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My worm/jig rod is a MH TFO Gary Loomis, fast action, 7'3", rated for 8-17# line and 3/8 -1 ounce baits. I just bought it actually. Hoglaw tied a good one for me, but I bought inferior components (I did no know this at the time) and three different guides have broken at the thread. I got tired of repairing it.

Oh my that looks good.

After some early morning errands, I made it out on the lake by 9:00 this morning. Surface temp 83 and hazy. Highlight of the day was meeting Tim Hughes, the famous lure painter. He and a friend had trailered to the Upper End to fish for walleye. He remembered painting my Top Dollar top water baits. I told them about several places I have caught fish in the last month and I hope they did well. I did not do well. I did not have to use my fillet knife. I was in at 1:00 to go do another errand. Monday I go back to work and a week later I will have kids in the class room, except maybe for holidays, no more week day fishing until school is out.

Eureka Springs, Tuesday and Thursday, 7:00 to Noon

Today, my favorite vendor at the farmers market had two bunches of cayenne. He also had candy onion. The Mennonite vendor had some red hot pepper he described as between a serrano and a jalapeno. Later at the grocery store I bought jalapeno and habanero. When I came home I made a batch of the traditional (several generations old) bread and butter pickle brine. (5 cups sugar, 3 cups apple cider vinegar, 2 Tbs. mustard seed, 1.5 teaspoons each of celery seed and turmeric, boiled) I used the traditional pickle method as well and wound up with these:

QB, they were laughing at me about my buoy being stolen and making suggestions, so I posted the full explanation -> Picture me running down lake, farther from HI by the moment, in my tin boat with 75 horses, chasing a $50,000 boat with a 250 on the back, all the while muttering, "You can run, but you can't hide!" In hind sight, I guess I am lucky he didn't pull a piece. I've had that happen once before when I complained loudly about my line being cut while stripper trolling on Keystone in Oklahoma. I quickly corrected stripper to striper. Evidently JDoc and Scott found it all amusing. I found out later the boat was even more expensive. I have seen Scott's more modest boat and he has way better electronics and troll motor set up. The other guy wanted the pole anchors, I guess.

Well done!

You are never going to let me live that down, are you.

I wrote two articles that cover longline crankbait trolling and nightcrawler harness fishing. http://www.ozarkanglers.com/white-river-walleye-on-worm-harness/ http://www.ozarkanglers.com/table-rock/trolling-for-walleye/ Use the search engine on this forum to search for Feathers and Fins, Powerdive, Kjackson, and Mike Worley. All four are savvy walleye fishermen who regularly share their knowledge. Rod: 7' medium power, moderate action (look at the Falcon HD) Reel: a level wind with a good drag, for example an Ambassadeur 5000 or a Shimano Citica. Line: Power Pro Depth-Hunter in 10 pound test Crank Baits: Hot N Tots, Wiggle Warts, and Flicker Shad in firetiger, white, and something vaguely purple or blue. Night Crawler harnesses - purchased or made Those two techniques and that equipment will get you started. As you learn you add other equipment and techniques. Good luck!

Based upon a number of articles and postings to this board, I am thinking about learning to fish a swim bait for bass, striped bass and walleye. The big walleye and an odd striper or two are in the upper river, especially in the Spring. Big browns also hang out there. A little later in the year, big bass and walleye are in less than 10 feet of water. Spro and Savage appear to make excellent 6 and 8 inch swim baits for less than $20. They appear to weigh 2 to 4 ounces in that size range. The advice I seek would be this: 1. What rod under $200 would handle throwing this size bait? Why? 2. What test line would you suggest, 12 to 20 pound? Would you use a braid with an Alberto knot flouro leader? 3. Does the technique exist/last long enough to make it worth it? I would enjoy reading your opinions. Thanks in advance.

Little things: good line, sharp hooks, depth, type of bottom, thermocline, water color, time of day, wind speed and direction, what a bite looks like and feels like and sometimes sounds like, bait speed or lack thereof, color, local forage, time of year, time of month, current or lack thereof, boat traffic or lack thereof, onandonandonandon. Guides process many factors to try and solve the equation. I do well, sometimes very well, but I will be blessed if I will take money to try to produce fish for others - especially when they add extra factors such as inappropriate equipment.

Most of the area schools start August 18. That will cut down the weekday traffic by a large percent. The weekend traffic will die off after Labor day.

F&F, you were raised or trained right. I like to think I was too. Where did these untrained idiots come from? However, I do not intend to let them define or limit me.

Big M is a marina between Eagle Rock and Campbell point. Between Point 24 and Point 25.

I fished down lake of Big M today. I was fishing drop-offs where flats of 28 to 30 feet fell into channels. This meant I was a long way from the bank. It also meant I was an obstruction for the many, many large boats designed to displace large wakes. I had water come in my transom, I fell down twice, and I am thankful I do not easily succumb to motion sickness. I also had a person in a Phoenix boat with dual doofus extending shallows anchors stop and take my break line buoy. I had to chase him down the lake to get it back. He was nice once I caught him, but who picks up a marker buoy that does not belong to them? Big M to Campbell Point is ugly on weekends. Emerald Beach holds many spotted bass. I caught 10 or 12 with two solid keepers. I had one walleye bite and my line parted before I saw the fish. It felt a solid keeper, but not a monster.

I don't live there, but if I were picking a location that offered the most opportunities for fishing the lake, Shell Knob would be my nominee.

Hello Grant. What little I know of streams and rivers is NE Oklahoma, SW Missouri, and NW Arkansas. However, I agree that the smallmouth is a great game fish.

Good on you! Depth?

As an update to the above, in 2010 I sold my Xpress center console and bought a smaller Alumacraft Nvigator 165 with an Evinrude Etec tiller.

Now, see, I would have known better than to buy it. I know it must be past its "Best by" date because it's labeled Winning Blend, and the pigs haven't had a winning team in years.

Yes, you are right. However, even if 2 or 6 track me, that community hole will still produce.

ouch! Woodman, cut us some slack. We are intimidated.

At the place I caught fish, the channel is 24 to 25 feet deep. I was fishing an island on the channel edge with submerged timber. I expected them to be deeper, but I caught one on my first shallow pass.

+ 1

Job changes are opportunities, just like kjackson said. I am glad you fessed up. It was becoming difficult to keep the secret. I am sorry I can be of no help with the bass report. Today's walleye outing is posted.