Dewayne French

Good job love your insight on that deeper bite. I to have noticed when the loons/gulls are around I seem to catch fish a tad bit "easier" if you call it that. I won't be back over for while as weather and work are going to be in the way. Great pictures ice jig seems hit or miss with my style but when they are on it, it the only way to catchem 2D can still find them I just don't tell people that.

I was expecting a better day as we all do. As my least trip over there was great, fishing is very humbling at whatever level we wish to do it on. As my late dad would have said "just do the complete opposite the next day". I didn't listen good as a teenager then either 🤣😂. Fishing and getting out in nature is fun, but I love the people I have met along the way more than anything. Life long friends and memories is what really matters. I do like fishing as most of you know, but I really love the catching😁. Stay warm and dry as we are projected to get that white stuff and extreme cold. It was 4 here yesterday morning. Sounds like they cancelled the bfl on Toledo Bend for this weekend because of bad weather down there also.

Not much to report on, but I went fishing and I'm not very good 🤣😂 especially with the catching. I unloaded at 7am fished until 4pm out of Old 86 and fished from dam to 86 bridge hit about 16 spots through out the day. Fish and shad were not playing my game today. I finally found some shad in 100 fow on the wind protected bluff south of persimmon hollow, but that wasn't until around 3pm. Water temp was 51-51.5 on my birds through the day. Decent water color and along with the wind it made me toss a rock crawler on some wind blown bluff ends, but that didn't change my catching skills luck either. Biggest of the day was a 3.75 LMB that I caught at 7:15am of a brushy shallow point off a minnow rig. had 5 keepers and 1 short and that was it for my day. But at least I was out and enjoying the day and my time. Most fish came on small minnow with 3/8oz head an d1/2 oz head. Tried the A-Rig, JB, different minnows, and Rock Crawler just wasn't my day in the catching dept. Heck I didn't even see many loons or gulls today. The only area I seen several birds in was Beardsley the right arm going into it. Fishing is a game/sport that encompasses a lot of my time, money, and life yet I seem humbled way more than blasting a home run out of the park. Oh well 🎣 my OA buds until next time Fish on!

I have had your permission from a few times in the past😉Or was that forgiveness. I'm older now can't remember to much sometimes 🤣😂 Y'all are my go to peeps for sure. But I do love that area it's just a days journey for this ol boy.

Nice day of catching😁

The wife said out the house today so I said ok😉. Not enough time for a Table Rock day so I hit Norfork 7-11, but I unloaded early. Put in at Cranfield Ramp for the first time in a long time and they have added on the parking. A huge new lot up the hill by the play ground. Had a small limit by 9 and fished about 6 different spots found them on my 3rd stop. Biggest of the day was a 3.95 largemouth had 8 keepers for the day. Also had around 4-5 shorts and 2 big white bass. Water clarity was good and shad was suspended about 25 feet. Best baits was Ice Jig, A-rig and jerk bait Norfork is a different lake than Table Rock, but still a fun day. After 9am boats and people were out in force from fishing boats to the run-abouts. People defiantly are liking the hot December weather. So I got loaded up about 11 and headed home with my fishing fix for this day. Water temp was 49-49.5 most places and fish were in the shad around 20-30'. But like my last trip to Table Rock I can't get those fish to commit to my offering. If I can get a few fish together they will bite. There is a ton of bluegill in the lake as they are roaming in the 10-25' range around any brush or tree. These are not near as big as those Bluegill on Table Rock but they are everywhere. Crappie are still eluding my offerings as I can not get them on them at either lake. Merry Christmas to my OA fishing freaks enjoy family and lets go fishing.

I got try that 45 degree retrieve. I had the same thing the other day on the lower end. You could see them under even feeding, but I could not make those fish commit. I will borrow that😉.

Thanks Mr. Bill love to hear your reports they keep me updated on the bite and that Eagle rock is one of my favorite areas of the lake much appreciated.

I got away for my annual winter trip over to the big pond. It takes me all day for this trip as I have to leave by 3:30 to get over for the early bite and I almost missed it this time. Unloaded at old 86 about 6:30ish and had visions of big bass eating the ice jig and they did not disappoint me. Had a great day with a solid limit early and 15.50 for my best 5 at the end of the day, I was happy with that for me🤣. The deep fish seemed to bite in windows throughout the day, but for sure early was the best bite for the bigger fish. I had a 5.10 largemouth and a 3.09 smallmouth before I ever saw another boat. Best baits were Ice Jig, damiki, and a small paddle tail with a 3/8 oz slow rolled though the roaming spotted bass packs and the were out today. I tired the A-rig, spoon, jerkbait to no avail, they would react to my offerings, but not bite. Surface water temp was 52.5 when I started and 53.2 when I loaded up to head home. I tired around 9 different locations between the dam and the 86 bridge and caught fish on about every one. One spot middle of the day I lost 3 that I never got to see that I guess were biting short and not getting a good hook. The water was a different color between the dam to the bridge and I had to adjust at several of the locations from different color baits to tweaking the graph. Deep fish were anywhere from 30-70 and like normal a single was hard to get to commit to the bite, they would follow and act interested, but if you could get 2-10 in a group you could make that work. The big 5.10 largemouth had 2 others with him about the same size and they zoned in fast and if you could have got another bait down you could have had a double because they was ready. I never caught a fish that was high up in the water say 5-10 feet deep, they would streak the bait and hit it but it is almost like those fish where hitting the bait with their mouth closed, maybe slapping at it because even with a jerkbait I did not get a hook up. Just a good day on the big pond. Lots of boat trailers were at ever ramp I passed and most boats where out between 9-2pm looked like. Good fishing and enjoy the fishing deep or shallow. Only thing I did not try was a shallow crankbait on the rocks maybe next time? If believe the ramp talkers, I did talk with a couple different guys loading up after me and one had a good day shallow on a crankbait and one only had a few small fish for his efforts dang fishermen never can believe what they say

Healthy and good looking spots this time of year. Dang ned catching them again😉

Had plans change the night before so my Saturday was free. I hooked the boat up early and headed to Norfork for a few hours. Had not been on the lake since surface temps were 88 so I was either going to get lucky or skunked. Got to Redbank at 5:45 first boat to unload, but a couple right behind me. Headed south to my first stop and had a flock of turkeys fly out of their roast after I got setup, even gobble a few times. Lots of surface action in the middle of the channels, but never could pin point a cast. The whites/hybrid's were feeding on shad, I'm sure some bass were mixed in just way to random. I had lots of shad on the graph from surface to 15' deep with some bigger marks around them just could not connect. Finally after sun got up I began to catch a few on small bait fished near the surface fast!! Ended decent, but no pictures as it was to rainy. Best area was on the main lake channel with a deep flat . Also had 6 decent spots come up off the bottom and inhale a hair jig only just one little area. Could not reproduce it, but that was fun. Ended my day at 2pm headed home with a couple fish for supper, the wife likes to eat fish so that is my excuse to go 🤣😂. Not much to report but finally got out on the water water had some success. Water color had a tint of stain, surface temp was 62ish, small swimbaits/ hair jig, speed was your friend today (faster the better) good luck have a happy thanksgiving to all my OA crew

UDAMAN as they say Mr Bill😁

Congratulation's as a few have already said. The day of retirement is closer for me as well. Although the actual date is not written down it will more than likely be early next year. I still love my job, but changes in upper Mgt and retirement fundings make it a no brainer to leave with my head high and my health. Enjoy your extended fishing trips and your family. As they say this is a crazy world.

No rain in Mammoth Spring but it was 48 this am 😁

😉😉You got that right......