rps

Shad balls were all 10 to 18 feet deep. Didn't go up in Butler or Leatherwood so don't know about there.

A couple of years ago we had a great bass spawn. The white bass spawned well also. Despite that, things have been so tough lately, I am not even chasing them. Instead I go out later in the day and troll. Today was interesting. Water above Beaver was 81 at Butler Creek, left over from yesterday's generation I guess. Caught these two plus two short walleye and three short bass. If you work at it, you can catch a few even in the heat.

If you are lucky, and if you can stay with the same woman, it can get even better. Together 40 years now, we have two grown girls who both have masters and jobs, we enjoy our own jobs, and we live in a house on a lake in the Ozarks. I know that for unknown reasons, I have been blessed. Did anyone want to bless me with the name of the creek? Just kidding.

Good lake. When I lived in Tulsa, Grand and Tenkiller were my most frequent destinations. Now that I live on Table Rock, I just don't have the gumption to pull the boat out and go over.

Went out at noon today by myself. I did not fish the spots my teacher of yesterday showed me, but I used rigs I tied like his. I caught five spots (one keeper), 3 walleye (one keeper) and three assorted perch. Although I tried three different types of area, the fish producers were humps and bumps near roll offs into the channel. The frustrating part is learning the timing to set the hook. I missed several other bites I believe were not perch. The key seems to be letting the rod load a bit before you sweep.

Here is a bad picture of the rig. Note the bobber stop that keeps the beads from pushing down on the worm he threads up and over the eye. He buries the hook point in the worm, not Texposed. When I said 100 degrees, I meant he spreads the bottom bouncer more open than right angle, if that makes any sense. As for spotted bass, he told me he can hardly fish some locations for walleye because of all the bass. His example locations were flats with humps and dips between Eagle Rock and Big M.

A retired gentleman (and he IS a gentleman) here at Holiday Island was kind enough to go out with me Tuesday afternoon. He normally fishes from his pontoon and almost exclusively uses either bottom bouncers with crawlers or a C rig with soft plastic hand pours. I have seen him bring in any number of large walleye, including both a 12 and a 14.5 pound fish. He showed me his methods for using bottom bouncers and he showed me how he ties his harnesses. Neither is what you read in "how to" articles. He uses a lighter bouncer (3/4 to 1 ounce in 20 to 30 feet of water) and a longer line (60 to 90 feet). He spreads the arms of his bouncer to 100 degrees. His rigs feature 3 floats and a size 1, light wire worm hook. He Texas rigs the crawler on the single hook. The combination amazed me. I hung up far less than past experiences, despite the fact we fished flats with brush and trees. No big fish on this trip but we managed a respectable four keepers in 3 hours. We also caught 3 short walleye and two or three spots. The fish were on a timbered edge where the flat rolled from 20 feet to 26 feet. 30 to 80 feet farther out the flat then rolled into the channel.

If I value something, I take it with me. I leave the truck unlocked. If I am lucky, Cooter and Scooter will figure there is no reason to break a window. However, I do not count on them to make wise decisions. If they could do that, they wouldn't be stealing from me.

I fished again this morning (Sunday) and used the full moon to drive up to the DB. It had been awhile since I had a fix of topwater fishing so I spent the first hour and a half doing that in Rock Creek. I caught five fish and missed several. None in the boat would measure though none were midgets. After that I started serious walleye hunting. I started at 17 feet down since that was the last depth I had success. I caught two undersize as well as a dink spot. Besides the fish at 17/18 feet, I marked several at 26/28 feet deep. They looked large so I made several runs with a #7 Fat Free Shad on 100 feet of 10/4 braid. That puts the bait at 26/28 feet. Caught none on the DB, but I picked up one keeper in Owl Creek and another out of the trees on the bluff on the other side of 86 from Eagle Rock. In addition I caught four more spots, including one keeper. I also caught a hotntot, a thunderstick, a bottom bouncer with chartreuse worm harness, a lead jigging spoon, and about fifty feet of what must have been 20 lb. test mono. When you go deep you never can tell what you will snag.

Martin, shame on you. We should share the backbone because we know 50% of those who fish it will curse us for putting them in a drowned forest with refrigerator size boulders. The other 50% will fish the wrong part and wonder why we fish there. The devils backbone is a 400 to 500 yard long, backwards J shaped, forested underwater point at the mouth of Rock Creek. What I will not post are the locations of the underwater trees and the trolling runs needed to fish the good parts of the point. That knowledge cost me many hours, gallons of gas, and lures. And from my report, I obviously still have much to learn. The picture fish were caught almost six miles away.

To reach my house, in fact all of Holiday Island, the only way to avoid an old one lane bridge is if you arrive by water or air. The wooden suspension bridge by Beaver has its preservation group, but the other structure over a little creek is one only a mother could love. They are both pains.

wacky worm on this forum runs Hog Heaven on the Elk. Nice guy and he knows all the Elk, Big/Little Sugar information. PM him and he will be very helpful once he knows what you want to do.

Very nice fish. And in the middle of summer, too. Neat.

"Wow, 74# and that much money doesn't really look like a craft I would be interested in. I assume that its a double hull? You can buy a 17' canoe that weighs around 60# and that would be a better choice< I would think, for something that can haul a reasonable load." I own the shorter Native Ultimate 12. It is 55 with the seat in but less if you yank it out first. (Easy) It is rotomolded and the bottom is almost catamaran shaped for stability. No it isn't the lightest. If I had to hump it up and down hills or make ugly portages, I would want something else. If I wanted to make long multiple night trips, I would want something else. For one day recreation and fishing floats on Kings River, Crooked Creek, or the Elk, where access is water side and a drag is measured in a few feet, they are excellent. After owning a jon boat, a small Lowe bass boat, a Tuffy, a Supreme river boat, an Express center console, and now a tiller steer Alumacraft, as well as a Discovery 169 and my present yak, I say with authority: No single water craft is perfect. Instead, you try to match what you want to do and how you want to do it with what is available and what you can afford. Al Agnew's rig looks great, especially for what he does. RSB's Pack suits what he does. Guess maybe there is more than one right answer?

And Virgin airlines, and Virgin telephone, and ...

Branson? You mean the English millionaire? They named a town after him in Missouri? Why?

Alberto +1 Now we are done.

Bumping this to report that today I mailed Tim Hughes several Top Dollars for painting. I have Daiichi Death Trap trebles waiting to install when they return. I asked him to do Blue Shad, House Bait #2, Slimmer, and Gizzard. Now I must wait. Fall topwater time should be ready to begin when they return. I will post pictures. My wife believes I have totally lost my mind. "You are paying what to have a $5 bait repainted? Why don't you just buy the color you want?" My metaphysical answer fell on deaf ears.

welcome! Are you a refugee from walleye central?

Started trolling for walleye this morning at 8:00. Started at 17 feet deep as that was the most shallow I've caught fish in the last three weeks. Started catching bass, including a couple of keepers. The large mouth bass were suspended at or near roll offs. Basically 17 over 25 to 35 feet. When I switched to tree top pulling I found spots. Total of 8 bass, one keeper crappie, and three non legal walleye for the morning. Every fish, except the largemouth, hit the back hook of the bait. I had several (4? 5?) strikes that did not hook up. I marked all kinds of fish in the 15 to 19 foot range and virtually nothing else until bottom in 30 plus. I tried a variety of depths greater than 17, including plowing bottom at 30, with no success. If anyone can put a successful pattern or explanation together from that information, please tell me. My best guess is we are seeing the thermocline begin to form and the fish are sorting themselves out.

The wife and I floated Tyler Bend to Gilbert on Monday just as a fun outing. I didn't even bring a rod. Water was just under 6 on the gauge and at the 65 bridge. The color was clearing some but still brown. Maybe 6 to 8 inches of visibility. You can see the brown in several shots. The progression is from put in to near pull out.

You know, those chain saws are tricky. Sometimes they kick back at you and you have to swing around to save yourself. Of course that tree behind might suffer a bit. And once a saw starts to kick, it will often do it three or five times in succession.

Fished the Devil's backbone yesterday but only caught 3 under size walleye before the heat and boat traffic forced me to flee. Fished near Holiday Island this morning and had a bit more luck. Four fish, 19 to 24 inches, all of which hit a Storm Thundercrank trolled on 120 feet of 10 pound braid (20 feet) in water 22 to 35 feet deep at 1.8 to 2.4 mph. Note I did not report I went out early. I didn't. Both days I went out around 8:30 to 9:00. With no topwater bite and only limited jig bite, I drink coffee and read the paper instead.

While long lining for walleye I have caught numerous crappie. The correct size lure would surely work.

Native Ultimate 12 on the right. Great boat. Since I bought it I've seen a similar, less expensive brand hit the market. Can't lay my hands on it but I think the outfitters near Pea Ridge carry it. Someone help me out wit the names of the model and the outfitters.