Champ188

I've found that purple (Grape Ape) rope works best but it can be hard to find. Skeet Yeller is a good second choice and that blue/white checkered rope (Blue Shore Minnow) will produce at times, too.

Anyone running on plane under the 12 bridge should (A) be ticketed and ( be DQ'd from any derby they are fishing. As I recall, that bridge is clearly marked as an idle zone. Same with the 412 bridge up in the White River.

Costa does a great job of keeping their glass lenses lightweight, so I really don't see any advantage to the plastic ones other than cost savings. And when you're buying premium sunglasses, I'm not sure price should be a determining factor anyway.

Current changes everything ... stirs the water, therefore breaking up the thermocline and redistributing temps and oxygen levels. Recently, we have had lots of fresh water entering the upper (south) end of the lake and moving throughout the lake down to the dam, where it is dumping into Table Rock. Because the lake is narrower at the upper end, the current moves faster. There is also the turbidity factor, and dingy water never hurts a crank bait bite. So unlike the lower two-thirds (north) end of the lake, the river fish are more evenly distributed from top to bottom, there isn't as distinct of a thermocline and the fish are more active because the water is more oxygenated. So ... you can get a crankbait down to these fish. As for it being a lot of work, that's just fishing. Catching them consistently takes starting early, staying late and working like a dog every minute in between.

I keep my Costa Zanes on a lanyard. They're either on my face, around my neck or hanging from the rear-view mirror in my truck. Haven't lost a pair since I started doing that.

Couldn't have been the weather or any other natural factor. I played great yesterday.

But Beaver is LOADED with bass, or so some say. Funny thing is, those saying that rarely catch much of anything.

Great trip, Jason. Caught a bunch of fish and learned a lot, too. Way to stick with that dropshot. That's how you learn.

Ken, they are not too big for bass at all. That used to be the general consensus but we've learned that on Table Rock and Lake of the Ozarks in particular, big bass target these gizzard shad. The problem right now is these big LM become very nocturnal during super-hot weather, and they also are not as active when water temperatures push well up into the 80s. It's kind of like winter in reverse ... they just don't run around and eat a whole lot. By the way, very nice LM. I'd say definitely a 5-pounder. Docks are a good place to bushwack one of those this time of year. Nice job.

Thanks for the great info, wmander. Good to have a professional's take on the topic.

Not at all impossible to find a decent deep crank bait bite from Hickory Creek up. Best in the afternoons when they are generating. Ledges where the flats fall into the channel are best. Bluff ends with current will also produce.

AGFC does not maintain lake records. Only statewide records.

Not bad, man. Biting pretty good for late July.

Hate to think of animals suffering because of human negligence. And that's no knock on hunting. We need responsible harvest. I'm talking about wildlife injured and tangled in our trash.

Love my green mirror Costa 580s. I have a big fat head (for storing my wisdom and intuition) and the Zane frames fit me nicely.

Hey, I said the same thing earlier ... most guides not included because drop shotting will get you lots of bites, especially with live crawlers. And guiding is mostly all about getting lots of bites with size not really that important. But the derby fishermen I know who spend hours on end playing video games are usually at the back of the check line, if they are in it at all.

Yes, we disagree on a few things. Likely more than a few. I can live with that. In this context, you think it's imperative to have every electronic bell and whistle available, and to spend a whole lot of time learning to use them. For me, the top priority is to spend more time learning the habits of the fish and developing intuition as to how to find an catch them in a given situation. Catch and release is worth arguing about. This is not. I'm done here. Got fish to catch and golf to play. Good luck Saturday at Grand.

I remember seeing pics of animals who had grown into those things as a kid and to this day I still break each ring individually before I throw them in the trash.

Good info, Richy. Thanks for sharing.

Maybe a trolling motor prop injury while someone was fighting him?

Brand new guy simply suggested that an option is to wait for the 2016 models. Maybe you wouldn't wait, but others might not mind making do with what they have until the new stuff is released in order to get what they want/need. At this point in the year, I for one would not need any convincing to wait. As for info, it's all available on the big wide world of internet. Why do you have to challenge everyone on everything they suggest? Is your electronics setup that much superior to ours? In fact, what is your setup?

Went Tuesday and found just that, QB. Find a group, get them fired up and you can catch a pretty good bunch in one spot. We had 34 in about 6 hours, best five 13-14 lbs.

While admitting that I've yet to try the XD series and that they must be some fine baits, I've learned from experience and observing some very good deep crankers that the big Fat Free Shad and the Rapala DT16 and DT20 are awfully hard to beat.

Lake records in Arkansas are not officially maintained by any state agency. Local folks at marinas and such sometimes track them, but such info is unreliable and suspect.

I said I have a 998C on my console. It has side imaging. I use it. But I spend a lot more time worrying about what is actually going on around me than I do playing with my electronics. Good grief, man. Lighten up.