Danimal

Hey Mikey, The Woodsman in Ft.Smith has Y2K's. Dan-o

Speaking of the FLI, last spring I left one in it's case lying on the ground at the Rockhouse Access on the Kings R. and drove off without it. I'm still sick about it. I totally agree with flyfishBDS that it's a very forgiving rod because I could actually throw it pretty well and I'm NOT a very good fly caster. Dan-o

I may try to get up there wednesday for some flyfishing. Any suggestions on what to throw? Pretty much all my flyfishing experience is for smallmouth. Dan-o

Sorry for hi-jacking the thread, but it's great to see a fellow panic-head on the forum. Dan-o

For the record, I never intentionally fish a smallmouth nest. But when I see one I do like to stop and observe. Just last spring on the KIngs, I watched a brownie guarding his nest. On one side was a group of small sunfish, On the other, a group of small suckers. As soon as he would charge one group the other would move in. Both were taking lots of fry. Dan-o

I've personally witnessed what a nesting smallmouth has to deal with from them, so eat a few more of those tasty little mothers for my brownies. Dan-o

I've caught pickerel from lake Ouachita, so they probably are native down there, though I've never caught them up in the river. But I'm pretty sure that's not the fish my grandad and his friends were talking about. Back in the late 80's I caught a 3 lb. walleye from the Ouachita R. several miles above the lake in late June, which is a good 3 to 4 months after the spawning run. I called my grandad because I knew he fished the area long before the lake was impounded and he assured me that there has always been a few resident "marble-eyes" as he called them scattered in the deeper pools of the river. I do feel certain that he knew the difference between the species because much like myself, he always had large stacks of fishing magazines lying around the house. Dan-o

In spite of what's written in Fishes Of Arkansas, many old timers (including my late grandfather) claim to have caught walleye from the Ouachita River and several of its tributaries back before lakes Ouachita, Hamilton, and Catherine were impounded, which was long before any were stocked down there. I guess they could've been pullin' my leg, but I can't think of any reason why they would. Dan-o

Try the Arkansas River below lock & dam #13 just outside of Ft. Smith for white bass, stripers, & sauger at that time (though the sauger run will have peaked by then). I would also check out the lower Illinois R. in Oklahoma about 30 miles west of FT. Smith for some great striper action. For trophy stripers go to Lake Ouachita near Hot Springs. White jigs work well for all of the above. For additional information go to www.agfc.com. Click on "fishing", then click on "weekly fishing report". You'll get a region by region breakdown of the state along with a lot of information. I hope this helps. Dan-o

I may be able to help. What type of fishing are you hoping to do ? Dan-o

If you see a fish in 2 to 5 feet of water that doesn't seem to spook when you pass close by, then there's a good chance he's guarding a nest. If this happens, take a closer look --the nest will have "lighter" appearance than the surrounding gravel. Sometimes you can see the fry themselves (they look like tiny tadpoles). I hope this helps. Dan-o

Hey folks, my name's Danny.I'm a lifelong smallmouth disciple, but I enjoy any fish that hits my lure. I'm mostly into light spinfishing but have started dabbling with a flyrod in the last couple of years (Ilook forward to picking up any tips in that department). My home waters are the western Ozarks (Upper Kings,Mulberry, Lee Creek, etc.) and the Ouachitas (Ouachita, Fourche La Fave, Cossatot, etc.). This looks like a truly great forum. Thanks for letting me come aboard. Dan-o