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He started out in Prairie Creek then junked fished down the river but they didn't say how far, that could be past Pt 12 or down to the Nursery Pond. That was my loosing pattern for years..lol I always catch more fish North of RT 12 Bridge but the bigger fish South of RT12 but I would have liked a few more details of where he was fishing but guess we will have to weight until the show and try to id the area's by cliffs and boat docs. One year there was a big cliff point the winner was hitting a lot of fish on and I rewound that clip a hundred times and never made up mind if it was a cliff sticking out across from Rocky Branch or just south of Hickory Creek. Both are good places but after taking photos of both and comparing them to the footage I still could not tell and that kind of thing just bugs me to no end.....how about a shot of the GPS once in a while???? I really don't want to camp out on one hole I just like to know where I am watching when it is a lake I know so well..... Glad they came and spent their money and had a good time..glad they are gone....looking forward to their return....

That would be getting real close to the state record of 116lbs out of the Mississippi and I am with you that BIG cats usually grow in Rivers but that cat could be 50 years old and would have started in a river before the darn was there and if he had been living near the darn sucking up shad near the turbines it would be the same thing as a river fish.

I love that rock in front of Rocky branch seems to always hold one or two good fish...thanks for the report.

There is one guy fishing who lives in Copermine and two from Springdale who both did good in local tourneys before going pro. I would not say Greg doesn't know Beaver since he has fished it for over 30 years and has about a 100ft walk from kitchen to the lake. Sometimes "knowin the lake" is a disadvantage due to being stuck on honey holes that did good in the past and not running patterns that fish are following. I spent enough money trying to run milk runs from favorite hole to hole to learn that doesn't pay off very often but when fishing with someone who knows the lake it is hard to get them to come off plain and fish a point they have never caught a fish on even if it has been 10 years since they cast a lure on that point. Fisherman get stuck on patterns and the way to fish and seems the pattern just matches up to the fisherman more then fishermen matching the pattern. Seems most people will run 20 miles to find fish that doing what they want fish to do rather than change what they are doing to suit the fish where they are at the time. I am no exception and will fish the lakes I am used too the same way every time but will change up totally when fishing a lake I have never seen before when that is exactly what I should do in my own back yard.

High winds and an approaching front today if someone figures out to move from point to point with a spinnerbait they should be able to locate a honey hole or two. If there is one constant on Beaver it is wind + Points + Spinnerbaits = big bass, that is how I always got beat anyway I hate throwing spinnerbaits.

I wish the wind, cold and maybe some good Ok thunderstorms would be here for the weekend just to make the show a little interesting.lol

Yes, when those guys move with a camera boat they don't care. Also they will run the shad down deep and if/when you get on some good top water someone chasing 100 grand cares less about your fishing trip and will run right though them. I don't go near the lake when the "Pros" are running around anymore.JMHO I hope you have a guide that knows how to chase deep fish.

200 boats pre fishing plus tournaments going on this weekend will sore mouth so many fish I am guessing by the time of the tournament 12lbs a day will be in the top ten and winning weight about 55lbs. With the local tournaments and the FLW there will be days with 250-300 boats with two rods each hitting every likely spot between the lower white to the darn. A week or so after I bet you could win a tourney fishing between PC and ventris though with a 20lb plus bag easily. With the cooler weather and dropping water I think the fish will stay up shallow and the A-rig bite won't turn on that much, not that they wouldn't work in shallow water just that there are much easier ways to fish shallow water. I think this next two weeks is a great time to fish the Rock.....

I agree with Table Rock and Bull Shoals being way ahead of Beaver but I diffidently prefer Bull Shoals due to lake of pressure and population. But as far as Northern lakes not making it, Lake Champlain is hard to beat, I have a lot bigger bags there and a lot more fish a day then I ever had on Beaver. You can fish a heavy weekend there and not see another bass boat. It might take 10 years to grow a 5lb bass but I have had very few days I could not put together a 5 fish bag of 5-6lbers on that lake and can count on one hand how many times I did that out of 10 years fishing Beaver. The crappie were unreal up there too, we used to catch 55gal cans full of them to sell without a commercial fishing license through the ice. You might get bigger fish in the South but due to lower pressure but as far as "good fish all day" I would put any lake in Vermont or New York over Beaver, heck I have had bigger bass and Stripers out of the Hudson River than Beaver. Lilly pads so thick it takes 2oz weights to punch through and grass so thick it chokes you prop are just a few things I miss. Now why don't I live there anymore, too darn cold and 4 months of water being liquid sucks, but as far as fishing June-August if I had the money I would become a snow bird...lol

I am going to make up some home made rigs Friday when I get in some wire using .045 stainless and wondering what problems and success people have had with different methods of attaching wires together such as stainless steel tubing vs aluminum facets vs JB Weld. Has anyone had a set up fail? Has anyone added weight and why? Just looking for some lessons learned so I don't waste time and money, plan on making up at lest 10 rigs with as many different ideas to see what I like best so please let me know what you did right and wrong. I have watched all the videos on Utube so please don;t send me there.lol I know it is easier to buy one but I enjoy the "work" and just like my jigs it is more rewarding to catch fish on something I made then something I bought.JMO

Well 14-15 isn't bad but figured the local guys could have out fished the visiting pros but there are a lot of days on Beaver I can't put together a 5 fish bag so you two did good.

Does anyone have a link to the leaders board on this one? Really curious on who won and top weights. Glad you two had a good time, sounds like it was fun and if they are like the FLW release boats the fishing between Prairie Creek and Ventrais will pick up next week. Glad too know the Stripers are still working their way North.

It has been a while, but they had great burgers. Then again coming off the lake after fishing ten hours I would have eaten anything..lol but the prices were really good for a lake side dinner unlike the places along Table Rock.

How far up where the whites and hybirds?

If I am back seat of someone running the bank with a shallow crank the I flip a tube or jig around every big rock or laydown I can get behind and can pick up a lot of missed fish that way. It is a quick reaction type hit or miss then reel back fast and hit the next target but I have found it much more productive and less likely to hang up then dragging a lure behind the boat.

Just look for the BIG T REX next to Sam's. I like it better when they were in the small building next to HL&S very few people knew about it but now they can get crowed at lunch time and the secret is out. We also forgot Catfish John's on Hudson Road(102/62) I think it is an older person's place but lunch time specials can't be beat. The frog legs are pretty good also.

Suzie Qs is my summer time favorite for a burger,fries and shake. I can't make it home from the lake without a shake or soft serve cone from Suzie. Not sure of the address just corner of RT12 and 2nd street. I often forget about downtown when I go out and your right there is a lot to be said for the local dinners. But as far as the chains go, I an glad to see Logan's here in town.

I spent a couple hours on beds Friday on a small lake with males stacked up on their beds waiting, females would run in one was a 10lb plus that could not find a male she liked. I threw everything at her but she was mate shopping and was not going to hit anything, when I found two fish they were laying(female was turning up doing a head stand anyway) and not paying attention to anything. IMO you could have stacked that lake from end to end with bed fishermen and not hurt the spawn by one fish. It is such a short time that the males defend those eggs before they hatch and everyone is on a different schedule and compared to the bluegill that I saw waiting around the beds, no man has the patience of a 10 oz bluegill, or a 3inch crawfish. I kept thinking I wish I had one of those guys with me that talks about bed fishing being unfair just to show me how it is so EASY.

Must be really rough this weekend, I don't think I have ever seen so many Zeros on the co angler side. I have fished back seat on Table Rock from 17 degrees to 105 with a lot of different people and have always managed one keeper, if you just keep a grub in the water for 6 hours it is usually hard not to catch one keeper.

Could have been time of day, sunrise the water is the coldest of the day and just a few hours of sun will rise surface temps 5 degrees. Wasn't there just saying.

Thanks for the report I have really been wanting to get down there and see what is happening, now I don't feel I an missing that much.

So F&F the guys you know that are using blades, do they catch more fish on the rigs with blades? I am thinking they might more productive on those really windy days.

I am going to make some of my own A-rigs and have been thinking about adding some spinnerbait blades to the arms. I have been debating between white willows, silver or a mix. What do you think about colors, size? Also do you think it will add to attraction or detract from the swimbaits?

I can't count how many 5 and 6 lbers I caught last year around the island near Beaver, in fact I have caught more 6lb rainbows then 6lb bass while "bass" fishing that area.

Just saw the latest results and looks to be a much smaller turn out then last year and if trends stick about 25 % will drop out before Night tournaments. Could be the price of gas or the new rules?