Dewayne French

A truck load of information in those words especially that last sentence NAIL ON THE HEAD

Getting back to a little chilling and fishing time on the pond. The chilling is easy with the cold temps we have had lately and the fishing has been good. It has been better, but also a lot worse for me so I count my blessings each day out. I don't get to go as often as most on here and I'm not a crappie guru, but I have caught decent sized fish. The days I go if you can find them they turn on or off quick. So I go prepared with several rods rigged. Mostly I'm catching Crappie, but Whites, Bluegill, and Bass are all playing right now, not many boats out. Been twice once before new years then on the 2nd, didn't catch my limit but was only out for about 4 hours each time. WT 49-51 FOW 15ish depending on the day. Good water clarity each time out and caught fish both in the wind and cold then the next time out it was slick calm and sun was out. Crappie Jigs, small spoons, small jerkbaits. Find the bait then start looking for bigger marks. If you can find a bigger tree that seems to be the best starting point, Yes there is a few on Norfork, but not many.

I have used Wigwam before it is a great ramp the last mile or so is dirt. I usually use it in the early spring so it isn't to dusty. But I would say it is a dusty mess this summer.

Not much to report but did catch several and mostly keepers with a couple shorts tossed in. I have only been a few times since 2022 started nothing major to report either way and not a full day light to dark trip yet. But I fished the upper end from Red bank to Udall and had success with a few each walleye, crappie, and bass. Caught some with the graph and some on some wind blown points (not rocket science). But water temp was 44-46ish, color stained by red bank then clearer up, bite zone was 15-18', besides the windy fish. Cranks, A rig, small grubs was the deal

HAPPY FISHING.....May every one have a great end to this year and better start to the new with all the fishing stuff you got for Christmas. Hope all is well champ188 tell Donna I say hey. Hope everyone gets their fishing line starched tight sooner than later. We never know or length of our days or years on this earth so fish as much as you can.

Is that the one down close to the dam in the back of the pocket. If so I know it is really difficult to unload at when they draw the lake down for winter, but I don't know if they have done that yet.

Just a quick question to yall who use it? I have 2-helix 10's DI at the bow, SI at the console. I use the stand by mode some times, but does it really save power, mostly the console? Just one of those random thoughts I have from time to time. Thanks for the info that everyone put out on this site and the help.

I went last sat the 21st for a few hours on the lower end looking for whites and crappie but could only find small large mouth and small male whites. I to was way up a creek I run an Eyra but have run it many times in the past 20 years, didn't have a lot of floaters, but that was last week I will be back out this weekend if we don't have a monsoon hit again. Seems like we are getting them pretty regular . My water temp was 58 later in the afternoon with stained/muddy/clear all in about a 2 mile section. My best bait for numbers was a small keitech or a 1/16th head I did catch a decent striper or the A rig late in the day on a flooded island due to the high water.

I was up there for the open and even though my placement was low it is a good fishery. Our timing was way off we had high water to low water in our event. It was 3 feet high on Friday before the tournament started to about normal and still falling the Thursday it stated. Frogs, swimbaits, tube baits, 4" worms. Main river had better concentrations of fish and the back waters had better size. Top water should have been a big player, but i just think with so much current and fluctuations that was a factor. Braid to 6 lb floro you can fish about what you want. If your in the current a lot it will drain those batteries , just a word of experience .

I was out for most of the day yesterday Lower end. Wasn't to bad but the good weather wasn't the best for catching.... I had a decent white and LMB from big flat roll off in 52 fow relating to a drop into 70ish on a spoon, several decent shad schools in that area just no activity from feeding fish. Surface water 52 good color for tossing a crank bait so.... On to the next area we tried crankbaiting some swing areas (good water color of it) and it wasn't to hard to find them after a few stops and fine tuning adjustments, just no big keepers. We did catch 3-4 at each area after we dialed it in. Rockcrawler, WW, Norman just about what we tried we caught some on. Next ran to the back of a creek searching for whites/hybirds/stb that we heard was there from a tip we got. Nada nothing and the water temp was 47. All in all a good day to catch up with a good friend and not be to frozen. The weather was nice for that, but the nastier weather that makes the fish bite would have been welcomed too. Looking back I would stay with the deeper fish and keep dropping on-em till we found the right mix.

I got to get out for a few hours Monday before the rain hit. Only got 3 all on a crank bait; the trifecta though Lmb, Smb, & a spot. Water was a brownish color mid-lake area and 58 degrees . Had to get the boat put back up before it got to wet 😁😀🚫. Be out again Saturday if all goes to plan..

That sounds about like my last outing I have been trying to type one up, but this work thing keeps popping up. We put in at Red bank on the 30th to a stiff south wind about 10-15 mph all day and caught the whites fairly easy on a small crank or a trap, and even caught the quad-fecita of bass species. The water was clear up past Udall and stained from Red Bank up to Udall area, If we stayed in the wind and stain you could almost call your shot, we fished from 8 am - 2 pm Good job

One of those good areas there you found

Hey this is really a cool tid bit of info THANKS Phil for putting it up used it and it did work

Yeah I saw that picture on the website and wondered who's boat he was in today.... It does look to be a tad wet not to add to your thoughts anymore ha ha Have a good dry day over there watching them zoom back and forth..

Yes I will agree as I have caught them in that general area (to the 86 bridge up & a few miles the other way) before when using a spoon and was surprised by the first one or two but now I'm more prepared for them.

Yeah that has been the same order of business since March. Out of stock then they put in stock for a day or two then they always put up a in stock date. I understand from my research it isn't their fault just frustrating when your trying to buy a product as a consumer (I don't need to buy 5 gazillion of these for my personal use) but I will buy all I can next time they are available... Thanks again

Thanks Dutch thats what I'm running up against No one has the Tk 810 and I'm guess it is the light as you say. Man frustrating as heck when find something and can't replace it. Thanks for the help

Yeah I'm pretty sure this is the light wire one, but not 100% just know it was the TK-810 4/0 and I got some 3/0 one time there were a tad smallish. They were never super easy to get, but I have gotten them before from most of the places I mentioned earlier. The 4/0 & 5/0 seem to the perfect size I will have to get me an acct with TU first. It would let me look but not search Thanks again for the help I don't care to buy in bulk esp since this last round of waiting.

Okay guys I'm in need a little inspiration from y'all. I like a lot of you on here pour my own jig heads and tinker around with the "build a better mouse trap" idea. I'm in need of a specific hook that I can't get any more. The 90 degree bend Aberdeen jig hook, the Trokar 810 4/0 is my go to hook for gizit heads. It is almost non existent, Tackle Warehouse, Barlows, Lurnet, Swim bait universe, Tackle direct, Tackle Addict, Lure parts online, I have tried them all. They used to be hard to get, but I could use my source and get some from some where, but since April that has dried up. Does any one have a Eagle Claw rep that can send a guy some. I have very few left and I'm treating them like gold, as you know they almost are with that hook price. Yes I have tried the other brands VMC, Owner, Gammy,Diachi, just to name a few, but none have what I look for, it's what I'm comfortable with. So there you go have at it let me see what y'all can come up with DM, email, or text me some info. Please and thank you in advance. I use the 4/0 95% of the time so that is the one I need but the 3/0 has its working time also.

The mid lake area you are talking about will be the busiest of the whole lake from (Jordan to the dam, the dam to Red bank, and the dam to Fouts area) is the most traversed on the weekends by the skiers, tubers, and just having a good time crowd. The Friday night tournaments go out of panther bay across the lake from Bidwell area so there is always fish in that mid lake area, just getting the timing the non-fishing crew will be your only problem in the daylight hours. I would go with the very early like 30 mins to a hour before daylight time frame in the buzzard roost area-cranfield-fouts as a starting point. A drop shot with a crawler is deadly this time of year anywhere on that lake. I haven't been out in the early morning hours on Norfork much this year, that 4 letter word (work!!), but hey it feeds my fishing.... The night bite on bluffs and channel swings with a worm has been good after dark30. I haven't been out with a lite over the side of the boat yet (deeper water channel areas with bait), but that is my intentions very sooner than later..

Now that is a good temp reading **SAUNA*** That about covers here in north Ark also geezers it is not supposed to be this way yet, but 30 days ago we had 55 degree water temps and was complaining about that. Glad you got to get out and catchem..

I have Humminbird units and have used just about all of their series in DI and SI from 859, 999, 1100, to Onix and the newer Helix 10's. I have had side imagining up front and it does work you just have to tweak how you fish and the units are set. You do have to to moving to get the clear picture of what you see. I don't know about the Garmins but I would say that they have the same or similar technology. That beginning side I normal use down imagining up front and side imaging at the console. That fits my personal preference and style of fishing just get a clear path for the transducer to shoot and your good to go.

Time on the water is my best answer. It is never the same answer stay 5 mins or stay 1 hour or all day. Its all relative to the situation, time of the year, weather, even day length can be a major player and recreational traffic can make a spot go dead. The fish are still there just in a negative mood. Most lakes have fish in all parts most generally =you just need to find your comfort zone. I'm not qualified to answer the stay or go question it is to situational and to many factors can influence that. Here's my take on that question and it will be accepted or rejected based on fishing style. I fish mainly multi day tournaments not very many single day events except charity tournaments so I fish for active fish. If I know/think there are fish on a particular "spot" as you call it. I will return and fish it at a different time of day, wind direction, or when the boat traffic lays down. As I said earlier I can't make them bite and I realize that, so I move to hopefully find a active school or fill out my limit. I know that wasn't an answer

IMHO which is very humble.... We have to many preconceived ideas when we go fishing. There are basically 2 types of guys/gals on here who fish (tournament or fun fishing) and they have a different answer. Now with that said we also have to have a starting point or at least an idea of where, what, and which lure to start with. The small pea brain of the bass, crappie, walleye, or what ever fish we are after beat us every time. We use to much of our brain and we OVER think them if that makes sense. They live by instinct, but we live by reasoning and those 2 don't jive very often. Weekend or week day fishing on the same lake every weekend is very different than traveling around fishing a different tournament on a different body of water, a few times a month. In tournament fishing your looking for active (biting) fishing you don't have time "to make them bite" also I and most of us can't make them bite. Those guys who can make them bite are those guys you see at the top of the leader board every time at your local tournaments or on the big trails. That is a very good question you asked and the one we ask ourselves every time we are on the water. My dad is passed on to a better fishing area several years ago and he always said they never bite the same way 2 days in a row. I'm finding there is some truth to that. One of the best pieces of info I have taken away from fishing is we all know how to catch them we OVER think it. So just keep it simple....Just think of the times you have caught them really good or your weighed in a big bag at a tournament. If I was a betting man (which I'm not... I spend to much on tackle) I would say it wasn't a earth shattering technique or some thing totally secret.