Champ188

Well, no mention in their final story on the centralpro-am.com website about what they planned to do with the fish. Seems they'd want the public to know they were returning them alive and well to Table Rock ... if that's what they did. As it is, I guess we're left to wonder.

Might be the least-appetizing plate I've ever seen, and I like fish. Gack!

LOL, yup that might ignite a little bit of a s***storm.

Just for clarity, these bass will be trailered to Springfield in the livewells of the boats they were caught in. No specially equipped truck will take them there. No tournament angler is going to be asked to trust his catch to someone else for transport.

Same goes for a white Ranger with silver/gunmetal stripes and a Merc. Donna and I will likely be somewhere around Shell Knob all day Saturday.

I don't think they should've hauled those Grand fish around like that either but ... it was February, so it was much easier on the fish and after weigh-in, the Oklahoma fish and game folks took possession of them, loaded them into a specially equipped tank truck and returned them to Grand. Delayed mortality will never be accurately measured or known, but word was that every fish taken to Tulsa went back into Grand alive and well.

Does is seem odd to anyone but me that Central Pro-Am is holding its final championship weigh-in Sunday at the Bass Pro Shops in Springfield? The 15 finalists will compete on Table Rock, then trailer to Springfield for the weigh-in. Seems tough enough to keep fish alive in 80-something degree water at a lakeside weigh-in, much less taking them on a 40-mile road trip. There's also the added issue of caring for deep-caught fish this time of year. Acknowledging that BPS is a sponsor of the circuit, they have very suitable facilities at Long Creek (Big Cedar) and Branson Landing, where the Bassmaster Elite Series weekend weigh-ins were held last spring. Couldn't the Central Pro-Am weigh-in be held at one of those sites? It also remains to be seen if these fish will be returned to Table Rock or perhaps placed in the fish tank at BPS in Springfield. For a circuit that relies so heavily on Table Rock as a tournament venue, it doesn't seem right to me to take its fish and haul them 40 miles away.

Lance, get your dad some 1/4-ounce War Eagle spinner baits (or Screamin' Eagles, which are 1/2-ounce but built on the smaller 1/4-ounce frame) and put him on windblown bluff banks. The harder the wind, the better. Have him reel that blade at a good clip but deep enough that it's almost out of sight. You can also catch them on flatter banks as long as there's big slab rock present. These same fish will hit a buzz bait early in the morninig or later in the day if it's cloudy. I also wouldn't be afraid to have him throw a Bandit 200 series crank bait in the craw-orange or rootbeer color patterns on the same banks. There's a fair number of largemouths already moved up and you can catch them if you get on these areas and keep moving. Hope this helps. Good luck to you and your dad.

I share your concern about the umbrella rigs, Bo. They have allowed a lot of inexperienced/marginally skilled anglers to catch big fish they probably wouldn't otherwise catch. You put a trophy bass in the hands of some people -- especially irresponsible ones who've never caught a big fish -- and you can darn well bet it's not going back in the lake. Makes me ill to think about it.

I don't see any cause for alarm. Lots of things affect catch rates. Baitfish supply and movements are major factors, as well as long-term weather patterns. The spring bite this year was as good as it gets. We didn't have any high water to speak of this year, which may have affected the movements and location of the bigger fish. They are out there.

Sounds fun. Grew up huntin' bushytails with my grandfather and dad but haven't shot anything in years. Never thought I'd say such a thing as a youngster but I'm just too soft-hearted to kill anything these days -- the exception being walleye, crappie and some small spotted bass, but NOT 15-inchers from Table Rock. Enjoy your trip. Sounds like a large time.

Super moon did not help, I'm sure.

I see bass boaters practically every outing that give all of us a bad name. Burns my britches that some of us go out of our way (and will continue to do so) to be ultra-courteous and then some jerk comes along and undoes all of our efforts by acting a fool. We all know the old saying about one aw-sh** wiping out 10 attaboys.

Hey Jim, yes we are back on the Rock. Done with Beaver for now. Maybe forever. I'd like to believe that but I know another tournament will come along and I'll be sucked back in by my own damnable competitive nature. So yes, looking forward to meeting you soon. We'll grab a picnic lunch under a dock someday soon. Or maybe meet for breakfast at Ma's Place. Whatever works best. Good luck in your upcoming derbies.

That's a case where the old guy definitely should have kept his feelings to himself. Privately, I too wish there were no jet skis, wake boats, tubers, etc. For that matter, I wish there were only a handful of fishermen other than myself. But you have a right to use the lake as much as I do. Where the real rub comes in is when recreational boaters infringe upon the rights of fishermen by crowding them, operating their boats dangerously, etc. But that's another conversation. There are grumpy old goats everywhere. Heck, I'm one sometimes. To heck with him. Enjoy the lake. It belongs to all of us.

Nice report. We may have a classic fall bite brewing. Sure hope so.

Sure wouldn't want to see you tear your boat up ... or worse. Glad to have you on the forum.

Ken, I am no expert when it comes to that area of the White River, but I'd be careful taking a bass boat that far upstream. It's been my understanding for several years that Houseman Access is pretty much the upstream limit. Others with more knowledge, like RPS, hopefully will weigh in. Glad you caught some fish.

Bill never has to worry about me beating him to his junk. If you ever see me sitting in 150 feet of water, please come to my aid. I'm either broke down or out of gas. Although I must say, Mr. Bill has directed me to some very good stuff and I've managed to catch some from it. I just have a hard time getting my pea brain wrapped around that deep-water concept.

Nice job, rps. They aren't quite as far back downlake around SK but are definitely moving that way.

Actually, there isn't a great deal to add. Saturday was rainy just about all day (we fished 7 a.m. to 5:15 p.m). Yeah, we are tough people. LOL. Water temp was 83-84 and clarity was around 5 feet or so. Launched at SK bridge and fished from there down to Big Creek. Shad seem to be moving into the mouths of the major creeks, as they should in September-October. I think they may be slightly ahead of schedule this year. Nearly all of the spots seem to be staying offshore with the shad for now. Didn't find any on bluff ends or steeper banks. However, there are a fair amount of largemouths already up in the shallows and more to come as the water temp drops. Big rocks and just about any kind of wood (other than pole timber) are good places to get bit. With the cloud cover Saturday (and at times a decent breeze), we caught some fish on a 1/4-ounce War Eagle spinner bait and a 1/2-ounce Screaming Eagle (designed for burning). Everything was either on main-lake points or just inside the pockets, so don't get too antsy about getting way back. Not quite time yet. The best fish of the day was a LM that should have weighed 4 pounds but was skinny as a rail, so we figured it around 3. Donna caught it on a War Eagle white buzz bait with a silver blade. It was on a rocky outcrop along a main-lake bluff bank. Just hammered that buzzer. Threw water 3 feet high. Ended the day somewhere between 25-30 fish, counting the ones we had on and saw but lost. Donna said 2 keepers but we actually had 4. She's getting old and struggles to keep track even of single-digit counts these days. Until next time, tood-a-loo and good fishin'.

Yep, I use it a lot too. Don't tell my boss. lol

You nailed it, bluebasser. I also eat bass but only the smaller spots that are also prolific in Beaver. It's just hard for me to keep a 15-inch fish or larger. The spots do need thinning, which is the logic behind the AGFC removing the length limit on them at Beaver this year. Scott, bass fishermen can be a tedious bunch for sure. I think the real issue is that Beaver is a tough nut to crack and guys just aren't willing to share what they've worked hard to figure out. The core group of Beaver bass guys are also a bit quirky and just as hard to figure out as the lake itself. As I've done on occasion in the past, I will give you a bass report for Beaver whenever I can. I talk to someone from the bass crowd every day, and sometimes several. Don't mind passing on what I hear/experience for myself.

What part of "don't matter to me" was unclear to you guys? I repeat, I don't care. Anything that has to do with Beaver Lake is not going to get my hackles up. However, F&F frequently laments the lack of reports from the bass crowd. Right, wrong or indifferent, the bass guys in general aren't gonna contribute any info to a forum where bass are kept and cleaned.

As you might imagine, photos of dead bass in ice chests, and particularly big smallmouth, aren't going to do much to encourage fishing report participation from the bass crowd. Don't matter to me -- I'm done with my derby fishing on Beaver for the year (not gonna waste another dime this year south of Table Rock or east of Grand) -- but most guys don't look favorably on killing the big brown fish, nor the big green ones.