Stump bumper

Walmart came back in as a sponser, that in turn brought back a lot more big name sponser's thus the home of Walmart has to be on the tour. At that level it's all about the green and I don't meen bass. Not complaining, there are a lot of fisherman who will be able to "live the dream" now due to those sponsers.

Just wondering if there is one brave soul that can fish through this?

Just check the rules and they have between now and the 14th then 27 feb-1 Mar to pre fish so this should be interesting. Water temps were in the high 30s last week when the weather was nice and now winter has arrived and looks like it will be here for a few weeks.

Basically it is a crappie jig under a floater.

I use them and they have always worked, takes some time in a cool well aired livewell. I have had some bad results fizzing since I do it so little and have had trouble finding help on some lakes getting other anglers to do it for me. The flip clips don't work on fish I have tried to rescue at weigh ins that were left in livewells for hours with no treatment and left floating at the weigh in were I think a good fizzer could have saved them.

That was cheap, last August I smashed mt finger between the boat and the rollar. I went to the emerency room at North West Medical were I spent 4 hours waiting on an x-ray and a doctor to look at it for 2 min and tell me that the gushing wound with a piece of bone sticking out was a broken bone and he could not stitch up a wound over a broken bone. I got a small bandage that had to be replaced by the time I walked to the parking lot. I went home, removed the small piece of bone and stoped the bleading with super glue. The first bill to the insursance was $1400 then the Doctor's office billed $1500 for the same vist. I complained to Tricare, and not only did they not pay(after verfing the care) they thearted the doctor with fraud. I used to say the only thing they could do at emerency rooms was stop bleading, set bones and start breathing but now I am doubting two of those. I am very glad you found confindent medical care that didn't brake the bank, but I am betting if they were charging the government the bill would have twice that.

There is another Corps ramp off to the right about 1/4 mile from the Marinia on the right as soon as you pass the second guard house. South Ramp I can't remeber what was wrong with it but I used it a couple times for tournaments at the Marinia then said I wouldn't use that one again but can't remeber why.

Sorry my bad, I read Hickory and was thinking about Horseshoe Bend.....There is a free launch down the road from Hickory creek where Hwy 264 runs into the lake that only comes out of the water when it gets low but I have not checked the condition of the ramp in a while and beaching there is a little risky.

South Ramp or North ramp?

I started this at 1114 and thought it might be down to 1110 by March-April rains, now 40 days later it is 1110.5 and generation is still strong. At this pace and little rain in Feburary looks like it will be around 1105 by the time the FLW gets here around the last week of Feburary to pre fish the tournament. Less water puts fish and bait closer together and usually eaiser to catch, but after 1100 I don't know how many ramps we will have in the water. The bad part of low water is I am already seeing dock owners cutting trees to clear room for thier docks and with all the old ceder trees that came out of the lake last year during the storms, I hate to see any more trees being cut back since we need all the stucture we can get. Anyone want to guess the low for 2011 and does anyone remeber the low in 2006, I do remeber that it hit an all time low that year since 1968 when the lake first hit full pool but I don't remeber what the level was.

On the Beaver lake page there is a picture of 2 nice 10-12 lb blue cats caught below the route 12 bridge where the shad were really thick. I would think that the shell knob bridge or any bridges over the main channel would be about the same type of location. With the low water there is a lot of piling exposed to the sun that is probally warming the water a little and the cats usually like the structure around bridges anyway. I am not a cat person, but it is the only report I have so trying to make a pattern out of it.They were fishing vertically with live broad minnows looking for stripers at the time. http://ozarkanglers.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=26261

I haven't been myself but got a report from someone who has been going and he said the fish are scattered through the lake and spawning right now. With blue bird skies and clear water my experince it is a lot easier to spot a 5lb fish than catch one when they get on the beds, if I go this weekend I will be there before the sun comes up.

I haven't found that, maybe it is because I throw one more than the other, I have all of the above in my jerkbait box plus the jane netcraft lures and I catch more fish with the Netcraft $3 than the $12 McStick (unless you count stripers) and I catch a lot more off the H2O than the rouges or X-raps(never have caught a fish off the deep diving X-raps and have all the colors). So with a box full of jerkbaits and higher priced ones getting the less workout it is hard for me to try out a $25 bait when I have two big boxes already too full of jerkbaits it might be the jerkbait I have seached for, but with that price I won't try it, won't get hooked and they have lost the busniess of a coustmer who buys way too many lures on impulse. You left out Jackall out for $15 to $20 and they don't see the working end of the my line much either.JMO As far as colors I like the clear painted jerbaits rather than the foil raped version of any jerkbait and if was me I would try to fill a gap I didn't have already for me right now that is a pink back 78.

I do like the head down dying action, since I watch shad die a lot this time of the year and that is the direction they are pointed when they are dying, then they will they to get back to the top, then head straight back down head first.

Not meaning to get off topic again but the door has been open to other lures and I feel this is a close match to the mega bass jerk bait. Has anyone tried the 4 1/2 inch Agile flasher from lureparts.com. It is not up on thier web site yet but is in the 2011 catolog that is downloadable in PDF on thier web site. They come with out split rings and hooks for $4.99 unpainted up to $5.99 painted. I was stuck on Lucky Craft and McSticks until another member of this site intorduced me to jane netcraft's Springer 100s and 78s. Springer 100s Now that I can put together a jerk bait for $5, I don't spend $12 or $15 for Jerkbaits and sure don't plan on spending $25 but I might go up a buck or two to try out these new Angile Flashers if they do compare to the Mega Bass.

Most of the ramps were extended and repaired the last dry spell 4 or 5 years ago, but we will have to see what comes up when the water drops a few more feet. I don't think the water will drop enough to bring any of the out of the water this time. There is a heck of a sand bar to the right of the Hickory Creek launch nearest the Marina, go straight back towards the Marinia and you will be ok or use the steeper ramp. They might close one or two at a time for repairs that are usually under water though.

I have been tracking the generation schedule the past few days and generation is non stop, more than twice the summer generation. If they keep this up then even the snow fall and a good rain will not do much to raise the level. Looks like it is going to be a low lake level year. 1111.13 and dropping at last check. It should make it a lot eaiser to find the stripers when they start running up the river.

I saw the same thing today, serveral places on the lake between Horseshoe and Monte Ne, I was thinking arrowheads also. By the way that is illegal, the corps claims rights to all relics in what has ever been covered by water, they also frown on driving on anything that could be lake bed again. I know this because I have worn about both by the corps.

The FlW will be on the lake early this year and lake is still going down, hard to say yet water the water will look like but I am thinking they will be here before the spring rains. I am thinking that the pro's that can use jerk baits and wake baits will rule this year, maybe a drop shot pattern on deep trees if the water doesn't warm up enough. I think it will be possible to find 15lb bags but I see a lot of zeros coming up also. It is going to be a different Beaver than they have fished in awhile.

I need to drop the boat in the water this weekend to test some repairs. I was just wondering if anyone was seeing ice around the launches yet?

Here is a link to some pictures of Monte Ne from 1977 when the water level was 1097ft. I guess it could drop that far again. http://www.jamesmskipper.us/MonteNe/MonteNe1.html Level today was around 1112.49

Did you try jigging spoons? I have jiged up stripers at the same depth I had out shinners and live bait never got hit.

The Dam Store runs a camp ground just outside the corps area on the tailwaters they would probally have all the details and info on utilities. http://www.beaverdamstore.net/waters_we_fish.cfm

I just wanted to start a new thread for Hickory Creek Polar Bear that starts at 7am and runs to 3pm. The cost is $35 and usually takes a smaller bag to win. Thought I would start this thread so anyone fishing this one would have a place to post results and to draw attention to this tournment for those that were having trouble with $60 and gas.

Good rain storm and wind right on the lake tonight should stir the mud up real good, so cold and muddy I wouldn't have a clue. I am thinking the father north the cleaner the water and clear and cold is better than muddy and cold. I don't think it will take 20lbs this year. There is another Polar Bear out of Hickory Creek Marina that is $35 from 7am til 3pm that will probally have a little less compention if someone is looking to save some money.