tjulianc

In looking for used canoes, I have found this website to be productive: http://www.paddleswap.com/latest_external.html I would also recommend the Arkansas Canoe Club message board, you'll see mostly white water boats, but I've seen some good recreational crafts too. I know a lot of ya'll are from Missouri, but a good quality used canoe may be worth a 2-3 hour drive, and most sellers are willing to meet half way. http://forums.arkansascanoeclub.com/

Is the boat traffic too heavy to fish safely out of a canoe if putting in further up the Bear creek, say around Lowery? What about floating down to the lake from the 14 bridge on Bear Creek? Thanks.

I like Norman crankbaits. They will catch all of our bass species in the ozarks, and a variety of sunfish. I will usually bring a couple baby Ns, deep diving and regular, and some middle Ns. There are a lot of variables in choosing a crankbait, but I ALWAYS have a white crankbait with a black back in my tackle box. If the water is stained, or a little muddy, go with brighter colors, i.e., chartreuse.

ZT, you post some of the best photos. Even though the Mulberry isn't the best fishing river, it is still one of my favorites. Isn't there a take out between Turner Bend and the Campbell's Cemetery? I've never floated it, but hear its a good fishing stretch. I've caught some nice fish in the pool up from the cemetery, wade fishing.

It seems like the Buffalo has got to be within the boundary, its the crown jewel of the Ozarks. And if it is then, CC should.

I see that at the gauge, which I think is at the 14 bridge (Harriet) the Buff is flowing at over 900 cfs. I'm not planning on going, but as a point of reference for future, would this be too high to float? I'm thinking about 14 down to Rush.

Hows the trout fishing on Bryant this time of year? Are there sections that do better than others?

Have you floated that stretch? Is it worth the work? What level should the river be at Kelly's to make it floatable?

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If you have to money to spend a kevlar canoe would be a great option. They are very light (30 lb range for a 13' canoe), and canoes are easier to get in and out of than kayaks. You might look at a Wenonah Fusion or Vagabond.

Thanks.

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I know this is an old post, but I just watch "Exploring Arkansas with Chuck Dovish" , and he did a bit on War Eagle. They do floats from the 412 bridge to the 23 bridge. I drive past the 412 bridge quite a bit, but don't know where the access is. There is a dirt road on the north side, that may lead down to the creek. The 23 access is obvious, there is parking on the west side of 23, over the bridge from 412.

Most vegetarians eat food that tastes and looks like meat(like veggie burgers), because they were raised eating meat, and meat tastes good, even to vegetarians. I don't know of too many vegetarians who stopped eating meat because it tasted bad. I guess the thing I don't understand is if you care so much about what you eat, then why eat all the heavily processed food (like veggie burgers)? I guess the same reason so many of us eat fast food (no matter how disgusting it is), convenience. If I had my choice I would only eat meat that came from wild game, and veggies grown locally. But that just isn't going to happen. I got to get things done, and if that means stopping and picking up something on the way, then so be it.

That sounds like a good Idea to me. Slot limits can be a pain, but they do make sense. For example I like the limit, that fish between say, 13-16" must be released. Plus there is the chance that too many little fish can stunt a fish population.

The same thing has happened to me too but the hook is down in the fishes throat. The other culprit has been fishing a tube, where a bass just sucks it down really quick while on the fall. If you cut the line and release it quickly the fish will swim away apparently healthy, but they still have a hook in their throat. This surely kills them right? I've heard some say that they can work the hook out themselves, but I've seen no evidence of this. I've gotten better lately not letting soft plastic lures lay on the bottom if I am not watching my line. The last bass I unintentionally killed was because I was getting out a backlash and when I reeled up my line, I had a nice smallie on. It was a legal keeper, so it went in my cooler. If its not legal, you just got to let it go back and get recycled in the ecosystem. Their is no way to regulate fishing populations if you let people say, "It was going to die anyway so I kept it."

Tell me if I'm wrong about this, but a camera designed for photos won't be so great at video, and a camera designed for videos won't be so great at photos. So either you need two cameras, or chose which is most important, photos or videos. The GoPro looks excellent for video, shooting 720p 60 frames per second is amazing for the price. I also am in need of a good waterproof camera, so its good to hear all the good input for Pentax. That is something I will look into getting. Anybody have any experience with the Fuji WP cameras?

Is the Yamaha a 4 stroke, oil injected outboard?

I agree. If I were to actually get a SOT kayak, I would focus on the Tarpon 140 and the Manta Ray 14. They seem like they would be easier to paddle, and quicker on flat water. I'd hate to have to paddle a long distance in a kayak that wide (30" +). But they sure look fun for short floats, or if you wanted to really take your time and fish slow.

This kayak reminds me of the Wilderness Systems' Ride 135. With the ride being 2 feet longer and a little wider, I would probably give the Ride the advantage if I was in the market for a wide fishing kayak. I do like the raised seat in the Coosa, but that is something you could add to the Ride, you can't add two feet of length to the Coosa, if you decided you needed more storage space.

I've completely moved away from Eagle Claw hooks. The last pack I bought rusted up really bad, while older hooks I had still weren't rusted. A rusted hook is nothing but bad news. So Flytyer, do you use worm flies for bass fishing? I've used san juans for trout, and I figured they would work for bass too, but they seem way too small for bass. But I really just don't know, since I don't hardly every fly fish. Which I am hoping to change in the coming years.

I'm surprised no one has made a joke yet. I've seen guys on Crooked creek casting nets, but coming up empty every time. Its probably really hard when the creek is clear, and they were probably after darters and minnows.

Over the last few years I have found myself gravitating towards EWG worm hooks when fishing soft plastics, texas rigged. But I don't really know if it is better. I have found that I can rig the worm straighter, hence giving the worm a more natural look. I have heard someone say that an EWG hook gives more room for the worm to move out of the way of the hook set. I am curious of other people's opinion. Is it more of a visual appeal for the fisherman to use an EWG hook, or does it actually make a difference fishing?