Champ188

Fifty-six of 64 teams have gone home already and Arkansas is still playing. I'll take it.

Don't let that thing even dangle above the water in Beardsley. Good way to lose a rod-and-reel and maybe even a boat! 😂

Great to hear, Tim. Hang in there. Let's also lift some prayers for Capt. Don. I won't use his last name for privacy purposes, but those of you who know him may know that he had a health issue last week and is probably out of guiding for the month of April. Praying that God heals both Tim and Don fast and fully.

Really sad when people die doing something they love. On the other hand, what better way to go? I had a golf pro buddy who went out one Sunday morning, shot a 68, came home and sat down in his recliner to watch football, and died.

And, as usual, the rest of us will pay in terms of increased premiums.

Great to hear the old pond is kicking out sacks like this again. And lots of em. Reminds me of a Nichols Team Series weigh-in on Grand Lake.

In my opinion, for the Hogs to go to the Final 4, they would have to play perfectly every game of the tournament and, of course, that won't happen. I'd be happy with an Elite 8 appearance. If the big Williams kid (freshman from Fort Smith) plays well in his return from Covid, that could happen.

Well said, bo. Total lack of concern for anyone's life, including his own.

Mark, I've ridden with a bunch of those over my years as an outdoors writer. It's just stupid how some of them never back off the throttle for any reason, while others drive like they at least have some common sense. Most of them are in the latter category, which definitely includes Mike McClelland, James Watson (yes, he actually drives a boat safely) and other Table Rock-area anglers.

Great that you guys got together. I've made so many very good friends on this site ... both virtual and real life friends.

Ultimately, it's because God made them that way. When you look at all of the intricacies of wildlife behavior, it's hard to deny the truth of a divine Creator.

Good on you for letting the line burner go. Not worth getting busted by the warden for a short fish. And it helps the fishery. I'm not about to say I don't eat a lot of the keeper walleye I catch while bass fishing, but I measure them religiously and I let the big ones go during spawning season. Obviously others do the same for this fishery to continue growing as it is.

OA site owner Phil Lilley used to sell a brand called Leadmaster in his marina store. This is also what the entire crew at War Eagle Lures uses to build spinnerbaits. Very, very good pliers. Around $20.

Dave is so far past his nightlife days that he'd be fine in the Canadian wilderness. Groceries might be another story. 😁

Good to hear. It's not everyone for sure. But there's just enough of them to make things dangerous and miserable out there some days.

Think I'll stay down here and fish Bella Vista lakes or Beaver for awhile. TR sounds like a tough proposition right now.

Not all shallow water is created equal. It has taken me 20 years of fishing TR to learn enough spots with enough variety to consistently catch fish shallow. Deep water is the same .... can't just stop in the middle of the lake and expect to catch anything. It's all relative.

Gotta love late winter/early spring. All of the cocky little wannabe's come out running and gunning, nearly killing anyone who gets in their way, not to mention cutting off anyone who dares to be where they want to be. And it's not a matter of not knowing any better; it's a matter of not giving a crap. Most of them will be on the golf course after they bomb out in the first couple of tournaments. Unfortunately, I'll encounter them there, too. Sorry to say, but the more people let them get away with that kind of behavior, the worse it's gonna get. Chunk a spoon or a Whopper Plopper at them. Aim at their head and I hope it's your most accurate cast of the day. 😆 '

Great news about your success, Bill, and yes, it pays to go see the best in cases of major surgery. Donna and I both used Dr. Jason Cook in Tulsa for our kidney cancer and have never once regretted it. If you have good insurance, it costs the same for a hack or a top-shelf surgeon. I'll have the latter, please and thanks.

Here is my 2 cents worth on the shad kill --- from a totally different perspective than Babler. The older members here know that I'm a skinny-water guy (not to be mistaken with a skinny guy, which I'm not ). For years now, and for multiple reasons, Table Rock bass have been living more and more offshore. And why not? There have been shad by the truckload swimming around in the middle of the lake. The spots do this by nature, but I believe a lot of the LM have joined them. Smallmouth seem to be everywhere but they are their own species. With fewer shad out there to gorge on, my hope is that some of the green fish (LM) will go back to their former shallow, structure/cover type areas and get back to hunting perch and crawfish. And when I say shallow, I mean 25-30 feet and in. I doubt this shad kill will mean curtains for offshore fishing. You guys with live scope, spot lock and all the other toys will be fine ... plenty of fish left out there for you and I really doubt the shad population is going to take a long-term hit. But I do believe this could put some fish back in shallower areas where old dummies like me can catch one every now and then. I appreciate that we have all sorts of anglers here and some very good ones at every style of fishing. Best of luck of 2021!!!

We have a TV in our exercise room. Sure helps pass the time on that stationary bike!

So which ones work for you?

Thanks, Mitch. Appreciate the post. I would love the little Yum Ned Craws except the colors SUCK, especially the green pumpkin. Remember the little army men we all used to get in plastic sacks of 50? That's the color of their GP. It's opaque and looks kind like baby spit-up. Great mold, just need to step up the color game.

That little Stik-O craw looks like it might do the trick.

That's a Saturday night clubhouse leader right there. It does really lend itself to being trimmed down and it's also very slim and low profile.