Champ188

People pretending to be someone they aren't = goober.

Now that would be great. I may even take it over to Tenkiller and see if Donna and I can catch some K's to eat. No size and no creel limits in Oklahoma on spots -- only on a few specific lakes. They're begging people to take them home.

QB, there's quite a difference in wearing a free TW t-shirt as opposed to spending big money on boat wraps and jerseys just to pose as a "pro."

Well, it's going to be a challenge for me to slow down and fish it correctly, as well. I'm a winder from way back but I'm gonna give it a whirl. Gotta admit, it's not nearly as tempting to "run and gun" when the high temp is in the 30s.

One Ranger cap and it was given to me by my dealer. I usually fish in a cap with the logo of someone who does actually sponsor me and Donna.

Couldn't care less what anyone wants to put on their boat or shirts. Just saying it makes you look like a desperate wannabe ... or just a goober ... when you aren't really sponsored by them.

Thanks, Ham. Sounds exactly like what some of the Tennessee boys use. Bet it works great.

It would seem these big corporations, especially the ones whose products are not directly related to fishing, may not be seeing adequate returns on their investments.

What kind of bobber did you use, tapout?

LMBO ... good stuff.

Wrench, I'm not telling you anything you don't already know, but don't believe for one second that all of those "pros" out there running around are truly sponsored by everyone they are bannering on their boats. The advent of "wrap" technology has resulted in a bunch of wealthy wannabes plastering their boats with all sorts of crap, suggesting they are "sponsored" by companies who have never friggin' heard of them.. This is the "jersey" crowd. They show up at derbies and just for a weekend outing sporting these ridiculous "jerseys" --- again plastered with logos of companies who aren't paying them a dime, have never given them so much as a lure, and don't know them from Adam. Some even go so far as to scroll their last name across the shoulders in 3-inch block letters like the Elite Series or FLW pros.

Do you have to be a Missouri resident?

Phantom green, phantom brown and green craw all look like Table Rock killers to me. Those are the ones I snagged, including some in duplicate.

Mike is solely responsible for the design and colors. Like the McStick, SPRO recognized that he knows the Wiggle Wart style of bait as well as anyone and turned him loose to design the Rock Crawler.

You mean these? My pre-release order of 4 arrived yesterday at Hook, Line & Sinker in Bentonville. In fact, fishing tackle manager Justin McClelland (Mike's son) was able to secure 700 of them, of which only about 40 remained when I left there at closing time last night.

There is also a new Cabela's in Rogers.

Just for clarity's sake ... or maybe because I'm feeling a bit defensive about my abilities on Beaver. I fished the old Central Pro-Am bass circuit for six years before it changed hands (twice and counting) and became whatever it is now. It came to Beaver four of those years, and I managed to make a check in three of them. I am just saying, it's not a lake that I choose to "play" on when Table Rock and Grand are within just more than an hour's drive. Racker, my best advice would be not to put your boat in a dock and limit yourself to Beaver only. Sure, fish Beaver all you want. But consider trailering up to Table Rock and over to Grand, too.

I think they would have to be pre-Rapala flies to work. Otherwise you'd just be wasting your time.

Good info, guys. Thanks much. And Ham, I'm gonna be real, real disappointed if I catch crappie and not bass. I may be inconsolable. Probably cry all the way to the frying pan.

Dang those are pretty fish. Good job, Alex. I'd leave the Ranger home for a day or two of catching those.

Racker, If you are planning to primarily target largemouth, spotted or smallmouth bass, I hope you don't plan to limit yourself only to Beaver. There are times when winning tournament weights can be as low as 8-9 pounds, and I'm talking about two-man team derbies with guys who know the lake better than I know my backyard. A good day of bass fishing on Beaver is 10-12 fish total, with maybe half being tournament keepers (15 inches for LM and SM, 12 inches for spots). Recreationally, the size limit on spots has been removed. As the guys pointed out above, there are plenty of white bass and stripers to be had, if you're into trolling. You can also catch them by casting at certain times of the year. Crappie fishing is by far best in the very upper White and War Eagle river arms, where the stripers aren't often found. There's definitely a growing population of walleye, which others can tell you how to catch better than I can. If you are serious about bass fishing, look north/east to Table Rock Lake. It's one the country's best bass fisheries and is quite a bit larger than Beaver.

Jeremy is probably right about tournament applications. Not sure I'd ever pick up a Ned in a tournament unless I was really desperate. Of the fish Donna and I have caught with them, very very few would be derby fish.

One thing you have to remember is that 90% of the time, BB is working with people who don't know a bite from a boomerang. Having guide experience myself, it's a rare client who could pick up on a fish intercepting a lightly weighted varmint fluttering to the bottom in a strong wind. Dave, I know you're gonna say your kids do just fine, but trust me, they are better anglers than most adult guide clients.

Definitely possible that abkeenan and Denny are on the right track ... mid-life crisis. You'll know for sure if I show up at the lake pulling the Ranger with a convertible 'Vette and sporting a new blonde back-deck ornament in place of Donna. #deadman #widowwithRanger

I've been threatening for several years to try it ... even before The Bills (Babler and Beck) just wrecked 'em on it that year. Last year, I went so far as to order the sho-nuff original Cumberland jigs. This year, I bought the poles. Maybe next year I'll buy the bobbers and we'll actually try it. Just kidding. We're gonna get after 'em soon as the poles get here and I pin Mr. Babler down for some tips. More than anything, I want Donna to get ahold of one of those bruiser green or brown fish on that 9-6 pole. Should be more fun than Barnum & Bailey ever thought about providing.