J-Doc

Y'all are crazy. :-) I've seen fish not take live bait. Can't get any more real than that. It's about presentation and the action that triggers instinctive reactions from the fish. How real it looks is not as relavent. I literally threw a live shrimp to a snook in Florida. Shrimp started squirming. Snook watched. Until it freaked out and started panicking, the snook had no interest in it. Once the pursuit ensued, it became interested. I've seen stripers not take live brooders right I'm front of their noses. If they aren't biting, they aren't biting. You have to find a way to trigger a reaction. That's my take on it. So lifelike baits to me have caught me and my wallet more than they should. Live baiting has taught me a lot.

Fillet a fluke.....theirs an idea. Might not work but hey.. Yep. I could see these on a-rigs as well. But I hate those dang things. Stump finder.

I've got a new Ranger RT188. I know a guy in Hot Springs that has one just like mine. Literally. He said he forgot the plug one day and they saw water in the lower floor from the drain. He had been fishing for at least an hour before realizing. (I think the guy in the story had the same issue). He realized what had happened, reached down and put in the plug (bet that wasn't easy) and turned on his bilge pump and went back to fishing. Bet that took a while to pump out. :-) Yep I believe we are all a little too over confident in our rigs floatability. I know I was after hearing the tale about the rig like mine. After reading the story above, it's made me more aware and I prefer to be on the safe side than risk what he went through. I have two kids also that need their Dad.

Yep. All good points. Water below 60 degrees impairs movement. Below 40 pain consumes you slowing your movement. Anyone that has done the ice bucket challenge can or should be able to attest to this.

Pardon the terrible pun in the subject line but its to make a point. Some of you have heard the tale below but most may not be aware that the vessel that sank was a 21ft bass boat. This was not just some 12ft jon boat......it was a modern day vessel. While no mention of what boat it was (should not matter make or year model), the US Coast Guard requires all vessels to stay afloat for a select time frame before failure (sinking) occurs. It baffles me that this fellas boat went down so quickly. I assume it was already "floating" as required by USCG standards and he was simply unaware of the situation. By the time it was too late, he panicked and tried to save not only himself but the vessel as well (which we all would have reacted the same way I imagine). So......the chilling thought. This could have been me or you. http://www.bassmaster.com/news/angel-bass-boat?j=20746642&e=jb_adams@hotmail.com&l=4031116_HTML&u=420881281&mid=10688361&jb=0# This could have happened to anyone. Yes, I have a "Ranger" but you can't make that argument. Yes Ranger probably leads the industry by going above most and seeking the NMMA certification like Skeeter and others. Many have certification but nothing is truly unsinkable in a worst case scenario. While I feel safe in mine and think of it as unsinkable, the truth is, it's not totally and emphatically unsinkable in every situation. Find your boat manufacturer listed here for NMMA certification: https://www.nmma.org/certification/certification/boats/certifiedmanufacturers.aspx What does NMMA do or mean? http://www.boatus.com/magazine/2014/february/what-nnma-certified-means.asp So be cautious out there. Be aware of your surroundings and be extra cautious during the winter months.

Yep. Here are two threads. One for temporary stay, one for retirement. Info has already been set before you.

There are lots of places to stay. Not sure on the slip info as that can be a little pricey because most of the slip rental is a lease condition. I do know that slips are available on the north end of the lake at Lost Bridge. So it depends on what you want. Do you want close to town for amenities, sites, shopping, restaurants, etc.? Or do you want away from the city and a retreat? Around Easter weekend. The lake will be hopping with the early ski crowd but not terrible yet. Water will still be a bit cold for the large crowds. Stripers will probably be on their way back down river towards the dam area. I would estimate they would be around the Coppermine area and Rocky Branch area. So that is where I would look at a boat slip. Rocky Branch Marina. While I have not stayed at any resorts locally, there is nothing 5 star and by no means “Big Cedar” class of accommodations. So if you’re wanting hi-end, not sure I can help you. I don’t think there is anything “hi-end” although there are plenty of nice places around the lake I would assume. Someone was asking for information not long ago. Might check on some older threads here in the Beaver forum as this information was covered not too long ago (within the last 6mo).

This is EASY.......... Captain Ozzie Lessinger. Click link below. I'm the second photo down with the bucket list fish. :-) http://www.fishsanibelcaptiva.com/sanibel-fishing-photos/

Thanks for the notice. I didn't get one. Hope to attend the one in Rogers. I can think of a few no wake zones that could be added. Lol!

Wow I've never heard any of this. And I value your opinion. Interesting.

The thing is 21ft long right. I don't see it being common for a 21ft boat going near 80 with a 250 where a 19 and 20 can with a light load. Why not a 300? Weight wise I could see the need for the increase hp. For the speed demons. :-)

^^ That is hilarious stuff right there!! (said a little boat owner) Don't know what the fuss is over. My little 115 gets me to 47 all day long. Bunch of slow-pokes......

Nice work. More pics!! :-)

That's a hog. I want one.

Check out Monte Ne Chicken. It's rather famous in this area and family style fried chicken. You can find it online. You'll need reservations. It's great food and part of the experience of the lake. If it was by the lake it would be even better. It is definitely a local favorite.

Should have known you have them. I bet you have a case of them. Lol! And I'm still waiting for my box of mags. Lol

Show off.... Lol!!! ;-)

That's just sad. They need to make a plastic that's degradable and digestable.

For Beaver 23" largemouth (only weighed 6lbs but should have gone 8-9 - had plastics stuck in his gut) For Stripers (working on a PB for this species) For saltwater....this was my bucket list fish. Now my bucket suddenly became catching more of these. 80lb class tarpon

The Scatter Rap seemed cool at first but doesn't cast well. Hope this isn't a flop like the Scatter Rap.

If you can get bait down to 40ft, your set. I would make atrip from Horseshoe or Hickory up river to about the 412 bridge area but not quite that far. Looking for large bait schools. If you can find a large bait school, getting bait will be a piece of cake. I found one over 200yrds long and it filled my side scan and sonar from top to bottom. They can get like that. Massive. You could catch your fill for the entire trip. Gizard and threadfin mix. Just keep your sonar on while I'm plane and watch it closely. As for Monte Ne, don't avoid it entirely. Just launch at a different ramp. There can be schools in the creek arm. There is also some very interesting history to Monte Ne and you can Google it. You can see remnants of the old town and long list resort and amphitheater. Interesting stuff. Depending one weather, they could move back into the creek. But long term forecast I hear looks yucky. Main river arm between Monte Ne and War Eagle would be a prime area to search. Once you find them, there is usually a good group of them. Some have recently been very large. Not that I catch them. I've just seen them.

The ramp at Monte Ne is low and yes, there are some low underwater rocks, foundations, and very shallow flats that are right at the water line since the lake is 7.3ft below normal. Unless you have a small vessel that's good for skinny water, I'd stick with HSB or Hickory. Between these two areas, striper fish has been pretty good.

Yep. It's the steepest ramp on the lake. Nice dock and ramp but it's got a heck of a slope.

I hate using that steep rampnin summer much less winter. :-) I'd go to Monte Ne as there is less of a risk of frozen ice. But I wouldn't go until it warms up a bit anyway. The bite will be pretty rough I'd guess.

Come on up. The bite was good before the front. Ow they are deep and on main lake. The bait netting can be sketchy so bringing bait or buying local at Hook Line & Sinker in Rogers is a good backup plan. Sometimes they only want the bait from the lake and not the store. The bait has been thick this year and last year. As for netting it, I'm told you need shallow water. Most of the time the bait has been deeper. Next time it warms up with a good warming trend would be a good time to come up after about 4 days of good warm weather like we had before this front. Up river is the best place too look. Start at Horseshoe Bend and go south from there.