EddieRay

I know this is a common refrain about Rachel Carson, but there is actually more to the story. Correlation does not equal causation. DDT was banned in the USA, not throughout the world. The main cause of the deaths of millions was due to the world's overuse of DDT with the ultimate result that the mosquitoes in those areas adapted to become resistant to the pesticide. There are still those spreading the idea that Rachel Carson caused these deaths. There are also many other articles stating the rest of the story. Just type, "Is it true that Rachel Carson killed millions?" in your search engine of choice.

This is true and I was aware of it before I made my earlier post. Everything is a compromise to attempt to make sure a fishery meets the needs of all who use it. I don't see catch and release of every bass as being best for the bass population either, even though that is what I do, for the most part. Some fish have to be harvested, eaten as forage, etc in some manner, at some point in time for every fishery to maintain a balanced population.

I release every bass I catch, though I am aware of a few small lakes that need selective harvest to improve the size of the population. I tend to not fish those lakes due to the small size of the fish in them. Missouri biologists have determined what they deem to be appropriate creel limits to support a strong fishery for each body of water in the state. They do the intense research necessary to implement these limits. If someone is following those laws and limits, what real evidence do we have to condemn them for keeping fish. It amazes me how so many of us place more faith in our anecdotal experiences than we do in the studies performed by the MDC.

Come fish Smithville or any lake on the Missouri side within an hour of Kansas City. All are more pressured than Table Rock, in my opinion.

I have two MBR GLX 844cs. The GLX series is one of the best you can buy, and the 844c is an awesome rod for jigs and soft plastics. I also own an NRX 854c JWR and while it may be slightly more sensitive, I think the GLX is the better buy.

I use frogs like a lot of you, but I pitch a jig and craw even more. Place the jig in the holes and tiny slots between the pads. If a bass is there, they will usually hit it on the way down or not long after it hits bottom. If a fish doesn't take it move the bait up and down randomly between the lake bottom and the bottom of the pads. I use braid with a fluorocarbon leader on my jig rods.

On a bass fishing forum I frequent, individuals will often describe situations where an angler is struggling to catch fish. They proceed to pull up near the spot, or to fish the spot after the other angler leaves, and fill their bag in nothing flat. I see these stories so often, but you rarely hear the story the other way around.

No kidding. They are the best tasting freshwater fish in my opinion. There are enough lakes in Missouri with good populations of walleye if someone wants to eat them though. But then again, I guess that's easy for me to say since I have a bassboat and Smithville Lake is only 20 miles away. I agree that stricter management on the rivers is a necessity.

Did you get your undergraduate degree at SEMO? If so, welcome to a fellow alumnus of Southeast Missouri State. I graduated with a B.S. in Business Administration in 1987, changed careers in 2000, and have been a Cisco converged network engineer for Sprint in Kansas City for some time now. You have some nice rivers that aren't too far way. That's one thing I hate about Kansas City. All the best smallie rivers in Missouri are a few hours away.

We returned from Bella Vista on June 3rd but I have been so busy playing catch-up at work I haven't had a chance to give you all an update. Our best day for numbers was 33 bass at Loch Lomond and most of those fish were cookie cutter fish no more than 2 or 2.5 lbs. We also fished Lakes Windsor, Ann, and Brittany. We had an 11 fish day at Windsor with the biggest fish at around 3.5 lbs. My wife caught a couple of bream that were hand-sized at Lake Lomond. I would have liked to have fished more but vacation time can't be all about me and my wife wanted to do some other things. We took a day trip to Eureka Springs and spent another day checking out Crystal Bridges Museum in Bentonville and hiking. I wish I could tell you about a big bass but it wasn't meant to be this time. Thanks to all for the information. We had a great time.

Thanks for the map information, everyone. I haven't had time to check out what everyone has been posting until now. I work in IT and have been slammed the past couple of weeks and I am working this weekend. I can't wait to take a few days off.

Thanks for the info, bfishn.

Are there any maps available for any of the BV lakes and, if so, from where can they be obtained?

My sunglasses are prescription too and I am just the opposite of ness. I used to wear cheaper sunglasses and just wore regular glasses for reading and computer work as I am far-sighted. With age, my eyes have grown worse and I have to have the progressive lenses so that I can look through the bottom to tie knots, but I use the rest of the glass for fishing and driving. After buying my first good pair I realized what I had been missing.

Very nice post, Feathers and Fins. Trolling is a weakness of mine. The father of structure fishing, Buck Perry, always trolled to find fish first. I could definitely put this information to good use.

I wonder if soaking them in milk for an hour would accomplish the same thing. I soak all of my fillets in milk for an hour in the refrigerator and it removes any fishy taste. I'm not sure if it would work with Whitefish or not, considering the red meat under the skin that you are talking about.

Thanks for the additional info, bfishn and Quillback. It is much appreciated. Feathers and Fins mentioned Beaver Lake which I have never fished. If we find time we may venture over to it as well.

Oh, I have one more question. Are all of the ramps at these lakes paved and acceptable to put a bassboat in? I have a 19.5 ft Stratos Pro Elite with a 200 horse motor. I believe that some of them are electric only so I will have to only use my trolling motor at those particular lakes. I also saw somewhere that the recommended speed is only 35 mph on the larger lakes so I'll have to take it easy with the big motor I guess. Is all of this information correct?

Thanks, bfishn. I had actually read that there was some decent redear fishing down there so that is something I will keep in mind also.

Thanks for all the info, Quillback. I'm not looking for 10 - 12 inchers but in case I need to go out and put the wife on some fish to make her happy, that is some information I need to know. I'll keep the bluegill option in the back of my mind as well. It sounds like there are some decent lakes there and I am looking forward to trying them out. We will be going down there on May 26th. I will send you a PM when the time is close. Thanks for that info, Feathers and Fins. We are guests at a resort there and I will be purchasing temporary boat registration for the week. Per the Lake use fee document, guests with this registration do not have to pay the Lake Use Fee. See the excerpt below from that document. If I am not understanding this document correctly, let me know, but the people at the resort told me the same thing so I hope this is correct. We will be paying for the motorized weekly permit, and of course we will be using Arkansas fishing licenses. If I were a property owner there I wouldn't be happy with every Tom, Dick, or Harry coming in and using the lakes that I paid POA fees to use and upkeep so I am not one to violate the rules. LAKE USE FEE Who Must Purchase a Lake Use Permit? • A guest, 12 years of age and older, who is not physically accompanied by a member with a current POA-issued photo-identification card and who is participating in any activity on Bella Vista Village lakes. • A member, who has not purchased a POA-issued photo-identification card and who is participating in any activity on Bella Vista Village lakes. • A holder of a V.I.P. (or similar) card issued by Cooper Communities, Inc., including the “Greens” and “Escapes!”, who is participating in any activity on Bella Vista Village lakes. • A holder of any other valid guest card, who is participating in any activity on Bella Vista Village lakes. Who Is Not Required to Purchase a Lake Use Permit? • A guest who is physically accompanied by a member with a current POA-issued photo-identification card. • A member with a current POA-issued photo-identification card in his or her possession. • A member with a current “30-day identification Card” in his or her possession. • A child that is 12 years of age and younger. • A guest or a member with current temporary boat registration documentation. • A guest or a member renting a boat or pontoon from the Loch Lomond Marina.

I'm the same with regard to hydration. I get so caught up in fishing I don't realize how thirsty I am. As for what to wear, 30 SPF sunscreens work for my skin type all day so I can strip down to just a pair of shorts if I want too. However, I usually won't go all day that way just to play it safe. I'll wear a pair of shorts, a Columbia UPF 50 shirt, a ball cap, and Maui Jim polarized sunglasses. I wear the ball cap mainly to block the glare which interferes with looking down in the water with my polarized glasses.

My wife and I are staying at a resort in Bella Vista at the end of May and I planned on fishing some of the lakes there. I've been researching the place on the Internet and I noticed that some of you are regulars on those lakes. Could you fellows provide your opinions on the following questions? Which of the BV lakes are the best for catching large bass? Which of the BV lakes are best for numbers? Is there a lake that provides a combination of both numbers and large bass? Which lake would be best for crappie? (My wife prefers to fish for crappie and numbers so I have to keep her needs in mind.) What is the clarity, depth, and typical cover on these lakes? I have already found out the information I need regarding fees and guest cards. Any other information that you can provide will be greatly appreciated.

I use prescription Maui Jim sunglasses for fishing. I'm farsighted and can see very good for distance but I need prescription glasses for reading, computer work, and tying knots.

Great jokes. Thanks.

Ozark trout fish stated: You may have a point there but I don't agree that it has to be this way. As I mentioned, I'm on another forum with over 30,000 members from all over the nation including some international members. There were 6,000 members on that forum when I joined. Overall, the members there retain their civility even during the Winter. jdmidwest state: I must have missed the suggestion to just discuss fishing reports. On the large bass fishing forums that I am on, the main subjects of discussion are lures, techniques, reading structure, discussing how to approach particular lakes and streams, etc. I'm not sure what you mean by your last sentence. Lures and tactics are my main point of emphasis on these forums and I always want to hear how others achieve success. Stoneroller stated: Excellent point, Stoneroller. That's really what I was trying to get across with the original post. Some of the responses in this thread were expected and I knew some of you would trot out the Kumbaya reference. No one's saying there shouldn't be disagreement. It's the way some individuals disagree that causes issues. However, it is a free country. Everyone is free to post as they wish. I just thought that some of you, with a little reminder, might realize that life is too short to waste it arguing over subjects in which both sides are so entrenched that they aren't willing to accept any facts, or respect any statements, that don't fit their current opinions.