Champ188

Now that's using your noodle. Hadn't thought of that.

Lots of good info there. Thanks for sharing that.

Nice report, Dock. Great detail, as always. Thank you from a fellow OAFer for what you contribute here.

One more comment about this ... I spent quite a few days in the boat (and golf carts) back in the 80s and 90s with Ron Shuffield, the now-retired pro fisherman and father of Spencer Shuffield ... and I'd bet my left crown jewel that there's more to this story than he pulled a fast one on his boat official with an illegally hooked bass caught while sight fishing. Spencer just about dominates statewide circuits in Arkansas and is smart enough to know that his livelihood depends in part on his reputation. Besides, his dad (and mom) are stand-up folks who raised their children right, including that cheating isn't an option. I'm not saying nothing happened ... obviously it did because apparently the polygraph tripped Spencer up on questions about fish being legally hooked. But we all know there's always more to every story than the first report. I'd just like to hear the rest of the story.

I have a similar deal that I do in deep bluff-cut pockets in late summer/early fall.

I'm in for that one. Anytime.

Avena is a media darling of that tour, much like Palaniuk is for BASS. Can't have those pristine images meared by a cheating uproar.

But you've got stripers! Don't that just thrill your soul? 😆

Well done, sir!

You're gonna be a long way from Owl Creek if you're close to Cow Creek. They are almost on opposite ends of the White River channel. But you could trailer to Big M and be very close.

If it was Beaver you coulda caught a striper and tossed it up on the bank for them. At least by dying it would serve SOME purpose in life. :)

Good trip for July.

But Bill, it doesn't hurt to keep SPOTTED BASS. I know it can't hurt because I've read it right here on OAF a hundred times. Personally, I don't believe you can put the kind of pressure TR gets on any lake and not hurt the fishing to a degree. But that's just me.

That Senko is a fish-catching piece of plastic. May not be my cup of tea, but Donna sure works on them with it.

😆

Oh c'mon, Bill. Tell us exactly where you were. We need waypoints! Can't expect people to actually go fishing and find some for themselves. 😄

Well done, Dewayne. Thanks for the info.

Yet another opportunity for wannabes to pose as pros. But taking kids fishing is always a good thing. 👍

Love these reports even though I'm primarily a shallow water guy. Well done, Dock ... per usual. And thanks for always including key how-to info.

Shallow dock bite must be really good ... 5/16 jig or 3/16 shaky head and only pitch into those slips with 12-18 feet of water. Don't get lazy or distracted by slips deeper or shallower. You gotta dial in and find the right pace ... i.e., how long to soak your bait and then move on. Salvaged a bunch of Central Pro-Am checks doing this over the years.

Love those big K's. Line stretchers.

I have a 12-year-old Fortrex (36v, 101 lbs thrust) on my Ranger that has had me wishing since the day I bought it that I'd never wasted the money I spent on previous Motorguides. The MK Fortrex is a hard-working, tough piece of equipment. Strongly recommend.

And there you have it. Well said, Wrench.

Every instance of cheating is another setback for when we might see the catch-weigh-release format become a reality on the local level. Shoot, these fish were brought to the scales and the dudes STILL nearly got by with it. Pretty obvious they DID get by with it in previous derbies.

Perfect. Keep those big-water guys down closer to that big concrete thing that holds in the water. Didn't we suspend the issuance of river-fishing permits anyway due to overcrowding from Campbell Point on up? Let those "smart guys" find their own fish with their fancy scopes. If Bo was still with us, he'd be outfishing them all with his old-school 'lectroniks. Shoot, he'd have been night fishing in March!