rps

Went out from 5:30 to sun on the water. Actually my first trip since my out of boat experience. Saw very little fish activity other than carp wallowing in the shallows. I elected to bush fish. The high water was tempting. The last time we had a June with water this deep the big bass stayed in the bushes for weeks. Not this morning. I did manage to catch three on topwater, but none would measure. Plastics didn't even get bumped. Decided to come in and try again tomorrow. Hope everyone else did better than I did.

There is an occasional Striper in TR. They come through the Beaver Dam. They do not reproduce effectively once here. Mostly they stay up in the river and eat trout. By late July the bass routine on TR is early, late, and at night if you want anything from less than 20 - 25 feet. By then the thermocline will be down near 30-35 feet and most of the day fisherman will be fishing at or above the thermocline by drop shotting. Every once in a while I pick up bass while trolling for walleyes at those depths. Bill B has written on drop shotting. Good information. Better yet, hire one of the good guides like Bill for a half day instructional trip. Probably would be the best way to enjoy TR in July. That time of year is not easy for a newbie on TR. Good luck. Have a great time.

Good report. The thing I like about this site is that pros and ams try hard to share clear information.

The last fish was the 19.5 incher. I estimate 4.5 pounds, maybe a few ounces more, but not five pounds. I have the Spook. Later this week I'll put a new Gamakatsu 2x roundbend ultrapoint treble on to replace the one the young doctor used the wire cutters on. Really prefer those trebles to the ones they ship on the Spook. I will vouch for their hooking and holding ability.

I think nearly everyone has a hook story to tell; I am ashamed to admit this story was not my first. On Lake Bixby, just outside of Tulsa, I once traded a four pounder for a hook removal - the classic jerk the spinner bait off the limb trick. Neat scar on my chest. A few years later, Junior, Lord, how I wish I remembered the rest of his name, taught me the push the hook through trick on Beaver. Luckily, the victim that time was my friend, Martin. I would guess there are a number of you out there with stories to tell. Can any of you make me feel better by telling something worse than an out of the boat and hooked at the same time story?

OK. I apologize in advance for the bad typing. I went out after the rain around 4:30 PM. The wife was at the Green Forest high school graduation - she teaches there - and I figured the rain and cloud cover would have the fish shallow. Turns out I was right. The fish were shallow. Between 4:30 and 7:30 I caught 7 LM. 20, 18, 15, 15, 17.5, 12, 19.5 inches. Estimate best five were more than 18 pounds but less than 19. All came on a customized original size, silver black Zara spook. Best day in many many many trips. After I netted the last fish, I was dreaming of more as I tried to unhook the fish. Of course the bait tangled in the net, so I tried to unhook the bait from the net first. Then I could unhook and measure the fish. The fish flopped hard. Suddenly, the 2x Gamakatsu Round Bend #2 treble I installed on the bait was buried in my right index finger near the first joint. Shucks. Darn. Golly. Fish flopped again and another barb caught the life jacket I was wearing. Double darn. I used my left hand (Did I mention I am very right handed?) to slide my pants knife out of my pocket and somehow opened the thing one handed with my left hand. I then sawed my bait out of my life jacket. Next I concentrated on unhooking the bait from the net. Every time the fish flopped, I explained in a calm voice how her efforts were counter productive. If she would lie still, I promised to release her as quickly as I could. Have you ever noticed that females don't listen? After forever, I got the bait out of the net. I bit the line to take the rod out of the equation. My dentist will just have to understand. Down to her and me, I used my needle nose to get her loose. I did measure her, as well as I could with a Zara Spook in my hand, before I turned her loose. Resigned to quitting before the bite ended, I used my left hand to pull and secure the trolling motor, turned the key in my boat, and headed home. As I approached the slip at Holiday Island, new difficulties appeared. The boat I have is not responsive at slow speed. The slip I have requires a dogleg left at the last minute. I was excited and hurting. Things went awry. I put the boat in neutral aand went forward to keep the bow from slamming onto the right post of my slip. I used my left hand and arm since my right was occupied. The boat kissed the slip post soundly. Ok. So there I was in the water. I had my left hand on the gunnel and grabbed for the dock with my right. Shucks. Darn. Golly. The right the hand was still full of hooks. That didn't work well. Somehow I got the boat in the slip. Next I had to try and figure how to get in the boat or up on the dock with only one hand. That was a job for trained professionals. Don't try it at home, kids. It took nearly twice as long as usual to tie off the boat, plug in the air pump and raise the boat, put the rods in my carrier, plug in the battery charger, and do all those other right handed things. Then I walked up to the car. Just as I got there, my slip neighbor pulled up. Where was he when I needed help in the water? He was headed out and wanted to know if they were biting. He didn't even ask why I was standing there dripping lake water with a Zara Spook in my right hand. I will call tomorrow and apologize for telling him jigs at 20'. I drove to the emergency room in my stick shift car. Pause for a moment and think about cars. Besides the stick shift, try to imagine putting on your seat belt and turning the car on with a fist full of Zara Spook. I walked in the ER door, lake water draining onto their nice clean floor, and walked up to the counter. Without looking up, the person at the counter slapped a clip board with a form in front of me and said, "Fill that out." I explained to her, in that same calm voice I used with the fish, that she was being insensitive and uncaring. After all, how would she feel if I had had a farm accident and was carrying my own severed arm? I must not have impressed the counter lady. She stuck me in a little cold room. Thirty shivering minutes later this teenager in scrubs wanders in. I started to tell him I didn't need my bedpan changed, but he introduced himself as the doctor. Young Doctor Kildare thought my story was the best he had heard in forever. Several times he had to stop trying to take care of my hand because he was laughing so hard. Do you suppose the hours they keep make them punchy? I got home around 10:30. The wife, without looking up, said "How was your fishing trip?"

Bill: I run a much smaller rig than you. My ride is an 18' Xpress pushed by a 90 Yamaha. I also have the luxury of fishing only the best parts of the day - I don't have to produce for clients. As a result, a two day weekend might cost me 10 or 12 gallons. Frankly, I don't understand how guide trip economics don't breakdown when gas prices climb so high so fast. Best of luck to you.

First, I'll confess I've never bought a Lucky Craft bait. Something about $20 a bait bothers me. I do know many who swear by them. Oh well, when a boat fill up costs $50, maybe $20 a bait isn't so bad. I think you are on the right track to fish early if you only can go for a couple of hours. Very early, almost every day in June and July, there will be a top water bite. Walking baits, buzz baits, and chug bugs are what I tie on before I go out. To answer the question about size of the walkers, the last several years during June I've had more luck with the full size spook. The junior seems to be more of a Spring and Fall bait for me. One fairly consistent thing I believe - feathers on the tail of the walking baits seem to help. Silvers, pearl, and clear are my best producers. Beware the Rock though. I swear, some days they all decide to be different. Best of luck.

Looks like you have been reading and thinking about the posts here. I think you need just one more reminder. While you are here, please, enjoy yourself. Look at our marvelous Ozarks. Eat someplace great every evening. Sleep well. And when you go home, think about how lucky you were to be here this year. Then plan next year's trip.

My best guess: A large percentage of the houses here are owned by much older people. At 57 I am youthful in this neighborhood. A large percentage of the houses here are not lived in full time; they are second homes for Knasas City, St. Louis, Chicago, etc. people. Both categories are subject to life changes at a rate that exceeds "normal" homeowners. What is interesting is that new homes built on spec are still selling here, even though new housing sales have slowed nationally. On topic: Oops. Didn't mean to post until I finished. I agree with you, walking the dog is my favorite. So much so I think I've given myself a repetitive motion injury since moving here in 2002. Sometimes you have to play with pain. rps

Went out just at dawn Saturday morning. Fished until the wind came up - at the time, it looked like a Tstorm was coming in. A little over three hours on the water. Fished a spook jr. in blue and white with a hand tied white feather tail. 9 bass, two huge whites, and a four foot long gar. All are still swimming. Thought I'd never get my bait back from the gar. I've caught gar before, but never on a top water. The two largest bass were in the 18 inch range. Both came from brush/wood where hand sized rock changed to pea gravel. All the fish were shallow. The most effective retrieve seemed to be a walk walk pause twitch repeat. How was the fishing during the rest of the day in the windy overcast?

Answer to tightline re: moss I fish out of Holiday Island. Leatherwood Creek arm has 18-24 inch strands of moss throughout. It's a shame, as this creek is always excellent this time of year for bass and crappie. I suspect effulent from Eureka Springs. They are working on their water treatment facility. Out on the the White River itself, the moss is mostly in the no flow cuts and not nearly so long. With the development of Rogers and on North to Pea Ridge, combined with growing Berryville and Green Forrest and the chicken farm droppings, Table Rock has begun that stage of lake change from a true highland resevoir to the middle stage where water is not gin. Nowdays you see a color closer to an old fashioned Daiquiri - greenish see through. Just be glad we don't fish the water I moved away from - Oklahoma. There is a reason they drive here to fish.

Fished Saturday A.M. between Eagle Rock and Viola. In coves and cuts on the North side of the lake, water temp was 58 - 61. Saw a few nests with males amd many cruising males. Saw only one sow and she was crusing, not bedded. Could not talk shallow fish into eating a bait. Tried jerks, hard and soft, spinner baits and wiggle warts. Only fish came on ring fries (watermelon) at the 10-15 foot level near points. Six bass (1/2 LM and 1/2 K) and two walleye, all barely short. Ask yourself, what is more frustrating than a 14.5 inch Kentucky? Answrer: A 17 inch walleye.

Thank you for the courteous answer. I guess the main lake is still "cold" and the action is in the river and creek arms. Not surprising. BS always seems a week or so behind TR in patterns. rps

I start with these on my rigs: Original wigglewart in brown or green crawfish.(Caught 22 in four hours out of Holiday Island 3/22 afternoon, but only 3 legal) Slow roll spinner bait in white or black (In several recent years I've had very good luck on retrieves parallel to the bank moving the bait just fast enough to turn the blade and tick the bottom) A Smoke grub Short (4 or 5") watermelon, purple, or black worm on a slider jig. A very expensive, custom painted jerk bait. (I can't catch anything with them, but others claim they do. Besides it makes me look like I am in the know.) If I rig one more rod, I add a jig/pig either in PBJ or brown/green. I wish you the best of luck.

Thought I'd check on Bull Shoals reports. I learn as much from these as those on TR. According to what shows on my browser, no one has posted for two weeks. That can't be right, can it? What is the water temp? Have the fish moved shallow? What is working?

I have used chartreuse/blue with success for years. I don't see why chatreuse/purple would not work just as well. On most flatland lakes the c/b is my first choice. On TR and Bull I've had more success with a plain black twin spin.

3/19 update: Four hours mid-day. 7 fish in the boat, 2 legal. 3 fish shook off, 1 legal. Water temps 50 - 54. All fish on warts although I did fish grubs and sticks.

I used to fish out of a 20" Supreme river boat. Loved it. Easy to haul and any ramp or steep shore was good to go for launching. Had a good front deck to stand on. It was also great for fishing tailwaters and best of all, it was inexpensive. What they don't have are tall sides or bilge pumps. Two summers ago I was swamped, twice. Once I was just outside Campbell Point marina. That long point there is great for spots and walleye. The second time was near Big M. Both times boats resembling Queen Mary were making wakes by making circles. One time what looked to be a grandson was wake boarding. The other time multiple jet skis were wake jumping. I finally decided I can't change people - the majority are always going to be idiots - but I could change boats. There times when I miss that river boat. Speaking of jet skis, I have come to the conclusion that our only hope is to spary where they breed.

I fished out of Holiday Island for three hours on 3/17 afternoon. Zero'd for two hours on the stick bait, but I must admit I am still only learning how to fish it. Took three fish, one legal, when I switched to a brown craw wigglewart. Each was shallow and just inside a point of the little pocket cuts just upstream from Jolms Branch. The points were covered in tournament fishermen. I assume they were tournament fishermen - they were wearing two and three color shirts that matched their high dollar boats. On the better points it looked like the Bass Pro Shop check out line during the Spring sales, one after another after another. Talked with two. Each had four legals in the well. I assume it took a good weight to win. BTW, how far did they have to run to reach that far up river? And why? Went out again this morning. The weather man was dead wrong about the overnight temp. The predicted 51 felt like 36 because it was 38 when I started. And windy. Two hours of that kind of fun was all I could stand. Water temp ranged from 49 to 54. One fish, short, on a stick bait. Talked with one gentleman who had fished the last three days. He reported good success on white bass near the "island" opposite Cedar Creek upstream from the marina. Not the best start to my spring vacation , but then, I was fishing and not getting ready to deal with 100 13 and 14 year olds on Monday.

Welcome Heather. Enthusiastic people are always welcome, regardless of experience. Recent signees for this forum seem to be running 50% teachers. (I am one of those new people.) This is a good thing. Riverrunner: Social studies is the toughest area to find employment here in NW Arkansas. I haven't heard of any openings nearby, but if I do I will email you. rps

This minimalist post will give away the fact that I have never joined a board before. No avatars, no emoticons, no interesting names. Boring, I know, but then again, I don't pretend to be entertaining. I fish out of Holiday Island on Table Rock. I've lived on the bluff by the entrance since 2002. The first year was very tough fishing. I wish I had found a forum like this then. I teach school at Eureka Springs and fish maybe 100 days a year, mostly during school holidays. My favorite method is Spooking, but all bass go back. I do keep all legal walleyes and crappie. What the kids would call my "ride" is an tan 18 foot Xpress center console. If you see me, say hello. I'll always be able to tell you what is not working well. rps