kjackson

Here's something that may be of interest: it's the shad body from Berkley's big extension to its line of crank baits. And here is Savage Gear's smaller swimbaits: More later; it's back to the show.

I'll try to shoot some pix tomorrow. I have a few on my phone, but they need shrinking to post. As for the Microwave guide system, a friend who is not affiliated with either the company or a rod maker that uses the system says he was doubtful of the claims of extra distance but found he could cast 20 to 30 feet farther using the system. I think to really say you'd have to build two rods on the same blank using the same reel and same line to really do the test. One thing I saw today that I liked was the new Shimano MaxCuatro braid. Fifty-pound test was comparable to 14-pound Fireline or 20-pound braid in diameter. Also, there are a lot of good-feeling rods and reels out now that aren't terribly expensive. How well the drags work and how they hold up will have to be tested, but there is some dandy gear coming out this year.

Welcome and thanks for the report. Negative reports are just as valuable as ones about a load of fish--at least, that's what I keep telling myself.

Look at the Okuma rods...especially the "Deadeye" series intended for walleyes. Good sticks. I've not walked the entire show yet, so I've not gone crazy over any one thing. The Lawrence 3D Structure Scan is pretty close to awesome with what it shows an what you can do with it. I got to see it in operation on the water, and it might even help J-Doc catch fish. Salmo's deep diving minnow bait should be a natural for stripers and walleyes. It will hit 40 feet is the claim. I also like the looks of Berkley's new line of crank baits. They were designed in part by David Fritts. VMC has the Gliding Jig that I think will find a following by the Ned and finesse guys. Savage Gear has some soft-plastic crawdad jigs that look really good in the water. The way the legs move is incredible. But like I said, I've not walked the show; I've only hit half the aisles, and it's scary how big it is this year. Attendance is predicted to be over 13,000 folks. There are 35 or 36 aisles, and each one is what, maybe 100 yards long. It is the largest ICAST ever, which makes it the largest fishing trade show ever anywhere.

A lot of rain hit last night. We live on the headwater, and everything is flowing heavily. It's not as bad as the first big storm this summer, but it's still high.

This is a long shot, but I have half a dozen heavy-duty cardboard rod tubes. They vary in length, but most of them will hold a seven-foot rod. The walls are perhaps 5/16 inch thick and of a heavy material. I'd like to offer them to anyone who would want them. I will not ship nor arrange shipping, but I could be tempted to meet someone in the Rogers area or at Eagle Rock. They do not recycle in Eureka Springs, and I don't want to cut them up for fire starters, but that is where they are going if no one wants them for something, even if it is something for your kids to play with.

You mention rails, and there are rod holders that have bases that mount on rails while the holder can be removed. However, those will still catch a line. There are others that mount through the gunwale, if you have that on your boat, and they are less likely to snag a fly line. There are a couple of things you might try to get around the rod-holder-base thing: Lefty Kreh used to carry a piece of netting around with him and spread it over obstructions where he would strip his line. While I've used a stripping basket in the past, I'm not a big fan; they work, but I didn't like mine. What does work is one of those collapsible hampers that often are sold for clothes or for use when raking leaves. They are basically a large tube with mesh sides that collapse to a flat disk. You would want to cut a piece of plywood or something similar to put in the bottom to keep the hamper from blowing out of the boat. The large diameter is fly-fishing friendly. Here's one: http://www.homedepot.com/p/Toro-Utility-Bin-29210/100495449

Thanks for the report...

Report says that the gates are open one foot.

The trip before last--shortly after the previous big rain--I saw carp trying to spawn on top of a concrete picnic table at the Dam Site campground.

A Facebook friend posted pix of King's River late this afternoon. He said it's about 20 feet above normal in his section, and the water was brown. With Leatherwood rising, I'm guessing conditions will unpleasant for a couple of days from its mouth downstream.

Very nice! I've been wondering if I should give walleyes a miss and do something different. You may have inspired me...

5 News said the warrants were for boating under the influence and "boat collision or accident". I kind of wonder how he was able to retain or renew his guide license without resolving the warrants.

I fished with a walleye pro on Mille Lacs once when a front was approaching. The guy made a cast, and his line stayed up in the air, making a big arch. Then he said, "Watch this." He raised his rod to vertical, and we could hear the snapping and popping as the sparks started to fly. It didn't take us long to throw rods down and head for the bank where we tied up at a dock and headed for the protected cabin porch. We watched the strikes coming in--massive bolts hitting the peninsula we were on, just walking toward us. I think that was the most dramatic thing I've seen on the water. Since then, I've been fishing when the line arched up and stayed up, but that was with a clear sky and no lightning at all. Don't know why the static built up like that, but we headed to shore for a bit of a walkabout until the conditions changed.

If you need more than Jerry's I have several C3s, including a "winch" version and one lefthand.

I've fished both the Professional Grade 100% Trilene, and Trilene XL fluorocarbon (new late last year). The PG 100 is for casting reels and fishes well there. It's not as springy as some of the other brands. I mostly use it for trolling applications, but I have also done a fair bit of casting with it. It works well. The XL fluorocarbon (not to be confused with XL mono) was developed for spinning reel use. It, too, is all fluorocarbon. It works fairly well on spinning gear. I think the stuff I have is either 6 or 8-pound test. I found it to be a little springier than XL mono, but I had no problems using it at all. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it.

Update--it was a guided trip near the Indian Creek marina. The male customer died. Stay in the dock until the sparks stop... Nice fish, but I can't read the bag besides the color.

http://5newsonline.com/2015/06/13/one-injured-by-lightning-strike-at-beaver-lake/

Thanks for the link. From what I've read/heard, the spawn seems to be a one-time event with some bass being earlier and some later, kind of a bell-curve event. But the spawn potentially happening three times makes me think... As an aside, I just spooked a heron off the site, so it's possible the bass have moved off or are in the process of digestion.

Noticed today that a pair of bass in our pond are getting a bit amorous...or so it looks. I've noticed that there have been bare spots here and there recently, but I was hoping that some bluegill had survived the otter attack last winter. But apparently, that's not the case. This afternoon, I saw a pair of bass exhibiting spawning behavior-- the pair was sitting on the pond's primo bed spot, and one of the bass was pushing the other around, lifting it with his nose, pushing it around the bed. Is it really possible that bass will spawn a second time in mid-June? There has been one spawn already, with several broods of fry swimming around. Having said that, the pond has been flooded twice with some pretty harsh current running through it after the earlier spawn--enough, in fact, to wash a pound-and-a-half bass over the dam and onto the road. Could it be that the flooding and loss of some fry was enough to trigger a late spawn, or are these two just exhibiting teenage behavior?

Never in the three years we've lived here...

That sounds like a great trip--glad you had fun. I've been in Alaska half a dozen times and would go back in a heartbeat. If you'd hit good weather on your halibut trip, you would have been fishing in 500 feet of water. Andy Mesirow of Crackerjack Charters is as good a skipper as you'll find. However, most of the serious professionals will give you your money's worth. Mesirow does overnight charters so that you get to fish in an area where most charters don't go. Those are a hoot!

That's the fourth time I've hit a log in a boat. Two were memorable. The first time I was running a 14-foot fiberglass skiff in the Strait or Juan de Fuca (Washington saltwater) and hit one running full bore with a 20-hp Johnson. Granted it wasn't Ranger (ahem) speed, but the impact when the motor kicked up (no power trim in those days) knocked me off the seat in the back of the boat--running a tiller--and rolled me up to the forward seat. Scared the stuffing out of me.. The second time was in a new boat, but I really don't know what I hit.I was in 190 feet of water when I put the hammer down to pop up on plane (115 hp wheel boat this time) when I hit whatever it was. Never did see it at all, and the lake was glass smooth. The impact on that one took two blades off the aluminum prop. Fortunately, I was close to the launch and able to limp in. Gotta love boating. The other two logs were jarring but no big deal. I would imagine hitting a submerged log at 50 mph plus will leave a bruise.

Put in at Dam Site relatively early but not early enough. Was greeted at the ramp by the sight of a dozen bass slowly swimming around the dock with a couple of keepers. The lake is up enough that the grassy lawn is under a couple of feet of water by the dock, and the bass were doing a pretty good job of exploring. I chased walleyes with spelled spinners rather than trolling crankbaits as the water at the dam end had a lot of debris in it. Caught one dink smallmouth, and that was the success of the day. I did have a lot of tail biters hit, but given the numerous small bluegill and small bass I saw at all depths, I'm thinking they were the guilty parties. I did mark a lot of fish, some fairly large, from 18 to 35 feet or so. Fished with Ned a bit, but I had the same experience--a lot of small-fish type bites but nothing serious except for a couple of missed opportunities. When the fun boats arrived, I pulled the pin, shortly after noon. Visibility was 12 to 14 feet, although there was kind of a greenish tinge of some kind. Water temps were around 75. There was very little wind. WARNING: There is a lot of big stuff floating around out there. I saw one log that was just under the water--the only reason I saw it was that the water looked "nervous" like you'll see when a school of fish is moving around just under the surface. On the way back to the launch I jumped the log's brother. I was tootling along just above planing speed when I popped over the log. It was completely under the surface but close enough to hit the lower unit. Fortunately, I was going slow--about 20 mph with the motor trimmed up to where it was close to ventilating. So the boat jumped the log and the skeg and prop were unhurt. I'm thinking it's time to come up with Plan B.

Beaver Dam Store has minnows...not sure what kind, but they do have 'em. Good luck.