Blll

I talked to Scott several times when we moved here in 14'. Taught me how to catch stripers and was very easy to chat fishin' with. I don"t know what went sideways but all his great posts ended. I heard he was working in Bella Vista. If they have some type of marina there, that's where he was. Too bad, he really was willing to share. His banter with Doc was entertaining as well as helpful. Very few post from Doc anymore. Hope they are well. I still read his old posts as they still hold true. Thanks Scott!

3 of us had a surprising walleye bite on Thursday. Just bank pounding for bass, I threw out deeper and lost a really nice eye at the boat. So we pulled out a little deeper and and wound up with 6 walleyes, 3 keepers that wound up as dinner, and 3 shorts just touching 17". Buddy caught a really nice 21". The eyes seemed to be in 12 to 15 fow. Very small sample but the walleyes seem much healthier than the last couple of years. All we caught were thick and really frisky. The bass were hard to find, very scattered. No smallies, they must be done with the spawn. Can't really tell if the LM are in, done, or what. WT 60-61. Lots of Bass Catters pre fishing. Tried to look for crappies on sunny Friday but most of my banks had 2-3 Bass Cats on them. Nice looking boats, I don't need to go 70mph anymore. Sadly no one told them about no wake zone around rt 12 bridge.

Pretty dark complection so spf 15 was more than enough for my neck, ears and nose. Used to think "raccoon eyes" was just a sign of having a good day. Started taking meds for high blood pressure and all bets were off! Spf 30 now with the buff and long sleeves. Skin doc is watching at least 3 splotches on my grill. I still tan but its July before you'd know it. Daughter at 30 has been cut on 3x already. I agree Wrench, walking around off the water with buff, hat and sunglasses is a little much.

Idled around the islands this morning with thick fog. Missed 2 brooder hits, just came unbuttoned during initial run. Decided to go find a crappie bay. Boom! Striper grabbed my RR in 6 fow. 28" striper came in after lengthy fight on U/L rod & 6# test. Love that Schimano drag. Continued down gravel bank and caught a couple shorts and a nice 3# (just shy) Smallie. Finally found some crappies and caught 6 pigs 13"-15". Gorgeous day. WT 53-56 in coves. Main lake 50-51. Let the fun begin.

I wanted a true fishing boat but with full windshield and extra seating. Reata filled those needs plus higher freeboard safer on larger water. Zero complaints. Single wish would be a way to store rods better on shorter front deck. Not a huge problem.

Speaking for the Rogers store, great guys. Helpful to athis old man carrying batteries. Pro Guide battery as starter with plenty of reserve, going strong on 4 years. Military discount too.

Thumbs, you're so right about "too often". Since we moved here in 2014, I'm amazed by the number of drownings on Beaver. It's not that busy compared to many other waters. I'm thinking our blessing of being able to fish all year has something to do with it. If I recall, most of the incidents happen in the cold water season. You guys have convinced me that the inflatable stays on. I fish alone most of the time and I always ask the BIG GUY for a safe trip, not biting fish. Happy 1st Day of Spring!

We live near the Hwy 12 ramp. Saturday, mid-day, there were several emergency vehicles converged in the parking lot. My wife just told me the local news reported a 56 year old man was found dead in the water with his boat floating nearby. Vehicle was still on the ramp with engine running. No more info reported. Sad. Let's all be careful and make it home from every trip.

Just a heads-up. Academy has them on sale for $9.99. All sizes/types. Very good selection of colors.

I know how you feel. lived in northern Illinois my whole life until I retired to Arkansas. Real winter lasts about 6 weeks here, and you can usually fish through it. We Do not miss "the land of Lincoln" at all.

For ned rigs, I've been using 10# Nanofil braid and a 6' #6 fluro leader. For other spinning I use 15# power pro and an 8# fluro leader.

Maybe it's me but I've had zero success with fluro on spinning reels. Braid with a fluro leader for me.

Hey Lance, you go right ahead and keep putting out those reports. Without you there would not be many at all. Electrical woes have kept me on land for the winter, but next week I'll be working mid-lake looking for just a tiny bit of your success. Your reports are terrific, in depth and presentation. I thank you!

Wrench, the scope of your knowledge continues to impress me. LOL

I saw on some fishing show today a line of trailer locks that works with your car key. I thought it was a pretty good idea that I had not heard of. They are made by "Bolt" locks. Any of you looked into these? I'm a big fan of cutting down the number of keys to keep track of.

Really good bucket pic showing white & black crappie. Will be trying to come close to your catches next week. Merry Christmas to you all!

I was under the impression that most hybrids are sterile. Given your 5-10 generation concept, it could be an issue with reduced natural spawning success.

I think the visibility of lines may be over rated but I think the ned works because of the action a light line allows. I'm sure 4-6# nanofil would work the same but not 15# Fireline.

Just a quick weigh in on a very broad thread. Bass are very prone to bite artificial lures which makes it such a cash cow with so many baits to tout. Very few tourney anglers win enough to support themselves but many can exist with all the baits to sell. Tourney anglers also do a poor job on protecting the very thing that makes their living. Only on MLF is the fish release a concern. I see so many shows where a bass is tossed 3' carelessly in the water after being horsed into the boat, face pounded to remove the jig, held by the jaw for a pic, and kissed on the head. JMO

Had some brooders left over so I made a run to PC. Tons of shad from the bouys to Avoca. Marked zero bait in PC. Caught 3 bass 14-15 in. on brooders and another spot on RR. Had 3 or 4 bait stealers I'm sure were bass. Pretty decent action for 2 hours. Water temp 49-50. The day got much nicer after I came in. Saw 1 other fisherman from 12 ramp to mid PC.

Had my buds in for the fall trip. Fishing was tough. Out before dawn every day. Tuesday we pulled brooders around the bridge, islands and in PC . Zero striper or white bass action. Caught about 10 short spots, one 16"spot, and a really nice 19" smallie. Beautiful day. Wednesday windier. We beat the shoreline and drop-shotted for crappie. Lets just say we went to Smokin' Joes for dinner. Thursday, after an hour in the rain, turned into a 8 hour pinocle game. Total 15 bass, 2 crappies. Never saw any type of topwater action. Water temp around 63-65 everywhere we went. Good fishing trip, no injuries. Hope others did better. Several huge shad balls in front of PC. The kind that disrupt your depth finder.

Just jumping in, I was out Wed am and it was flat calm. Zero topwater on whites or anything else. Pulled out ned and caught 2 keeper largemouth in about 10 minutes. Saw both of them eat it as it came off wood in about 3 fow. Fun. Wind came up so I went to PC and trolled for whites. Caught 5-6 spots up to 12" and less. Time to go in as watching these little guys skim across the water is my least favorite fishing. All by myself in PC. Many shad balls. WT 67-68.

Has there been any feedback/discussion about the shad regulations that were supposed to start Oct. 1st?

Hey Quill, how deep was the water under the dock? Great how being observant can improve your day.

I saw on the news that tomorrow is Sheechi Day on Beaver Lake. Anyone know what that is?