rps

Home made twin spin with squirrel or black buck hair and a green spot pork frog.

Last time I was out (a week ago), all I caught were small spots and LM. Short worms on light jig heads will keep you bit. I did not catch any size. My friends say trout will bite power bait. Walleye are hiding currently. Wish I had more to tell you. This weekend I will be grading in anticipation of quarter reports. Let us know what you find. BTW, the dam store tells the truth about the river.

eric: You are way more talented than I. Beautiful work. I hope you enjoy every moment in your custom craft.

Well done guys! The variations of fish size, build, shape, and characteristics is always interesting. More reports and more fish porn, please.

Bubba's in Eureka for BBQ? Port Orleans for fancy dining? Seriously, enjoy. Let us know about the trip.

That is a major project, waiting to happen.

Quick breads (not yeast) can be great.When they use second hand yeast (beer) they get even better. I have never made this bread, but I will soon. Thanks.

bravo. I want to try this.

I would support a change that required us to use a real last name. Some discussions might become more civil if we remove anonymity. (Thank goodness for spell check on that one)

Some tournament fishermen (not necessarily the best ones, mind you) think that to catch fish fast, you have to fish fast. You can cover a ton of water in a short period of time with a buzz bait.

The only stripers in TR are those that come through the dam from Beaver. The Arkansas record held by Jeff Fletcher was caught in the taliwaters below Beaver dam. However the numbers are very small. Probably some came through when Beaver used the floodgates last year, but not all that many. Ask at the dam store or at Spider Creek for more information.

Thank you for the report. Come back soon and often. TR is never the same.

Bill fishes a different lake, a much harder one, than I do here at the upper end. We don't see the SM, and the spots we see do not out number the LM 3 to 1. On the other hand, the spots and SM give him options to fish when the LM go walkabout. Bill: great pictures. One of these days I need to fish seriously down lake.

Three to six in the holiday island to Beaver stretch every year. The fun part is when they dive on the fish in the water. Start looking November and hope they last to March. Tangent: Saw a white pelican last week. How cool.

Guess I fished about 10 feet too shallow. I'm glad your clients had a good trip, Bill.

Fished today - my its nice with most of the idiots off the lake. Caught fish all day, although none came on topwater. Green and brown 4 and 5 inch worms on a light jig head fished with a very slow steady reel scrubbing bottom. Fish were anywhere from 6 feet to 20 feet. Probably caught 30. Had a great time. The big one was 13 inches long. When I tried a jig and trailer or a larger worm to try and improve size, I didn't get a bite. Walleye were strangely uncooperative as well.

Go to the Shimano web site and download their warranty and repair form. Fill it out and ship the reels to their center in California. I did this for a defective 200E7. I received a new reel in 11 or 12 days. My only cost was my shipping to them. Since yours were out of warranty, you may have to pay a modest repair fee per reel. Since both had the same flaw, you may get lucky. Either way, the cost will be way less than replacing the reels. Hope this helps. rps

Sometimes people need a good rant. It is a safety valve that helps release frustration. Otherwise we would actually go off on the ocean yacht owners on LOZ, the wakeboat bozos on TR, or the "can only bad mouth" crowd you describe. In the future, remember that the people who are the first to claim foul by others are usually those that could only match what you have done by foul. Second, remind yourself their opinion is worthless to all except themselves. Last, be grateful you are not they and have their miserable life.

I fished a spook as well. And a finesse worm on a jig head. Caught 10 or 11. Bet I could have filled a mason jar with them. Seriously, the big fish was at least 12 inches. Around 1:00, a small school of whites came up and I managed two keepers to avoid an embarassment. Trolling was somewhat better. I lost a keeper walleye at the boat when my net man had a spastic attack. Then I arranged a long distance release when one I hooked hung in a tree top. By the time I got loose, so was he. I finally caught and landed a keeper walleye. I went in after that to celebrate. The walleye were 22-23 feet deep in tree tops on rocky 45 degree outside bend banks. In reality, for the first trip in two weeks, I was very happy. Plus, tomorrow we'll have fishburgers!

Really cool picture.

A shotgun with #4 or # 2 shot (not buck shot) is clearly a self defense weapon. They drop but, maybe, do not die. You are safe. You don't shoot until they are inside your house. In that circumstance, no prosecutor will file. Police will commend you. Buck shot or slugs and you shoot them on your front lawn? Expect a long and difficult investigation, followed, maybe, by charges you will have to defend. The circumstances and the people facts always lead to the conclusion. Think all through in advance. Not with your manly parts, but with your brain. Hope this helps the discussion.

Thanks. I probably won't fare as well as you, but I'll try.

Nice Smallmouth! I'm headed out in the morning. Had Saturday school today. Full size or spook jr.?

I believe the Yozuri holds a standard Palomar very well. I can't tie the twice through the eye improved clinch very well. Something about it (the way I do it) creates too much friction and weakens the knot even when I wet it. If you believe the Palomar is too weak, try it with a double pass through of the loop before you put the hook/bait through and pull tight. The double palomar tests the strongest for an unglued braid to bait knot. Anyone tempted to try the Yozuri should be sure to get the older Hybrid, not the Hybrid Ultra Soft. I have fished both, and the new "improved" Ultra Soft isn't as good as the original. You'll find the memory and coil of regular Hybrid somewhat better than Maxima, but the wear against sunlight and water absorbtion superior. At $7.99 for 275 yards of 10 pound, it is not expensive. Everyone should check Tackle Tours' articles on flouros and on knots. It will probably change your assumptions. Interestingly, they use either Maxima or Trilene XL as their base lines for comparing all other lines.

Techo, with his Maxima mantra, and I, with my Yozuri rants, must seem singleminded. However, we are not idiots. Flouro, even the best, has break off issues. Low knot strength and once it is streched, it is done. Go back to the best mono - Maxima - or switch to a flouro coated polymer -Yozuri. Way less money, way better quality. Drag baits, hmmmm, wasn't that what I wrote about last year? (Yeah, I do sometimes hop or lift.)