marknsaw

Didn't fish the river, but I did fish the back of Monte Ne creek and Joe's creek today. Threw just about everything I had at them, but no takers in either arm. Another guy was ballooning minnows or shad and he did manage to get a couple whites in the back of Monte Ne. Luckily my consolation prize was 4 nice whites on Horseshoe bend this afternoon though. I'll try again somewhere else tomorrow.

You can try here. http://www.busens-school-of-taxidermy.com/ He's local... don't know what kind of work he does or what the pricing is. I work with his wife and they seem like good people.

It's fishin' 102, thanks for the info FnF (btw). If I may add though... always be ready to change your presentation... or is that Fishin' 103? Guys/Gals.... FnF/JDoc/Qback/ and the rest do an awesome job of trying to get people on some fish. It's all really basics when its boiled all down though ( don't know if I am preaching to the choir here, but I'll continue anyway ). Pick your spot, mark the fish, determine the bite, and make a pattern. Half of your time on the water will/should be spent on picking a spot or targeted areas. Of course that will very depending on the season(s), time, weather conditions, and learned information. Once you make the call, Fish the hell out of your spot(s). Don't be afraid of trying something different though. Something as simple as color, speed, vibration/noise, or size can turn a bite on. Like most of us....getting out is the hardest part. It's not rocket science...but it is science. Do your part, and the rest will come.

I was out last week and it looked like the river eyes were moving. I was trying to follow them but it's hard too when the whites and stripes are sitting on the flat transitions and the wind was blowin' as hard as it was that day. The males are definitely moving in and the females are probably starting to stage up in the deeper waters around the mouths and the channels. I am praying to get out on Monday, but that is starting to look like a NO GO ( yeah! more winter). I'll definitely be looking forward to a weekend report, and try to fish vicariously. Earliest I can get out will be Friday and I'm half tempted to hit holiday island. Good Luck!! I hear ya J-Doc, I'm planning a nice boil/fry of Texas gulf coast blue crab and shrimp with mangrove snapper on Sunday. Been saving it since October.....yumEEEE.

I'll admit...... I'm an ICER. Get them to the ice ASAP. Makes cleaning them easier and less philosophical.

Very nice catch guys.. I'll be out tomorrow for the first of the year. Season #2 ...... I hope I have learned a few things

For grillin'.... look into this........ Get something like this http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-29914171/stock-photo-grilling-basket-for-fish-vegetable-or-small-food-items.html . Soak your filets in buttermilk, a milk and vinegar solution, or plain yogurt for a couple hours. Season to taste while flipping on the grill. Try any combination of dry seasoning you can think of. You can make it whatever you want once it hits the grill. The basket keeps it from falling apart. Healthy... Yummy... and IT will be a hit of your JULY 4th BBQ

I wrangled up an old COE map about 7 months ago ( friend's dad was corp and helped build lake). It's a nice guide, but I don't put much into it, it's a good source for old structure, but that is about it. Navionics is fairly current ( Thanks JOHN!!, but it's internet). : P . Main thing is water level. Get out and find your spot(s) that are the best. It's good now, fish your points, drop-offs, and transitions. Fish are transitioning and scattered, but are there. Nothing beats experience and wisdom..... Find pieces of structure on gravel banks/slopes, deeper transition areas, or any place where it's going to cost you (by cost you.... I mean hung hooks).The nastiest area's to fish are usually the ones that will get you a nice fish! BANG! deep structure. OR, you can read FnF's/J-Doc's reports.... they'll usually aim you straight at getting fish in your boat.

There's 2 seasons on Beaver lake, Boatin' season and Fishin' season! Each lasts about 6 months, or half a year. Boatin' season lasts from Memorial day to Labor Day, Fishin' season lasts from Labor day to Memorial Day. During the Fishin' season you can expect to find many like-minded individuals enjoying a calm blue/green waterway, relaxed and peaceful in their merry endeavors. Most will wave and greet you. Many will happily give tips to improve a technique, method, or style so that you may more fully enjoy your watery experience. If you are lucky, you may even see rainbows and flying unicorns during this time frame. Boatin' season starts as the air and water temperatures warm in May. With this warmer temperature comes the Jet Ski, the Water Skier, the Floating Condominium, the Out-of-Town-Must-Beat-The-Sun-To-My-Spot boater, the "Do- Nothing but go really fast on the water" boater, and last..... but not least, the Wakeboarder. Their sole purpose...... is to "love the water" so much, that it reacts to all of their activities. They find NO greater joy then watching as simple people rock in the wake of their spectacle. Nothing brings them as much joy as watching a small boat take water as they rip past them at 60+MPH, or deal with their 4' waves as they drag their boarder within 30' of another boat. A word of caution during boating season..... and please be careful, Jet Skier's and Wakeboarder's are notoriously attracted to any fishing line that may be further then 30' from your personal craft. Please think of these poor souls while your out. There have been reports of lead trauma, tungsten poisoning, and copolymer binding incidents. Be respectful, enjoy the water, and have a good time. Sincerely, Your Local Chamber of Commerce

Hey J-Doc There's a couple ole Zebcos hanging out around horseshoe bend if you feel like trolling them up Sorry for the edit ....but a funny story... One of those Zebbies was my daughters. I took her out perch jerking one weekend. After catching numerous amounts of gills, the bobber went down, she set the hook, and whatever was on the other end of the line took the pole straight out of her hands. I had a hard time comforting her while I was laughing my backside off!

Night fishing has been a tough bite the last couple weeks. They are either "ON" or "OFF". One night a 1/2 full cooler.... next night, a bunch of shorties and you pitch the lone 5# channel cat over the side. The weather hasn't helped much ( it's scattering them and making their behavior hard to read both day and night ). It's summertime on Beaver, so the bite will be what it is through August. I've had the best luck when I find a spot that doesn't get evening turnover and the water stays relatively clear along a bluff with sunken timber. I just remind myself that a bad day fishing is still better then a good day at work

J-Doc has most of it. Put it into practice my friend!! Flouro is a myth. I have used reels with 20# test mono without a difference. Location is the key. Put your light out sometime @ dark, give it about an hour... if you don't have a nice bait ball around then.........time to move. Could be 45', could be 1/2 way across the lake. Night fishing is based on bait ball. Get the critters to you and you'll not sleep through the night

There's nothing here.. just keep looking!

Below the dam is a wash. Heavy generation has pretty much wiped out everything before Houseman. Throw worms at the shore 1-4' for sunny's, Troll something black, purple, or blue along flats, transitions, or along creek beds at 10-16' ( rip jig bigger minnows when you find them ). Minnows/shad under lights at night along any bluff or pole timber 25-40 fow close to a channel. Bang points and transitions with deep cranks or your choice of rig and color ( carolina, texas, shacky, or lindy ). The thermocline looks to be somewhere @ 22-24 feet, you can main channel with rigs, jigs, cranks, live, or whatever for some of that action. Chicken liver and worms has worked for channel and flats from the shore. edit : don't limit yourself to what you want to catch... take what you can get!

Night fish anywhere along a bluff line. From 12 to 1. Pole timber is important. Use your sonar to mark fish sitting in the timber. Tie up close and drop minnows 10-20 feet. Drop your light around dusk. If you get a shad-nado....... don't plan on sleeping. White light has worked better with my experience. You'll have a fun time trying to figure what is on your line. Stipers- to - bream....... back to back tugs are catfish.....hard dives are whites' or small stripes.....crappie and walleye give up quick..... you'll get a pole bender as well once or twice. 20 pound flathead and 22 pound striper, landed both on 8 pound test. Nothing like giving it yer all at 3:11 AM

I caught me one of them a couple years ago. Muddy.....tasted like boat water. Hard as heck to filet, wouldn't recommend.

White bass: Soak the filets in buttermilk or a half/half combo of white vinegar/water for 30 minutes before cooking. What red stripe? 3 channels, 5 whites, and 2 walleye Monday morning. They wanted PURPLE!

hopefully sometime Monday morning. I'll do what I can

Good Luck and hopefully alot of tight lines!!

I am not complaining SB. Trust me! Beaver is an awesome lake ( I like just cruising down the channel ) with many challenges, and her many rewards lurking just below the surface. I've thrived on crappie and white's to this point. I just made it a mission to get some eye's this year. I bought a boat last fall, fixing her up, and decided to go for broke. The saddest part is, is that strippers ARE NOT native, yet seem to be what Beaver is noted for. You would think a native species should have that honor. I haved fished waters with multiple predominant predators..i.e. musky and N.pike and their hybrids ( tiger musky ), I can't see why another pedatorey fish like a lake trout,or a brown can't thrive in Beaver's sysytem. The forage is almost insane! If there is a chance...why not try it? Really? Jumbo's in Bull Shoals.......may have to get over ther then. Any hot spots or recommendations? Thanks for the FYI for sure! I've caught a couple big brown's out of Beaver... that is why I am postulating on the stocking of brown's or lake's IN Beaver, and not on the tailwaters, or semi-tributaries. As for .gov employees..... I already know about it... I am one. Not federal mind you, but Muni, still feeling it though.

Long time lurker, new to signing up.... btw An old boy can dream, right FnF. I understand your arguements about rainbows, lakes, and browns....I just don't want to believe it. I'm not from AR, I'm from OH originally ( and by gawd, I miss my Erie jumbo yellow perch ). I have fished waters that held Musky, Pikes, Walleye, and Bass ( not stripers though ).. Beaver Lake has an over abundence of forage. You know, as well as I do, that you can't go 150' without hitting a ball(s) of baitfish on your sonar. Predation aside, 10-13" Lakes and/or Browns could take to Beaver with plenty of room to roam. While not economically the best "fish-to hook" ratios... It can become more then just a "TROPHY STRIPER LAKE". Is that a bad thing? When has $$$ every stopped .gov I've caught 20+ # stripers.. while fun to catch, I throw them back now. There's better table fare in the lake. I can't see where a 4-5 year stocking program for Lakes or Browns would be a bad thing. If they don't take... they don't take!! The weekend Perch-Jerkers will still get their limit on gills, FLW gets their's, and the rest of us locals get a choice. Hell... It's hard enough just pulling walleye out, I wouldn't complain if I reeled a Lake or a Brown out during my trip. With all that said FnF, Let's go Fishin sometime

I agree with a trout stocking on Beaver. If your going to do it though I recommend either Brown's or Lake's. They'll do everything a farm raised rainbow will... plus , if a few get away... they'll get really BIG. Bigger is better right? That's cause they are perch jerkin! Lake BV doesn't need to be stocked with cats.. It has too many already. Unfortunately it is loaded with yellow mud cats ( 8-12", .75-1.25 lbs.) Head on over there and throw some liver or worm on a bottom rig in the evening and you'll see. Make sure you take your pliers.. cause every third bite will be a snappin' turtle. My daughter yanked a 27 lbs snapper out last summer 3" black grubs jigged, or 2.5" floating cranks ( in the evening ) will get a nice Bass bite if you want. Lake BV isn't a trophy lake but the fish are there if your just looking to catch.