J-Doc

You may be right. I didn't realize it was going to drop in temp so much. I haven't watched a weather forecast yet. Wouldn't matter....they can't seem to predict it accurately anyway. :-) I do know I caught two bass right on the bank last Thursday in 52 degree water. Guess this rain will drop it to 48-49? Maybe even 47 on the surface and 50 about 10ft down?

I guess it's no secret anymore that some real bruises have been caught in the tailwaters.

This may solve all that bickering and male measuring disputes among wildlife agencies. (Haha) I'm only kidding. This has happened before. Will happen again. Won't be enough to impact the tailwaters or the fishery. We are really getting the rain that's for sure. I checked the water level earlier today and it had dropped a foot because they were generating. It was roughly 1125. I bet we get close to 1130. Which is really weird for the Polar Bear. Rising water will push fish unseasonably shallow so the bank beaters will have a field day in the Polar Bear. Should be a feast or famine tournament.

I bought their blue H20 tournament rain bibbs and jacket about 3 years ago. Still waterproof. No....it's not the Cabelas Guide Gear rain suit but after 3yrs of heavy use, I'm happy with it. No....it has nothing to do with your post but, my point is I'll stick with what I've got. And I can attest that they will hold up, 3yrs and counting. And half the cost or less than competitors. That is a good deal on mark downs though.

Completely agree. When you have to be competitive to eat for survival, you eat when you can. When you're at the all you can eat buffet, you eat when you feel like it. And you eat all day. Sporadically and with very little patterning. (Speaking as if I were a fish) It's been harder to catch fish with the bait like it's been. A big shad kill would make easier fishing a month after the shad kill.

You're kidding right? Or serious?

A couple of photos from earlie today. Clearly......the threadfin shad population is "healthy". I have a photo of the striper I caught on a Ned rig but the forum is not letting me upload it. Must exceed file size. I found a large wad of whites (in downscan shot below) but I couldn't get them to bite a spoon. Guess they did not need it with all of that bait around.

Only about 5 million more to go before you make a dent in the population...

Well I'm done for the day. Super tough day when there is bait for literally one mile. Between me and one other boat, only two stripers caught. And mine was caught on a Ned rig!! Just more photos later. My phone is failing to upload photos. Total for me was one worthless flathead catfish, 1 striper, and 3 bass when I got bored and played with the NED rig.

I think I found something.... (haha)

Lots of bass boats running around in Blackburn area. 52.3 at mouth of Blackburn. Water color was about like a mix of tea and green tea. After a "restroom stop" I am back at it. Marking some fish now with the bait. Looks promising now. Also, only me and another boat in my area so the traffic. Is setting down. That's a big bonus. Fish will bite better with less traffic. Oh....and caught a small bass on Ned. He was as pale as a liberal wearing skinny jeans in Seattle. Ned bite....man that's just fun.

Broke one off. Greedy with the drag and snapped line. Story of my life!!!! Nuts!!!! Yes. It is a lot. Threadfin mix with gizard. Beaver Lake Christmas Gumbo.

Been thinking of doing this for a while. I'm on the lake. Baits are out. Trying for stripers. Nothing so far but....I've found some bait (dramatic emphasis here). I'll report back later. Water is 52.1 mid lake.

Those are nice looking cranks.

Awesome trip!!

Yeah I heard it was 4ft rollers on main lake. And if you wanted to troll, raise the rod locker lid and you gained another 1.5mph speed! LOL!

True. There are successful lakes that have big bass, stripers, etc. There must be a formula. It may be too difficult to recreate however.

I laughed when people said there are no stripers in TR or the upper tailwaters. Yes, they went over the dam. But they are there. Few in number...but there. And trout are okay. Increase the numbers and duh.....trout won't be okay. It ain't rocket science. Regulation. Moderation. I personally classify trout with catfish on table fare. And I don't like catfish anymore either. I've had too much saltwater species last few years in Florida. Snapper, grouper, mahi, amberjack, etc. Just imagine how people would "wig-out" if they tried stocking muskie?? Rioting would ensue. :-)

Fear. That's what fuels the striper debate. For TR, it's trout. For Beaver, it's bass. People fear what they cannot predict or what they feel will hurt what provides pleasure or monetary resource. I get that. Totally understand. My deal is, you need an independent and reliable source to research it, predict results based on actual data, and possibly some controlled testing to see what happens vs jumping in head first. No one wants to hurt a fishery. You can argue the money debate all day on both sides of the fence. At the end of the day, no one can accurately predict the outcome. But substantial effort and proven data is needed to provide a best guess and see what happens. MDC should not have dumped stripers when they said they would not. A GMC needs to use data vs gut feeling. Champ is right.....they are making their own arguments look like "Hog-wash" (let that pun sink in......deeply). I think actual proven data based on other lakes, research, and tested theories is needed to resolve the debate. Until then, it's a debate that is unproven without a shadow of doubt. I myself like stripers. Taste good. Fun to catch. I also only fish for theme in winter and some in summer. Rest I'm bass or crappie fishing. So I'd like healthy fish on all species. I'm not willing to roll dice and see if what the result is however.

Yep. Thus why I don't really follow politics. Angers me way too quickly. If I did follow it, I'd probably be one of those dooms day prep types with about 20 AR-15's, enough canned food to feed a small army and stored at an "undisclosed" location near the lake. LOL!

Or the other way around! LOL!

One thing I liked about this forum when I first joined years ago....... It was a best kept secret. Then over-exposure came about and secrets, techniques, baits, etc was like front page news and now I have personally seen the drawbacks of that. The best intentions sometimes have consequences. No doubt that Phil deserves credit and appreciation. And I think all members here truly appreciate Phil and what he has offered.

And Again.......(with all seriousness) I applaud you. If only others in this world could self-reflect and try to improve themselves (me included). We should all try to improve ourselves and what learn to control what "winds us up".

I read an updated report on this recently. It seems the main "anti-striper" contact on the Arkansas side is a bass angler. Thus why he's against it. The entire thing is quite childish and said contact accused MDC of "lying" and stocking stripers into the lake anyway when they said they wouldn't. While I honestly do not care one way or the other, I COMPLETELY agree that Table Rock is a great fishery for bass and should NOT be impacted by stocking ANYTHING without great consideration, collaborative effort, and I would think........some serious research and deliberation before just a giant "pissing-match". It's the behavior of a few that can greatly impact many. This is the case here with how the situation is being handled by both sides. It's just sad. I hope they can put their egos aside and try to be professional about it and work together and collaborate on a unified front. Guess that is asking way too much in today's world. Just look at how screwed up politics is these days. This entire thing is political and about power. I do hope they work it out and figure out what's best for both sides. I really don't see the need for stripers in Table Rock with Beaver and Norfork so close to each other honestly.

I applaud your sense of humor and public display. LOL!