Greasy B

What type of paint are you using? My boat has quite a few battle scars that could use patching. Fact is the trailer is more beat up than the boat and I'm at a loss on how to refinish it as well.

This would be a great time for a headwaters float but If your not an experiences boatman your better off waiting for lower water. Well exacuted back ferrys and eddy turns are often the difference between an enjoyable trip and getting pinned against a sweeper, loosing your equipment and maybe more.

Great boat, you can definitely see that it’s a predecessor to Gay Rorie’s Shawnee, especially the strong rocker. I was under the impression that back in the day most is the major bass boat manufacturers in northern Arkansas built River jons on the side.

I just put a new Rio Grand on my 3 wt. Even on this light rod being a full size heavy is hardly perceivable, for me anyway. So far I like it.

They were thinking that the river is an amusement park ride. As though there is some higher force looking out for them, wrong.

Sorry, can't answer your question of whether it's worth it. It seems our rivers have been blown out on a weekly basis for a month or more. With every high water event we "locals" have been both disappointed at the loss of our spring fishing but relieved that this won't be another drought year. This most recent bout of rain was not as bad as the last couple, you could find a stream or two that's fishable if you willing to travel Ozarks wide. We are in the middle of leaf out, I think that will help decrease runoff over the next couple of weeks but you never know. Funny that you should ask because I'm looking at the mountain snow pack and asking myself if I should tentatively cancel a trip out west later this year.

I would say not very reliable. http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=toxic-ash-pond-collapses

The only time I have been to Baldwin we pulled up to the ramp, took one look at the white caps, turned around and headed elsewhere. But as we all know places that are a pain in the butt to fish are often very good.

This weather has It's been especially hard on us weekenders, 4th in a row canceled.

That fish looked funny when i first seen it. I think the mouth is larger but with it hanging like that it's hard to tell. Most of the smallies we seen that day had very small mouths relative to the body, kind of like the fish you see up north, this one not so much.

Good gills. It won't be long and the males will be so aggressive they'll make up the majority of your catch, that's when it gets good.

Thanks for a great day Mitch. I owe you,

The Cotter ramp is as protected as any you'll find. You have it right by approaching from downstream and cutting it. Angling the trailer downstream will help but when the water is really cooking there is no pretty way to do it. Me and my buddies always wear waders so it's standard procedure for one of us to jump our with a rope to guide the boat. Just like boat ramp etiquette elsewhere the idea is to be quick.

Oh yeah, well worth it. I don't have experance that far upstream but have had numerous good trips a little further down. With all the rain we've had the window for good floating water should carry well into the summer. In low water years it's a big drag.

The high water is sucking right now but come June we'll have a lot better conditions than last year.

Yep, that's the way they behave on tailwaters.

Yes, it's the perfect match.

That's a better story than mine.

We'll miss you George. They may be hard to find but there are still people who play real country music. Look up Dale Watson, he's the real thing. Plays in a bar in south St louis a couple of times a year, I would highly recommend seeing him.

Your right, I can't imagine why anyone would cook over something absolutely saturated with a petroleum product. Whatever is in regular charcoal seems to burn off well before the fire is ready for cooking.

No wonder no one spoke up, the truth is out. My old buddy Donny Wallace would start his 5 day bass trips at Rim Shoals, but now that I think about it Donny never did catch any fish.

Holy Cow, those are some pigs. And you get points for proper handling technique too.

Either that is a very small 5wt or that is a very nice fish, excellent.

Yes you can get to wade able water pretty easily but if want to fish the better water you’re going to have to kiss a rock or ten. There are a couple of ledge rock/boulder gardens about a mile above the main shoal, in dead low water these are harder to navigate than the shoal it’s self. But hey, what’s a few scratches.