Feathers and Fins

I actually like that Beaver doesnt get any notoriety, Think about it Bull Shoals in known for Walleye and gets Crowded and heavily pressured. Lake Quachita is know for its huge stripers, Table Rock for its Small Mouth and Grand Lake for its Catfish. All get crowded and heavily pressured. Yet here we have this Jewel sitting right in our back door. Most days even at the height of summer I can still find a quiet cove or have a area of fish all to myself. I like our little unacknoledged lake. Sure conditions on her change daily heck hourly somethimes but thats what makes her so neat, the challenge of figuring out the lady.

It is. The rod its next to is a St Croix PS70MHF bout an 18'' fish

I catch a couple now and then lol. WC exact location and should post up tonight, unfortunately work is getting in the way of me going tonight. shoot me a PM Doc and we can talk about a trip I dont mind OAF guys going with me or following me around to learn.

Water Temp 68.9 Ait Temp low 70's Wind light out of the south at 3 to 7mph Water clarity 5 to 7 ft Water depth 30 ft to 2ft Lure White swimtail 4'' grub Line segar 10lb flourocarbon I started the day back on the islands looking for Walleye, they appear to have moved on as i marked nothing, tried casting the area for about half an hour with no bites. Firing up the big motor I shot down the lake to a cove that had been holding Whites and Small Walleye ( Phil and Duane know the cove hint to you two) Nothing in the back of the cove so I tried a Long point on the West side of the cove that shoots out to the main lake. Bingo We have fish. 43 to be exact a nice mix of Hybrids, Whites, Bass and Stripers. Started catching the fish at about 6pm and by 7pm it was a wide open surface bite. The wind had dies down and you can see boils all around. The main bite was 2 to 4ft as the fish pinned the bait up on shore. Ok had the cell and we all know by now it sucks at pictures but I think you get the idea. Im betting Saturday with overcast conditions in the forecast is going to be insane.

http://forums.ozarkanglers.com/index.php?showtopic=32516&hl=stripers&fromsearch=1

I use to enjoy fishing the piers, But it always seemed some boater would come and crowd the pier. Law said 100 yard away. Story 1 guy crowded the pier in a wide open Kingfish bite. Now it wasnt the first bost to do it but the others obviously came in while fighting a fish and they were pretty cool about backing out fast heck even a couple came in and took people lines out to the bigger kings. But this one *^&(^(^& came in repeatedly and started cussing at people when they told him to leave. After about the 4th time the end of the pier was lined with 8oz torpedo sinkers. His next trip in cost him dearly as all of the sudden some 20 people were casting the sinkers out at the same time so they could send a trolley line bait down. Some of those guys were lousy accuracy casters because they hit his boat. Now Mr Mouth decided to beach his boat and walk up on the pier to confront a few of the gentlemen. Rule #1 Do not CONFRONT and Ockeechobee Cracker boy that out weighs you by 200pnds. Rule #2 Dont Cuss around the Cracker Boys kids and wife it will never end well. Rule #3 his 20 witness's that you attacked him out weigh your word to the officer. Event #2 same pier same type of jerk. This time they decided to start at the beach and run the full horshoe of the pier grabbing everyones line... Problem was after numerous weeks of complaints the Game and Fish and Sherriff's were there. Now Florida's sheriff and game and fish boats are FAST. We all watched the guys get the braclets and come to find out confinscation of boat and all gear plus the fines and the drivers 90 days.

Aint that the truth, find the fish and pattern one day and the next its something else. Beaver is a challenging lake but thats what makes it so much fun. The only thing i would like to change about it is to have one area with a long wide shallow flat of no more than 3ft deep. say about 100 acres....Not so much for fishing though it would be great but for duck hunting lol

Stone you are not the only one who has methods to let others know they are to close. I love it when people come trolling up my stern when im drifting for stripers. 1st time ill call you off politly, second time I carry a spool of line with 10 treble hooks on it and WILL let it out behind my boat 100 ft, if you catch it in your trolling motor im letting the spool go. Have fun getting that out of the trolling motor. I have gave strangers bait and shown them exactly how to catch fish hell i even call people over to get in on a good bite. But show continued disrespect and I have methods to teach a lesson.

Dont be suprised to see a black tracker come flying in there about 4:30 or so

Its possible but not likely. The stripers have moved to deeper waters and areas that are less lending to shore bound anglers. You really need a boat to chase them on Beaver accept when they are working Bait in Prairie Creek and Avoca, once in a great while Rocky Branch will give up a few. Problem with Stripers for land based fishermen is they move around after the bait so getting on them is pure luck and chance.

Jeb yes paddle tail boat tail same differance lol...

Randy they are on the islands we picked the first two up on a 1/2oz red rattletrap 1/4oz boattail grub in pearl the other two came off the grub as well. They were in 4 to 8 ft of water on the inside of long slow tapering . We had alot of other bites. They were sitting just ont the edge of buck brush. Key was the flourocarbon in 8 and 10lb test line. I might have to go back out tonight

Length² x Girth ÷ 1,200 going with your 23 long im going to guess it at 20 girth for 8.81 pnds

So the morning was a washout but the afternoon was not so bad only a couple short lived rain showers but couldnt put a damper on a Walleye bite at the Islands. My brother and did sneak out and managed to land these 3 he lost one at the boat. Smallest was 20'' the big girl went 24'' So all in all dinner will be served tomorrow

That would be fun... I just really liked the idea of multi-species. It makes forces anglers to be better at more than just one species and tactic. I wonder how many of the Elite Bass anglers would do good going after Striper or Walleye or trying to take a Big Brown on a fly. See how "Elite" they were then. I always thought to be an Great Angler you should be able to catch multiple species with regularity.

Ive been getting a kick out of watching the AFC ( Australian Fishing Chsampionship ) tTournaments on the WFC Channel on Dish. Talk about a neat tournament. They fish for multiple species through the tournament each tour stop was targeting a diffrent species. Guys just seemed to be having fun at each stop enjoying fishing and the tourneys. Makes think How cool a tournament like that would be here in the states. I would love to see a group like that going to say 1. Lake of the Woods for Muskey 2. Greers Ferry for Walleye 3. Grand lake for Catfish 4. Lake of the Ozarks for Crappie 5. Beaver Lake for Striper 6. Toho for Largemouth Bass 7. Columbia River for Steelhead 8. Taney Como for Brown Trout 9. Alaska for Rainbow Trout 10 Ockeechobee for Blugill / shell crackers 10 Feshwater tournaments then the top 10 teams broke off and fish 5 Saltwater tournaments to decide the winner to show the versatility of the anglers and skill. 1. Florida Keys fro Bonefish and Permit 2. Gulf of Mexico for Cobia and Tuna 3. Atlantic cost for Sailfish 4. Louisiana for Redfish 5. Final tournament puts the boats away and they go to California to fish for Hailbut from the surf. Ya i can dream but that would be a fun 30 weeks of fishing.

Last of it looks like its near Grove and Jay OK so im betting 2 to 3pm and it will be gone. I spent yesterday and thsi morning cleaning everything up and re-lining everything, so now I have fresh line and fresh lures tied on and will be waiting to see what the weather does. If the wind drops to below 10mph im out for certain. Im betting the Islands should blow open this evening, and after the whites i saw friday around 12 bridge im all about having some fun with them on top and sub surface.

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And when they are gone my little butt is heading out to the islands anyone else going to go play this afternoon?

With Bad weather in the forecast for today I thought I would sit down and expand on how to fish surface feeding fish. Boils, Jumps Blitz are all terms used to describe when fish are actively feeding in large schools on the surface! This can be the most exciting type of fishing for Saltwater or Freshwater fishermen, but also the most frustrating for many people. I say frustrating because I see guys run right to them shut down the engine and start casting to where the fish were but now they are gone, where did they go? the fisherman says as he frustratedly puts his rod down and leaves. Here is the answer to where they went! They went deep and fast and scattered because YOU scared them when you ran in at WARP 10 Captain Kirk. When you see fish busting up the surface, DO NOT run in on them at Warp 10! In other words Don’t be a Captain Kirk running in to do battle with a Klingons! Yes your blood will be pumping your heart going faster than a NASCAR driver toward the finish line and your eyes will be as big as dinner plates! But this is the time to show the patients and wisdom of the Sphinx! Because you have a riddle to answer. The Riddle is many folds. Which way is the school going? What size bait are they feeding on? Are they even moving or are they sitting in an area ambushing bait schools? Is it a large school or just a few fish? You need to answer each of these questions to form a plan of attack to optimize the ability to catch them and to keep catching them. Done right and you will be in the thick of a bite I have seen go on for hours. Done wrong and you will be frustrated and at best get one or two fish. So let’s look at the Riddle of the Sphinx: 1. If you see the fish boiling up don’t just run at them, stop what you are doing and mark where they are by using structure on shore as a point of reference. Watch them for a couple minutes, if they do not move from that point then proceed on over to them. But stop as soon as you are in casting range to the edge of the last boil you saw. The reason is they may well have a ball of bait hemmed up and by casting to the edge of the boils you are the lone bait that got separated from the school. That lone bait just got the attention of everyone in the school and most times gets attacked ferociously and quickly. 2. Using the same wait and watch approach you see the fish moving along the shore boiling up, yet they are moving. This is when you need to mark several areas of reference and draw a line along those points to where the school is going. Get over to that ending point BUT make sure you do not get dead in front of it. The Key will be to be again the outside bait. 3. After you have dissected the directions of the fish and have set-up your ambush point for them something as important as not running like Kirk into them is turn off the dang fish finder! You ever heard one under water? They are loud, turn it on in a garage one time and you can hear the clicking. Silence is Golden. You want to be stealthy. Im going to say it again DO NOT run your big motor into the school. Shut down well in advance of it. Shut off the fish finder. Your eyes at this point are the fish finder. Before I touch on Rod, Reel and Lure selections I want to talk a little bit about etiquette and courtesy to other boaters. I know how exciting this time of year can be and how the visual effects of fish turning water into fire can be. Please if you see a boater in on the actions DO NOT go blasting into the bite! DO NOT go throwing your bait into the fish he is working (without asking permission)! DO NOT cut in front of other boaters to get at the fish! When you do hook-up BACK OFF away from the school so your hooked fish doesn’t spook off the school. Show respect to others. Nothing makes me madder than people who come blasting in being rude and putting down the fish I am working on. Simply going in slow and even asking permission will help everyone catch more fish. So then what Rods to use for this? I carry many 3 different styles of rods this time of year, Casting, Spinning and Fly-pole. First is the Spinning and Bait Casting. I Like to have one spooled with 12lb test on an 8ft med/heavy, fast action for long range casting. I can put a 2oz lure 100yrds without much effort. This affords me the ability to maintain a long distance from the school and get a quick chance at them. The second spinner is a 7ft med/ heavy fast action with 10lb test on it and I prefer it to be loaded with ½ oz to 1- ½ oz baits. Finally I keep a 7ft med/lght moderate action rod with 8lb test on it for casting ¼ to 1oz baits. This covers the spectrum of lures and allows for long distance casting. Yes you can land very large fish on light line as well and makes it an absolute thrilling experience. Reels I suggest getting ones with a minimum of 200 yards of line capacity, this will allow you long casting and still have plenty of line on the reels. They need to have good drag systems and balanced to match the rod you are using. I don’t know how many times I see people putting on a big Ocean reel on a small 6 foot rod with 30lb test line. Match your Rod, Reel and Line it will maximize your ability to cast and fight a fish. The Fly pole: Now this is just my personal preference but I like a 7wt 9ft rod with a matching reel. I like to have 300yrds of 20lb backing and then my fly-line which I like to have the last 30 ft of it as a sinking line then tie on 12ft of 12lb fluorocarbon to a fly. This set-up allows me long cast and more accurate control of my fly. I also want to remind people, this is the time of year I see more rods broke than at any other time. Guys you can only cast one rod at a time. Put all the others in the rod locker and keep the boat clean! You may need to rush around the boat fighting the fish or even fire up and go to the next school. It only takes a few seconds to open a rod locker and change out rods. Save yourself some frustration and money and keep the decks clear. Now for the lures: To save a little space and time I’m going to just link the Lures I Prefer most. 1. http://www.basspro.com/Offshore-Angler-Lazer-Eye-Saltwater-Series-Pencil-Popper/product/30704/147539 2. http://www.basspro.com/Cotton-Cordell-Pencil-Poppers/product/1729/236397 3. http://www.basspro.com/Rebel-PopR-Plus/product/2954/104569 4. http://www.basspro.com/GotCha-Plug-300/400-Series/product/120221144/83031 A word about this lure, I first discovered it in Florida about 8 to 10 yrs ago and they for some reason are just an incredible fish catching lure and they cast a long way. 5. http://www.basspro.com/Heddon-Super-Spook-XT-Hardbaits/product/10230810/230309 I suggest not only this spook but all sizes of spooks. These round off the top water hard baits I carry. Colors I always like to have Red/White – Rainbow Trout – Chrome/ Black and pure white. Of all lures though to make certain you have is Buck-tails from ½oz to 3oz. You can run them as they are strait out of the package or put on a grub tail or swim bait. I actually will add or take away the trailer depending on the bait they are chasing to adjust for size and profile. If the fish are super active staying up minutes at a time I put away the Hard-baits and will throw the Buck-tail past the school and let it sink to the bottom and then start retrieving it under the school, many times the biggest fish hang out under the commotion picking up the stunned bait or pieces falling below the action. Also of interest on Beaver is the Walleye always seem to be below the actions so the chance at Large eye’s are very possible! But they only seem to be below the schools that are not moving but more so are ambushing bait as it comes across an area.

Looked like a LMB from the pic quill posted... Im hoping this front passes fast and I can get out this evening. Something tells me Im going to be busy for the next few months.

No Cluer SWMO, But i know it works. Those old guys taught me a lot as a kid from how to cast a 1oz anchovie over 100 feet to how to fight big fish on super light line. I will never forget a Bluefin Tuna bite we got in, here i was with 40lb test line and couldnt get a bite and they were hooking up. One of the old guys let me use his rod and reel spooled with 12lb test and drag set super light. 2 hours later and a lot of old guys around me telling me when to reel when to pump the fish and so on and I had my tuna. a nice 90lber. Those old guys would show yo everything if you just listened and did what they told you.

What Soggy said and remember to keep the outings short kids have lower attention spans than we do. Break up the fishing with some nature walks, stone turning and so on. Make it a fun day and experiance.

Al, Never understood the reason for the weight but when guys who had been fishing 40 to 60 years before me and constantly caught fish I was not going to argue the methods!! Just learn from them and do what I learned. Sometimes its better not to ask and just do and I have learned more by watching and listening then asking.

The best way to straighten line is tie a snap barrel swivel to the end of your line. When you get to the lake put a 3oz weight on it and run out the spool and run at speed for about a mile then reel it in. Its an old trick used on the party boat fleet by the oldtimers and it works great. I do it after a day on the water throwing lures as well just to get it straightened back out. I have used Seagar for years and never had a bad time with it as long as i made sure to spool it right and then do the above mentioned process.