hoglaw

That would be an awesome frog reel. It would probably wear you out with a crankbait or spinnerbait.

Ditto the Curado. Didn't know about the name change. I have a nice Revo that's alright. I have two Curados, one old Citica that isn't functioning, and three newer Citicas. I use left handed reels, so while my selection can be limited sometimes, I get good deals at other times. I bought all of Gander Mountain's left handed Citicas (3), so they sold them to me for $60 each I think. With the older Citica, I experienced a really bad binding problem. I bought it used, so I can't attest to the binding issues of shimanos. I've never had an issue except for that one. I took it to the guy who does all of the reel repair work for most of the NWA shops, and he said the spool was warped. He put a new one in it and I haven't had any more issues with binding. But it needs a new hande because one of the grips is wobbly. I love my curados. Have a 6.1 and a 7.1 I think. Wish I could find a couple of leftys in 5.1:1.

We can talk rods this week. I'll build her (and the fiancee and I) some Ned rig setups. Micros arent a death sentence for floro. I'm telling you guys, never ever buy an off the rack spinning rod with micros. To receive any benefit from them, they have to be placed based on the reel you are using. The choke guide (3rd guide) is the key. In general, it is approximately 27x the spool lip diameter above the top line of the spool. That's the key guide, but placing and sizing guides one and two is equally important. From 4 to tip, it's easy. That's how I was taught and based on trial and error, I've found it to be very accurate.

You know my opinion on having one built, so I'll leave it at that. My only input here is absolutely under no circumstances should you buy an off the rack spinning rod with micro guides. Micro guides can be one size fits all on a bait cast rod, but the placement absolutely must be tailored to your reel spool diameter on a spinning rod.

I'll probably wind up getting one before too long. I'd echo the rest of the sentiments here. They're heavy and the internal dimensions are smaller than the outside would leave you to believe. Don't let water out of it with the lid closed. You'll have to tip it up to get air through the drain hole or you'll never be able to open it. My brother in law does a lot of rafting out west and the Yeti's are made to dimensions that are compatable with the raft frame so the cooler sits right down in it snugly. I'm starting to become a bigger believer in replacing a lot of "stuff" with less but higher quality stuff. All the way down to my drawers. The UnderArmor boxer-briefs are phenomenal, and well worth the $20 a pair. My co-worker/fishing buddy has a yeti and I like it a lot for the boat. Not so much for the canoe. Sure they're great on multi-night trips where you want to keep ice for days, but I always find my boat to be heavy on those trips as it is. An extra 15lbs of cooler is quite a bit to carry. I like having nice things and I like my things to preform beyond basic necessity. So I'm pro-yeti.

Only option that really fits the bill, in my opinion, is from the dam at Noel to the Cowskin access. Cowskin canoe can probably run a shuttle for you. Above Shadow Lake, you may be hard pressed to find camping spots that aren't on private land. Pretty sure it's mostly private below Noel too....but there's less chance of getting caught down there.

Is there a motor restriction on the spring?

I was out there on the 11th. The water at Houseman was 75 degrees and was chocolate milk full of debris. Launched at Bertrand and motored up into the catch and release area. Everything was under water, but it was clear and cold. Caught a lot of fish while they were generating, but when they stopped and the current went away, it got tougher. I did not realize that the river is a no wake zone from the 62 bridge all the way to the dam. I saw a couple other boats out there running and I swear I had seen some in the past. I was mostly moving slow and being respectful of everyone that was fishing, but ran through the catch and release area on plane for a while (no one was fishing it other than the occasional canoe that would float down). A gentleman fishing in the Parker area politely informed me that the river was no wake. Maybe there's a sign at the 62 bridge or something, but I've fished out there off an on for over ten years and I never knew that. Of course, this was the only time I took a boat up there so I guess I just haven't paid attention.

My experience with it has been the closer you get them to the river, the more realistic the prices are. You have to watch the Baxter Bulletin. Just saw this on the classifieds: OLDER SHAWNEE (48“ beam), refurbed trailer, 2008 Honda 9.9 electric start. $2,500. Call to see I won't put the guy's phone number on here, but that could be a heck of a deal. That newer Shawnee the guy wants $7500 for seems crazy to me. The trailer is worth maybe $1750, motor at $2250, leaving $3500 for the boat? Seems like top dollar for that package (imho), and the motor has only averaged three hours of run time a year which is too much sitting still. There's a new trout boat listing in the Baxter Bulletin at least once a week if not more depending on the season. Muddy - what's Dean's? Y'all gave me some leads on seats not long ago with phone numbers over in Mountain Home. Every time I go over there I try calling them and never have been able to pick any up. Granted I haven't tried that hard. I just need some mounts and I can go find some nice seats myself.

You interested in making me a deal on your seats? I need 2.

I'm going to Colorado with my fiancee next week to fish the headwaters of the Rio and a few of its tributaries. We've been yard fishing for a while now and she's starting to get the hang of it. I want to take her out this afternoon to a couple of spots close to town and let her finally understand what this is all about and actually get some bites and cast in current. I'm talking 8" smallmouth and little sunfish here. So what flies should I equip her with on a 5wt to get after them? I want her to catch a fish on a dry, something under an indicator, and on a small streamer. So I figured a grasshopper, ant, or small popper would work for the dry. I don't know what to do for a streamer - maybe a little wolly bugger? I don't have a clue on the indicator fly. I figured a stonefly would be buggy enough that something would eat it, or maybe a san juan worm. Any advice here would be much appreciated.

phenomenal thread guys. Sonar is a 6th sense. Beyond being a sound signature snapshot of what's going on beneath you, you can look at your sonar and look at a visual reference and really start to visualize what's happening between A&B through deductive reasoning. TrophyFishR gave me my first unit which doesn't do a whole lot more than tell me how deep the water is - or so I thought. Then I got into vertical jigging in 140 feet of water for winter schools of fish suspended 100 feet down. That was the first time I got to watch a jigging spoon fall on the screen, and it was the first time it "clicked." So on my new trout boat, I have a unit I need mounted. I don't remember what it is - a hummingbird 5 something something HDI? It's the HD plus GPS. I was told that if I wanted to have down-scan, I couldn't shoot the transducer through the hull. This boat spends a lot of its life beating against rocks and running through shallow water as it's a jet. So I really want to mount the transducer inside the hull. More importantly, I want the ergonomic option of being able to move the unit from the back of the boat where I drive to the front of the boat where I occasionally fish. One transducer - two locations to mount the screen. Is that possible? Is there an economical way to do this (whether it's purchasing another transducer and moving the unit from A to B, or purchasing some extra wire and being able to just carry the unit to the front of the boat? Is there anyone in NWA who would be willing to help out with this project? This is a trout and creek boat at its heart so I don't want a trolling motor transducer, or even a second unit if I can avoid it. But it's big heavy and wide and has a 90 jet on it plus a big TM, so it will suffice for beaver and some of the other lakes I like to fish as well as any flatbottom out there.

FF, what's your success rate on actually getting a hook in their mouth? The frayed rope/strap appears to be the way to go, but there's just something disappointing about not being able to hammer them with a hookset (plus a break off with nylon probably means a dead fish when he can't open his mouth again).

Can we get a consolidated post on the best way to catch these things with minimal effort? I've caught them on spinnerbaits and crankbaits occasionally, but it seems like for the most part when I try to catch them, they pay no attention to my offering or they sort of follow it around but never commit. I'd love to try for some at Twin Bridges on the White. Not sure I'm ready to make the jump to cleaning them yet, but I sure would like to try my hand at catching some. My fiancee needs to use a spinning or baitcast rod. She's a little intimidated by the fly rod at present. So with that in mind, what are some lures that are easy enough to put together and catch gar with? I saw the post about the rooster tail type lure with a strand of frayed rope behind it. If you catch one on a contraption like that, are they easy enough to get off the lure? If y'all can share some suggestions, I'll chase them this weekend.

Thanks Dan. I think I'm going to give it a shot tomorrow, but there's a motor restriction that starts at the confluence so that's probably the end of the road for me.

Daddy, do you know how far up you can run in a boat from horseshoe before you encounter shoals that you have to drag over? Can you make it all the way to the barren fork confluence?

Look, I'm not here to argue about the darn separation of powers, I was just trying to offer a friendly suggestion in getting the attention of someone who could get something done. I'm not a prosecutor, but from time to time I have done misdemeanor prosecution which includes game and fish violations in Arkansas, and I suspect in Missouri. And I often find myself in a position of needing to get things done for people, some of which includes dealing with government bureaucracy and law enforcement. If you don't think a prosecuting attorney has the ability to call up a police chief, sheriff, section chief, whatever - and say "I've been getting a lot of complaints about X and I'd really like you to look into it" and get more traction than the average citizen calling up a non-elected official, then you're mistaken (upon further review Chief, you agreed the prosecutor can do exacly that). But beyond just a call where they say "yeah me too," sometimes that prosecutor has a relationship with law enforcement that will make them work. I'm not attacking or defending MDC, local law enforcement, or anyone. All I am saying is that if someone is serious about wanting to see some action taken on this, then there is another avenue worth exploring. I guarandamn100%tee you that if there was some serious wildlife poaching going on in Washington or Benton County, and I didn't have any connection to AGFC already, I could call up the elected prosecutors for those respective counties and get them on the phone with AGFC and have something done. It may not be the end all-be all fix to the problem, and it may not even result in a conviction. But it would be better than me as an average citizen calling local law enforcement on my own. It would really be better in conjunction with that call. This isn't an arguing point. I was offering a suggestion for those who want to do something to try an alternative route. My suggestion is not a point for debate about how things work, or whether lawyers get paid, or whether law enforcement is lazy. If this is your deal and you want to get something done, then go through all logical avenues. Not just one.

No trout. Smallmouth, largemouth, goggle eye, and assorted bream. Idk about spots.

The prosecutor doesn't make more money as a result of an additional case so I don't understand this. The local prosecutor is, however, an elected official who benefits indirectly from prosecuting unpopular crimes. He/she also has the ability, to a certain extent, to direct the actions of mdc and local law enforcement. I was just trying to help those that wanted to take action on this to get in touch with the person who could actually make something happen.

Mdc are the wrong people to talk to. Talk to the local prosecutor. He/she can have mdc "investigate". That's something they don't normally do. The prosecutor is the proper ear to bend.

I'm planning a one day over and back trip on Friday. Leave fayetteville around 4a.m. and come back whenever we can't stand it anymore. They've been hammering some water lately. 5 units on right now. Seems like a great time to jerk some big baits. But my question is this. How far down can you still fish effectively without the water being trashed? The White Hole area would be an easy enough place for us to start, and it's certainly closer to home. But I really like the river around Reds Landing. Since it's got 50 miles or so worth of stuff to wash into the river, plus two units from the Norfork, is it a waste of time to fish that far down on these kinds of flows?

Thanks for posting that EN. You can flat out catch fish. I'd love to do the rough fish thing with you at some point. I've started venturing into carp with a spinning rod and a maribou jig, but haven't tried fly fishing for them yet. Do you have a suggestion for the monstrous grass carp that live in golf course ponds? Those fish don't eat mulberries. And they aren't common carp, so I don't know if they'd go after a maribou jig or not. Any idea what kind of pattern might draw a strike from one on the long rod? We have some around here that are big enough to saddle up and ride, but I've never had one sniff a lure.

That's a decent stretch and you'll do fine no matter what you throw. It's June/July and you're fishing a creek with plenty of fish. You'll catch them on anything. I'm with Ham on rod position as I like to stand up tall with a rod tip down to really fish a fluke, but only the big ones are discerning. A fluke wouldn't be my #1 choice this time of year, but I have caught some really nice fish on one and wouldn't hesitate to use it. Late in the day when they really get up shallow chasing minnows, it can be an awesome bait.

And once we get into June-August, if you're on a good stretch of smallmouth river that isn't beat up, isn't running high and muddy, and you aren't sharing it with a bunch of other boats, I think you should fully expect to catch a fish every one or two minutes of real actual fishing. I have never once in my life floated a good stretch of river once fish started doing their summer pattern thing and struck out or had a bad day numbers wise. There just isn't anything to catching numbers of river smallmouth. It's about the easiest thing in the world next to dunking crickets for bluegill. If you're fishing with something they'll eat, and you're in a good river, you're going to catch fish all day long rain or shine. Sure, catching big fish is a different matter, and if you want 18" plus fish, conditions really make a difference. But I've never once had a bad day numbers-wise on productive water in the summer.

Hell, we do overnight floats and spend 16 hours on the water. My fiancee gets pissed if she's NOT catching one every 4.5 minutes. Extrapolate that to every 9 minutes per person since two are floating. If we didn't catch one every 9 minutes, she might not go again. Every single one of us who fishes for ozark smallmouth knows good and well you get on one chute or one spot and catch a dozen in ten minutes and then figure it's fished out. Well, by Joe's math, that dozen bought you an hour and change and you spent ten minutes doing it. In the other 50 minutes, I can drink a beer, take a leak, take a #2...hell, take a #3, and still have plenty of time to change lures, paddle through unproductive water, make a sandwich, and get on another chute. She fishes one particular lure, and they wear out. For me, after two or three fish. For her, I tell her they're good until four or five. And on our last trip, she went through three packages of ten and into the fourth and only broke one or two off. So at a bare minimum, that's 30 fish. Realistically, it's more like 190-150 at a rate of 3-5 fish per bait. I know she had a few more in numbers than me, but not many. I estimated us at a little over 200 fish for the trip (with 16 hours on the water). 960 minutes/200 fish = a fish for the boat ~every five minutes, or one per person every ten. Oddly enough, it's the same catch rate as C&R and his buddy. We did a trip last summer where we went through four packages of frogs (20 frogs) in about an hour and a half. After the first package, I said we needed to start keeping the ones that had a hook torn through the top so we could put them on upside down if we kept catching them like that. By the next hour and a half (we fished from happy hour to dark), we had gone back through all of our injured reserve frogs fishing them upside down and biting the heads off to get some purchase for the hook bend. No doubt we were over 40 that evening in three hours. 180 minutes, 40 (bare minimum) fish = a fish...wait for it....every 4.5 minutes! I definitely understand your reluctance to buy into big numbers. I'm sure plenty of folks have a tendency to estimate and round up. Maybe they got on a hot streak in one or two holes and felt like they slayed them for the whole trip. I have been on trips since you started your crusade against big numbers reports deliberately intending to count how many fish I/we caught, and I always stop counting in the first hour around 15 fish for the boat. I guess my bottom line is if you fish creeks in rivers in the ozarks, I don't understand how you can be surprised at a report of 70 fish in an evening between two folks fishing. Maybe 35 would have sounded more reasonable. But you forgot that whole multiply by two thing... Math is relentless like that.