Champ188

The catch-all is that if you break a state law, you've broken tournament rules by default since every tournament worth fishing has a rule that requires you to follow all state and local laws. So, catching and keeping a 12-inch fish on the Missouri side of Bull Shoals would be no different than setting out a 20-pound basket of bass, retrieving them and weighing them in. Either way, you've broken tournament rules. Yes, cheaters are going to cheat and you're going to have some try to get by with it in tournaments. We can only hope that self-policing and polygraphs will deter most of it.

Joseph, I overlooked the "next 10 days" part of your question. There's definitely still a prespawn A-rig bite on the main-lake points and bluff ends and should be for at least 2-3 more weeks. In fact, I was unable just this past weekend to find ANY females in the creeks. Fling away with the octopus rig. BTW, and you probably know this, but you can only have three hooks on your A-rig.Teasers/hookless baits are unlimited, but only three "real" hooks. Enjoy your trip and let us know how you do.

The last time I fished a Central Pro-Am on Bull Shoals, which has been several years ago, spots were 12 inches except for the Missouri portion of the lake, where they had to be 15 inches. So if you caught sub-15 inch spots early in the day, you couldn't take them into Missouri without being in violation of state law.

Yes, it tends to fade away as the water warms and the fish move shallow for the spawn.

Tournament results speak for themselves concerning Beaver Lake. The opening Everett Team Trail derby drew 191 boats, of which 112 zeroed, i.e. failed to catch a single keeper fish. That's not opinion, propaganda or hate --- just fact. It can be viewed at http://everettteamtrail.com/ Speaks volumes about why some of us in NW Arkansas, including several on this forum, regularly drive right past Beaver on our merry way to Table Rock.

That would be one big male but I caught one over 6 pounds on Ouachita once.

Now that's funny. And of course they had to be blue. LOL

A fine young man, no doubt.

Nice post and fully agreed. Dave knows his stuff. Hope you get em today.

You are a meanmouth-catching machine. Thanks for the report and congrats on a good day. Did you go up, down or both?

OK, here's the truth on my end. I need Kentucky to win for my bracket at work. It appears I will finish first if that happens. So, go Cats. However, and Calipari the Crook is one of few who can make me say this, it would be go Blue Devils if not for the money.

Nice pics. That said, my observation would be that if you have time to take pictures, you have time to be fishin.

A buddy down here actually located some of the old Fliptails on the internet a couple of years ago. Someone had the molds (or had cast their own molds) and was making them. Can't recall the website now but I bet you could google it.

Speaking of unsavory practices, why bother watching basketball if all you want to do is root for Duke?

Caught lots of em doing the same thing during my few years in Pensacola. Mobile Delta/Tensaw River, plus Perdido, Escambia and Blackwater rivers. Of course, the occasional grinnel (bowfin) always brought a little excitement when he came to visit.

OMG, here we go again. Another pre-Rap Wiggle Wart thread. I do have to say that's a darn nice batch.

CadeWompus and basscatfan, you guys are welcome here anytime, whether you're here visiting or not. We're glad to share our info with people who reciprocate, as you did. That's what it's all about. Sharing info. My biggest challenge is to not let my ego get too big coz there are some darn good fishermen on this forum, including yourselves, and they'll beat your brains out on any given day. Glad you had (or are having) a great visit and come back!

I still have the remainder of some 100 bags of Jawtec's big ringworm. I grew up in Hot Springs with Kilby and he hooked me up with the guy who owned the company, Bruce Benedict. Still have some old Ranger tournament shirts somewhere with Jawtec embroidered on them. Ham, I am with you on the Zetabait worms. They made the best 8-inch ribbontail ever called a Gillraker. Caught a lot of fish on that old red/black bloodline worm of theirs. They had a very good plum, too.

You guys did great this weekend. Kicked my butt and I was on the upper end of the same stretch of water that basscatfan fished. Just shows how a fresh perspective and not fishing the history book can pay off. I had a lot of predetermined notions about how to catch them Saturday and we did catch a lot of fish, just not nearly the size you guys had. Great job. Now go home and stop beating up the local talent!! Me and Babler are getting old and take a beatdown like we used to.

I miss Ditto worms. Caught a lot of fish over the years flipping a Baby Gator Tail in grape/powder blue tail, electric blue, fire 'n ice, etc.

Exactly what I was thinking, Dave. Makes a good opportunity for catching some without having to crash the bushes.

Donna and I did our usual bit of poking around and not getting to the lake til 8:15. On the water and fishing by 8:30. Found a fair number of fish in a flat-ish creek with standing timber and buckbrush in the back. However, of the half dozen fish we caught in there, not a one was related to the cover. All males just cruising. Surface temp was 50 at that point in the day (reached 55 in places by afternoon) and visibility was about 18 inches. That pattern held up in a couple of other places through the course of the day but not everywhere. You can fish a lot of productive-looking water and never get a bite and then pull into another place just like where you left and catch 3 or 4 right quick. The lesson there is: Don't linger too long in a place you aren't getting bit, but don't run off too soon from a place where you are catching a few. We ended the day with 19 fish and five keepers that wouldn't have topped 10 pounds. A 3/8-ounce War Eagle spinnerbait accounted for 17 of those, with the Ned and a KVD square bill producing one fish each.

On second thought, probably not. I mistakenly presumed Randy took that photo at Holiday Island. Owl Creek to Beavertown would be a pretty good haul in that little rig.

Dave, stop being a buzz kill.

Boy, I really hate to see that water up in the grass and bushes like that. I mean, shoot, how's a guy supposed to catch a fish out of a mess like that?