GPS numbers. Too much information can literally kill a small creek. Fish that took years to grow can be taken out in a few days. Bull Shoals is fishing very well right now and if folks will behave themselves should fish well for years to come. Lots of small fish with enough bigger fish to keep you hoping. Wind is your friend. Water temp was around 62'. Water was clear in protected areas with some wave created stained areas.

Fish are biting (the fish are always biting as long as the river isn't a big blown out mudhole). Odds are they are going to be runnning 6 units 24 hours a day. You'll need a boat to fish effectively. All the flies that worked 2 years ago will work now. SJW and egg patterns in the flow. Zebra midges, sow bugs, and scuds in slower areas. I hope you catch a ton. Keep an open mind about the Norfork. They may run a little less water there.

Motors are allowed up to Erbie although I have no idea how you would get to use them that far up. I plan on buying a 10 HP for my trout boat to take it up as far as Rush. I guess I'd better check to see if there is any hard date on a motor ban. Lampreys have lived alongside the smallies for quite a little while. Let them do their thing. A good parasite doesn't kill its host.

Thanks for the knowledge Larry. Shoot me a PM if you want help with boat gas money sometime.

I caught 28 on the upper lake yesterday. I basically caught fish everywhere I tried, but not many of them have any size. I also could not BUY a topwater bite. SB's, cranks, jigs. Several nice spotted bass footballs though. Please don't give up on catch and release.

I've got two Okuma Sierras and an Integrity. They are nice reels for the money. Carp will definitely put them to a test. I got mine off Ebay.

Since your reading comprehension skills are lacking, I'll say it again. I do not believe Obama actually has any faith at all. It is/was an interesting alip of the tongue though. I guess you'll go to your grave confused about the 2000 election. It was very, very close. It came down to Florida. They did a bunch of re-counts and never could find a way for Gore to claim victory. There would have been 31 flavors of crap if on any of the re-counts Gore came out ahead. Dude, Gore would have won outright if he could have carried his home state. What did they know that you didn't. And btw if the DNC had done the right thing and run sleazy bill off when the truth got out, then Gore would have likely won by a decent margin. How sour are grapes 8 years after the fact?

The problem seems to be that Obama is a lot like Clinton in that he knows the truth, but he and the truth aren't always friends. FOR CLARITY Obama has stated repeatedly that he is not Muslim. He claims to be Christian because he knows that it would hurt him politically to be labeled as Muslim. It is odd that you would honestly consider yourself to be a Christian and make that mistake. Maybe, he just got confused about what group he was talking to that day. Personally, I do not believe Obama has a faith, but to be know as Godless would hurt him politically as well. Obama has made a lot of moves for political expediancy that to me anyway show a lack of core beliefs to guide himself. He has done what is necessary to rise in the ranks of the DNC. I believe Obama attended that Hate Church because it would help him politically. I am concerned about how much of that hatred seeped into him while he sat in those pews. Do you really want someone that attended that church for 20 years and didn't notice the behavior and beliefs of the preacher to be responsible for the complexity of running our country? I would have lasted 20 minutes in that church and I am not capable of running this country. Obama hung out with and worked with the Weather Underground guy because he was part of the Chicago political machine. I don't think Obama was wanting to learn how to build a bomb from him, but I worry that he may not love our country because he has spent so long hanging out and working with people who so openly and deeply either mistrust or hate our great Nation. Yes, there are bad deeds done by Americans everyday (and don't those get all the press), but America as a Nation and Americans as individuals do as much or more for the world than any other nation or group of people. Just as am aside I am so tired of hearing about the Clinton surplus. There never were big piles of money laying around. It was a "projected" surplus that never came to pass. I'm not sure who projected the surplus, but I bet they didn't aim low. The wonderful economy was based on the tech boom and a crazy ride on the stock market that had an over due correction coming. Luckily for Clinton the tech boom happened while he was in office despite him being in office NOT because he was in office. I was well aware that an economic downturn was coming when Gore vs Bush was unfolding. I really do Thank God that Bush beat Gore because Gore being on office when 9/11 happened would have been so much worse than the diaster it was.