Feathers and Fins

Gracias amigo Just turned it on and will be recording.

If this blasted wind will lay down a few days and the temps warm up wee should be back to surface action. I was in on it last week then the winds and cold came. I ma so tired of the wind!!!!!! You get in a great top-water bite and then it gets messed up for a week or so. FLW doesnt bother me, heck its a tournament a week on Beaver anyway I have just learned to ignore them and enjoy myself... OH ONE WORD OF WARNING... The coots are back on the lake on their way North and running 55 at twighlight with a chop on the water and you dont see the black birds till you start hearing them bounce off the boat.

Yup its a green mamba, 23 hours after unpacking shipments from 8 diffrent countries and I finally had a few minutes to spend with my baby, though she wasnt a baby anymore. I think the picture debunks all the myths about mambas attacking everything and everyone. I have a friend with a 9foot Black Mamba you can hand feed. They are very smart snakes and proven complex problem solvers.

LOL honestly they aint lol Bass are sunfish Stripers are true Bass. They prefer more open water, This weather is going to be be hard to pattern the fish I havent seen shad make a spawning run yet and I have been keeping an eye on hard bottom areas and large rocky areas and no signs yet. When the shad do finally go for it I love cruising the dam. Stripers famous nick name is ROCK BASS and for a reason. Right now they (the stripers) could be anywhere in the lake. But you certainly want to check long points.

Dont pull shad over the trees's as a rule the stripers are not in them, after-all they aint bass. You want to pull the shad over long points from 10ft out to 40 ft then make your turn and go up the other side of it. Or you want to pull it over flats and under water mounds. I fish Fords on occasion but stay away from the trees so basically im fishing in water 30ft deep or more and watch my graph to be sure im not over trees. Also Drifting is far more affective then trolling. Trolling is a guide tactic used to keep people occupied and cover alot of water. While covering water is good at times a slow drift over stripers will yield more bites.

Ok thats settled anyone wanna try an ID this snake

Its a Northern Banded Watersnake ( Nerodia sipedon sipedon ) and one of the nicer ones I've seen in years, probably fresh from shedding. Harmless unless you are a toad or small fish. No way its a Corn Snake Belly Pattern is way off as is the rest. I have seen Corns that big and suggested to the owners to put them on a diet before they get serious health issues.

Rain chances are pretty good for this weekend looks like 40% thurs, fri, sat, sun. Should be an interesting FLW this year. Rain doesnt bother the fish they are already wet but the mudline sure will. Depending on where it ends up I would be betting on fish from Fish trap to Point 3. Launching at Lost Bridge South will place you right in the thick of it.

Building a Striper Boat There are hundreds of boats in all shapes and sizes but anyone can turn their boat into a striper catching platform. I started out many years ago with simple lake rental 14ft aluminum v-hull skiffs. Hey being a single dad on a tight budget you did what you had to, but these taught me that anyone with some simple modifications can have a boat capable of catching stripers just like the 20 thousand dollar plus boats. I chose my boat a Tracker 190tw for the simple reason I knew I wanted a shallow drafting boat with a Aluminum hull, This boat serves as my fishing platform and my hunting platform! For me I knew I would be using it for multiple scenerios and it fit my needs. It really doesn’t matter what type of boat you have if you can do the following. First is a good bait tank. Oval and Circle is best for shad as we all know. If your boat does not have one there are many companies now producing portable bait tanks from 10 gallons on up and I suggest getting one. Next is rod holders, 5 rod holders is all you need. I use 3 for flat lining 2 for deep baits. The flat lines can be ran out on planer boards or just straight behind the boat, I actually prefer at least 1 behind the boat at all times with no weight, The others I will either run the same or run them out on planers. The down lines are again simple to do; Two rods with 15lbs test line simply attach a 4 to 6oz egg sinker on it and then a leader line of 6 feet to the hook. I actually prefer this method over down riggers and it doesn’t cost near as much as the rigger. Too the boat just add 5 rod holders ( I prefer mounted base and removable holder) to keep the protrusions sticking up to a minimum when using the boat for other activities. Mount two on the bow area of the boat; this is where the down lines go. Mount two on the rear section of the boat; this is for planers of straight behind the boat flat lines. Mount the last center of the stern of the boat; this is the dedicated flat line. (Questions on the down lines fouling the prop will be answered in a minute) Next is the storage areas, If at all possible use the storage lockers and keep the boat clear, big stripers can and will make you run circles on the deck, I see rods broke all the time and people go in the lake from tripping. A clean deck is a safety issue. Also it makes it easy to get to things. If you do not have storage areas built in you can install rod racks on the sides of the boat (aluminum v or johns) the put an ice chest in the center of the boat and lay some plywood over is from bow seat bench to next back seat bench. You can also place your tackle and other gear under it. Fish Finders: like boats are a million types and sizes and bells and whistles. Get the best you can afford but get one it will help you find fish but even the cheapest ones will work. What you want to look for on them is what the bottom depth you are catching fish in is and what depth are you showing marks in prior to it. This will help you stay in the productive zone. Now for the rods and reels, please keep in mind these are my personal choices. But the general rod and reel types are what I also suggest. To many guys I see go out with guides and think they have to get the same set-up to be productive. Truth is guides are in the business to after the hook-up to be able to land the fish for the client. They for that reason in many cases use over powering gear that is designed to land the fish, I liken it to commercial fishing more than sport / recreational fishing. First are my Rods and Reel preferances: I prefer 7’6’ to 8’0’’’ medium/heavy fast actions for my flat line and outrigger rods I match these with 400 series reel. My actual set-up is St Croix TIC80MHF 8' MH Fast 14 – 30lb test rating 1/2 – 2oz lure weight, I match these with Shimano Calcutta 400 series reels spooled with 12lb test you will want three rigs like this for the rear rods. Next is the down line rods: St Croix TIC80HF 8' H Fast 17 – 40lb test rating 3/4 – 3 lure weight I match these with Shimano Tekota 600 series line counter reels spooled with 15lbs test line, you will want 2 rigs like this for the bow rigs. Casting rods are: St Croix PS70MF 7' M Fast 6 – 12lb test line rating 1/4 - 5/8 lure rating I have two of these matched with Shimano Stradic FJ reels WITH 10lb test line, the reason for two is having the ability to have multiple lures tied on or long casting live bait with the option of a lure still present. Then I have two St Croix PS70MLF 7' ML Fast 4 – 10lb test line 1/8 - 1/2line rating, matched with Shimano Sahara reels and 8lb test. This may seem very light but I have managed many 20 pound stripers with this set-up. Remember you are in your boat and can play the fight from it and work it to a landing. Finally, NO STRIPER BOAT is complete without the long rod for reaching way out with surface plugs at them. For this I use a St Croix TIS80MHF 8' MH Fast 14 – 30 test line 1/2 – 2 lure rating I match it with a Shimano Spheros spooled with 15lb test line. All my rods are 1pcs, I have just learned over the years they give greater hook set and feel not to mention they don’t rocket apart when you are casting. All are Cork handles, this is purely preference but I hate split/grips and foam as they just do not give me the feel or handling I want from a rod. Again you do not need these exact set-ups but similar and comparable will make your fishing much more fun and easy on you. Length of the rods aid in casting as you know, this is important when you need to stay back from rising fish or spooky fish. Now for the Big deal. I will hammer home this is for personal use and not a guide. We are out there to catch fish and have fun not commercial fish to bulldog a fish in. Drifting is by far the most effective means of catching stripers “I’ll get into that in another article” But this is why you can run the down-lines off the bow and not worry about them getting in the propeller of the boat. Let out 40 ft of line drifting at 2 knot will keep your bait at 36 ft roughly and with the rods out from the boat 6ft roughly there is no chance of them getting in your prop. Yes all my line is light. I can catch far more fish with the lighter line than the heavy commercial / guide gear. I am not knocking guides they have to get the fish in to make clients happy! But for enjoyment and catching fish lighter line matched with rods and reels that fit each other and you can hook and land stripers, and in far greater numbers than the guide boats, that and learning as much as you can about the fishes habits. Now you have a fighting platform set and ready to fish striper’s there are many ways to fish for them but this will give you the platform to do it comfortably and safely. I may have not answered all the questions so feel free to ask away if you have questions and I wil try to answer them.

Fishtrap, Indian Creek and Fords Creek are al good places to look. Point 3 would be smart starting point. The stripers are scattered right now. Yesterday was one of the toughest I have had in 8 months, I am sure the front played heck on them. If we can get 3 or 4 days of mid 70's I would be looking at Long points the run out to the main channel. 30 TO 40ft of bottom depth with fish active from 20 to surface primarily in 8 to 15 ft.

Sam I have a couple creeks that have them year round and easy to find. But because of that i dont tell they are perfect 6 to 10 inchers Creeks. I have heard reports as far as St Louis But the majority seem to be from Where the Arkansas River dumps in. There is a report from of tagged fish from the lower Ill below Tenkiller and 4 day later recaptured in Louisiana.

No Clue if they do yet, there are stripers in the Mississippi, Also they do use them for carp control in some lakes already, and NO SUPPOSED about it. One of my favorite baits for Striper is Suckers. Its called Sucker Punching and is very effective on big stripers especially.

LOL. Im not telling any of them where im getting all my fish,,, but i do know a few people on this site know where im fishing. Havent seen one bass guy fishing there all week and im betting they dont even think about it. Walleye and Striper time tomorrow

Bigfoot was reported near Eureka Springs and Beaver Lake. Finding Bigfoot crew is suppose to be in the area soon. I beleive Big Foot was Introduced by the MDC / AGFC to help combat Giant Catfish and giggers.

Im going to go out on a limb with this one, But with what ive been seeing and catching 4 day tourney and im betting winning weight will be 73.5! If the guys find the bass ive been playing with then i would bet that weight would be attainable.

So I’ve been thinking on this thread all day about a Striper Derby. One of my favorite tourneys was in Boca Grande for Tarpon, if you have never don’t it or seen it you have to at least one time in your life. 30 40 50 100 BOATS IN A SMALL AREA and all courteous and working together so each team or boater had a chance to land the fish. I think it would be great to get OAF members on Beaver over a school of stripers just having a blast together. At the end of the day all go to a Park and have a BBQ with Family and friends around. Say a No money Derby for nothing more than bragging right but more just for fun to all meet up.

Im going out this weekend. Its the time of year Sucker Punching works great for monster fish. But I aint going out early lol. I know where the stripers are and no need to get up early as its not hot yet.

And the trimmings look to be growing behind her.. Way to go to the Mrs's

http://www.4029tv.com/news/30922860/detail.html Seriously have schools forgot what its like to be a kid at the final days of school. I dont post stuff like this normally but Seriously! These kids were simply having some fun before the final bell on their school career. Man i remember mooning often in school and even at graduation. I remember borrowing other schools mascots and so many other school pranks and teachers simply laughed at it. NO HAR NO FOUL! With so many things these kids could be doing this gets them in trouble. Sure must be fun to be a kid now-a-days.

Let them have at it. Beaver as most will attest to is a stingy lady. Beside with Greers and Bull i seriously doubt they will come to Beaver. Although I wonder how many of them would try to fish the tailwaters if it was allowed in the tourney? Im thinking that would be the best bet its got shallows and sand bars vs Beavers deep water.

Striper Tourneys should be C&B {catch and bbq) I fished a few back in cali that were that way back in the 80's and 90's I think the biggest tourney had 100boats. They were fun. Going off memory they started at 6am and weigh in was 3pm all fish were then cleaned and thrown on the BBQ. After all had eaten and had some fun at 5pm the winning weights were announced starting from last to first. I thought it was a neat way to have a tourney.

Jeb, I fish when I can durring the week it just happens to be in the evenings due to work. Weekends I sleep in when possible and go out to the lake usually between 9 and 10 sometimes in the heat of summer I will get out before dawn. When you are up at 4am for work each day you learn weekends its nice to sleep lol. Thats the nice thing about Beaver and its multiple species. If you look and work for them you can get them to bite all day. I dont like fishing around 12 bridge for the same reason you stated, Why would I want the noise and crowds when there are so many nice quiet spots.

FLW fishes it. That aint a small tournament.. BASS can stay away for all I care. Now PWT I wouldnt mind seeing. It would be interesting to see those guys try to fish the EYE'S on Beaver. One day someone will create a striper tournament, I would love watching thsoe guys try to figure out Beavers fish as well. Be good for laughs.

At the top of the list are lakes where you will catch giant bass, and plenty of ’em, in a beautiful setting. As you read further down the list, trophy potential may drop off, or perhaps numbers may dwindle. However, making this list isn’t easy. There are thousands of bass lakes in the U.S. — these 100 simply shine brightest. Bassmaster Magazine's 100 Best Bass Lakes 1 Falcon Lake, Texas 2 Lake Okeechobee, Florida 3 Lake Guntersville, Alabama 4 Lake Erie, Michigan/Ohio/New York/Pennsylvania 5 Lake Champlain, New York/Vermont 6 Lake Amistad, Texas 7 Lake Minnetonka, Minnesota 8 San Joaquin Delta, California 9 Lake Coeur d’Alene, Idaho 10 Clear Lake, California Those lakes SERIOUSLY! Who the heck is smoking what or has investments in or near them. Of the top 10 I have fished 2 Lake Okeechobee, Florida 3 Lake Guntersville, Alabama 6 Lake Amistad, Texas 8 San Joaquin Delta, California 10 Clear Lake, California Now you want big bass as part of it and plenty of them, where is Stick Marsh Blue Cypress Casitas Castaic Pyramid Perris Toho Just to name a few. This “list” is a joke IMO, NO northern lake can compete with a Southern Lake for Big Bass Florida strain don’t make it up there. Now scenery well (Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. But to me the biggest joke is Diamond Valley in Cali even made the list. It’s a new lake as far as lakes go, Heck I watched the dams being built for it. And to get in and fish it is a nightmare. Here is what it takes to fish the lake. Entry fee: 7.00 Launch Fee: 12.00 Fishing Permit: 3.00 And you better pray your boat doesn’t have any moisture or a drop of water on it anywhere or you will be turned away for Quagga Muscle Fear. I Know any “list” can be argued but this one screams what were they thinking and there are many others I can think of that should be on it that are not.

Ok Ive fished all but Falcon on your list ( ill need to go look at the full list still) But The Big O #2 are you kidding me???? I would rather spend a day at Stick Marsh farm pond 13 any day of the week or Blue Cypress then Ockeechobee and I LIVED 30 minutes from it!