bfishn

Shad make fall & winter movements just like in spring. As temps drop they leave their main channel summer locations to gather near the mouths of bigger creek arms. There's a brief (2-3 week) "run" to the back end of the creeks, on the WR lakes it begins at 52deg and ends at 48. Stockton should be the same. Then it's back to the creek mouths until the first real taste of wintertime water, (~45deg), then back to the main channel. Even in winter, shad are always roaming. The fish that eat them are a different story (except for stripers et al). They occupy places of ambush where deep shad often pass, waiting for the next opportunity to feed, relocating only if they have to. Cover on outside bend bluffs that fall to the deepest water nearby holds a lot of fish in the dead of winter. It's a good idea to check several such locations before settling on one, winter winds and currents (even a snail's pace) can create conditions that favor one spot over the others. (If you can find an active spring in ~30fow, the above doesn't matter much.)

Thanks! Kind of sad that the 11P is considered the only remaining AR population. Only 25 yrs ago there was a pretty good number over here in War Eagle creek. I caught 3-4 in the 12-14" range back then (cared for and released). I don't fish there much anymore, but I haven't heard of one there in a long time.

If it's any consolation, I caught that one for you. 11lb, right at the boat a half second before I lifted to recast. 3AM in thick fog and pitch black. Scared the bejesus out of me after a whole night of no bites. I just lifted the rod and grabbed the net. Took a year off my future. Oh wait, you said Beaver... Wrong fish. Carry on.

3.5" anglerfish taken at 1900' off the CA coast. It uses that little headlight-on-a-steek to attract prey. Reminded me of an old fishin' buddy that was girlishly squeamish about reaching into a bucket of crawdads. :-)

In the "always thinking of others" vein... ...how 'bout a phone app that triggers your car alarm if you spend more than 3-4 minutes on the ramp? ...or a cloaking mode to hide when you're reeling one in? ...or a tractor beam that attracts fish but repels other boats?

I guess I'm not familiar with the "unilateral ban" you speak of. Could you provide a link please?

If by "market kind" you mean those seen in a grocery or restaurant, then yes, even bigger. Of the dozens (hundreds?) of native species, many get to 8". Several varieties not only have blue accents, but red, orange and olives and are quite striking. Local varieties have a slightly less favorable tail/body ratio than Louisiana dads, but make up for it with big, meaty claws. Back in the business? Yeah, I'd love it. Problem is, there's only so many desirable natural springs with suitable surroundings. At one time, most were utilized for aquaculture. Now they're becoming mere lawn ornaments for the well to do. Way out of my league.

I think George Carlin explained it best;

I looked hard at raising blue marrons in the 90s. I ran a trout hatchery and growout facility and was already growing monster crawdads without raising a finger. They thrived on trout poo, of which there was plenty. Win/win right? Ultimately it came down to containment. That was a much harder decision to make back when I had $ signs in my eyes. Now, much later and no longer involved in the business, it seems a no-brainer. A very palatable alternative would be to grow/keep some native 'dads. Kept out of predators' reach, you can grow some monsters. Next to no investment, no big loss if they die or crawl away. And every bit as tasty as the next dad over.

Hmmm... they've come down a bit. When I investigated blue marrons ~20 years ago they were $50/breeding pair + air freight from down under.

Your whole issue is moot... if you can't afford a cheeseburger, you'll not make the first step towards any red claw or blue marron brood stock.

Great video! You're gettin' pretty good at that stuff! :-) Awesome looking spot. Just begging for some of mic's 8" chubs on balloons & R&R. Gettin' a bigun out of there on R&R makes getting bass out of brush seem like perch jerkin;.

My last dog died shortly after my divorce. I sure miss that old dog. Look at all the stuff you can blame on the dog now. :-)

...oughtta take a bucket of those to a good flathead hole in the next week or two... Build a fire, set the clicker and wait.

I'm familiar with all but the red/white one. What's that?

Exactly. I grew up ~5mi from Thomas Hill, remember it being built. When it's good, it's the only game to play. Everything else is ice. It can get really windy as mentioned. The drainage valley is a straight N/S shot for almost 20 miles. Funny memory... On the coldest, nastiest days of winter, you could usually find a half dozen rigs braving it, but at the tavern in Bevier were always several more.

Attaboy! Attagirl! Both those fish have the excellent form factor of "southern strain" 'eyes. Do you know the source of the broodstock those year classes had? Awesome shape for fall fish. Great broodstock.

To quote a friend from down under; "Good on you Mate, good on you!"

In my 20s, I had a med major as a room mate. He was one sharp dude with some well-honed smartasseristic skills. After a memorable ritual Sunday breakfast of SD 'cakes, he examined the effects of the digestive process on sourdough at great length. His conclusion was that it would survive the process... ....just sayin'...

Tis the season To be greasin' Up the fryer And the fire. Filet de Oppa Fried up proppa Heed the call It must be fall.

Yeah, they've been on the lookout for WMFs* since they can be molded or packed into almost anything. *Weapons of Mass Fermentation

Where's the beef? It needs more cowbell! Seriously man, that's an awesome post. I could even follow those directions. Attaboy! (you gotta do the pancakes, man... all I remember was about 50/50 starter to new, then cut to be a bit thinner than your normal batter. Some of my best batches were 100% starter. Mom always had another jar next week.)

The Corps site now has some info; http://www.swl.usace.army.mil/Missions/Planning/BeaverLakeMasterPlan.aspx

"The new trout hatchery" below Beaver Dam was a major selling point that convinced Arkansas voters to approve a 1/8 cent sales tax increase back in 1996, of which the AGFC would get 45%. Collection of the Conservation Sales Tax began July 1, 1997, and we've been paying it faithfully ever since. While much good has come of that money, the promised hatchery never materialized. I was briefly involved in the planning discussions back then, but it soon became apparrent that the money was "spoken for elsewhere". You'd be wasting your time bringing it up to the Corps though, they have nothing to do with it.

Didn't you hear about that shipment of dough that went active the other day?