Danimal

Very pleased with the Frogg Toggs I found at Academy for around $160.

I've been over there the last 3 days. Absolutely spanked them on gray or tan midges size 18-20 fished about 15 inches under a small indicator. Only 1 nice fish of about 17" but enough good 13 to 15 inchers to keep it fun.

My thoughts and prayers to you and your family.

It's really not that bad, but I wouldn't want it any less than 3' on the guage. You have to pull it over some shallow gravel here and there, but most spots you can just get out and let the canoe float through.

Nice football!!

AGFC captured one in Fort Smith just yesterday near one of the local high schools. It was videoed the night before hanging out at the mall in front of JC Penney's. LOL

Go to Academy Sporting Goods and buy the cheap canvas felt sole wading boots for about 20 bucks (Magellan I think is the brand name).They drain well, aren't too hot, and offer some ankle support.

Tubes, curly-tail grubs, and small finesse worms should cover it. Same colors mentioned above (but don't be afraid to experiment with others).

Leech/weighted woolie type patterns (brown, olive, & black) work well, As will crawfish patterns. Clousers are good where there's current to put some action on them.

War Eagle runs north into Beaver Lake (only one I haven't seen mentioned).

No trout in the Mulberry, but decent numbers of smallmouth, largemouth, and spotted bass. I've never seen any smallies bigger than 15 or 16 inches come out of the river, but I've caught largemouth up to about 6 pounds from it. A couple of other streams you might want to check out a little further east of the Mulberry are Big Piney Creek and the Illinois Bayou. Both are north of Russellville and have good fishing along with great scenery. Turner Bend Outfitters and Byrd's Adventure Center rent canoes on the Mulberry. Contact Moore Outdoors for the other 2 streams that I mentioned. Hope this helps -- good luck!

Hoping and praying for both of you.

My buddy Tim and I fished (and picked up trash) around the Watts area. Took me about 30 minutes of experimenting with different patterns to hook up, but when I tied on a #18 red copper john it was one fish right after another for 2 solid hours. The chili was very good too -- great day on the water!

I encountered one standing in the road late one night while driving down hwy 23 (AR) near the community of Cass (Mulberry River area) in the late 80's. I had to come to a near stop. It just stood there looking into the headlights for a few seconds and then casually jumped about 15 or so ft. across the ditch and went into the woods. Heard one scream while camped on the Ouachita River in the late 90's. My then girlfriend and I sat straight up in the tent from a deep sleep, at which point she asked "What the hell was that?". I had a .45 in the tent that I keep for threats more of the human kind while wilderness camping, but neither of us slept very well after that. LOL

Did pretty well with a couple of 2 pounders and enough smaller ones to keep things interesting. Headed back down there tomorrow and camping at 2 Spirits campground (another one you may want to check out). As for flies and lures, I'm pretty sure you know the drill -- crawfish patterns, leech/hellgrammite patterns ( a dark colored weighted wooly bugger can cover that). I did well with an olive Sex Dungeon on the Ouachita last weekend, but the Buffalo might be a bit too clear right now for such a large pattern. Clousers in the fast water are a good bet. The weather's remained warm here in Arkansas, so don't be afraid to try your poppers, hoppers, and bass bugs (use large ones or you'll catch mostly small sunfish). For conventional tackle keep it simple -- tubes, 5" finesse worms, or the old faithful 3 or 4" curly tail grub are all good. Small to medium size crankbaits and spinners are good too. Bottom line -- if they're biting at all you'll catch some LOL. Post a report and give me a heads up when you head to the Ouachita -- I may see ya down there. Good luck!

I float the Ouachita regularly at low water, and plan on doing so this weekend. It's really not a big deal. Most spots you can simply get out of the boat and let it float a few feet. Very little dragging.

She was working at the convenience store in Jasper last time I was up that way....

Snow access might be wadeable upstream for a ways too. Might want to give it a look while you're there.

The vertical bars becoming more diamond shaped towards the tail is a pretty good indicator that it's a hybrid. Several streams in my neighborhood (Lee Creek, Mulberry, Frog Bayou) have a few of them. While I never keep smallie's -- I'm sometimes tempted to keep the hybrids for the sake of the gene pool. LOL

I used the link you posted on the Beaver's Bend Fly Shop message board. Given the legal feud between our respective states over water quality in the Illinois -- I couldn't help but be a little amused when it informed me that it had been sent to Boozeman and Cotton. I'm pretty sure we won't get any help from those two guys. I'll google the guys you listed and write a letter. Thanks man.

Done, but due to my zip code it sent it to Arkansas senators and reps. I'm not sure if that will help. Any suggestions?

Hoping and praying they can get this resolved. Thanks for the info Daddyo. I'll check out the page.

Old oxbow off the Arkansas River. Probably no more than 10' or 12' at it's deepest point, but the vast majority of the lake is probably 3' to 6' ft deep. Lots of timber. It's fished for crappie more than anything, but there's a fair number of small to medium LM bass with the occasional 5 or 6 pounder being caught. Decent for duck hunting at times in the winter. Hope this helps.

Something else I should point out; I've caught trout at the 101 bridge on CC during March. Point being -- fish are obviously negotiating the creek (going upstream) during the winter, so it might be navigable.

Haven't attempted it myself, but the only time I've seen it look floatable with "good" water color at both put-in and confluence (Shoestring Shoals where I was renting a cabin) was during the month of March. I'm guessing the same conditions could exist earlier in the winter, but the water might be a bit cold for consistent fishing. I did catch a nice smallmouth just up CC from the confluence on a streamer. Al, the publication you were referring to was "The Arkansas Floater's Kit" that was put out by the AGFC about 30 yrs. ago. I still have mine in a binded notebook, but the pages have yellowed lol. Always wanted to try that stretch just to see if the stories were true. If I ever do -- I'll shoot for the month of March.