mark hedger

Neither my dog nor I are spring chickens. In our younger days we spent a lot of time together on a kayak or in a canoe. These days we either wade or go hit small lakes/ponds on the Bass Raider. We decided to take a couple of days exploring a creek in NW Arkansas. Day one was a bust, only dinks. Day two was better. We caught 15 in 3 hours, most of them were small but 4 were 14"-15". It was fun and I was thankful that we had another good day together. He was a tired old dog at the end of the day. So was I. IMG_3909.MOV

For sale in Harrisburg, Illinois. Like new 2018 Wenonah Vagabond Flexcore with Aramid Solo Canoe. Ultralight 30 lbs. It has only been in the water twice; lakes both times. I bought new and has been stored inside. Planned to use with my dog but we moved to Southern Illinois and he is getting too old to go. Comes with Wenonah Kevlar skid plate kit included. Pickup can be arranged. $1850 firm. Message me if interested.

That is exactly why I switched from the flourocarbon to the mono. I will try some lighter test line on it and see if that does anything. I might spool up some braid too. Thanks.

Thanks for the advice, Ham. I bought the rod a couple of years ago but used it for the first time recently. I should have tried it before now. I may give Cabela's a call anyway. Before I do, I will try spooling the reel with some 8 lb McCoy Mean Green. If that does not work, I will try a different reel.

Does anyone have line problems when using 7' rods? I am primarily a bass fisherman and I do most my fishing out of a kayak. I generally use 6'0" to 6'6" spinning rods and Shimano 2500 series reels. One of my rods is a Cabela's XML model and I really like it so I picked up a Cabela's XMLti 7'0" rod when they were on sale. It is matched with a Pflueger Supreme 8040mg spinning reel. It is my least favorite setup by far. As far as I can tell, the increased distance from the reel to the first eye on a 7' rod causes the line to unspool too quickly, causing frequent line backlashes and tangles. I originally had the reel spooled with 12 lb McCoy flourocarbon but changed it to 18 lb Trilene to see if that would help. No luck. The most common problem is a massive line tangle near the tip of the rod. Any ideas on how to solve this problem?

Nice report and nice fish. Fishing in the rain can be a rewarding experience.

Well said, Al.

Great report and some really nice fish. Must have been alot of fun.

Thank you, Gavin. That is a tremendous resource.

I think we paddled almost 11 miles the second day. It took us about 8 hours. We asked the concessionaire for a river map but they did not have any. I asked for some type of landmark to recognize the half-way point but they said there really wasn't any. I was surprised that we were not asked to sign a liability waiver. I suppose they did not need one since we had our own kayaks/equipment. I would like to do it again as a 3 day/2 night trip.

Yes, Gavin, that is a fun little drop. I thought the dog might fall off but he handled it like a trooper. He took a dip a little farther downstream though in a tricky strainer. He also fell off a couple more times while checking out released fish. I never have seen a dog who is so intrigued by fish and fishing. I am sure you can relate to having tired arms and shoulders after that float.

Thank you. He caught that one on the first day. We did not measure or weigh any fish but I suspect that one was every bit of 17". We caught a few other nice ones too but that one was probably the largest.

Thanks. The dog is quite a fisherman. He has even been featured in Field & Stream and People magazines. http://archive.feedblitz.com/151662/~4156620 http://www.people.com/people/mobile/article/0,,20578204,00.html

That sounds like good advice. Can't wait to try it!

My son and I floated the 14 mile section above Sam A. Baker Park earlier this week. The park concessionaire shuttled us to a private property launch. The weather was perfect and the fishing was decent. There are several deep, flat water pools that require considerable effort to traverse in loaded kayaks. We paddled our tails off the 2nd day to make it back by dark. Still a nice trip though. We targeted smallies in moving water but we also caught several largemouth. All were caught on watermelon swim senkos. Saw several bald eagles, herons, kingfishers and a few wild turkeys.

Sounds like one of my trips. Al, you have a real talent for writing. After 50 years of fishing The Big, you were due for a bad trip. At least you have 49 others to look back upon fondly.

Thanks for the responses guys. They have their own kayaks. He spoke to someone at BOC this morning and they said to come on down. They will not get on the water until tomorrow and they have dry bags so a swim won't be intolerable. I just want them to be safe. Looks like they have gone from having too little water to having too much water.

My son and a couple of friends are headed out to float the upper river (Ponca to Carver) this week. How much snow did the Ponca area receive? Hopefully enough melt to raise water levels on the upper stretches.

Welcome to the board! Some nice lakes around Culver!

Great pics!! Looks like a fun trip! Nice browns!!

Incredible!!! Great story!!

Nice!!

right here

Thanks for the report. Any suggestions for a half-way point?

I heard the Nature Conservancy was thinking about allowing overnight camping on their property. Can anyone confirm this? It would be a nice alternative for those who do not want to do 12 miles in 1 day.