jay bird

We have been making the opposite comment on how healthly the fish look for this time of year. Have went out twice in the last week and the fish are fat and healthy with no sores that we could see. One of the nights was out of Baxter, but all we caught was smallmouth that night, which is never a problem in my book.

hitting the lake tonight will see if I can see anything.

I was down there a week ago and they fish I found where around point five. There was some topwater bite early, but they did not hit a topwater bait very well. They guides seemed to be concentrating around point five so something must of been going on.

Good info above. I have done some research and asked some people I know that deliver gas to the area and they confirm that the 91 they deliver has no ethanol in it. The problem people have been having is that if they have a big gas tank like in some of the bigger bass boat and have been trying to conserve fuel and staying close to the boat ramp that fuel has a chance to do the phase seperation and break down the fuel. They say the ethanol gas has a shelf life of about 60 days before fuel breakdown, etc. So in a fishing boat with a 50+ gallon tank, little league practice, nagging wife, flooding water, the tank you filled up in April could have a problem. I did see that one of my favorite products STABIL has come up with a Marine version that states it helps keep the ethanol gas fresh, and help with the mositure issue. Just a FYI

I have a question for everyone. Have heard of some people having trouble with their outboards secondary to the 10% ethanol blend that is in some of the gas. The question I have is does anyone know where to get gas with out Ethanol blend. I have heard that 91 octane does not have it in it, and that most of the marinas in the area that have gas do not have ethanol in their gas. Just wondering what everyone has heard or knows, thanks in advance.

43 1/2 inches long and right around 34-35 pounds. Did not get it on a scale until about midnight( 4 hrs after the fact). Caught on topwater Redfin (Smokey Joe color) in the Lost Bridge South area on 15 pound test. I am going out this weekend and hope the water has cleared a little, will post the results.

Amen brother, I feel that the topwater action you get with these fish rivals any topwater action in the world. These fish hold nothing back when they hit that lure and the fight is incredible. Have been hooked on Topwater Striper fishing for over 7 years and I really do not think that it will ever get old.

I mean by SamKam1. Also went out tonight with a big zero. Alot more color on the water and saw alot of shad balls, but no fish working them. I hope in the next week or so it starts to break loose.

Here is a couple more pictures of the Striper I caught on Sunday night. Did not mean to hijack the previous post by Trav

Went last night to Beaver and had two fish on top water. One was about a 8# Hybrid the second was a 43 1/2 inch 34-35# striper. I will try to figure out how to post pictures later today. Lost Bridge area water temperature was 65. On a smokey joe Red Fin, 15 pound test line and one really good net job

I have been around boat ramps since I was a little kid and can barley remember when I could not back up a trailer. One busy weekend I was down at Big M and there was some poor soul trying to back up this trailer and taking up the whole boat ramp with a ton of rigs trying to put in or take out. Everyone was getting frustrated, so I walked up to the guy trying to back up the trailer and he was instalntly on the defensive asking what the blank did I want. I asked him if him if he did not mind if I backed in the trailer for him. The look of relife on his face was instant and he could not move over quick enough to let me help him. I tried to give him a quick lesson on backing, and I am sure that with me helping it decreased his time on the ramp and got the line going again. I have done this numerous times over the years and all it does is help the situation. So laugh at the situation, but do not be afraid to help the wife or son-inlaw that has been told to back up the trailer and has no real idea what they are doing.

Had the same problem with the weather yesterday. Great bite until the wind shut down and the lake turned into a post card image. Great to look at ,but hard to fish.

Had two boats go out of Indian last night with only fair results. Both boats went all the way in the back of Indian looking of whites with no real results. One 2# hybrid, some small bass and one blue gill. One boat then went to the main lake and hit a windy point, I threw a red-fin, and the guy in the back of the boat threw a spinner bait. I had one 16 inch spot, and he had a beautiful 17-18 inch smallie. I also had a monster of a smallie hit my red-fin right at the boat, but could not connect. Water temperature was 58-59. Top water bite should just be getting better in the next couple of weeks.

I will be hitting the lake a little more often in the next couple of weeks and will post the results. My experience with fly-fishing for stripers is that for some reason they do not hit a top-water fly very well. I am not sure the reason for this, but I have ran top-water flyies straight through busting stripers with very little luck. On the other had running a fasted stripped clouser through the same Striper's is a really good time. Make sure you have plenty of line and some type of stripping basket. One of the biggest Stripers I have had on with a fly-rod hit close to the boat with a bunch of line at my feet and the line got wrapped around one of my clets and broke off.

I had a conference yesterday and met a guy from Arkansas who does some night fishing under lights. I have been interested in this so was asking some questions. When I asked where he got his bait he said he just put out a shad net and caught his own bait. I told him I was under the impression that this was illegal and that you could not catch bait after dark. He said he had never heard of such a thing and had been doing it for years. Can any one shed some light on this. I would like to try some night fishing under lights this year for something new, but do not want to do anything illegal. Thanks in advance. PS I will try to find the informaiton in the 2008 Arkansas Rules and Regulations

Thanks

Just wondering if anybody had been up Indian looking for whites.

Fished out of Eagle Rock yesterday afternoon. Put in at 5:30 fished until 8:30. Had two fish in the boat with a SB one short and one 16-17 inch little toad of a spot. Water temperature was 57-58 and the water was very clear. A little hard to launch the boat, but not bad and it was great being on the water. I really think another 4-5 degrees and the top water bite/fluke bite is going to really turn on. Good luck

Will try Inidian Tuesday night if I can get away. Wily was there any problem running up into Indian creek?

WHAT A TOAD!!!

I have caught stripers at night with rattle traps, and top water baits ( spooks and redfins), but could see how a spinner bait would work. You talk about fishing Texoma, me and a couple buddies will be going down there April 13th do you have any suggestions.

You talk about a black spinner bait at night for stripers are you slow rolling it like you would for Bass or is it a faster retrive?

Grew up fishing from a Drift boat out in Oregon and miss it. Looks like you guys had a good couple of nights.

Thanks for the great info

Went to the dam today and all I can say is WOW. The good news is that the water was crystal clear for now. Did not see one boat on the lake. Went the Dam Store and they said it has been very slow. The only interesting thing is like they said in a previous report some stripers may have went below the dam. They sure hurt the trout, but they grow big eating all thoes trout and that is how the the state record came to happen if I am not mistaken. The Dam site boat ramp was not flagged off and you possibly could have launched a boat, but the dock is unusable.