Champ188

For clarity, it's still a four-day tournament. Saturday is fan day ... no fishing. Winds up Sunday.

Shouldn't be any problem to launch off the parking lot. I have done it many times.

Thanks for the great report. Glad you had a big time.

Shoot, Bo, she won't set foot on that front deck. She has it made in the back with me doing all the work. She caught 4 of our 5 best fish and easily beat me in numbers.

Hopefully, you didn't bury the Monkey Butt in your thumb to the Bone. The resulting infection could go to your brain and make you crazy as a Loon.

We were late leaving home and then further delayed when we arrived at Viney to find the gate locked ... not sure why they couldn't let folks use the small ramp just before the toll booth. Regardless, we rolled back out of there, up thru Shell Knob and around to Campbell Point, where we finally got the bottom of the boat wet about 8:00. Put three (two solid keepers) in the boat first stop on a War Eagle 3/8-ounce double willow spinner bait and a squarebill of undisclosed make/model/color. Fish were up in the woods on the old backyard swingset/birdbath/garden knome pattern. Covered a lot of water over the next 4 hours and continued to catch quality fish. This bite finally died about noon, so we rod-boxed the winding sticks and pulled out some dragging stuff. Found a good bite along the tree line in several areas ... most came along the old bank line at 12-18 feet deep. Ned didn't seem to be the right deal but the jig worked very well, helping us cull up to a conservatively estimated best-five weight of 17 pounds. Ended with 21 total and 11 keeps.

Another top shelf BPS product, no doubt.

Nice fish. Has anyone ever told you that you look like Sergio Garcia? LOL

Safe travels, my friend. Hope you get back down soon. Glad you could introduce a brother to The Rock.

I would simply add that on our Ozarks lakes, whenever you get into water with 2 feet of visibility or more, you won't hurt yourself one bit by dropping down to a 1/4-ounce bait. Keep your color in the baitfish realm and you'll get bit provided there is any sort of spinnerbait bite. You won't hear me share that often. We all know what happens when too many people start throwing the same thing.

Dang good job of beating out a nice limit, Royal Blue. Pretty sure your five best would be worth a check in a derby right now. Thanks for sharing.

A crank bait is not the best choice in flood conditions because you will struggle mightily to find places where it can can contact the bottom. Good luck on your trip.

Glad you caught some, GT. It's always a crap shoot when the water is this high.

Be sure to always fish the south side of the trees with red mulch. The mulch on the north side tends to mildew and put off noxious gases.

Hate to say it, but the days of democracy are long gone. It's bureaucracy all the way and IN MY OPINION no amount of calling/writing/texting/emailing/carrier pigeoning Congress will do a darn thing except cost you time, effort and money.

BREAKING NEWS REPORT: Rumors of a backyard bite are greatly exaggerated. We now return you to your regularly scheduled programming.

No wonder those guys on top caught em. The one dude has a jersey. Everyone in a club derby should wear a jersey ?

Are we talking about the Lake Fort Smith in Arkansas? It's only 70 miles from Bella Vista ... closer from all points south.

Great job, guys. Donna and I fished 9:45 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and only had 12 with two good keeps. We stayed mostly on main-lake gravel points from Cow down to near the shan't-be-named cove, although we did not trespass as you guys did. Ned and finesse jig were the only producers for us. Wind was a bear after 11 a.m. and then out came the barges, jet skis and ocean liners. How long til fall?

The context here is fishing. No one discounted the impact of road closings, let alone property damage, injuries or lost lives. By all means, anyone who isn't comfortable boating in these conditions should stay home. But the sky isn't falling and the lake isn't by any means unsafe for everyone.

I did a Google map from Springfield to Blue Eye and looks like 65 is your best bet.

If you're driving around the dam end of the lake from Indian Point, you'd be closer to launch at Cow Creek or better yet, the primitive ramp at the end of JJ highway, which turns off 86 at the small gas station/convenience store. You're only a mile or two straight across the lake from Indian Point.

Vernon, I'm with you on the parking lot deal. Find an area that is adequately sloped and go for it. I haven't spent enough time around Indian Point to know where that might be, but surely there's a suitable spot. I know it sounds silly to some folks on here that we would go to those measures, but some of us have been fishing all of our lives --- and have fished a lot of tournaments over the years in locales not nearly as posh as Table Rock --- and you can safely launch a boat in a lot of places if you are careful. As Bill so expertly pointed out, there are tricks that make it much easier.

Good to know he told the truth. Always some kind of jawing going on around the tackle shops after one of these events. Shoulda known it was exactly that. I was busy fishing and didn't see the FLW live coverage. Lost a lot of interest in that circuit when most of the decent fishermen migrated over to the BASS Elite Series. FLW seems more like a country club deal these days ... you pay, you play. No qualifying required.

Some of us have also occasionally stated -- politely, of course! -- our feelings on sawing the sides off bass, live bait dunking, A-rig chunking, superhuman ratios of keepers/lunkers per cast/outing, and the display of attire better suited for a Taliban/al Queda sandkicker than a red-blooded American bassman (or woman). BUT, as previously stated, let no one EVER accuse any OAF member of being judgmental or opinionated.