J-Doc

Last summer, I found a shallow pattern in late summer that worked well for good sized bass. I wonder if that that will reproduce again this year? Hard to say I guess. I heard drop shot is working well on brush piles at Table Rock now. I wonder if its the same for Beaver? I'll give the bluffs a try next trip. I'm thinking mid-lake to Hickory Creek will be more productive because of the water clarity is more stained but not too stained with all of the rain this week.

I'm trying to remember where Holiday Island is.

What's the best way to fish Beaver in the summer? I've tried for several years now and once it gets upper 80's to low 90's for water temps and recreational boat traffic churning the water up everwhere from mainlake points to coves, the fish just seem to disappear. I've tried several spots that always produce fish for me 80% of the year and even those spots are dry (no fish that is). I went out Friday evening (July 2nd) and watched my graph closely. I didn't even see the "annual white bass" schooling activity I typically see this time of year. Not many blips of fish on the graph no matter where I looked. Secondary points, long points, steep sloping banks, bluff lines, etc. There was so much boat traffic that you couldn't fish mainlake points from a small fiberglass boat and the water was churning so much, it was creating a big mudline up to 25ft deep off shore. Most of the activity I see these days are all out in the middle of the lake where fish are suspending and roaming randomly. Any suggestions? I'm thinking the river end may be better....

I am heading out there this afternoon for some late evening and night fishing to beat the weekend rush. It shouldn’t be as busy tonight as it will be the rest of the weekend. I refuse to try fishing on holiday weekends unless it’s on a no-wake lake. (haha) Too many “once a year boaters” pull the covers off their boats and head to the lake which makes a busy lake even busier with people that have “0” knowledge of boating rules or etiquette. It’s just too dangerous to be on the water. I’ve seen some real crazies driving worse than reckless on the water on holiday weekends. Other than that, I’m going to fish points and channel swings first and see if I can find a pattern (or fish). I’m going to try small crankbaits, topwater, plastics, deep diving cranks, and pitching plastics around structure. I’m going to try the KVD Rodent tonight. I’ve got a great color and the small bulky bait should get some bites.

Nice report. Tough luck on the hook though. I had a hook do that to me one time but it wasn’t nearly as big as the Redfin hook. I told my partner to stomp on my foot pretty hard a few times while I pulled the hook out with a pair of pliers. Wrapped a band-aid on it and kept on fishing.  My partner said, “why don’t you push it through and cut the barb off?” I said, “No way am I going to waste a good treble hook!” (hahaha) With him stomping on my foot, it helped take the pain off of my finger. He still thinks I’m nuts for that. Maybe I am. Ventris. I like that area. At certain times of year, it holds a good group of fish. Nice to hear the spots were schooling. The whites are just about full bore all over the lake but not quite there yet. I hear ya on the wake boats. Any goof-ball with enough money will buy a new boat and hit the lake. Not knowing anything about boating safety, etiquette, or concern for fellow boaters. If you are the one to breakdown, they won’t help. But if they breakdown, they shoot flares and blow horns at you expecting help. And don’t get me started on loading and unloading. It’s horrible. They drive up to the docks full bore or they turnaround in the Rocky Branch cove while trying to load or unload and make 3-4ft wakes which is impossible to tie a boat much less load it on a trailer.

I'd call Hook Line & Sinker in Rogers. I think they would have the contact information and details.

Thats great! Were you fishing towards the dam? I wonder if it's too late for crappie fishing there now?

Cool! Thanks for the report. I fished there once about 4yrs ago out of a jon boat and didn't know the lake. Found thick matted weeds all over the place and gave up. As I was landing the boat, a local fella told me that there used to be some trophy bass in the lake. I was curious if its still a bass fishing lake towards the deep water or if it's strictly a crappie/perch lake now.

I hear this lake is good for spring crappie. Any fishing reports for this time of year? Last time I was there, the weeds/vegetation was brutal. I’m used to fishing Beaver Lake where there is no vegetation.  Looks like I’m the first to post a thread in this forum. I know there are some anglers here that fish this little jewel. It’s too pretty to not fish it.

The fish I'm seeing are definately gar, not carp. When you fish the clearer water, you can see gar swimming up top and surfacing like whales. I assumed they were aligator gar because of the long nose and body. I foul hooked one last year in the tail end about 4ft long on a Rooster tail. He was not too happy about it. (haha) I guess they are all spotted gar. As for the walleye, they are definately getting bigger than the fish I caught last year. Most of them were 12-14" and now the average I'm seeing is just under 18inches. So the current world record for walleye was really caught in Arkansas? That's awesome!

I have noticed a lot of walleye this season as well. Found a big school of them off of the big island above the 12 bridge this spring. Every trip I catch at least 1-2 if not more. Had one hammer a big swimbait. I've caught them on everyhthing from a jig to a swimbait. Even a shakey head. I throw them back regardless of size. I'm a bass guy and I'm fishing for bass, not walleye. As for not seeing aligator gar, how have you missed them? I see them almost every trip. Some have gotten up to 5ft or bigger. I didn't know sturgeon was native to the White River. I did see a huge something one day. I saw a large dorsal fin surface and then dive again. Whatever it was, had to have been 6ft plus. It was huge. I had to ask myself "did I really just see that?" Strange... I'll be glad when the walleye go deep offshore and leave my bass baits alone.

My boat is an older boat and small so fishing choppy water when the wind is howling at 15-25mph makes a lot of work with the trolling motor. I have a 65lb thrust 24V on a 15ft glass boat and it's still working hard on windy days. So considering the recent high water, the bass should go shallow but with the wind beating the banks, what would you throw, where, and why? I'm thinking mouths of large coves, main lake points, main lake/river flats near channel swings. I'm not a tournament angler. Just a weekend joy fisherman. I love to catch a few and release all of them. I just want to learn more about Beaver and figure out how to catch them when the wind is beating me up. Otherwise, it's just not fun and too much work. Here's what I've heard about wind: - wind stirs up baitfish and typically pushes them up on points - wind also creates chop, which allows less light penetration - wind also creates noise so the loud trolling motor is not as big of a factor as one would think - You can fish baits like crankbaits, rattle-traps, spinnerbaits, and spooks faster than you typically do Am I on the right track? I typically have a hard time locating fish on the graph much less catching any when the wind is blowing hard. I'm going to give it a try late tomorrow afternoon because the wind will die down some and the topwater bite should pick up before dark. Thanks all!

Most folks here say the bite dies around 8AM but if it's cloudy, it lasts longer. I'd try the Rocky Branch area or just North of Cliffty. That's not a long run from the Rocky Branch marina. You can always load the boat up and launch again at the 12 bridge or P. Creek and fish where you had planned. I'd bet lower lake would be better than mid lake.

Wish I could get on the water and try my new Redfin. I think the stripers are hearing the trolling motor or the shad are moving before you can get there and the schooling effort dies down. That sucks. I bet the stripers will bite well over the next several months since the weather is still cool and not terribly hot yet. How fast do you work your popper? I always work it slow but I'm thinking a walk-the-dog rythmic cadence may be better. Jimmy Houston says "sing Jesus loves me" because it's the perfect cadence for sammys and spooks. I gotta try that! Haha Last time I was up by the dam, the water was bathtub clear and the fish could spot a fake bait easy. They wanted it as fast as they could swim or slow and steady.

Odd... I would have thought the spawn was over and done even with the crazy weather we've had. The water temps have been in the 60s for weeks regardless of cold fronts and water temp variations. I believe the water temps is up to the upper 60s now isn't it? I haven't been out in a few weeks so I'm way behind on what's currently working or where the fish are. What part of the lake did you see people fishing beds? Lower lake? Like the Cliffty area and lower? I would think the spawn is done up river from Montne and upward. I hope to get on the water this weekend. Sounds like the lake has had everything but the kitchen sink thrown at it since about March. Even without the FLW tournament this year, this lake has been pounded with local traffic and it's not even getting started with most of the summer traffic yet.

Are you looking for bank fishing or kayak fishing? Bank fishing is not very productive on this lake. I did it for years and bought tons of baits and managed to loose a bait or two almost every trip because I didn't wade in to retrieve the baits (usually depth was over my head and not worth it). I fished from a 12ft jon boat for a couple of years too so I can relate to fishing from a kayak. I'd love to have a Hobbie kayak and enjoy a sunrise on peacefull waters. Instead, I fish from my fiberglass boat because of being over-run by ski boats and other bass boats. Here's what I recommend: A) Get a Beaver Lake map at Walmart (about $8) that has contours, launch ramps, etc. Look at shorelines on Google Earth or Google Maps online and find open shore lines with roads that appear to access these shorelines. C) Explore That's what I did and it worked for me. Here are a few spots that I know hold fish and offer access for launching kayaks: - Van Winkle Hollow (very back of Van Winkle). There is an old road that runs right into the lake and you can launch there. There is also a ski course setup back there so during the summer months, the skiers are relentless and do not care about you being there or not. The wakes from ski boats are big and can overtake a kayak. I've even fished there at sunrise and had skiers come into the cove shortly after. It's a beautiful spot but early summer and early morning or just before sundown is the best times to fish there. Good topwater action or flyrod action if the water is calm. - Indian Creek If you launch at Lost Bridge North (early AM), you can go to the left and fish the back of the cove on the left of the campsite - Montne If you go to Montne Chicken (if you don't know where that is, FIND IT AND EAT THERE!!!!!!!! Best food in this area), go past Montne Chicken and turn to the right when you get about 150yards past it. Then you will look for a gravel trail/road to the left in between two hills. There is a paved road to the right but you want the trail that goes into the woods on the left. The area opens up to shore line and puts you in a good spot for kayak fishing (early AM) before all the boat traffic starts. Most bass boats do not go back here. The water has a channel on the opposite bank and some stumps on the right back in the back before it gets really shallow. You should try a Carolina rig, texas rig, or some crankbaits. Usually plastics work well here. Hope this helps and good luck on the hunt for good spots. Also, try Lake Leatherwood since it's a "no wake lake". BEAUTIFUL LAKE!

I have that map but it doesn't have the extra breakdown of what to use and where like the Table Rock maps do. The Beaver map has numbered areas that give you tips but I have not found them as usefull. That's what I like about the Table Rock maps, they have user input added to the maps.

Now that's a cool story right there! Wish I could have gone this morning. The weather now looks pretty good but once the wind picks up really good, it's very hard fishing for me. My boat gets blown around too much and I have a hard time finding the fish when its good and cboppy. Cool story though. Glad you got your redfin back. That's awesome!

Rambo is a good area for fishing but if you have not had any luck with the trees you added within 2yrs, they may never produce as you hope. Fish typically gather at particular areas due to channel swings or something they are relating too. You simply cannot say that for every buried tree, there is a fish on it. There are thousands of buried trees and the best ones are at a particular location. Think of the goods ones as truckstops or a place where a bass or crappie can take a break and wait for prey. As for catfish, I have found just about any stink bait works for channel cats. You should be able to use a bobber and stink bait bulb type hook (mesh with hook or tube with holes in it over a treble hook) and catch catfish right off your dock. You can also try cut bait or shad. I’ve see people rig up hooks can hang them off their dock and catch big catfish overnight.

So what do you use for topwater when fishing for stripers? A big Zara spook? I've always been a large mouth and black bass angler. Sounds like trying the ocassional stryper topwater trip could be fun. Epecially with my 8yr old. I know stripers like bigger baits and you typically troll for them. Any other topwater lures besides a big spook? I assume the clear and bone are the preferred colors too?

That's a nice fish there. Bet it was fun on a fly rod. Are the stripers and hybrids still just below mid lake level around the Coppermine area or below? I think the whites are active all over the lake. I've caught them from Indian Creek to War Eagle. I don't think they are stacked up in area. I think they are pretty active all over. Not to the point of big schools yet though.

In the Table Rock forum, there is an awesome link to very detailed maps of Table Rock Lake. I have a top map already…..I’m looking for a breakdown map of Beaver like the TR forum has. When do us Beaver Lake anglers get one of those!??

If the fish are agressively feeding, you can't beat a dbl fluke rig. Google search it if you don't know it. I'll keep one tied on all summer long. You can ignite a whole school and catch two at a time. Ways to rig a fluke: - Weightless - weighted hooks (think mini-swimbait rig but retreive like a jerkbait) - 1/32oz split shot about 6-12" up the line (creates a faster sinking decent with head down) - Carolina rig for shallow water or when fish are on bottom and lethargic - Dbl fluke rig (this is killer!) All are great tools. In clear water, I like Tennesse Shad (grey back, white/silver belly). I stained water, pearl white is great. Dip-n-die as needed. A buddy of mine uses a red and blue Sharpie and will color the flukes for bleeding shad, blue herring, etc. and within 2-3 days, the color fades/blends and it looks really good. He has a lot of luck with that too.

I'm trying to pin-point these locations on the map for the War Eagle Arm. I think my buddy knows where the "natrual sidewalk" hole is but what and where are the "2-dollar" and "slick rock" holes? Can I get a fiberglass boat back to the sidewalk hole with the current water levels?