Champ188

I fish on nearly all game days, thanks to the advent of DVR.

Good report, QB. Glad you got out. Were the fish in 20 feet or less?

Shallow blade and crank bite is coming before too long. I just hate that.

And football. Hogs football. NFL football. Any kind of football except that abomination them furriners play with the round ball that ain't even real football.

This is not the LMB virus. The biologist has already identified it as an oxygen problem caused by a fragmented thermocline. Just remains to be seen how serious it gets. Hopefully we'll have an early fall and get things headed back in the right direction.

You hit on something that a lot of people miss. I'm as serious about my fishing as anyone and work at it on and off the water, but I don't miss the opportunity these days to pause and watch the wildlife around me. It's just part of the whole experience for me.

That's a heck of a nice job, Brad. Should give you years of enjoyment.

I think they call that one The Foxhole. Thanks, folks. I'll be here all week.

With the oxygen problems/fish kill we are experiencing right now, I would question the practice of bringing healthy fish from the dam area into that environment. One more dead fish is too many.

As I understand it, there is a shoreline management plan for every Corps lake. Stockton has docks, just not as many as other lakes. Probably the population, as you suggested. LOZ is not a Corps lake. It is owned by the Amerens power company, so it's a totally different animal.

Bottom line is it's not about the fish.

I was already thinking, hey I hope no one thinks that was us. LOL

Nope, been 3 weeks or more since I've been on the Rock. Besides the fact that I would never get on plane inside a no-wake buoy, Donna would knock a knot on my head if I did, and rightfully so.

Bad news. Interesting about the thermocline and insufficient oxygen to support fish life below 20 feet.

A baseball to the noggin. This may explain a lot.

By dang Jerry, a catch like that should've earned ya a free jersey. Name on the back and all that. You know, like the pros.

If calling others a "white trash redneck conservative" (illustration or not) isn't throwing stones, I don't know what is.

Agreed in full on every word, especially the relative importance of stripers vs. black bass when compared to the larger issues this nation is facing. Beaver does have significant populations of both stripers and black bass, and I'm sure that's not likely to change anytime soon, if ever. Selfishly, I wish the stripers weren't there because I do believe the black bass fishing would be stronger. But that's irrelevant because they are there and black bass anglers, including myself, are not the lake's only angling user group. As for tournaments, I'm not the big supporter that I used to be. I remember the days when tournament anglers policed themselves, i.e. when the occasional jackass drew complaints from other anglers --- especially the recreational, non-tournament group --- the old guard among the tournament guys would let him know that rude or unsportsmanlike behavior toward anyone on the lake would NOT be tolerated. This in itself created a more sportsmanlike atmosphere around derbies. Today, the jackasses seem to have grown in number until self-policing is no longer effective. I still believe they are outnumbered by the courteous guys/gals, but there is enough of them that their presence is felt way too often and way too strongly. As has been discussed many times on OAF, courtesy and respect have become endangered species everywhere --- on the roads, on the lake, in the stores, just about anywhere you want to go. Sadly, we have a generation of young adults with far too big a percentage of entitled, selfish and downright rude brats. And some of them are driving bass boats and fishing in tournaments. Onward, folks.

The Ned is a tool just like any other lure. None should be used exclusively.

Nice work. Goes to show just how much confidence and determination can pay off in tough times.

Certainly not in my opinion. Others may differ.

No sir, one man's findings/opinions does not end a debate the magnitude of whether stripers arm harmful to the black bass fishery in Beaver and other freshwater lakes. I doubt that Notropis would claim to be the final authority in that debate, which spreads nationwide. I don't have all the answers by any means. I don't have the knowledge or experience of Notropis or other fisheries biologists. But if he was the district biologist for Beaver Lake, I presume that means he worked for the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission and throughout my years with the statewide newspaper, I never, ever, ever interviewed a single AGFC person who would even entertain the thought that stripers might be harmful. Can't exactly blame them ... I'm sure they would have been called on the carpet and possibly have lost their job for going against the flow, so to speak. I base my opinion that stripers are likely harmful on personal experience ... lakes Ouachita, Hamilton and Catherine near Hot Springs all have stripers and black bass fishing in those lakes is relatively poor. Same for Texoma. Lakes Wylie and Norman in North Carolina also have only so-so black bass fishing. In short, anywhere I have ever been that had stripers had unremarkable black bass fishing. Missouri is reluctant to stock pure in its larger freshwater fisheries, although Truman and Lake of the Ozarks have hybrids (wipers). This is still the United States of America and I'm still entitled to my opinion. And on this topic, my opinion is that stripers in freshwater are probably detrimental to my primary angling interest, which is black bass and crappie (winter). Not here to argue. We'll just have to agree to disagree.

Very good info, Notropis. Thanks for explaining.

I say kudos to the guy for realizing he might have killed the fish by putting it into an inadequate livewell and choosing to release it on the spot.

How about one to make me look smaller?