thumper

I seldom get on this forum, since it is from out of my state. I am interested in fishing some of Arkansas waters for fish with fins, gills, etc. So I don't consider it trolling. I have a product that has been proven by many people, mostly striper guides, to work well. You have the right to not purchase one, but not the right to belittle it on my thread on a public forum. Thank you for your consideration.

I have not tried the Bink's Spoons yet. I have used a few different brands and sizes of slabs, jigs, and spoons. Some work occasionally, just not consistently. I mostly use shad or slabs this time of year. Trolling on occasion will land some nice striper. I prefer winter fishing when we can catch 150 to 200 hybrid striper, striper, and sandbass on slabs, in about 3 or 4 hrs. with the thumper calling them to the boat.

It has been really hot and humid here in North Texas the last few weeks. We did get some much needed rain last week which helped our grass. We usually get on the lake before daylight and off by noon. Sometimes even 10:00 or so. The striper and hybrid fishing hasn't been very good lately. Some folks are catching a few, but it is a grind trying to catch our limits most days. We have been catching quite a few sand bass and catfish this year though. I made 2 trips to Ray Roberts lake north of Denton, Tx. this past week. We caught 90 sand bass and a few cats Wednesday, and 60 sand bass and a couple of cats Thursday. I enjoy winter time fishing more myself. I can usually put on more clothes, but can only take off so much. At least and not get arrested. The thumping season is just around the corner with it starting in November most years. I'm ready for it. Would love for you guys to check out my thumper website and get your other half to order you a thumper for Christmas. I have some guides in South Carolina who are using their thumpers daily and limiting out on double digit stripers by 9:30 AM almost every trip. Check it out at: www.bobosthumper.com Tight lines! jeff

Excellent information. thank you, sir!

Thumper building has slowed some, so I have been able to hit the lakes more often lately. Although the catching leaves a lot to be desired. With the increase in summer traffic on our lakes and the high temperatures, the fish don't seem to want to cooperate so well. I have been targeting hybrid and sand bass, but catching very few. It seems as though the channel cats love my offerings though, with some up to 12 lbs. A buddy has invited me along on a 3 day fishing trip to Lake Amistad in October for striper. I am anticipating it more and more as the planning moves along. Has anyone caught a pb lately or maybe a new record? Post up some pics so we can share the thrill. Tight lines.

Thanks, richy. I'll check that out.

It has been a while since I have had time enough to get back on this site. I started getting calls from several people in Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and South Carolina about my thumpers. I've been busy with a new vendor who is cutting out some of my parts, as well as assembly and shipping them out to folks. My grandkids came down for a week back the first of June. We had one of the best visits with some fishing and thumper building. We only got to fish 3 days out of 5, but we had a ball spending time together. I was able to put them on some white bass pretty quick the first day. They caught about 40 fish in 2 hours. I decided we best go when I saw lightning in the west, so we loaded up before it reached us. Then they wanted to learn to fillet them. We had plenty to grill and eat that evening. The next day we went striper fishing at Possum KIngdom in the rain. We only caught about 10 small box fish, but still enjoyed our time together. Saturday their dad went with us and with all the traffic and recent rains the bite had slowed down a lot. We only caught a hand full of small fish that morning when we had to go home to get ready for an afternoon pool party and burgers and hot dogs. I haven't fished a lot this summer yet. I have been dealing with some kidney stones as well as the thumper building stuff. Hopefully, I get them taken care of soon and can get on the water for some serious fishing. It is time to troll some of my big umbrella rigs for some big ol' striper and hybrids. I have a buddy who wants to go to De Gray one day soon for some striper. Does any one here fish this lake? If so, I would appreciate any advice and help as I have never been there. Tight lines!

I've been busy with the thumper building, so I haven't been on the forum lately. I thought maybe some of you could post some pics of your recent striper, or hybrid striper. How is the fishing up there? I hope it is better than here. The fishing on my home lake, Lake Bridgeport, has not been very good for a while. It has been flooding pretty regularly, and continues to look like a chocolate milkshake. I won't complain, since the last 2 springs are the first times in several years it has not been in drought conditions, with only 1 boat ramp open to use. We were able to catch 1- 22" hybrid striper, 1 sand bass, and 2 channel cats last Sat. Slow, slow, slow. I will be so happy when the water clears some. My grandkids are coming down in June to spend a couple of weeks with us, and they want to (and I quote) "fish every day". I might have to find another lake to take them to catch fish.

Very good analogy about the submarine! Do the AGFC not keep up with how many fish are in a body of water? I know here Texas Parks and Wildlife(TPWD) do a gill net survey every year on most lakes. That way they can tell how well a fishery is doing on each species. Whether to decrease or increase stockings of certain species on each water body. I know we have lost a lot of fish in the floods we had last year, so TPWD should be re-stocking to catch up soon. I know it will take time for those fingerlings to reach a size that is preferable. Surely AGFC realize there are other lakes in other states that will be happy to reap the income from non-residents who want to catch more fish? Or maybe they only stock a certain number of each year class to allow them to grow bigger? You know, that thing where they say "number of predators vs. amount of food". Too many predators equals smaller size predators. And Arkansas has some really big striper! I know Arkansas has several first class striper and hybrid lakes. I don't understand the 3 fish limit though. I'm sure they have a sensible logic for it. We have a group in east Dallas, who have formed a club, that raises money every year to "buy" an additional amount of hybrids from TPWD to stock Ray Hubbard Lake every spring. I don't know much about it, but I am helping out this year. I will be donating a thumper or 2 for 1 of their auctions they are having to raise money to purchase more hybrids. I know very little about the lakes up that way, but hope to learn more in the future. We sometimes fish with different methods than you guys do up there, so I will probably be using some of your techniques down here, to see how well they work on our fish. I know my Bobo's Thumper works well on Beaver Lake! We caught 6 stripers, 4 lb. to 9 lbs. in 1 hour, using it.

Thanks for your replies. A 7 lb. striper is a very nice fish. It took me a while to get past that myself with a personal best of 23 lbs. I was able to catch some nice ones with beaver fever guides on Beaver Lake a couple of weeks ago. I think the largest was around 10 lbs. or so, while using my thumper. My pb for hybrid striper is 11 lbs. so far. I have fished Texas waters for striper, hybrid striper, and sand (white) bass for years. I agree that the term "wiper" is hard for me to get used to. We call them hybrids here. I have heard the term from several people who live north of the Red River for a while and only use it in conversations with northern folks, so they know what species I am talking about. lol I am interested in striper , hybrids and big sand bass in other states. I prefer to catch a few large fish, rather than a bunch of little ones. Nothing I have found pulls like a hybrid. Big striper streak out a long ways and get tired, hybrids continue to pull steadily all the way to the boat. Like a fullback, the just bull their way to deeper water. They have heavy shoulders with a lot of meat for a good meal. Perfect for grilling. I use conventional gear, baitcaster reels, with heavy enough line to turn a fish from trees and other structure, without breaking off very often. Most of the terminal tackle I use is artificial that cost $5. to $50. each. So I use heavier line to keep cost down. I also use live bait such as shad, shiners, etc. quite a bit. I have not learned or had a lot of interest in fly fishing. I have some friends who love to fly fish. I like to relax on a boat , float around or troll. We don't have many places that have trout down here unless they are stocked certain times of the year. And they don't last very long because they don't stock very many at a time. I know my friends also target other species though. Each person has their own opinion and preferences about how they want to target different species, so I don't belittle anyone as long as it is #1, legal, and #2, enjoyable to them. If someone wants to target bigger fish with a snoopy rod, I say go for it, while at the same time hoping they have plenty of line and a loose drag, and plan to eat it afterwards. Thanks for the info about the different resources available for different water bodies. I will check them out. I guess my question was mainly trying to figure out where most people posted about their experiences for these species of fish. From what I have seen so far, it kind of gets mixed in with other species on the different water body threads. And not much then. lol Maybe we can get some interest here to make it easier to find available knowledge from some folks. From what I am learning about up there, a big portion of folks who target these fish do not want to share for fear someone or several someones will be on their "spot" when they go back for some more action. With the numbers of fish that are stocked each year, surely all the fish are not in the same spot but scattered in different areas throughout the lakes and rivers? Do all the lakes have a 3 fish limit like Beaver Lake? Is there that many people targeting them that the fish that are stocked are depleted so easily? Surely the AGFC does gill net surveys to determine how the fisheries are doing each year? I don't mind sharing my knowledge to a certain degree publicly. I will share more, privately, with those who ask. There are usually enough areas on any given water body where someone can catch some fish. If someone needs some help to have a better day I will be more than happy to make that happen, so the sport continues through generations to come. With that said, there are several potlickers on any given water body, who do not put in the time or effort to find fish and techniques on their own, but wait for others to do the work for them.

Just curious why there have not been any posts here since last year? Doesn't anyone target mainly striper and wiper?

lol ! Not at all! There are different options you can get on the thumper. Also I am upgrading parts from time to time to make it better and last longer. So far I have had few problems with the different components, but some folks who have purchased one, have made suggestions that I have incorporated into my product. As I improve the components my cost rises which means yours does also. I don't want to have to go into the website and change the prices every time I upgrade some parts. As of lately, there have been no prices increases, but if I or someone else comes up with a good idea, I will need to change the price structure to compensate for those changes. It is just easier to give a quote by email or on the phone when someone is interested. I could set a price that would be good for 6 months or a year that would cover my cost increases, but I find people want the lowest price they can get right now. A good round number would be $300. but I do have some that are less expensive and I run specials from time to time. Give me a call or shoot an e-mail, I'll be glad to respond. I operate and run three businesses. I stay pretty busy with all that. When the thumper business grows to the point where I can liquidate the others I will devote all my time to it, besides the times I go fishing.

Don called me this evening to say his clients have been catching a bunch of 20+ lbers. the last couple of weeks. He is using my thumper to call the shad in to the boat and the fish follow them in to have a bite to eat. He said a couple of his clients told him they were going to buy 2 thumpers each pretty soon. I did ship one out to a man in Kansas this past week. He said he was looking forward to increasing his catch rate and size of fish. If any of you are interested, shoot me an email, or give me a call. If I'm not around, leave a message and I'll call you back in the evening.

Talked with Don at beaverfeverguides.com this evening. His clients have been catching quite a few 20+ lbers. the last couple of weeks using my Bobo's Thumper to call them to the boat. He said a couple of his clients told him they were going to buy 2 thumpers each. Maybe they will contact me this week. We'll see. Shipped one out to a man in Kansas last week. He is excited about the possibility of increasing his catch rate and size. Check out my website at: www.bobosthumper.com Then give me a call.

I looked at the lake map and discovered where we actually fished. It was south of the Highway 12 bridge. I enjoyed my day with Don. At first I didn't know if we would hit it off, but I think he is a great guide and fisherman. I make and sell each Bobo's Thumper personally. I've tested it on numerous lakes in Texas. I have people from all over the state ordering them. I also have some in Oklahoma, but don't hold that against me. lol You can check out my website at: www.bobosthumper.com or pm me with a number. I don't log in here often, so faster way is to check out the website.

I didn't know you had a striper issue.

Well, the trip with Don started off slow last Mon. He called as I was leaving the hotel to let me know it was too foggy and to wait an hour. The water temp was around 51 degrees. It had frosted that morning and the air temp was around 26 degrees. We started slow trolling shad around 8:00. I was surprised watching him put out 14 lines to troll shad. I thought it would be a heck of a mess. The first fish was a 18" white bass. Then a while later we landed a 21" striper. Around 10:00 we moved to a couple of other nonproductive spots, that had muddy water. Then we went down the lake about 45 minutes just past a bridge where a creek flows in to the main channel. He marked some fish there so we decided to try it out. After an hour and a half we had landed 2 more decent striper. Then the bite completely stopped. Around 1:00 I told him I wanted to turn on my mechanical thumper. He said " Go ahead, I'll sit back here and laugh." 5 minutes later the rod tips started to bury in the water. Don jumped up yelling " What the heck." While I was reeling the first one in, 2 more rods went down. Just as I got 1 landed, another rod buried in the water. For an hour we had more strikes than we could set the hook on. It was awesome. Don was jumping around yelling and doing an Indian war dance around the console. We landed 6 big fish and lost a ton of strikes. My wife was waiting at the hotel for me to pick her up to head back to Texas, so I had to go. As we headed in, Don turned to me and said " I watched you all day. As the day went on, you seemed as if you were ready to take a nap. Then you turned that contraption on, sat up, and started eyeballing the rods. You knew what was going to happen. Didn't you?" I said, sure, It happens every time. It calls the shad to the boat first, and the larger fish follow them for a banquet. He said he had never seen anything like it in 36 yrs. of striper guiding on Beaver Lake. He called his friend Richie, and asked how his day went. On speaker phone, Richie told us he had 3 clients and 3 fish. Don then told him about our day. They both bought a Bobo's Thumper a piece right then. I had a great day with Don. I learned a different way to troll live shad. And he learned a new way to lure striper, wiper, and white bass to the boat to make it easier to catch them. He called the following night to tell about his clients limiting out that day with the Bobo's Thumper running. With a 21.5 lb. and a 24 lb. striper. He called his other boats to come to that area, because there were fish everywhere. They showed up and could not mark 1 fish anywhere. His sonar screen was blacked out. When they got close to his boat they started marking tons of striper. The thumper called them in to his boat. If you don't believe it, Go to his beaverfeverguides.com website and check out the pictures for 3/28 and 3/29. Then call him and ask.

I went out with Don, who owns Beaver Fever Guide Service, this past Monday, for a 1/2 day trip. Don has been guiding for 36 yrs. there. We slow trolled live shad for about 5 hours. He put out 14 lines just for the 2 of us. I thought what a mess this is going to be. The first fish was a 18" white bass. Then we landed 1 more decent 21" striper. Hit a couple more unproductive spots, then moved about 45 minutes down the lake past a bridge, where a creek flows in to the main channel. We landed a couple of striper there. Then the bite just stopped. We trolled about an hour until I get bored. I told him I was going to turn on my thumper. He said go ahead, I'll sit back here and laugh at you. 5 minutes later the rodtips started burying in the water. He said "What the heck". For the next hour we missed more fish then we could reach the rods. We landed 6 big striper in that hour. I have no idea how many strikes we missed because we had our hands full of fighting striper. I told him I had to go because my wife was sitting in a hotel lobby waiting for me to pick her up. While we were headed in he said " I watched you for the last 3 hours. You were about to go to sleep until you turned that contraption on. Then you started eyeballing all the rods, expecting to get strikes. you were positive it was going to happen." I said, I was positive we would get some bites. He called a fellow guide and ask how his day was. 3 fish with 3 clients. Then he told about our day. Both guides bought my Bobo's Thumper a piece right then. He was amazed how well it worked. I had a great trip and will probably do it again soon.

Thanks for the reply, Bill. I am looking forward to it. After next Monday, I'll be able to scratch another one off my list of "to do's".

I had a guy I know to recommend beaverfever guide service. Anyone on here recommend these guys? I booked a trip for next Mon. 28th. I hope it turns out well. I plan to bring a couple of my mechanical thumpers along to see how well it will work on Beaver Lake, if the guide doesn't throw a fit about it. lol What do any of you think about thumping for whites, hybrid, and striper? It works really well down here in Texas. Check out my thumper website at: www.bobosthumper.com

I will be on the lake next Monday 28th. Hired Beaverfever. I don't know him yet. Had I guy I know up there recommend him. Hope it turns out good. This will be my first trip fishing in Arkansas. If anyone is interested in looking at a mechanical thumper, give me a yell, before Thurs. 24th am. 817-220-2312 I plan to bring a couple with me anyway. you can check them out at www.bobosthumper.com if interested.

My first was in 1999. I had been having back pain, and was told by a MD that I had a partially herniated disk. Light duty at work, physical therapy, and all that stuff for 11 months in 1998. Then went to p and it was just blood. Scared me a lot. Xrays showed a native pecan sized stone 3/4 way down in my urethra (sp) tube. Not a messed up disk! Sound waves to blast it, trip to ER for drainage tube through my back into right kidney that night, then 2 laser procedures to break it up more and them driving a semi up my d*&^% and turning around to drive back out twice and it was mostly gone. Found out last year in Jan. I had 3 in my left kidney and 3 in my right kidney the size of black-eyed peas. Past one in June. Uroligist was amazed I passed it.I have 5 more to go. Not looking forward to it. I drink little bit of coffee, green tea all day, 7-up some, cranberry and cherry juice non sweetened, water, and of course Jack, Crown, and beer. Mine are uric acid, not calcium. Makes a difference in what you can drink and eat. Easy on beef, sugar, chocolate, sodas, salt. Never drink regular tea or dark sodas.

All the other lakes that are within reasonable travel distance were flooded and mostly closed last year. It was the best option at the time. I have done it a few times since last winter 2015, but I prefer trolling or live shad most of the time. I suppose you could change the treble out for a single hook on a spoon or slab and have less chance of hooking a tree. That is the one good thing about the jigs only having the single hook. Those fish hardly move in the winter (Dec. and Jan.)when they are in the trees like that. Most of the time the jig has to be within inches of their nose for them to bite. When they are actively feeding, they will come out chasing a bait. Only lasts about an hour at first light or 30 minutes before dark. Once they decide to start north to make babies, they will chase bait for quite a while. Other lakes are much different than that down here.

We fish trees in winter and summer for striper. I lost 2 $40. umbrella rigs while trolling, in the same tree at the same time though. One person can run in to trouble if the wind is high. Usually, in winter we drop a 1 oz. to 2oz. jig with a fluke or swim bait right into the trees in 60 to 80 fow, and deadstick it. Feel a thump like a crappie and set the hook. Trees are 15 to 20 ft. down from the surface. We loose some jigs, and the occasional fish, but that is the best way to catch them that time of year. Old timers say the striper are actually leaning against the limbs, because of barometric pressure messing them up? Doesn't make sense to me, but I am not a genius, who knows everything about stripers. In the summer troll right over the top of them with 100 lb. braid or drop shad down to them on 30 to 40 lb. mono. I personally hate fishing trees for striper, but if that is where they are, then I do what I have to do.

That's a very nice fish. I'll be up there in a couple of weeks. Save some for me.