Champ188

Can't say it much better than that. George Cochran won two Bassmaster Classics and a Forrest Wood Cup --- all in August --- fishing dirt shallow. And only one of those was on a river system. Don't forget to read between the lines in the reports on this forum. There's a lot of information there. Anyone else ready for some fall fishing?

I'm not gonna stop posting over one misinformed person. I will continue to post general information that hopefully will point fellow OAFers in the right direction. Furthermore, the offer I made long ago still stands ... if anyone wants more specific info, they can PM me and I'll be happy to oblige anyone except known knifers. A lot of you guys have done that and can testify that in most cases, I'll tell everything I know of the current conditions.

All I said was good luck getting any idea of the location or the exact lure out of him --- and you still haven't. Alex works hard at catching these big fish and fishes a lot of derbies, so he's pretty guarded in what he shares. So am I and lots of others on here when it comes to specifics. He even redacts the background in some of his pics to keep people from identifying his boat position. There are a lot of us on here who share a lot of information, but we aren't gonna give every little detail. You can if you want, but an episode last year showed that we have a lot of meat hunters on here, including some among the membership, and I'm not gonna help them kill our bass by giving away my hard-earned specifics. And then there are the freeloaders who don't want to figure out anything on their own, just let everyone else do the work for them. It's a great forum. The very best. Take what you can get from it and be happy.

It was a good day numbers-wise but I really had hoped to find a couple of schools of bigger spots. The shad just haven't moved into the right places for them to gang up. Bo is right about docks but anymore there's a big ol' barge or runabout in every slip and even a skilled pitcher/flipper has trouble squeezing a bait in there. Besides, as Bo also said, getting them out is another problem entirely.

Donna and I ventured out for a day, starting at 8 a.m. near Baxter. Ended up fishing between there and the White/Kings split. Not a lot to report. We caught 24 total with only two keepers. A couple on a jig and the rest on drop shots. Magic depth was 25-30 feet. A few were on the bottom but most were suspended near bait schools. No topwater love despite it being cloudy all day. Would love to report a boatload of 3-4 pounders but not this time. Better days are coming soon.

Good luck getting that out of him.

Nice brown fish, Bobby. Those are a special kind of fun.

Try not to overthink things, J-Doc. Go to one of your favorite areas of the lake, pick out the structure you like to fish (points, boat docks, etc.), put on your confidence lure (within reason for the season) and relax. You know how to catch fish.

Try not to overthink things, J-Doc. Go to one of your favorite areas of the lake, pick out the structure you like to fish (points, boat docks, etc.), put on your confidence lure (within reason for the season) and relax. You know how to catch fish.

Good luck in your upcoming fishoffs/championships, Mike. This was always an exciting time of year before I decided I was done with derbies.

This is why I put my boat up for 3 months every summer and just play golf. I don't trust myself when it comes to turning the other cheek to idiots like these.

Better hope your wife doesn't find out.

Covered several Bassmasters Classics with him in the 80s. Good guy, indeed. I wish him nothing but joy.

Would you expect any different?

Could also have to do with power generation and the current it creates. Remember, the farther uplake from the dam, the longer it takes for the water to start moving.

Where did you go? Generally, of course.

Nice job, Mike. You've been on a roll lately. Keep it up.

I feel his pain. Literally. Arkansas' statewide newspaper didn't offer buyouts ... even for 35-year employees. Just layoffs. Yeah, I'm a little bitter.

I buy a case at a time, dump them all in a big Tupperware bowl and store my Redfins and War Eagle spinnerbaits in there. Keeps all the moving parts lubed up and makes a powerful attractant!

It can never be too hot for golf. Donna and I played in a couples tournament in August 2000 on the hottest day ever on record in Hot Springs (Arkansas). It was 112 that day --- actual temp, not heat index --- and our tee time was 2 p.m. She will back that up.

Dang, Vernon. That is one fine-looking fishing machine. Dallas Cowboys colors, too. Can't beat that!

You gotta give 'em credit for a job well done. They didn't even have to get their feet wet when they dismounted.

He ordered it from champ188.com.

Glad you had a good trip. Experiences like that are what got me hooked on fishing many moons ago. You're raising those boys right.

Owner Kelly Power knows fishing in general --- and especially Table Rock --- as well as anyone.