Champ188

Here is a website that gives about as much forecast info as you're gonna get from the Corps. http://www.swl-wc.usace.army.mil/WCDS/Reports/Daily/lakfcst.htm

Capt. Don is good people indeed. Let's pray for quick and full healing for Julie. The Great Physician is still working wonders. Donna and I are living proof, each of us surviving a bout with cancer in the past 3 years.

The 933.76 feet elevation at 9 p.m. Tuesday night is an all-time record, breaking the old mark of 933.25. The release from the dam of 68,000 cfs also is a record. Both of these were reported by the Associated Press, with Corps officials as their source.

Good stuff. Thanks for posting, Phil.

Indeed, it could be tough. The key when the water is super high is to be able to get to the bank and because of the terrain around Table Rock, that's just not possible in a lot of places. Gonna be interesting.

There's also a local organization called K.A.S.T. (Kids Are Special Too) that is operated by Table Rock guide and tournament pro Mike Webb. Their website is www.kastonline.com.

Glad to see it happen on the eve of the BASS Central Open as well. Will make it a real fishing derby instead of a bed-robbing contest. The rapidly changing conditions also wipes out any advantage that those who do their pre-fishing on the phone may have had. Get out there and find 'em for yourselves, boys. Conditions are gonna keep changing every hour. And may the best fisherman win — as it should be.

I think I'd have an issue if a tournament director rejected that fish at the scales. Nowhere in any tournament regs that I've ever read does it say you can't weigh in a tagged fish or one with a radio transmitter attached. They could deduct an ounce or so and I wouldn't complain but to reject the fish entirely wouldn't be right. JMO.

Thanks for the update, Fishrman. Good to know what's going on. Would love to be a fly on the wall in that university lab next week when the BASS Central boys catch half a dozen of those transmitter fish and suddenly they all move 40 miles downlake at 70 mph to the state park.

Very cool, Fishrman. Let us know what you find out, please.

Thanks for the Monday morning laugh, Bill. Would love to see the property owner's expression when he mows down that fence line and finds a shiny new War Eagle blade hanging on his fence.

LOL!!!!!!

FYI guys, that float-n-fly comment was an inside joke. Babler and Beck have been bashing them on Table Rock with it, including a 27-pound sack a couple of weekends ago. Figured I'd try to talk him into trying it at LOZ. Mike, gonna be a shootout this weekend, I believe. Looking forward to catching 'em up in the dirt for a change, the way I like it.

Donna and I fished Friday and found a fairly decent dock bite on jigs and also caught a couple dragging gravel points with a fb jig and a grub. Caught several keepers and since we were practicing for AIA on Saturday, we left each area immediately after catching a keeper. On Saturday, we fished the same stuff a lot harder and more thoroughly. I cannot 100% say that I had a bite all day. Donna had two for-sure bites and missed em both. If you get around some fish, better milk it for all it's worth. Like dtrs5kprs says, they GOTTA move up sometime. We're off to LOZ early in the morning for five hopefully glorious days. Might even make a little Central Pro-Am cash while we're at it.

Been favoring the Yum twin tails myself for jig trailers. They swim great, are tough as leather and are reasonably priced.

Or you can come on the forum first, see what Babler has so kindly posted and save yourself some time searching for the pattern.

Larry Gale ramp was in fine shape a week ago Sunday. I'm sure it still is.

I heard they're chompin' a float-n-fly close to Drake Harbor at Warsaw.

Bless you for having the patience and taking the time to take your boy fishing. Even at 50 now, I can't express how grateful I am that my dad did the same. He could've gone fishin with his buddies, and occasionally he did. But for the most part, from the time I was old enough to tag along, I was his favorite fishing buddy. It led to a lifetime love of the sport.

Thanks much, Rangerman. I'm the lucky one by far ... lucky she puts up with me.

10-4 rangerman, no problem at all. I did note that you said "some" and appreciate that. Hey, you're exactly right in that there are some real egotistical jackasses out there among tournament fishermen and I'm as put off by them as anyone. You and I obviously agree on releasing the LM and SM and eating some of the K's. Also enjoy eating the occasional walleye. Looking forward to being at Bull Shoals for a week in May. When we were there that time last year, we couldn't beat the 17 7/8-inch "Walters" off our grubs and finesse worms. They were all over the lake, from the dam on up, seemingly on every point. Hoping a bunch of those have grown at least 1/8 inch in the past year. Will definitely be packing the ol' fillet knife and some quart bags.

Hey rangerman, for the record ... I do not look down my nose at you or any other angler for keeping a mess of fish to eat. It's very seldom that my freezer is without a bag or two of bass fillets. I've spoken my mind several times on this site about how all of the management tools and regulations in the world do absolutely no good without some harvest. Not saying I'm right or wrong about the stripers or that anyone else is. We're all entitled to our opinions. Mine just happens to be I hope they don't stock any more of them.

One more vote for Rapala.

We'll be there Friday-Sunday, Denny. I think we decided to stay and just fish for fun Sunday. Have to check with Donna on that. Anyway, we'll get together Friday or Saturday night. Maybe we can have a hootenanny at the lodge.

I'm no biologist either but I do know this to be a fact: Tournament weights are lighter and overall per-hour catch rates for LM, spotted and smallmouth bass are lower in lakes that have big populations of stripers. In my opinion, this is because shad are not as plentiful. Again, it is a fact that north Arkansas' two primary striper lakes — Beaver and Norfork — consistently produce lighter winning tournament weights than Table Rock. Same goes for Bull Shoals, although not quite as noticeably, perhaps because the striper population isn't as dense as on Beaver and Norfork.