rps

What kind of boat makes a difference to the answer. A river boat by Shawnee or one of the others or a drift boat makes the answer anytime. Any other boat means you need to check flows before you try to put in. I assume BSD is still putting out much water so right now should be good for any safe powered craft. WARNING! When they are at all or near all generators, the volume of water is very powerful. Talk with locals about safety issues before you launch. Medium spinning rod with a good drag spinning reel spooled with 4 or 6# test will cover 99% of your needs. I like to fish 4 and 6 inch suspending jerk baits for browns; small brown, black, or green jigs and little cleos for rainbow. I also riffle fish with in line spinners. Be sure you know and obey the regs about trophy areas. Have a great time.

I have seen Purina Fish Chow flies. I have seen fish guts flies. Now flies to imitate a piece of plastic. Who said fly fishing was dull?

I'll stick in here with a couple of comments: At school, I have your children or grandchildren one or two hours a day for 185 days a year. Who do you think has more control or influence over the children, me or their parents and friends and television? Even if you sum all the teachers, it is still only seven hours a day. And if we do try to impose manners, respect, and good sense, the parents of the ones that need that the most are the ones most likely to call the principal and superintendent. Even if your principal or super backs you up, they still insist you spend your spare time placating the hooligan's real role model. As for the jetskis, I have said it before and I'll say it again. We need to spray where they breed.

I have NO intent to stir an argument, but here is an ironic point: MDC and AFG stock walleyes because the natural reproduction is not sufficient to create a fishery. Bass reproduce quite well most years. So which fish do people keep and eat if legal size? BTW, I catch and release bass, but I eat legal walleyes.

Fished 5:30 to 6:15 and 10:00 to 3:00 today. Lightning ran me off the lake the first time and I didn't go right back out. Several spotted bass on top early and again when I went back out - it was still overcast. No real size.Then the oddness began. Based on a report, I tried fishing a "slow death" crawler on the shallow flats outside the tree lines. 12 to 15 feet of water. I did catch a 17 inch walleye and a number of small bass. The take also included a soft shell turtle that did not want me to take the hook out. It also included a carp that weighed in the 15 to 18 pound range. It took me more than 10 minutes to bring the carp to the boat on a medium power rod and 10 pound test line.

very cool! and on your own fly - even more cool!

Hog Heaven on Elk River - Russ will know and tell the truth about all the places on the Elk.

The lure is the attraction - not the paint. I had them repainted only because I wanted to have them repainted. An analogy would be vanity plates on the truck. Sammys, spooks, and the other high quality walkers like spro and excalibur work (and they really work well) because of their action, IMO. We buy different colors because we want to buy them. Deep down inside I think the only real color differences are light, dark, and reflective versus matte. On the other hand, tail feathers are a real difference. They change the action slightly, and they add a bit of sassy butt to the bait. As for switching - the sammy throws farther and more accurately. It has great hooks and Lucky Craft will sell you a feathered tail hook if you want one. It is way easier to walk - way way easier. It catches fish. I caught a ton of fish on my spooks and on the spro walker. I never bought a sammy because they were so expensive. (I am laughing at myself here as the customized TD's I had painted cost about the same as a MSRP sammy) I fish the TD because I can fish it like a chug bug on the days they want a chug bug; it will catch fish on any easy walk the dog day; and it is a different look than a spook or sammy for those days when you need something different. I also enjoy being a bit odd.

Russ's place on Elk River is also an idea. Goes by Wacky Worm on this forum.

Ouch! Sorry about the hook in the back. I hesitate to say what is the right way to fish any top water - as sure as I did someone would come up with a different and better way. I try three or four basic things while figuring out a bite. First, when I throw it I let the splash rings die down and then give it a gentle pop jerk. The bait usually splashes and turns to the side. Normally I pause and then double pop jerk. If that brings no attack I will slow walk it as rhythmically as I can - nearly impossible since it wants to double step or dive or whatever. The bait doesn't slide like a sammy and tends to turn in its own length which means it does a lot of back and forth for not much distance forward. If the slow walk doesn't work I also try the big slash/splash walk with slightly longer pauses between jerks. I also try the quick walk, but the bait is going to do what it wants when you try that. If none of those work I resort to a popper style spit and pause. Yesterday I was casting to laydowns and brush edges and many of the strikes came on the first move. Last Tuesday the strikes came on a slow walk.

There is no such thing as excess obsession when it comes to getting a lure right.

You might consider the Eureka Springs area and focus on the upper Kings River or go the other way from Harrison and target the middle Buffalo River. Both are excellent areas to fish from a kayak and have many places to stay on or near the river.

You are right, but then, it has repaid my loyalty time and again. It is my confidence bait on top because I can fish it so many different and effective ways.

Is there a master off switch you are forgetting/don't know about? A panel switch to something that doesn't work (lights, bilge pump, etc.) accidentally on? Try unhooking the battery when you leave it and see if it still discharges.

This morning I had to meet a contractor about some work on the house, so I wasn't on the water until nearly 10. I swam a grub on a normally walleye infested bluff looking for eyes. I trolled 15 to 25 feet deep. No joy. Around 12:30, a real overcast developed. On a whim I took my topwater rod out of the box. In two hours I caught 16 fish with two keepers. I had a third, better keeper on, but she burrowed into brush and broke me off. I was in the Eagle Rock/86 bridge area. If you find my customized Top Dollar floating, use it in good health.

Without the fog, the morning top water bite was much briefer. I managed 7 with one keeper, a spot that hit the bait in 20+ feet of water 2 or 3 casts from the bank. Today they were sipping the bait from the surface instead of exploding. After the sun hit the water I threw a C rig on the long points and caught small spots for an hour. I started to look for a walleye pattern after that. I have yet to dial in on that species.

Since you have fished one, you know the baits hallmark is its spitting unpredictable walk and a tendency to walk semi submerged. I have not noticed a difference with the new paint job. Actually, I believe the Diaiichi hooks are lighter than the Norman stock ones, so maybe we had a cancel out? I know the customization was a "vanity." I caught many fish on the stock baits, and more on the stock colors with new hooks. But I really enjoy throwing the baits I "helped" create. The good news is that even after all the costs, the baits are less than a Yellow Magic and about the same as a Sammy's MSRP. The snakes were thick again, but I avoided any hookups. Hate them things.

That is one I had Hughes paint - his shad pattern - and customized with Diaiich hooks and my own feathers tie.

Across the way towards Jolmes Branch, a gobbler kept gobbling. The carp were way up in the bush wallowing. It was comfortable and calm. Life in the Ozarks at its finest.

At 5:30 I scooted carefully down lake from the marina. Just past Fletchers I hit fog so I headed to the bank and began fishing. In the next two hours I caught 9 or 10 bass on top, including 3 keepers: a barely legal, a 17 inch fish, and this big girl - She measured 22 inches and my Cabelas spring scale said she was a bit over 6 pounds. About five minutes after I put her back in the lake, a second very large fish took a swing at my bait right at the boat but missed. After 8 AM the fog lifted and I caught nothing but midget bass while trying to find walleye. Water temp 78 to 81, much debris in the water.

The one I hooked was not a moccasin. It was either one of those water snakes that looks like a copper head or it was a copper head. I've always figured, if I was close enough to tell the difference, I was too darn close.

To celebrate the end of school, I went out for a couple of hours on Saturday and for a half day today. Both days I caught a few on top very early, but nothing of any size. All the takes were half-hearted and as many missed as hooked up. Several times as I brought the small fish to the boat, multiple larger fish swarmed with the victim. None of them hooked up however. This tells me some other presentation/lure might work better. I just didn't find it. Other highlights - caught a trout, a gar, and a snake today, all on the walker. Almost had a second snake attack, but I yanked the bait away. Fortunately both the gar and the snake escaped without me having to remove them from thew hooks. I also fished, unsuccessfully, for walleye. Only caught more small bass. Water temp 78 to 80. Best fish I saw (4 - 5 pounds) was under the walkway of the marina dock when I came in today. Did they go straight from Spring to Late Summer patterns?

techo - you are too kind. If I fished a tournament with the members of this forum, especially if it were held down lake, I know I would be embarrassed. I have not mastered jerk bait fishing and I can't drop shot to save my life. I can drag a jig or C rig, but I get bored easy. I am no longer able to chuck and grind all day and I don't even own the rods and reels to pitch or flip. What successes I have come from the fact I have fished my favorite baits, including topwaters, in the same areas for several years, and from the fact I fish more often and earlier than most people. BTW, 2008 was not a great topwater year and I hope to learn more in this year's high water episode.

Bill Babler has posted very good information in the last few days. Several others, as well, including snakem and Fishinbluedog. I found small fish on topwater this morning between 5:30 and 6:30. I have also heard (did not see it, did not do it) there is beginning to be a bit of an evening shallow bite. Day time lures are jig, tube, and grub. Good luck.