Champ188

Looking forward to six days on the water between now and next Sunday. Like Jaws said, should be gettin good.

I keep Roostertails handy myself, Sam. Not always tied on but where I can grab one pretty quick. Probably not a better all-around bait in the world for catching schooling fish of any variety.

Dang, Cajun ... you sure seem to get your unmentionables in a knot over little bit of nuthin. Yeah, I lurked your post. No, I have nothing to contribute because I haven't been to Bull since last May and won't be back over there for a couple more months. Just so happens that fish up and down this White River chain behave a lot alike, so knowing what's going on at Bull helps me decide what to try on TR or Beaver. Have a Coke and a smile.

I think Capt. Don should take KVD snaggin' for spoonbills. That would be some quality entertainment.

I think he withdrew when word got out me and Donna are planning to fish.

AMEN to that Techo! Well said.

Please tell me the Weather Channel is not your barometer for whether you should be concerned about your property flooding. Two weeks ago, they predicted 2-4 inches of snow for NW Arkansas. We got 24 in Bella Vista. If we get a lot of rain this spring, by darn the lake will probably flood. If we don't, it won't. God knows if that will happen. No one at the National Weather Service or on this forum is quite that high up the chain of command.

Thanks to all for the roundabout words of encouragement. I'm sorry that you guys are struggling too but at least I'm in good company. Incidentally, water temps in the midlake areas that I've been fishing have been 40-44, the upper side of which I don't consider terribly cold. Still, makes sense that the big sacks are being caught way deep. Seems no matter how bad it gets, there's always some semblance of a very deep bite.

I'm hoping it's not ALL me, but I'm beginning to wonder if I've completely forgotten what little that I once knew about catching one of those green (or brown) things. Donna and I threw a jerk bait and jig all weekend and had a grand total of two confirmed acts of aggression against our lures. She actually put a 15-inch smallmouth in the boat during our 4-hour outing Saturday and I had one smack a jerk bait about 1:30 p.m. Sunday. Of course, there was a six-fish, 26-pound sack caught in the Winter Series derby Sunday, so it's obviously possible to catch a helluva string. It's just not happening for me. I'm bailing on the BFL this weekend. I may not have the intelligence to catch one, but I'm smart enough not to throw $200 at a shot in the dark. Probably be some disappointed back-seaters since the co-angler side of this derby was won out of my boat last year. Different month, though. Someone tell of similar struggles, please. Misery loves company.

It was iced over Saturday when we drove across.

Hackney will be right in his element.

Indeed no need to apologize. Your intent was pretty obvious from this angle.

Good grief. Sounds like we'll all be fishing semi-close to Kim City this weekend.

Donna and I are planning to drive up Saturday morning. Does anyone know which ramps might be accessible? Also, I presume that Hwy. 86 from Cassville to its junction with Hwy. 13 near Kim City is clear by now but would like to know for sure if anyone has that info. Thanks much in advance for any help.

I just answered the man's question, Techo. That's all.

Brad, The way this winter has been, you should feel right at home. We primarily fish suspending jerk baits and 5/16-ounce finesse jigs like the Eakins Jig that time of year. Look for bluff ends and channel swings on both the main lake and river arms. The fish MAY start thinking about moving toward spawning areas but they'll still be staging. Hope this helps.

You're welcome to hang out here anytime, edyer. Glad to have ya.

Jimmy, That's a subject that's been batted around the park till the cowhide is thin. To answer your question, yes it's legal for tournament anglers to fish beds. Is this detrimental to the bass population? Well, it certainly can't help. But as long as tournaments are held during the spawn, pursuit of the almighty dollar will prevail every time. Yes, I'm a tournament fisherman. I don't purposely sight fish in competition during the spawn, primarily because I don't think it's a wise use of my time. But if I come across a large bass on a bed, I will attempt to catch her. I'd be robbing myself if I didn't.

Those Megabass hooks with the outward-facing barbs are mean ones. Denny's a fishin buddy and my tournament partner in the TR winter series. He's plenty tough. But I've had hooks in me, too, and there reaches a point after a few minutes where the tissue swells around the hook, the nerves get super touchy and it hurts like hell just to touch it. At that point, it's doctor time. But yes, $335 is absolute highway robbery.

I'm with you, rps. Don't want one of my size 13's in my mouth.

If it's not still frozen, it's dang cold up there.

I'm late too but happy birthday, you old goat. Think the world of ya.

LOL, Techo. And we can complete the circuit with a good, healthy roundtable discussion on bed fishing.

Gitnby, like you, I varied mine quite a bit — mostly from 10-20 seconds. i just can't go much more than 20 seconds, especially if the wind's blowing like it was yesterday.

There are lots of things worse. Besides, expecting solitude in the month of April on one of the country's best-known bass fisheries is a bit presumptuous. This old row about visiting tournament fishermen vs. crabby locals surfaces every spring on the forum. Looks like it's off to an early start this year.