Champ188

That's the challenge with low water in the fall ... it eliminates a lot of good cover but it also concentrates the fish. It's all worth the bother, though, when you find that school of crank bait fish in a creek channel bend or on a corresponding flat and just wreck the heck out of em.

One of the best fishermen I've ever known on that lake told me 6 weeks ago that he's not going back to the north end until we get some significant rain and a bit of color back in the water. He believes the ultra-clear water (even more so than normal) on that end is just making the fish spooky as all get out.

They oughta be getting on that buzzer for ya soon.

Not sure about the 4-strokes but Mercury advises running 87 octane only in the Pro-XS two-strokes.

I don't go (especially to Beaver) unless the wind is going to be AT LEAST 10-15 mph. But I'm a winder --- spinnerbait, crank bait, etc. I also have a 20-foot boat and I'll either go directly into the rollers or "quarter" across them, driving in a zig-zag line to wherever I'm going. That's only when they get pretty high.

No results. As Flysmallie said, they got their free advertising and now are gone until next year when they start spamming us again.

To clarify, I'm not blaming tournaments for their behavior, although I do think the adrenaline of competition ramps up their screw-you mindset. No, these are the same guys who charge through after a traffic light turns red, fail to hold open the door for others at the convenience store, and "draft" you 6 inches off your bumper despite the fact that everyone else around them is driving as fast as possible in the traffic jam that has come to define NW Arkansas.

Glad to hear it. They must've gotten a tip that you were barging in on the striper guides' smallmouth spots. LOL. They are usually checking hunters this time of year.

Tim, it's not the guys like you who are the problem. The ones that get my dander up are these young balls-to-the wall-guys who obviously were NOT taught respect on the water the way your boy is learning, but the ones who are are handed keys to a truck and boat to get them out of the parents' hair. Y'all know the ones. You're sitting there fishing a main-lake point, easily visible to anyone with eyes. Then here comes Mr. Wannabe Tournament Pro blasting down the lake and he shuts down 50 yards away. So you say something to him, thinking maybe he will realize that you are not the guy he needs to be fooling around with. And all of a sudden, YOU are the bad guy for getting teed off about this jersey jockey barging in on your spot. You are not being KIND. Well, no, I'm NOT being kind to someone who tries to bulldoze their way into my little bitty spot on this 50,000-acre lake. Not all tournament fishermen are created equal. And I doubt it's actually very many who pull the type of stunt described above. But there's enough of these punks out there to make trying to share the lake with them a very frustrating experience. You and your boy keep tournament fishing doing it right, Tim. Thank you passing along the message of sportsmanship to your boy.

Good to hear the topwater bite is starting. Dang it's been a long, dry summer.

Randy, your walleye reports were as honest as they come and quite valuable. I always enjoyed and looked forward to them.

Same, Ham. Don't recall once going to TR this year. Been trying to up my game on Beaver instead.

Hey Ness, you're a bird hunter. Could FFS be adapted for that? I could see it totally replacing your bird dog in the field. And it wouldn't eat nearly as much or require trips to the vet. LOL

I'm personally looking forward to moving back to Hot Springs Village soon. It has 11 private lakes (mostly fished by retired northerners who don't give a flip about catching bass). It's like Bella Vista except bigger and with gates to keep the place secure. And in addition to the lakes, there are nine awesome golf courses that look like Augusta National compared to Bella Vista. We are still close to a year away from actually making the move, but preparations are underway. I'll also be fishing lakes Ouachita, Hamilton and DeGray --- as I have all of my life --- so any OAF regulars who need a reliable report on those waters, just PM me. If you aren't an OAF member or are fishing for tournament info, move along, please. Like many here, I've grown weary of the freeloaders who just want free info and rarely come back to give a report on their efforts.

Nice brown fish, Jeff. Good thing he didn't get caught by the striper guide I saw at Rocky Branch dock the other day. Guy was tied up to the dock and whacking their sides off one smallmouth after another. I wanted to barf on his boat.

To quote T.O. on the old Sunday Night NFL pregame show: "C'mon, man!" 😄 If I offended anyone here with my rants against FFS --- or Johnny, or killing bass, or the prevalence of tournaments, or ... 😆--- I do apologize. After so many years here, you assume that everyone knows your sense of humor, which is impossible in a chat room. There's also the fact that Wrench and I share the dubious distinction of speaking what's on our minds pretty freely. It's liberating at times, troublesome at others. More the latter, usually. I keep trying to order a filter on Amazon but they haven't been able to fit me yet. Do I wish FFS hadn't been adapted to fishing? Yes, definitely. But that doesn't trump anyone's right to own it or love it. By all means, don't withhold a fishing report. I'm sure our moderator or Phil would speak sternly to anyone --- myself included --- who attacked you here in any way. I just don't want to be "that guy" who causes anyone to shy away here from posting a fishing report or stating their opinion on anything fishing related. If I am, I'll step aside myself. Scopers gonna scope; winders gonna wind.

Some folks got weary of relaying hard-learned intel to drive-by's who never reciprocated or even bothered to join the forum. They just wanted free help for their next tournament, while others wanted to challenge the OP (Bill not withstanding) regarding their reports. I'm just an old grump according to some, but I can promise you this ... the quickest way to lose someone's free help is to challenge them on what they are trying to tell you. Translation: Don't ask one of the best guides to ever fish Table Rock how to catch fish and then say they're lying when they lay it out for you down to the precise lure, depth and presentation. With pics, even. The real truth is that some folks just suck at fishing. Period. But rather than own that and try to learn something, they dispute the source of their intel. And that's a forum killer. No one is going to keep spending their own time, money and talent to be undercut by some lazy-butt who wants the world laid at their feet.

I was under the impression for years that this was called "fishing" but apparently I was wrong --- fishing these days seems to be pretty adjacent to watching college or NFL football re-runs in my living room, minus the recliner. Maybe La-Z-Boys or Catnappers are the next big thing in bass boat options.

That's about as good a definition as I've seen through four decades of fishing derbies (until I gave it up a couple of years back except for the occasional benefit or "fun" event like the annual Polar Bear Tournament on Beaver Lake, where everyone is assured of a bowl of chili when they're done. Good times. Good friends.) Otherwise, I fish when I want to, stay home when I don't, and spend more time looking around appreciating all that God has made and gifted to us.

If a bullfrog had wings, he wouldn't bust his butt every time he hops.

Aren't many mechanics out there anymore. Just parts changers who can't even do that without a computer diagnostic to suggest which part (the most expensive, by default) to change.

No-ethanol regular (87), right?

Actually, it would be hypocritical if I continued to fish tournaments and complain about them at the same time. I'm not anti-tournament entirely ... like Wrench, I'm just against dozens of derbies every darn weekend so that a few people can benefit from the money that's thrown around. What's the purpose of a permitting process if you grant a permit to everyone who applies? Yes, I played the tournament game a long time --- long enough to know that if you MOVE some of these events to other lakes, people will still fish. Some won't like it, but others (me, Wrench and most definitely others, as well) would be glad to reap the benefits of less pressure when we are out there fishing on weekdays while most of the derby guys are slaving away to make those $1,000 boat payments.

I'm considerably behind ... just now seeing this but thanks Steve!