nomolites

They essentially behave the same in the hot months(now) except rather than the backs of coves they move up onto or around flats late in the day. Same old saw...those near deep water and on an inside turn are the best.... Mike

My favs are a pair of scrip MJ Kahunas with Maui Brilliant lenses...yes, the price is truly breathtaking, but there are NO other glasses that compare IMO. Mike

I carry ZEISS lenses cleaning wipes in the little packets; have them in the boat, truck, pack, everywhere. As Ness says blot first which will work with water but once I get skin oil or other crap on there I use the wipes. No scratches and keep them cased when not in use. And Ness, I lost a pair of Costas on a coaster in FL...they were in the case and flew out of my shirt pocket. I was getting the same line of smack you mention from one of the kids working it when another passenger walked up and handed me my glasses....they had flown back 6 cars and landed in his lap....I would rather be lucky than good any day! Mike

Okay Wrench, if you insist you are FOS 😉. Polarization does not impact perceptive clarity negatively, and in bright conditions greatly improves it. Your understanding of how it works is not incorrect but these “scratches” are not visible and are refractive in nature. Personally I love good polarized sunglasses and have multiple pairs both in prescription and non for when I wear contact lenses..for me there is a dramatic benefit and I will not leave home(especially to drive or go fishing) without them. You do get what you pay for however, in the same way low end fly rods don’t compare to others, etc. Quality is noticeable. I have shopped (and tried) to find the colors, coatings, and designs that work for my applications. I even have a couple camo pairs(not mirrored) I wear mid day bow hunting in bright conditions... Mike

Nice hybrids! This time of the year in the right place can be a blast the last hour of daylight. I will be heading down for the week Saturday with hopes to get my string stretched long and often. Mike

Cutting firewood. Lame. Mike

Agree that fixed blades are without question the better choice. Make sure you tune your bow and practice with the fixed blade heads only! Make your practice the first shot, and make it count! Reps are just for building muscle memory and endurance... I would add that in this world of speed heavy is good with arrows, your aluminum jacketed carbons with a 125 head and full helical fletch are worth consideration. Mike

Those look fantastic. I have an obsession with suspended jerkers and this is not helping....lol Mike

Cool stuff BH, thanks for sharing. The very first message board I ever joined was a stop smoking site which I visited during that miserable first year tobacco free 16 years ago...something I won’t forget. “No more lights(Marlboro)” of which I smoked way too many...the money I’ve saved has actually purchased my boat for the most part..... My avatar is my usual companion who likes to be first on and first off as she is looking for the high sign to debark here at a sandy beach at Norfork. Mike

My dislike is related to the extra numbers of large displacement boat traffic associated with the above routine. The Gravi USED to be an area a guy could fish main lake structure during the summer. No more, and not a change I have welcomed. Many of these operators have the LOZ big boat mind set - I have had them pass close enough I could almost touch them and not so much as a wave or acknowledgement I was even there. Meanwhile, there is usually 1/2 mile of open water to their opposite side...absolutely no courtesy at all. At least you can pretty much set your watch by these 🤡 and clear out before they break to/from Dry Branch or the bar and avoid “the rush”. Mike

They have the top of the line Hobies at Tri-State and like plug says they are very interesting. Bottom line is I’m with the rest who can’t sit and fish. Cracks me up when people say they don’t like fishing because they don’t like to sit still..... Mike

I love it when the water gets to moving - it’s like magic. Unfortunately, I am stuck in town until Saturday. Mike

RPS, glad you are OK! They should make it right. Wrench - I don’t understand the need for a splice; I wired mine with a new plug and screwed connections. That motor pulls just shy of 60A and a standard 50A breaker will not work - had to order mine from MK. Anyway, I always unplug mine when charging or not in use and that’s why I went with a new plug. I’m concerned about spikes with the electronics in them - maybe I’m paranoid, but likely just another symptom of my OCD. Mike

I am sure you will catch fish; you will likely catch cabling as well so bring more than one... Mike

They work just dandy on LOZ for LM and stripers/hybrids; my experience is they are more of a warm(60+) water deal but others may fish them effectively in colder water. Last weekend a good number of fish were suspended at 22’ in deep water and a friend was doing well with one counting down and horizontal jigging through them. Mike

Nice - thanks for sharing! I may have to get some 11s now...but you never can have too many crankbaits... 😏. I am guessing you are just running 4 lines with 2 boards? Either that or you are in fantastic shape... I can’t handle more than 4 unless the water is flat and the big boat operators are still sleeping. Mike

I am not good at this. Carry on. Mike

I wouldn’t think you could safely go over 1000# in the bed under any circumstances and that would be for a low speed no sudden moves very short at your own risk trip. Check your tire rating. I think the payloads ratings are ambiguous for a reason - if safety is important you should not try to go to the max. A half ton full size pickup is 1000# and you can tell when you exceed that(although I have for short hauls), the Canyon is “less than” by I would guess 30%.... Mike

Outside of AMart my crew Is again a no show for the weekend. My first pass “gut” picks(Tharp, J Van Dam, J Pow) are doing well but of course I changed late after looking at track record and did not go with them...still enjoy this whole thing. Mike

Those look like a good deal to me. I hope to make it back soon too! Mike

That was me; nice visiting with you and putting a face to a name! Mike

I have without doubt learned a lot from this site and it’s members over the years; thanks to Phil for the forum and the members for sharing information. Have been blessed to ply the waters of Stockton, Bull, LOZ, and Norfork to name a few since my first visit and in many ways they fish the same while having their own unique character and new opportunities to learn new things. Love this site and love to fish.... Oh, and I can’t forget to add that big walleye(well fed 23”)was naturally caught by my wife ..... on a “naked” slow death rig. Mike

The wife and I have been down this week for the first time; stayed at Stockton Lake Cabins and ramped in and out at Rb - fished from the State Park to the dam. While several days were devoted to friends and teenage kids(girls) we did get in some good fishing and got a taste of what Stockton has to offer - what a beautiful lake and fishery! I like walleye, and that was my main target this week, but we caught a mixed bag using a variety of techniques. The thermocline has pretty much set up near the dam by this morning at 28 ft where early in the week is was spotty and closer to 22 ft. You can still catch nice walleye and crappie shallower than 26ft early and late but once the sun is up everything we caught was in the 26-28 ft range pulling crankbaits(Wiggle Warts, Deep Tail Dancers, and Reef Runner 600s), bouncing or spooning. By the end of the week we were using lead core to get down with less behind the boat as the wind can, and did, make a mess of things at times- part of the challenge! Other successful offerings were Bink’s spoons and slow death rigs with gold Mack’s blades and 1 1/2 oz bouncers. Lodging was good, ramps great, lake fantastic, and the weather was HOT! The surprise of the week for me was the size and n7mbers of BIG Bluegill in this lake - we caught them on everything and sampled some too - delicious! We will be back. Mike

Most of the fish were suspending in the 22-28 ft range this afternoon on the lower end; saw some evidence of a thermal layer but it was not consistent. I caught lots of fish on a 1/2 oz spoon but only 3 good walleye. Mike

I only pursue what my wife and I enjoy eating these days. Sure, I catch green fish(and other species) while I’m at it but they are not allowed in the livewell. Mike