Champ188

Brett, gift cards don't equal cash when it comes to an angler paying his bills. Even prize boats can be sold for cash, but you don't see BPS kicking in one of those either. Meanwhile, CPA continues to struggle mightily — drawing only 39 and 36 boater entries, respectively, in its last two tournaments. I fished CPA for as long as I could afford it — made the championship every year and drew a lot of checks. But when it got to the point that I had to finish in the top 3 just to get my entry fee and trip expenses back, I had to bail. As for this year, we can only speculate about the payout since that information is never reported on the CPA website or elsewhere. I live in Arkansas, so all of the tournaments are travel sites for me. Costs $1,500 any way you slice it for me and Donna to travel to an event, including a couple of practice days. Bottom line: I couldn't give a hoot less about BPS gift cards. Can I use them to pay my CPA entry fee? Heck no. It's cash only. So why would I want them back as prizes? I have plenty of fishing gear and when I buy more, I prefer to do so elsewhere than BPS.

Now that's funny I don't care who you are.

Central Pro-Am is now owned and operated by Mike Webb, one of Bass Pro Shops' top pro staffers. If BPS does so much for tournament fishing, what are they doing to help get CPA back on track? And don't say they're paying Nitro Tournament Rewards money ... they were doing that long before Mike took over. Back last fall, I was interested in buying a new Nitro. I contacted three dealers, two of them in person. In all three cases, I encountered unprofessional salespeople. One knew so little about his product that he could hardly open the lids on the storage lockers. All three immediately lost interest when I mentioned trading my Champion rather than selling it outright. Eventually got online and priced out a Nitro Z8 rigged out like I wanted it vs. a comparably equipped Ranger. The difference was surprisingly minimal. Seems everything but the steering wheel is optional on the Nitro. Long story short, I went with the Ranger and I sleep like a baby at night. As for other BPS products, I have bought two Johnny Morris top-of-the-line spinning reels and two JM top-shelf baitcasters. Been very disappointed in all of them, both in terms of performance and durability. In my opinion, BPS is out to make a quick buck any way they can. They won't get any more of my money except in case of dire emergency.

But I do know some turkeys on Table Rock.

LOL, obviously a businessman.

Good reading throughout your visit. Much appreciated even though I've been occupied with derbies elsewhere. June will be here before you know it. Look forward to having you back.

For what these rigs cost nowadays, it's gonna be rare for a guy to say he isn't happy with whatever he owns even if he truly hates the darn thing. That's why I don't put a lot of stock in owner satisfaction ratings. Hell yes a guy is gonna say he likes something that he paid $50,000 for. Otherwise, he'd look pretty stupid for buying it.

Member aarchdale mentioned on another post using a treble hook to retrieve a rod he lost off his dock. Glad he got it back but sounded like it took a long time. I have a suggestion that I've used several times over the years that has never failed me. I've actually retrieved rods from more than 20 feet of water using this tactic. Get yourself an old-fashioned metal chain-style stringer. Open all of the clips and store it somewhere handy in your boat. Next time you lose a rod overboard, immediately throw a marker buoy on it or if you don't have one, make the best mental note possible about where it went in. Then get your stringer out and tie it onto a stiff rod with big line (20-pound test works well, as does braid). Tie onto the end with the single clip. Lob it out, let it go to the bottom and drag it back slowly, keep your rod tip low so you won't pull it up off the bottom. You may have to circle and make casts from different angles, but you should be able to snag your lost rod-and-reel in fairly short order. Hope this helps save someone a rod.

I'm in the process of doing the same ... switching over from Curados to Lew's. Donna and I have four now and are very pleased with them.

Very nice of you to go to the effort to do this. I'm sure Tom appreciates it.

Hope I didn't come on too strong. Probably not a good idea to post from work when under duress from other sources. But Ouachita is near and dear to my heart. My parents and grandparents lived a quarter-mile from the Twin Creek launch ramp for several decades. Another factor that contributed to the demise of its LM population is the Corps' repeated failed efforts to effectively manage the lake's hydrilla/coontail/milfoil content. In their last foray, they released some sort of Egyptian gnat larvae that ended up totally eradicating every stalk in the lake. I'm told it's finally starting to come back, but the lake was barren of it for several years, eliminating a major source of cover for bass, crappie and other gamefish. Nothing like letting the Corps get involved with a fishery. Far as they are concerned, fish are a nuisance. Or at least that's what their actions would lead one to believe. I do not believe stripers actively forage on LM. For the most part, they are rarely in the same water. I do believe they will eat a fair share of crappie during the times of year (summer mainly) when both are occupying open water. My primary objection to stripers is I do believe they consume a huge amount of baitfish and sometimes enough to affect other species. For years, we were told that bass rarely eat gizzard shad, instead preferring threadfin. We know different now ... there is no better example than Table Rock of a lake where it is pretty much commonplace to catch a good-sized LM with the forked tail of a big gizzard shad sticking out of its throat. So the notion that stripers help clean the lake out of unwanted gizzard shad is just wrong. Not saying there shouldn't be stripers in certain lakes for some to enjoy. Everyone has a right to our resources and to enjoy them. I am only saying that I do personally believe that stripers and extraordinary LM/K/SM fishing cannot co-exist.

J-Doc, I beg to differ. Lake Ouachita in no way compares with Table Rock or Grand. I grew up in Hot Springs and cut my fishing teeth on that lake. Fished it darn near weekly all my life until moving here 12 years ago. That whole chain of lakes ... Ouachita, Hamilton and Catherine ... have been plagued by stripers for decades. About 10 years ago, a group of fishermen got together and formed the Arkansas Black Bass Coalition and were able to convince the Arkansas Game & Fish Commission to take some proactive steps toward restoring the black bass population in Ouachita, but it remains a darn sight short of being anywhere near the fish factory that Table Rock is. The BFL Arkie Division season opener was held March 2 on Ouachita. Took 15 pounds to win the boater division and 10 pounds to place 10th. Big bass was 5-1. A week later, BFL Ozark Division season opener was held on Table Rock. Two guys tied with 22-14 for first and it took 16-12 to finish 10th. Big bass was 8-11. What about Grand? Nichols Marine team derby (5-bass limit) over there this past weekend produced TWENTY-TWO sacks over 20 pounds. They paid 73 places and it took 16 pounds and change to get the last check. There are a few big bass in Ouachita that swim around with the stripers. Every so often — like once a year — one of the striper guides will catch one. But there is more than enough evidence, circumstantial as it may be, that stripers are not conducive to a healthy bass population. That's my opinion.

OK kids, let's all sing along now .... One of these things is not like the other ... la la lah ... So how does Beaver differ from Table Rock, Grand and even Bull? It's loaded up with stripers.

Amen and amen. At least they seek input from the fishermen and actually read/listen to it. It's a bit different down here in Arkansas.

The best fishermen I know focus more on the fish than the fishing. If you learn the fish, the rest becomes easier. Never easy, but easier.

F&F, I hope that's the case. I will say that bass catches and weights both tournament and recreational seem to be as good as I've seen them in the 12 years since I moved here from the Hot Springs area. I will never be a striper fan and on that we will just have to disagree. But I do believe from your many previous posts that we both have the overall good of the fishery at heart. It's a good old lake and supplemental stocking can only help as long as the food is there to support the fish.

Full moon is on the 25th. Likely to be a huge wave of spawners then. On another note, proud to see the supplemental stocking of LM but is there forage enough to support more fish? Doesn't matter how many fish you have — if there's not enough to eat, they won't survive. Stripers have taken a big bite out of the lake's shad population.

Too bad your first-day partner wasn't responsible enough to make it back on time. Good grief, it's a 27,000-acre lake and he was only 12 miles or so from Prairie Creek at Sailboat or the Clifty's. Not like he was making a 2-hour run and misjudged it or got caught in a river lock.

You guys keep thinking that about the banks on TR. Granted, there are lots of times when you have to fish out, but not always by a long shot.

Just my opinion, but Table Rock isn't lacking in any way for habitat. Its plentiful natural habitat is among the things that make it one of the top bass lakes in the country. Fish can hardly swim without bumping into a big rock or a cedar tree. We went thru this a couple of years ago where they were dumping loads of unwanted concrete and timber on some prime smallmouth gravel flats near the dam. MDC would do better to spend its time and resources on other lakes.

I think what F&F was trying to say was that it's only 5 miles or so from Lilley's to the State Park or Moonshine ramps. Not much of a drive for comfortable accommodations.

For sure, good luck this week. Don't dismiss the idea of the C-rig. Could be very very good with the water so clear.

Really nice report and greatly appreciated.

Sore Thumbs might have an idea provided there is adequate lodging in that area.

What Bill said.