The Bassman

I've just spent the last two hours binge watching Hank Patterson

I got the 45". Now I fish mostly at BV so I'm not battling the big wakes/waves that you might face. You are also welcome to hop on and take a test run. You actually helped me a ton answering questions for me when I bought my boat. I would be happy to return the favor by f that's something you would be interested in. It's been a game changer for me.

I have an 80lb Ultrex on my RT188. It's not an i-pilot, but I have loved it. I haven't had any problems. The spot lock on mine is dead on accurate. I would say it keeps me within 5 feet of my intended spot. This is based on spot locking around buoys and other fixed objects. The jog feature on the remote is great as well. The only issue I have is the electric assist that turns the motor is a bit loud. When i'm sitting on top of a brush pile in a 20 mph wind that thing can be a bit annoying. You are welcome to hop on and try mine out, they are a bit pricey without a test drive. Send me a PM and we can set it up.

SOLD

2004 Lowe 170W with a 2004 90hp Yamaha 2 stroke. Always kept inside. 55lb MK All Terrain TM, on board charger, console and bow graphs, boat buckles, spare tire. Seats and carpet are in good shape. Engine is pristine. Boat is ready to fish today. $6500. Springdale AR

Yes to the slime. The last rain seemed to help a little, but with the water being as clear as it is, it's just something we are going to have to deal with.

We went on a bass/bream combo trip yesterday. Did awesome on the bass. Senkos and floating worm up shallow was the ticket. Best fish came on a frog up through the trash in the back of a creek arm. Saw her bust something and threw over and she immediately ate it. Lots of fun. The Bluegill portion of the trip was a bust, except for these guys which we found just sitting in their beds. They were the only ones I could find. Great day to be on the water.

I fished Lomond yesterday. Wacky rigged Senko and a bubble gum floating worm did most of the damage. Lots of cruising fish yesterday. Right on the bank. There is a bit of a power fishing opportunity there, go to the very backs of the creek arms or pockets where there is some weeds and scum on top and throw a frog. The best options are the two big arms up by the dam. Caught a nice one yesterday doing that. Pretty limited amount of water you can do it in, but that is the only power fishing option I know of. Good luck. I think you will kill em.

Fished noon to 5. WT 55-58. Water is still pretty low and wind was blowing pretty hard. Good day overall, caught some deep on the drop shot and found some shallow fish near the end of our trip. Caught 3 over 3lbs in the last hour. If I was going in the next couple of days I would focus on the shallow fish. I think the nicer fish are starting to roam the shallows. It's going to be a fun next 4 weeks.

I found these spots by just running over them. They are new because I have motored over these spots hundreds of times. On how to catch them, drop shot, shaky head and a wacky rigged senko are what I use. In the super clear water you may need to sit off to one side and cast to them, I couldn't get bit sitting on top of them. You will really be surprised what a senko will catch after they stop hitting a drop shot. The key is to let it fall on a slack line. I haven't fished Windsor much and the only structure I know about is about 3/4 of the way back in the last arm on the right as you are going away from the dam. If I remember correctly it is in about 20fow. Hope this helps.

First trip to BV for the year. Was greeted by a very low lake level, down about 3-4 feet. I guess they were giving folks an opportunity to work on docks and sea walls. Post front, low water, caught one on the first cast and the wind was brutal. Even with all these factors working against us, we crushed em. Mostly small fish, but we had about 5-6 better ones up to 2.5 lbs. caught a few out on front of docks but the vast majority of fish came from brush piles in 18-20 fow. Caught about 50 total between three main spots. WT was 52-55.

Not a ton of slime but a LOT of algae type stuff suspended all through the water column. Almost looked like egg drop soup, just with green eggs. The coves seemed to worse than the main lake. I spoke with a dock owner and they said it happened after the last big rain about 5-6 days ago.

Went out Sunday evening from 5:30 to 8:30 looking for some topwater fish. No topwater activity at all. Did manage about 15 total with 5 decent fish to 3lbs. Most fish came on a drop shot in 15-20 ft on a couple of main lake points, also caught a few around the docks. WT 85

Decided to try a new lake today and it was not a great decision. Fished from noon until 4 and caught 5 bass. 3 were about 12-14 inches and the other 2 were about 6 inches. WT was 58-60 and had a nice stain. Lots of cover up shallow but not many fish. We focused on visible cover and docks. Fish were caught on senkos and square bills. Pretty little lake, I will be back to check the bluegill population a bit later in the year.

I hate to hear you are boat less. I've got a full crew for tomorrow (Thurs) but am open Friday if want to go.

WT 50-56. Caught about 20 little guys. All on soft plastics out in front of the docks in 6-10 ft. Fish seemed to be scattered out. I never really found a consistent pattern. Water was gin clear, could see the bottom in 10 fow.

Got out for the maiden voyage this year and had a great day. Didn't catch many fish but it was great to just be out. Lots of ducks and other wildlife were out. Fishing was tough for me. Ended the day with 4 12" bass. We threw a rig, fluke, crank bait, jerkbait, drop shot and not one bite for three hours. We fished main lake points and steeper banks. Out of desperation I put on a float and fly and hit some deeper docks. We caught all our fish doing this. Water temps were 47-49 and had about 7' clarity. Just happy to get out and enjoy being on the water.

Surely someone has been out. How about a little info. I haven't been able to get out due to knee surgery and work obligations. I need to live vicariously through someone who has been out.

First picture is the road to Bertrand access. Second is the dirt road behind the Dam store that cuts through to the paved road in the first picture. Next one is in the Housman parking lot and the last is from the 62 bridge.

Here are a few pictures from the overlook

Try Mayo sheet metal in Springdale.

Decided to see if we could catch a few bluegill for dinner. Partner and I finished with 30 good ones. Wasn't fast and furious just steady. Water temp 85-87. Caught 4-5 bass while moving between spots. Saw a fair bit of top water activity, mostly just single fish blowing up. Pretty fun day overall. If you go don't be afraid to move often. We would catch 3-4 per spot and then they would just quit. Move to next spot and catch a couple more. Just continue to hit new water and develop a milk run. Seemed the spots needed about 30 minutes to settle down and produce again. Key places for me were draws, anyplace where runoff enters the lake. Look for gravel in these draws and fish 3-8 ft out in front of them.

Any top water activity at dusk? I've heard they are busting a bit in the mornings.

Wet out from 8-4 today. Water temp 78-82. Caught about 30 with 10 decent fish to 2.5 lbs. Most fish caught on wacky rigged senko around docks. Caught 6-8 on a drop shot a little deeper. Key today was fish the docks on the shady side. Most fish were caught in less than 8 ft of water. Caught several against sea walls in a foot or two. Was very surprised that some quality fish were this shallow. Lots of tiny fry around docks.