powerdive

Deep flats/edges, 28-40+. There are some deeper, but no sense bringing those fish that far up this time of year. As if I could catch 'em anyway.

I fished Sunday from Tucker to Diamond City. One walleye, on a trolled crank. You can see a ton of show on sonar, but I think the fish are stuffed full of shad. Anyway, I haven't figured out how to make them bite. Lonkm is right--no news is usually bad news.

Kramr, those needs are covered at Tucker. Hopefully you'll get some other ideas also. Good luck!

The cabins are actually a strip motel called Tucker Hollow Lodge. (870) 436-5569. If rooms are still available then, they're fairly humble, but reasonably priced, clean and well-kept. Good launch, but no courtesy dock. The marina will probably still be open.

I've done well in the Tucker Hollow area that time of year, trolling cranks on the edges of the flats. If fishing is your only focus, that might be an option (note: there aren't many "amenities" such as restaurants and shopping close by).

QB, go walleye fishing. You'll never skunk out on bass.

Way-cool design. Just like Bink's Many Shad Spoon, which has been producing for years (awesome in white): http://www.binkspoons.com/products-page/binks-pro-series-spoons

Sorry to hear that, rps. I know you had the greatest respect for him.

My buddy's boat (but I was driving). Thanks on his behalf!

Can tell you're in a much better mood, though, rps. Good job today! You're obviously pulling the smaller Runners, that shallow. No idea what you mean with the 125/175 line out, however.

I don't get it. Nope, no sense getting peeved at 'em. Not being fishermen themselves, they have no idea. Most people are good-hearted. Everybody's out there to have fun. If they knew, most would do whatever it takes to stay away and let us enjoy the lake in our own way. On the other hand, Jason, you should have known that's their prime boarding water in the first place.

Well said! All a report can do is offer a possible starting point...but it could also keep you from trying some things and possibly hitting the motherlode.

Dutch -- some friendly advice. Keep it simple. The solution is not the harness--they ALL work--it's learning to fish it. Don't get swept up in all the possible modifications to a basic rig until your experience dictates it. Go fishing a few times, understand how everything works, then start fine-tuning. Success will come.

You'd probably catch more walleyes if you could actually keep your lure in the water.

Careful what you wish for, ya just might get it. And that means not many reports. And that means you'll have to go find 'em yerself. Just like in 99.9% of human history.

...inept net men...

When you hang a 2-hook harness on a rock or brushpile, don't whale on it--that will only bury the hooks deeper. Just gently turn around and go back, keeping your line taut but not super-tight. Get directly over the top of the snag, and start lightly working the rod tip around. Not hard, though--again, by just lightly moving your rod tip here and there in small motions, you're shifting the weight of the bouncer down below (you'll feel it), getting leverage on the hook from different directions. At least 3 times out of 4, you'll get your rig back.Quickly check for bent/dull hooks and line frays, and fish on. Note: it helps A LOT if your main line is braid. And as a reminder, the leader on the harness needs to be a lighter pound test than the main line. One thing you can do when a modest-sized brushpile shows up on sonar while bouncing: quickly lift your rod tip up high and hit turbo speed for a couple seconds, to shoot the harness over the top. Then, allow to settle and resume.

Pretty sure we saw you out there Sunday, 9LB. We were in a green-n-cream SmokerCraft walkthru w/Merc plus Yami kicker, in case you noticed us.

Thanks, B! By the way, Dutch, that article is many years old, though the basic info is still spot on today. And he's Canadian...they do things a little different up der, eh. Just use Octopus hooks for this style of harness...#4 is standard, and perfect for Stockton. Suggest moving up to #2 or #1 for the bigger bite in Table Rock, Bull Shoals or Norfork. Good luck! P.S. Most guys 'round here use 12# test mono or fluoro for their harnesses....

Dutch, if you're still tying, here's the best how-to article I've seen on harness making: http://www.walleyesinc.com/walleyeinc3/howtotie.html Otherwise, assuming you have a bowmount electric with sonar and GPS....drop your bouncer/harness down to bottom as the boat is moving, then let out a bit more to re-contact bottom, more if needed, and hold. You want to run your weight just off bottom, rather than dragging it, but close enough so that you can just swing your rod back a few feet to re-establish contact with the bottom. Adjust as needed for changes in depth and speed (more depth/higher speed = more line out). In general, the less line you have out the better. Straight down is great, for water over 12 feet or so,, and never run your line at an angle greater than 45 degrees behind you. Reel up and re-drop if you need to--only takes a few seconds. Troll your harness fast enough to turn the blade and provide a little lift, and slow enough to make it an easy meal. Walleyes just love to slowly suck those things in--seldom will they slam it, so usually you'll have to nurse the bite a bit until they've taken it firmly. Hold steady, and let the fish load the rod, then sweep-set. Move along at 0.7 to 1.5 mph GPS--average 1 mph works great. Rule of thumb is to use 1 oz. of weight for every 10 feet of depth, but I use 2 oz. for just about all situations. As long as you're sure you're getting down, and not dredging bottom, you're fine. You'll get a feel for it in no time. Bluegills peck at a harness like a machine gun, bass and catfish usually take it hard and aggressive, and walleyes deliver a sudden heaviness and (when active) a slow pulsing feel. When the rod loads, the battle's on.

No, we didn't see much either. Except on that little 100-foot long ridge, or roadbed, or whatever. Good show there. Lots of shad and active fish.

Wow, nice going, 9LB! Were you seeing lotsa stuff on sonar?

Mjk, leadcore is super precise. Most of the time we keep our cranks within 1-2 feet of bottom--tick occasionally to make sure. Often the contour will vary quite a bit, so at times the baits will be running 5 or 6 feet up--they'll still get hit, if there's bait around.

QB, I am shocked and amazed also. Better yet, after digging on you for chasing dinks, I get a taste of my own medicine. Touche!

Oh, we also caught a catfish that was pushing 10 lbs. No other species came out to play. Hot, humid, calm.