Champ188

Boom goes the dynamite --- nailed it. 🔨 Admittedly, I'd already replied when I looked straight down and saw that Vernon had, too. Apologies in advance for steppin on ya. I like you ... you bring my kind of fishing weather when you come to call. LOL But gotta throw Big Pharma in there, too. I record Norah O'Donnell news every day and between segments yesterday were 3 consecutive Rx drug ads and a 4th for an OTC med. They did one story then broke again for 3 more Rx ads, 2 of which were the same as had just run 3 minutes earlier. For heck's sake, you can't turn on the TV anymore without seeing one. Personally, I'd prefer more Norah and less of everything else. I'm probably the furthest thing from a conspiracy theorist but you can't tell me that Big Pharma and Big Insurance aren't bumping uglies, so to speak. First question you have to ask about Rx meds these days is, does my insurance cover it? Side effects don't matter if you can't afford/won't pay the price for it, so Big P and Big I have us by the pinky toe with channel locks. A golfing acquaintance struggled for years with cancer ... he swore that the minute his insurance coverage maxed out, his doctors collectively told him there was no more they could do. Again, more Norah. Just sayin ...

Ol' Sam works that portal pretty hard. Seems to do well.

That's a pile of em for sure!

As for ice fishing for them, are you guys sure you don't mean yellow perch? I know those are awesome eating and very popular with the icefishing crowd.

The only thing that'll bring true parity is financial equality and that isn't likely to happen unless the NCAA puts caps on NIL and limits on the number of times these kids can transfer. Unless the Big 3 --- Walmart, Tyson and JB Hunt --- come on board with our NIL fundraising efforts, Arkansas is gonna struggle mightily to recruit the kind of talent needed to compete in the SEC.

Actually, I think those may have gotten loose from the nightwatch detail down the lake in the Cove That Shan't Be Named. Ever. Forever and ever. Amen.

I'd like to say I've never been that mad at em ... but I can't. I will say that it's been a minute, though.

Smart call. I recall a club derby in the early 80s when it -6 at launch time. We had to thaw out nearly everyone's steering cables with a bottle torch. Had to jump start a couple guys who probably hadn't charged their batteries good. I had 2 little spoon fish about 10 AM when the club prez pulled up and said we're done. Everyone else is gone. If you have a fish, you win. I did and I won. Anyway, your reel and rod guides all ice up so bad at that temp that you can hardly cast. Thus my decision to spoon fish that day.

Are you practicing up to shoot me for all of my smart aleck comments? 🤐

Me either and still tried to "Evel Knievel" a floating log in a 12-foot flatbottom one boring dog-day afternoon ... most likely on a dare. Ended up with a 6-horse Mercury (green & white, of 50s vintage) laying at my feet running wide open. Thankfully the shear pin had already broken so the prop didn't amputate my feet.

I'll need to see a current Coose permit first, mister.

Interesting to hear, Ron. I fish that Pt 5 area fairly often so it's possible I've caught and pitched em back without paying much attention, just thinking they were juvenile white bass.

And one last thing about college sports: What kind of man is Nick Saban? The kind who retires not for his own gratification, but because at 72 he could no longer promise recruits (both players and coaching staff) that he would be there another 4-5 years and didn't want to mislead anyone. In my opinion, hiring Dabo from Clemson would certainly give the Tide another man of impeccable character at the helm. Same probably goes for Norvell at Florida State. Lane Kiffin at Ole Miss? Not so much. Again, my opinion.

In case anyone wonders, we're talking about Barry Lunney, Jr., former Hogs QB and son of one heckuva high school coach who won eight state titles at Fort Smith Southside and Bentonville, both of which play in Arkansas' largest classification. The younger Lunney is a pretty good hand at fishing, too. He served as interim head coach at Arkansas in 2021, went to UT-San Antonio as OC when a UA coaching buddy became head coach there, then was hired as OC at Illinois by former Hogs head coach Bret (I'll Have a Double) Bielema. The Illini promptly became one of the most-improved offenses in the Big 10.

I do think things may be slightly different this year ... I fished last Thursday on Beaver and we STILL had water temps above 50 ... up to 52. That apparently causes shad to get careless and wander shallow because I graphed them in good numbers at depths less than 20 feet in the creeks. This is all new to me coz I've not seen water temps this high in my 24 years in the Ozarks in January, nor have I seen this many shad in the creeks this time of year, but I'm thinking some of those will be killed when the water temp drops dramatically, kicking off a good jerk bait bite. If not, guess I'll just have to keep catching those toothy fish on my jerk baits. Not such an awful thing, come to think of it.

Been fishing Beaver for 24 years and have never caught one, nor has anyone that I know of in NW Arkansas. Don't blame us for what's in Table Rock. lol

Getting buffed up for a potential NIL deal? 😂

My comment was a reference to Mr. Bill's preference for fishing deeeeeeeeeeeeeeeep. Attempted humor ... not criticism. Bill is one of the last people I'd ever criticize for his fishing abilities or anything else ... even though he still fishes too deep 98% of the time. LOL

And you get two heads for one, essentially, given that his dad was a multiple state title-winning coach at the highest high school level in Arkansas. You know they sit around and discuss X's and O's a lot.

We have a couple of feral cats that we feed and house on our back deck so we don't have many chipmunks around. We did a TNR (trap, neuter, release) and they never left when we brought them home. Figured they might haul tail and never return after all that but they were smart enough not to abandon their food and shelter. They have gotten pretty docile around us and keep trying to come inside, so we will probably "merge" them with our four indoor cats very soon. Especially with the weather that is forecasted for next week.

Vern, don't plug that thing into those lithium-ion boat batteries. It might fry you like an overdone piece of Col. Sanders chicken.

He can't catch anything there ... except that "log trout" that broke him off. Has to be at least 60 feet deep or he's totally out of his element. It's painful even watching him try. 😂

I was sure hoping they'd bring him home when they hired Petrino. I'd rather have your friend as OC any day. And he was also in charge of recruiting for the state of Arkansas the last few years he was here. Did a fine job of that, too.

Yes, it's a bad feeling sliding down the ramp on ice. Just keep it as straight as possible and remember, it's not frozen from the water's edge on out, so eventually your brakes are going to stop you.

And those of us who stayed to hear them would still be laughing.