rps

I actually had someone stop and say hello because of the stickers.

I really like reports like yours. Something about "passing it on" gets to me. I am glad for your great day.

Outstanding!

I have admitted before I am not the best cold water fisherman. I enjoy going, but I rarely catch much. I need to work on that. Having said that, today was fair to good for me. I fished a new McRip for about an hour and a half. I obviously fished it in the wrong place or way. With the sun up and it warming up, I tied on a brown craw wart and hit points and banks that have given up wart fish before. Six fish with one solid keeper. Water temp was 49+/-. I ended the day trying to find walleye. They are really good at hiding from me.

Hook, Line, and Sinker in Rogers, AR had the McRips in stock last weekend. Is there a comparable (not big box, long term, serious fishing gear) operation in the St. Louis area?

931 is the spillway level. The corps calls 915 normal, but that number is one we visit on the way up or down. They pulled the lake down to sell electricity and to make room in case we have another 2008 type wet Spring. The rains will bring it up. What we don't know is when and how much.

Just beginning.

Good Recipe Gavin. I make my roux in my dutch oven then add the veg into the same pot with about a tablespoon of tomato paste to cool the roux down. I also use some Old Bay with the other spices.

Dardenelle is an excellent bass and crappie lake. My cousin, who later became and retired as a game and fish ranger, went to college near that lake and we fished it together several times. For walleye go north to Bull Shoals. The walleye tour used to stop there before the economy forced them to stay close to "home."

I have no grands. :-/ Hope yours are perfect.

There was maybe two feet under my trolling motor blade, but I could still see the trestle. Good to meet you too. That is the first time I have seen the OAF stickers on a boat other than my own.

First, thank you for your report. I hope you are as regular this year as last. I find the information very useful. Second, I wish I could add additional locations or techniques to your report, but I can't. I was out both Saturday afternoon and this morning. I was in the "miss" half of the hit and miss. I fished grubs, finesse worms, and stick baits in locations I thought had potential for bass or walleye. In all honesty I've never really been very good at fishing water below 50 degrees, and I didn't change that this weekend. On a positive note, I saw a few whites caught and a few crappie, and Robert Johnson (Fish of Excellence) put one of his clients on a 7.5 largemouth. Water temps ranged from 50 at the very back end of Butler to 44 in the channel above Beaver. When I came in today the channel in front of Holiday Island was showing 48.

I always favored the Spook over the the Sammy even though it is harder to walk. I also doctored it - red gill slash and feathered tail. Size was something I let the fish tell me. Some days they seemed to prefer Original, others the Junior. I did find the Spro Dawg and the Bomber/Excalibur Jimmy to be excellent baits - very similar to the Sammy and much less expensive. Two years ago I started fishing the Top Dollar by Norman. It is the bottom bait shown in my previous post in this thread. I can fish it as a popper or walk it. I confess I have rarely fished the Spook since.

Agreed. My rig is the V with the 75 ETEC. I fish several days on one fill up.

What a picture - KVD fishing from a skeeter with a 90hp pusher. Next thing you know he'll be in some deep V with a 75hp Evinrude. BTW, no slam on him, he would probably cash a check anyway. Does anyone have the specifications for the first year Ray Scott arranged all entries to fish from the same rig in the classic? What was the smallest/slowest rig to win a major event lately? When was the last time a large/fast rig made a real difference in the outcome? Not trying to start an argument here. Merely curious.

Is the fat part of the body hollow?

I fished 1 to 5 Saturday. First two hours I went above Beaver town - more than half way to Houseman. Water temp fell to 43-44 and the surface was full of limbs, leaves and trash. I assume they were generating at or near max from Beaver. Dropped down and fished a cove. Water temp 49-51 and some color to the water. One bite, one fish, a 13 inch smallmouth on a pearl and pepper grub. I also fished an Xcalibur twitch bait. I will fish again tomorrow. I fished again on Sunday from 9:00 until 2:00. Windy and cool. Found no walleye but did find white bass in 53 degree water at the back of a large cove. I was swimming a Road Runner with white grub in 5 and 6 feet of water.

Out twice on TR since the serial snows started. Nada. Will try to break that string tomorrow.

I like this one too!

I fished Beaver town to Haddock Creek last Sunday without a single bite except for once when my grub sorta, kinda moved sideways. No resistance to the hook set and no damage to the grub. I will go out again this weekend. The March full moon in two weeks should mark the beginning of the walleye movement up river.

They have given you good advice. My comment actually fits with theirs. My slip is supervised, and I can see it if I walk across the street. Guess I'm lucky.

I do it every year. Actually better there than in my driveway.

The Tulsa show was always a great one. Do they still hold it in the huge Exposition Center on the fairgrounds?

I am figuring the surface water temp is right at 35 degrees right now. Deeper the temp is around 39. (According to an article I read long ago, cold water sinks etc. until at about 38 it starts to rise as it becomes ice.) True the water coming in from melt will be in these same ranges, but by tomorrow afternoon, the edge water on the north banks will be a touch warmer, I hope. Of course, I could be wasting my time. I will report what I find.