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I did it. The HBird will be moving forward to the trolling motor and this beast will be mounted where I can see it as I troll and explore. Scott and Jason, I haven't had a Lowrance in a decade. I will need you help to set it up and learn it.

As I posted earlier, I have been looking to upgrade my electronics. I have been looking at larger units and tandem 7 to 8 inch units. Tackle Warehouse has a 20% off Black Friday sale that ends at midnight. They also have a Lowrance Gen2 HDS-10 InsightUSA/StructureScan HD Bundle on sale for $1999.88. After the extra discount the total (no tax and free shipping) will be $1599.90. Really? What do you think?

Aquatic stage of a slamander, called a waterdog. One variety, the Ozark Hellbender, is on the endangered species list, but this was not that variety. They make great bait for catfish and big bass, but I put this one back.

I had not played in the wind for a while and decided to spend some time out in it. Made fishing a Ned rig very tough. Caught one:

Down rig works. No doubt about it. For me, it is a matter of preference. I fish by myself 98% of the time. Do I want to mess with snap weights or down rigs or planer boards? Not really. My preference is me, arod, a reel, a line and a bait. Even if, sometimes, it is a very long line. Of course, I also hold my rods, instead of having them in holders.

A wart will hit 25 feet on 10/2 power pro depth hunter if you let out 250 feet of line. Needless to say this is NOT suitable for contours that twist and turn. However, if you have a creek channel like Owl Creek that is infested with tree tops at 30 to 20 feet and the walleye are suspended in the tree tops, the bait works very well. Warts are one of the most hang resistant of all the cranks I troll.

You can simplify even more. My suggested minimalist trolling cranks box: 5 to 15 feet deep - Flikr Shad 12 to 25 feet - Wiggle Warts, HotNTots, and Cabelas Wally Runner (maybe Storm ThunderCranks too) 25 to 35 feet - MagWarts and Norman Deep Little N. I have others, notably Bomber Fat Free Shad, but 90+ percent of the time these will take all usual target species.

J Doc: The record book says the current Arkansas state record came from the White River BELOW Beaver dam - so technically, Table Rock. Jeff Fletcher, J.D.'s son, caught it.

I will chime in too! I have a great deal for which I am thankful, and I wish the same on all of you. 5bites, I am carryng gas down to the boat Saturday and will look for you.

Regardless of your social or political beliefs, I believe almost everyone would agree that this week started poorly. Rather than discuss that (and I really don't want to see that happen here), may I suggest a collective change of focus. This is the perfect time for each of us to say out loud to our friends and family how thankful we are to live as we do in a country that allows us to live as we do. Gather with your family and friends, feast, and spread a positive outlook on your life with others. It really is contagious, you know.

Dam to Houseman is 7 miles +/-. The last mile would be a rowing deal.

Welcome. If you have been reading a while, you already know how interesting things can be here.

I understand your anger and frustration. I once found a Verdigris River slough that required carring your innertube through 500 yards of marsh to reach. It sat hard against the river itself but was blocked from water access except at high flood stages. Don't even begin to ask why I was looking for that kind of fishing hole or how I found it. About two years after i discovered it, I made the error of taking someone into fish it with me. You know what happened. Take comfort that your ex-friend and his friends will over hunt your pothole, declare it worthless, and forget about it. Then a couple of years later it will be empty of people but full of birds again.

Welcome back, Bill. When you are gone the reporting becomes spotty and local. If it weren't for a few of the regulars, it would be sparse. Even they cannot include the whole lake from reliable sources. I may not fish often during school session, but I count on a information fix.

The fish is a walleye, I think. Looks a little worse for wear. If I am correct about your location, the semi-bluff end point on the same side of the cove you are standing on has given up both bass and walleye over five pounds for me. Oddly both came on a crawdad wiggle wart, but in different Springs.

brown with a purple streak (PBJ)

I do not fly fish. I do paddle that section from time to time. I see more large fish in the Spider Creek area. Good luck!

They really are not the same kind of lake. Beaver is not a true upland lake. Much shallower, much more affected by local rain/drought/wind. Much less a seasonal pattern. 20 years younger on the aging pattern. Beaver can give you TR clues but not much more. As a predictor, BS is far more accurate. Even so , TR and BS are not the same.

I am hopeful that the winter season acts as a reset. Maybe next year will have a top water bite.

My mother bred the last English Setter to ever win both a bench show championship and a field trial championship. Wish of Lonesome Lane. You would not believe how smart and handsome that bitch was. When my last setter from mother died, the wife and I changed breeds to avoid buying from idiots who did not know what a hunting dog was.

Solid and helpful comments. Thank you. Time to decide and then wait for the correct sale. BTW, I am leaning to moving the rear SI unit with its separate transducer to the front and buying the largest/clearest display unit I can afford for the rear.

I do not desire to start another Lowrance vs. Humminbird thread. I have read many of those, and most degenerate into "I am a Lowrance man which means ... " Sometimes they turn into bash threads. Let me set a few parameters for the discussion. I would especially appreciate comments from those that truely understand electronics. Background: I love to topwater fish and to catch walleye. I also enjoy a school of whites and finesse rig fishing. I have been known to Lindy rig, jig fish, and spoon jig. I do not drop shot, throw the A rig. or power fish anything other than a wart, blade, or buzz bait. I owned one of the original green boxes. I have fished with paper graphs. I have owned both Lowrance and Humminbird sonar units. I Currently am fishing a an 898 SI Humminbird and a HB sonar on my boat. The front, trolling motor mount is a universal transducer through the Minnkota trolling motor and I use it for depth and when I try to jig spoons vertically. It does not like the trolling motor running and becomes useless. The rear unit is very effective but so small that a split screen (sonar and side scan) is very hard to see, especially in sunlight. My present set up is not good at the front as the sonar takes forever to recover from the trolling motor running. It also is not all that good at tracking a spoon. The back unit is small and hard to read, especially in the sun. I NEVER use the GPS to find anything or to run in the fog. I fish a small area of the lake and know way points by memory. My beautiful bride of 42 years has ageed that our Christmas should be a "choose our own wants" up to $2000 dollars. (Does anyone know how cool that is? D*** I am lucky.) My desire is to seriously upgrade my boat electronics. I desire to purchase better units for the type of fishing I do, along with the accessories to make them useful. I have been reading about what is available. Three alternatives seem to meet my goals. Lowrance offers the HDS 8 Gen2 with LSS2 structure scan for $1700. Up front I could place a Lowrance Elite4 HDI for $300. HB offers the 999ci HD SI for $1500. Up front I could put a 678c HD for $360. Garmin has an outstanding chirp unit out. A echoMp 70s with a GVC10 unit for $1500 with a echo551 up front for $270. Apparently all of these are outstanding units and all seem to have an equal track record on reliability and service. None of these are the current top of the line, but they are close. My questions: Which would you choose and WHY? SHould I spend extra on any accessories? Have I missed an important fact, and if so, what is it? Does networking offer any advantages? Should I just buy an old refurbished paper graph on Ebay?

Crappie and white bass would make great chowder, too.

I had good instructors that taught me a bit about TR walleye. They are not plentiful, but they grow large.

Well I finally got the picture to send.