Devan S.

Sound like your in a good position to make a better decision long term in the summer when prices and demand stabilize. How many rick of wood you burn a year?

Cant get it right now? Likely....but your basically done with this year. considering your thinking of switching surely you don't already have a tank, lines ran, and a heater right? Propane will be available much cheaper in June, July, and August than calling around now.

Take that stimi-check your about to get and pre-buy the next 5 years.

Oil/Gas prices are a funny thing to me. You asked about Propane which can be bought at a significant discount in the summer so the price today likely will be higher than I would expect you to pay in July or what I would expect to pay next December. I don't know how much current prices are being effected by new administration policy vs. concern over new administration policy. I'm sure its likely more of the later than the former but the net effect is the same. Actual policy is usually back loaded in an administration. Pay at the pump price vs. price per barrel is much akin to using the stock market to actively gage the true economy. That being said, prices almost always rise into the spring coming out of winter(increased demand and a change in mfg costs). Add in the effects of slow down due to COVID(remember oil prices were technically negative at one point last year). OPEC made drastic cuts at that time and as demand creeps up they can highly effectively drive price purely out of controlling supply. Many oil/gas operations domestically cannot continue to operate at near zero(or negative) margin like state run OPEC companies. Therefore up until the per barrel price gets to the point domestic markets can drive a reasonable profit they will not be a major player. Again how much of this is speculative related to the new administration vs. coincidence I don't know. One thing I have long wondered, is why if its such a big driver of our economy how we always see price increases due to oil price but never decreases. When the bottom drops and manufacturers save money on shipping, processing, plastics, ect do they pass that onto consumers or do they keep the profit difference for themselves? Only time I notice any decrease in costs is when I fill up at the pump.

I have yet to catch a female fish this year that I know for sure. Every fish I have cleaned has been a male and lots I have caught and put back squirt all over my boat.

The wont run up into the park.....they will run up to the 86 bridge at Eagle Rock where it meets the lake. Been several people down there everyday/evening. I haven't heard anyone getting into any there....yet. The park itself has been very busy everyday.

I took an early morning trip the other day up the white and caught a walleye that measured 17 7/8". He managed to get the entire mcstik in his mouth long ways and his gills inside were destroyed....it was a bloody mess getting the hooks out and he most certainly died. Mentally I knew he wasn't going to make it and no matter how I measured he was a hair short. Just so happens about 4 hours later a nice man and women dressed in the customary Arkansas game warden attire pulled up next to my boat to give me a check. They both lamented that I couldn't keep it but assured me other animals need to eat too.

That is my thought.....water is low and not tons of flow down Kings....however Beaver isn't generating a lot but when they do its quiet a bit more than Kings..... One things for sure....I'm no longer a fan a daytime fishing. Way to many people out for my liking.

I know many and even a certain percentage of fish will spawn main lake but I assume river fish are always river fish. Off the top of my head paddle fish and walleye in TRL. I ask because I have been doing well up the white on walleye and ventured over to Kings today. Nothing. nada. zilch. Its like a totally different fishery. Fishing the same depth and types of areas and water temps are similar. The thing is....on the white....its shallow enough I can see them when I tried the same type areas of the Kings I don't see anything. I have to presume they are behind....by weeks at this point.....or something changed...maybe the frozen lake situation and low water input has made the white a better draw for these types of fish? 99% of the time I would say confidence is my problem....but if I cant see them then I cant see them. Just a question and thought to ponder.

I have a question for someone smarter than I. How does a fish know which river to run up for spawning. For example: I assume a fish at Beaver town run up below the dam; fish at say sweet water run up kings. Where and how does a fish at say Shell Knob know where to go and what is their determining factor? What keeps them from stopping at say owl creek or Roaring river, Rock creek or keep it from going up the Kings?

270+ views and 24 responses. I better break out the net and head to the creek. In the middle of the walleye run and now I got to worry about the masses heading down and frying up all my bait.

I would say 50/50 on wading vs. bank fishing. I'm either throwing jigs or jerkbait so I do both but I'm moving alot. I'm not looking to work over a school of rainbows for the day I want to catch 1 or 2 big fish and then I'm gone. Lots of people bring lawn chairs and sit soaking bait. If there generation there's still options but it cuts them down significantly. Downstream from parkers anything goes basically. There's 3 or 4 walk in access points between the Bertrand boat ramp and the parkers parking lot. About a couple hundred yards upstream of parkers is the special regs and you need to be barbless there but without a kayak its difficult to access this area.

I don't but he's right there is a bunch usually there. We checked it out with lights the other night.

Will do. Right now the big focus is Walleye and Brown Trout. I will soon start looking for whites. Mid-April snagging season opens for paddlefish below Beaver dam. I've never done it there so not sure how fruitful it will be but I'm gonna check it out. From then on it'll be floating for smallies and/or stripers at Beaver. Of course everything is weather/water level dependent but right now I'm not looking to start thinking about Bream or Catfish until it gets later in the year. Too much opportunity happening right now.

Put me down and let me know what to bring. Its highly likely I wont be bass fishing.....but a guy never knows what he may catch.

yep just need one from the group(there's 8 total categories black bass, crappie, bream, perch, catfish, trout, temperate bass, and miscellaneous). Weight is the only qualifier. Here is the entire listing and qualifying weights: https://www.agfc.com/en/fishing/masterangler/ I really think a fair number of them could be caught in the Ark. portion of TR or Beaver which are both close to me. However some of them likely become easier if your willing to travel a bit(trout in the white below bull/catfish on either the Arkansas river or Mississippi).

It is a border lake and I will likely catch several of my fish in other categories in the Arkansas portion just purely based on hours spent there. With the Bream though I have never targeted them that direction....I always go the other direction toward the main lake. I'm sure they are there but never have heard about people targeting them specifically in the river sections on TR. I'm gonna try because its quicker and easier but like to explore and have a place with a higher probability of success as a backup.

Quillback I may take you up on the BV lakes. Swepco is one I had not thought of. Right now I am trying to focus my efforts on locations where I could theoretically stumble into multiple species and Swepco certainly seems to fit the bill. There used to be some good bass fishing and catfishing to be had. Maybe I can turn it into a 3 species trip with a tub of worms and dropshot. I don't know how likely 8lb bass and 12lb cats are considering the pressure it gets but it might be worth trying a couple times and see what happens. Bob Kidd has come up in my Crappie search a couple times. My biggest problem is prime crappie falls right into all my other fish I like better so I just am not willing to give up ones for another....yet.

One of my fishing goals is to catch an Arkansas Master Angler fish in each category. Frankly I've got a good idea of locations to catch a fish in every category but the Bream and Crappie. Crappie I have some ideas but nothing that is going to be simple or without ALOT of trial and error(crappie need to be 2.5lbs). Bream I am all but lost on. I have good ideas in Missouri but just don't have the same knowledge base in Arkansas. I'm not asking for a honey holes but general directions would be appreciated. For example, if I was going to do this in Missouri. I would start in May on Table Rock and fish long runout points dropshotting crawlers. I've thought about doing it on Beaver but I am not sure if the Gills setup like they do there with the striper. Here is the list and size required for Bream I realize none of this is going to be simple or easy. Its going to take time and multiple attempts probably over years but I for the most part have all the other categories nailed down to what I think the best method is. I'm not afraid to drive if there is something that gives me a good chance but I don't want to be driving to chase 1 fish in southern Arkansas on a 10,000 acre lake. However the closer to SWMO the better. The good news is once I catch them you will probably never see me there again. I can go fill the boat with Gills on Table Rock in May through June with little competition in a much shorter drive. Right now here is my low confidence plan for Bream: The little nook outlet on blue springs appears to have quiet the population of what looks to be gills so try there or just float lower Kings river(warmouth) or the Beaver Town to Holiday island section and hope for the best. Outside that maybe stumble into something at either Big bass lake in Eureka or Lake Leatherwood.

I see the income disparity as huge as well but I really think its a train running downhill that's going to crash. Stock market has been on an absolute ride for a decade and many millionaires made with next to zero borrowing rate. That alone makes it a lot easier to fund a lifestyle. Add in that incomes can change in a heartbeat with a downturn and the mid-level fluff gets let go and you have a recipe that could be catastrophic. If these people aren't sitting on massive piles of cash(not funds in the market) then they wont be funding their lifestyle long. I firmly believe the next crash when, not if, it happens will likely be like nothing ever seen before. Those with those salaries now....but living on peanuts are likely the ones that will be okay and come out as the 1% on the other side.

Just took a stroll through a very busy roaring river. I assume all the trout parks will be normal if not busier than normal.

How do you like the piscifun stuff? Price is killer. I've been using a cheap 5/6 weight from wally world for white and been thinking of upgrading to piscifun stuff.

@Quillback I tried sending you a PM but it says unable to receive. I assume your inbox if full.

Seen a couple caught. I've been catching them here and there since December. See lots of eyes night fishing when I use my head lamp.

Launched at Houseman on the 26th approximately 5pm. Immediately went upstream and every single downstream boat said bite was tough. Searched and searched without a sniff until about 8:30pm and packed up and headed downstream. Fished until about 12 am downstream without a sniff. Made a call....going with confidence in a spot and presentation/bait. Let me tell you at 12am the tailwater is an empty place. Its just you, the fish, and lots of tail slapping beavers. Between 1:30-2am the switch was tripped....clouds broke up. Big bright moon and everything came together. 1st fish was a shorty but confirmed my confidence. 2nd fish was a shorty my co-angler caught. Double confirmation. 3rd fish was 23" Brown Trout my co-angler caught. 6.3lbs. Made a slight adjustment in location and the race was on. Figured I finished the night with something along the lines of 10 fish- kept a limit. . Co-angler did not have the same tools as I had and it mattered last night. After my limit was secured, we switched gear but the fog was starting to dim the lights shined from above. He finished with 2 keepers and maybe 5 fish total. Although the 6.3lb brown made up for the lack of numbers. About 4am I caught my personal best brown and inched even closer to my personal goal. 24" and 6.1 lbs. Just barely got beat on big fish of the night by a shorter fatter fish. Loaded the boat about 6am today in pea soup fog after a very long slow boat ride back to the ramp. Tired, sleepy, back achy but will do it all again very soon.