J-Doc

This is not the "for sale" forum but I'm placing this hear as it's specific to this lake and area. I would rather not pay to ship them but if someone was willing to up the payment a bit, I could I guess. For Sale: New Cannon Mini Troll Downriggers - used one time only & still new condition I bought these to use this summer and used them only once. They worked great. Right after I rigged the boat for downriggers, the wife informed me (after years of begging) that I could get a new boat. Well, the new boat is on order and these will not work on the new boat (disappointment!!) Rather than adapt some device that's permanently mounted to the deck of the new boat, I'm getting larger Cannons with swivel bases. So these are obsolete now and will not do me any good. Asking $60 since they are in fact new.... I bought them from Cabelas in Rogers. http://www.cabelas.com/product/Cannon-Mini-Troll-Downrigger/738095.uts?productVariantId=1208181&WT.tsrc=CSE&WT.mc_id=GoogleProductAds&WT.z_mc_id1=00055799&rid=40&channel=GoogleBaseUSA&mr:trackingCode=4C6184C8-958E-DF11-A0C8-002219318F67&mr:referralID=NA&mr:device=c&mr:adType=pla&mr:ad=30640542311&mr:keyword&mr:match&mr:filter=57965093471&gclid=CMG4xNSknb4CFU_l7AodNigAFg&gclsrc=aw.ds If you're interested, shoot me a PM.

(eating popcorn and waiting for the opinions) :-) This will be an interesting thread for learning.

Wal-Mart has them too. Look near the catfish baits and walleye baits. Very limited selection. I make it a habbit of buying a couple every trip to WM. :-)

Nice! Sounds like a great trip.

Lol!!!

I trust your opinion and you''re probably right. Like I said, I am not experienced on TR compared to Beaver.

I could be completely wrong but after spending a little time on TR, I didn't realize how big it is compared to Beaver. I really can't justify my theory as I have only fished TR once in a 2 day period. Just basing my theory on instinct and even with the Elites on the water, I didn't see that much boat traffic from other anglers.

No sir. I was referencing pressure "per acre". Those lakes are really big. I personally think there is a lit more water to cover on lakes like them compared to Beaver. A lot of places on Beaver are "community holes". And for good reasons too. Those spots produce where others do not produce as much.

I keep hearing this Quill but I think Table Rock and Grand get less pressure per acre of water. That makes a big difference. My personal best on Beaver was caught at night on live minnow under a light at 6lb+. The fish was long and lean which is a sign that it's swallowed plastics and not able to digest it. Probably caught too many times or from pressure. Would have weighed 8-9lbs during spawn.

A) Welcome to the forum!!!! Beaver has a bad wrap on the pro circuit as being a lake plentiful with lots of fish but nothing of any size (I disagree completely) C) Constant tournament pressure has got to take it’s toll on the fish after a while. There are multiple clubs, weekday jackpots in the summer, and then there is the larger tournament series with 200 boats every other week. Add in the locals that don’t fish the tournaments (like myself) and the fish are getting hammered with a lot of local pressure D) When the pros do visit the lake, they get their “behinds” handed to them in a lightweight weigh-in bag (haha). My theory is they are moving too quickly trying to get a reaction bite and this lake is NOT typically a KVD power fishing lake (see item C above and there is why) E) The neighboring lake (Table Rock) has had a lot of success with the “Ned Rig”. It’s not necessarily the rig that’s the ticket but rather you have to fish it so slow, you don’t move around and you fish an area for like an hour. You catch a lot of fish that way but most people can’t fish a dock for 5-10 mins much less 1hr. It’s a super slow soak it till it kills you presentation. Which is why it catches fish F) For stripers of varying size, they are a school mentality fish and will hang out with fish their own size. You won’t typically see a large striper of 36lbs in the middle of a few hundred 14” stripers. I think the larger stripers are in limited schools and probably less than 10 per school where 14” stripers can be in the hundreds in one area. Now I’m basing my striper knowledge on what I’ve learned over the last year. I am NO way any expert of any kind so take my input with a grain of salt. I’m basing off of what I have observed and what my instincts tell me. There are others here with more experience that can correct me. Also…….if you’re catching a dozen + fish each trip, you’re doing well. Some local tournaments you don’t catch a single fish and you throw the kitchen sink at them and cover a lot of area (again……..speed fishing vs. slow and finesse presentation). I have also heard from many better anglers than I that catching 5-6lb LM bass with jigs and crankbaits is rather common in the summer and winter as well. I’m not one of those guys……(yet) but I’m working towards it. J

Sorry, didn't mean to hi-jack. :-) I have the Dr Sonar DVDs at home. There is a lot to learn about the HDS units but they really are essential tools.

Thank you sir. I'm not much of a tournament guy. I would rarely if ever place so I don't flush entry fees into the lake. If I was better at it and had a solid chance to place or win, I probably would fish tournaments more. Besides, I'm I'm it for the fun and enjoyment more so than the competitive nature. I like one every once in a while but for now, I'm fishing to learn and broaden my live well. Lol! I have learned a lot about bass fishing from trolling too. Hours of graph watching and learning to place baits precisely.

Yep. 80lb Fortrex. Might could have squeezed the 36v 101lb but it would have been overkill and extra weight of a 3rd battery. I fished a 188 in 20-25ftmph wind and white capping rollers and held the boat in place to fish drop shots with only 40% power and it made good speed heading into the waves/wind when wide open so you can still go down a bank in a pretty strong wind. I'm ready to get it. Bought new vs used because I'm ready to just turn a key and drive without fear or worry. If something breaks down, it's Mercury's problem for the first 5yrs. Lol. I know several folks with Optis and they love them. Midrange power is insane and it sips the gas.

Ranger RT188 with the 115ProXS. I wanted a boat that could fish rivers, lakes, etc. I also wanted something that was easy on fuel when towing, a large fishing platform, and something I can take way up War Eagle or the White without worrying too much. They are selling them faster than they can make them currently. Every boat in the US is sold pretty quickly. Most dealers are having to order. The crappie version is selling the best. Should be here in June.

Very true. I looked at HB briefly due to cost factor. They can be significantly cheaper than Lowrance but the quality of the 2d sonar from Lowrance is so much more advanced than HB from the brief research I did on other forums and discussions with other users. The HB has the most hi-def side imaging (Lowrance calls it side scan) and downscan (Lowrance calls it structure scan) compared to Lowrance. But in the end, I'm familiar with Lowrance products and liked the options overall. I've spoken with several Lowrance tech supports and sales reps over the last 2yrs in preparation for my investment and I feel pretty solid about them. Really glad they owned up to a warranty issue and did not hold you to the letter of the date. That could sour a loyal customer over something small and petty. They are better off taking care of someone and growing their market vs. offending a customer and having them spread their disappointment across the net.

That's awesome. I have an HDS10 and HDS5 on order with the new boat. I too have also heard after about 2yrs you can potentially have an issue. I sure hope not for the price you have to pay for these things. I think warranty work is Lowrance's biggest downfall compared to Hummingbird.

There is defiantly a nice population of quality bass on Beaver. Trick is how to catch them and THAT is the key. Not many can figure out the trick of the day. The tricks change daily on this lake. Very nice catches.

I cannot testify to the so called 9 before I arived as I was not a witness to said fish. Lol!!! He said 7 and I was there before 7. I would have gotten there earlier had I had known. Oh and for the record, Scott was using 5 rods to my 2. :-)

I learned a valuable lesson. His rear deck of his boat has a hex on it. That or someone placed a banana peel or a voo doo trinket back there. When I moved to the fteont, I started catching the same fish. Oh and 100% pure flourocarbon line added to the catch. I was using Segar Red Label and he was using another Segar type line. Made all the difference. Well that and fishing from the front. When I'd go to the back....nothing. Oh and the Bama/Dame reference was an understatement. I HEREBY OWE F&F A PUBLIC APOLOGY FOR ACCUSESING HIM OF FUDGING HIS CATCH NUMBERS. There Scott. I said it. You evil evil fish whispering human sane net. :-p~~

My bait for this scenario was a rattle trap. I bet I lost 5-6 of those in a year. Same thing, cast and line snap with the bait soaring over 100ft away. I feel you pain and I too do not buy into the hype of expensive baits. The Spook and Spook Jr. are great and if they are biting topwater, they will bite a Spook Jr just about as easy as the Sammy. Tie on a front runner and then you really have a combination. That's an Ozark secret I think. Not many guys throw the front runner.

I agree. No one knows for sure but the biologists and even their information is somewhat theoretical based on their observations, reports & findings. My theory is if there were no stripers, we would not see an improvement. I think there is more to it than one single species but rather a combination of things. No one is getting their blood pressure up here. It was all meant in good fun and educational purposes. You're correct and as I stated, this video is a "wild-card" scenario but the results are, proper management will yield great results.

I know you were not, no worries. I was just making sure you knew I was only joking and making light of the situation in case you or someone else misunderstood my intent.. :-)

I was only joking. Kinda adding some comic relief to what was becoming a hot topic and involving some areas of debate that could go south quick. Totally meant in fun and humor. :-)

There are some that hate the stripers and blame them for not having bigger sacks at the tournaments. I used to be one until I read a bit more about it and learned a bot more. I've also seen other lakes where you have both large stripers and bass. Lake Ouchita being one of those. I thoroughly believe that large 6lb+ bass follow the stripers around in open water. Like they are stripers.

Remember the old "Hot pocket" TV commercials where a hi-pitched voice would lovingly sing the words "Hoooot Pocket!" ?? Well imagine that but with these words.... "Off topic!" Lol!!