Dewayne French

I feel your pain Mr. Bill, about Table rock, Bull, Norfork, and Beaver. All these dang lakes can humble you quick, but that was a good day and I have enjoyed a lot of that nature time also.😂

I agree the spots will light up the board and this lake is popping. I'm put my guess on Drew Gill and Spencer Shuffield will be the main players. Would like to Roger get in the mix, but like Mr. Bill said these boys are going to stay on them.

nice job sir

Made one of my trips down to Toledo Bend over the weekend and it did not disappoint. I know Bill said something about heading to LoP and it has to be good also. Be careful if you go around Bullfrog they had bad weather last weekend and the docks were blowed over on top each other. But all those lakes are fishing great and a good change of pace. I had one dandy right at 7lbs post spawn and suspended on a big tree 5' down in 35 fow. Several 4's and just a fun time caught crappie and yes there was lots of boats, but plenty of room to find an area to fish. Lots of bank beaters down there, as the cove we stay in always had boats in and out throughout the day. It is fun to watch as nearly everybody is doing the same thing casting at the same targets, just maybe a different bait many times. The small cove had 8 boats in it at a time most all day Saturday just unreal fishing pressure. Mid-lake water temps were 68ish and I unloaded down by the dam Saturday morning and it was only 60.5 at 10 am when I loaded back up and headed to the cabin. Great get away and always good food down there. Brought home boudin and red beans and rice fixins.

Okay so I got to do a boil for work next week (small group 12ish). What is the favorite recipes of the group on here. Give me what y'all have to work with. I have never done one, but I have sure ate a lot of those bugs. I'm used to outside cooking, smoking, fish cooking as we all are around here, so lets have a recipe? Thanks in advance

Anytime, Sir sorry it took a little longer than I planned. I got busy at farm Friday night/Saturday and with church Sunday so I got behind on my fishing job😉. That 23p is kind of what I was thinking my rig need just did not have the extra money to play with. If I ever do I will let you now how it goes.

Okay I got a picture of it over the weekend. It is a 19 pitch 4 blade powertech ELE4R19PMS275. I guess that would be the reason it works so well just not a good top end. And also why it pops the boys on so well on the tube. Hope this helps.

WOW I love to fish that lake it is just unreal and totally different than what we have around here. You can use the same baits and the same general stuff it is just generally shallower. Amazing fishing Texas or Louisiana side I try and make a couple/three trips a year but with work it usually it not when they are like last weekend. It took 43 lbs to win the texas team trail sat and second was 34 and it took 20lb to get the last check at 30th place. I got a cousin there fish that quite a bit and he said it can be hero or zero, but that is just crazy catch 20lbs and not even be remotely close. Thanks for the heads up I had not heard about that one 14 lbr WOW

Yes that does sound to big a pitch I know the 4 blade trophy plus 26P I tried was hard to plane out and did not help top end. The tempest was a 3 blade but i cant remember the pitch to long ago. I will try to remember to look this afternoon when we go feed. I used to keep a ski tow bar on it and it did great pulling my teenage stepsons one at time on a inflatable and they were not small 6' gym types

I will have to look this weekend it is at the farm. I know it is an off brand 4 blade. It seems to do better than any of the trophy and tempest props I have tried. It is not a fast boat/motor combo, but so far very reliable. I have had it since 2016 as a back up boat for when I sell my newer basscat. The motor has done me well, very hard to start if it has set for months and it leaks some fuel around the carb gaskets for the first few times of use. Then it seems to seal up and even the morning startups are way better. I need the seats re-done they are horrid, it was not took care of by previous owner.

I have a 1991 Intruder 175 on a 91 Basscat Sabre good combo for sure. Now I know who to bring it to for a once over. 😁

Glad to hear you have been out and check on the areas that have been producing. Always a good place to start

Thanks Mr. Bill Very informative as normal 😉 Udaman

It is always funny to me that people actually call and ask "when are the trout being stocked"....I mean can people not catch them unless a truck just left the ramp. 😁🤦‍♂️Most of us just laugh at that, but I guess there are people that think that way. And no I have not seen an area "fished out" unless it was by otters, but that is another totally different meaning there.

I was always told that is why it's called fishing not catching 🤣😂. Those beautiful early winter days I never have had much luck either. But those are days to be out without tons of warm clothes on. Glad you caught a few and enjoyed you time out. That is the more important thing the older I get

Grosse savanne I would suppose? But I do love TBend

It is a corp ramp and managed area. I think MDNR helps with courtesy ramp movements in and out and the marina is privately ran. If that helps you out, but I do not know who would have minnows for sale in the area. Maybe the marina there does or will know where you can?

This might be of interest to you also. Unless your just set on that area. but we go to Creede, South Fork, Lake city area and there are lots of areas to fish both wade and lake. The Rio Grande actual starts between Creede and Lake city great pull offs to stay the night and camp grounds also. Ouray and Silverton are great places also. Just have to watch out for all the tourist traps. We try to avoid those and do more of the mountain lakes and stream areas. Those small stream usually have decent brook trout fishing if you have never done that. Both areas are great to spend the summer in and away from our 100 degree days. Which we are far from now ⛄

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😉.