J-Doc

Welcome to the forum! Some say this forum (Beaver) is specific to trolling and striper but that's not true. Bass guys have tight lips just like the bass in this lake. Hard to get them to bite! Lol There is an old saying. "Do unto others as they would do into you". I don't follow that or recommend it. If someone purposely creates or intends fowl play, that's wrong but retaliation is immature, impulsive, and not advised as it can come down to legal implications if taken too far. It's human nature and too easy to retaliate. It takes a strong character to "turn the other cheek". It's not easy but you are a bigger person for doing so. Some people think the lake is there's and there's alone. Some are more than willing to share and help teach others. Some are stingy and keep there best spots secret. Some have big mouths and want to tell as many people as they can. (Not mention names of anyone!.ha!) I will say that the situation you described is while neglegent and a bit ethically wrong (intended or unintended) is not nearly as bad or as dangerous as the wake traffic on this lake. Driving while intoxicated or under the influence is dispicabke and endangers us all. I have seen some really "dumb" and lack of boating education and experience things in the last 2-3yrs and it gets worse every year. As for fishing......everyone has an opinion of what's acceptable and what is not. Some feel its ok to troll next to others as long as lines are not tangled and some feel eyesight distance is too close. It's over 30,000 acres but fishes like 8,000 or less sometimes. Three is a simple courtesy that we should all obide and that's simple communication. If one boater makes note that you are too close and in a respectable and professional manor, you owe them the respect and courtesy to back away. If they are immature and mouth off or try to start a fight.....well you are best to just leave the area and let them have it. it's fishing because it's fun and relaxing. You don't need that kind of negativity and neither should kids witness such things. If someone does what you are saying, it's wrong but I say, let it go. I admit, it's very tempting to find this guy and givie him a piece of your mind or ask "what's up" but at the end of the day, fishing is what matters. Some people are "never wrong" no matter how you defend yourself or explain the situation. It's their world and your just a nut from their tree sort of speak. Hope this helps for what it's worth. There are a lot of good folks here of which I have personally met and had them help me and I have helped others. A lot of folks are willing to share reports, photos and good comradery. I hope you will post more and contribute to what others have built and continue to support. Phil (site owner) is a great guy (I have met) and allows us to help each other. That's what it's all about. Helping each other for a sport we all love and enjoy. If it becomes a chore or a job or war.....well it's not worth the headache. I've recently considered guiding but I'm simply not good enough (yet). Lol!! Do come back and share reports and such!

Well I'm very glad to help out and share water with someone wanting to try things new.

Well I have a new HDS 10 and I can't spot a small group of stripers 200ft away on side scan if it makes you feel any better. It's more for structure and bottom comp than fish. If it's a big ball of fish, I can see it but it has to be massive.

Glad to help out. I'm still learning myself. Was sure glad to get Samuel on fish though. Poor fella deserved it. He had a great day.

Nope. Only a few topwater strikes. No boils.

No remarks here! Sorry I didn't formally introduce myself. I was a bit preoccupied and focused on the task at hand. Yep, they are there but may not be what the guides are after. They do roam around and could be gone tomorrow. They were already in a different location from Wednesday and less fish too. I think I know where they are headed.

Hey...........I wasn't. But now.......I'm not so sure anymore. One rod catches all fish? Has to be a detail I'm missing somewhere. I'm about to find out and go inspect gear. One hook must have been shiny or something. LOL

Shameless plug on the new boat. On the way back, I've got a full load, almost full tank, passenger, chop on water, headed into wind. I only lost about 50-80rpm and almost 1mph. Boat rides so smooth it will surprise you big time. Rides very similar to a glass boat in my mind. We both fished very comfortably and never felt crowded. And Samuel agrees..........the new graphs are worth every penny. And a 10" graph is definately not too big. LOL!

Took my boat sales guy out with me this morning for the sole purpose of putting him on fish. By the way, if you or someone you know is in the market for a new boat, ATV, or tractor....you NEED to go find Samuel Barns at Cabelas in Rogers and tell them I sent you. Samuel is about as nice a guy as one could meet. He works for you and he works hard. He does whatever he can to help you select the right boat for you. If he doesn't know the answer to your question, he will hunt it down. He volunteered to take me out on his personal off time on his family rig for a test ride to meet my schedule. I knew after meeting him and how he catered to me and helped me, he was a good sales rep to work with and I was right. I made a friend out of the deal and got my boat too. GO see Samuel for a boat, ATV or tractor, you won't be sorry. So we launched at dark and got to the general area I was wanting to fish around 6:10. No one around, no guide boats to disupute rights of passage or "theft" of profit and other BS so I knew I had the area to myself. I even invited nathanhooper to join me once I knew where the fish were and that we were catching them. After nathan showed up, the bite had died and the wind picked up. I don't blame Nathan, it was psat 10am and that's about when the bite has been dying. I hope you got some Nathan. I tried several top water baits including a wake bait, walk the dog bait, and even a tail spin. No bites. Only live bait. Water was about 82 degrees Water clarity about 5-6ft? Maybe more Bait of choice = minnows Split shot rig (no 2 circle hook, split shot about 3-4ft above hook) Depth.....varies (I used graph to find fish and once found I'd sit on them and move around them as needed) Fish Caught: - 2 small stripers (released) - 1 nice smallmouth - 2 keeper stripers - 1 REally nice striper Funny story......... F&F always seems to catch fish or more fish when I go with him. Today, I was F&F and had 2 in the boat quickly. On my 3rd fish, I gave the rod to Samuel and said, "here, all I did was hand you the rod....it's your fish". Suspecting there was some magic mojo on the driver's side of the boat, I gave Samuel the rod on the 4th fish and decided to test a theory. Same rod, same reel, same line, same hook, same bait. So lets see if there is something about the driver's seat. There wasn't but all fish caught today was on that rod. I suspect some "voodoo rods" at F&F's house or something. LOL! I mean I even tied the same knot on the hook. Nothing was different. No bananas in the boat either. :-) I'm not giving away the spot or the area because I owe a few more folks that deserve a great day like Samuel. I hope to take a few more out over the course of the next week and I hope the fish will remain in this area. That and if word gets out, the guides will be going through my spot like a comb in Don King's hair and that's not going to leave me with a few later. Here are the photos. And if anyone wants to try my blackened fish recipe, I suggest striper for the meat. It's as good as fresh gulf grouper! I cooked this massive 1-1/4" thick fillet Friday night and had it again for lunch Sat. Man.....I gotta cook more tonight!

I bet all campsites are full this time of year. Might call and ask. North side of the lake is best for camping. Prairie Creek might not be full.

Definitely get you a lake map and learn names of coves, look over potential spots, etc. if you have a detailed Lowrance map card in your graph, that helps even further with 1ft contour lines. Try for stripers early, then go for bass later if that's what you're used too. Just get out there and have fun. For bass, dropshot on mainlake humps/points and bluffwalls with submerged trees is a good technique. Small finesse worms in green pumpkin.

Be sure and check the stick at the top of this forum page and scroll down to the striper section. A wealth of information and local knowledge there.

Welcome to the forum! A) Never trust the guides fishing reports. Some of them purposely deter people from an area because they do not want people within visual distance of them. Some think it messes up their ability to put clients on fish (you know who you are lurker) Live bait is best this time of year simply because it’s easier to fool the fish into a bite and it’s in the strike zone longer C) Artificials like bucktail jigs with swimbait trailers, bucketail spinners (basically a spin head but with a bucktail jig) large jigging spoons around 4-5”, big Kastmaster spoons (for whites/hybrids) work well. Come to think of it, a variation of the “float & fly” would be a good alternative as well if they are biting near the surface. Tie on a bucktail jig (or live bait if possible) with a 4-5ft leader and as small of a bobber as you can get away with (white cork, red top) and cast out into the area you want and then drift away slowly feeding line so your boat is further away not to spook the fish. As for areas, anywhere between the Rocky Branch Marina and the lake dam is a good general area. I heard point 5 had been “hot” but I don’t know about that anymore because of the amount of guide pressure that has been put on them lately. Be sure and try Moulder Hollow (if you don’t have a lake map, get one at Walmart or a convienent store). If you see a white guideboat there……..be sure and wave really big. He loves people fishing in the same cove as him. As a general rule, if you’re within 200yds of a guide boat, you’re getting too close. Well……unless you’re the guide and it’s “if I see you, you’re too close”. Sorry……sore subject with me currently. Good luck and post some reports/photos if you get any! I hope to post report myself Sat.

They don't eat eyes from what I've read.

One man's boring is another man's great day. :-)

It was the bolt part I was thinking about. :-)

Thank you sir.

Two anglers went out early in search of stripers. Live bait Water temp in mid 80's Location - Beaver Lake Sorry folks. I plan on going back there Saturday morning and taking my Ranger sales guy with me. So I'm keeping the "dets" out of this report. Sorry folks. I owe the man. After that, I'll post the general area. Later in the day, I took my son out in the new rig (first person in the boat besides me) to Monte Ne for some play time. We tried crickets and floats for some perch but as I suspected, a ton of little cricket robbing theives but my boy did land a Kentucky. Then we trolled up a larger one. I say we......HE did. Then I gave him my dropshot rod in hopes of some bass fishing. I flipped a jig. I pulled a jig over the top of a sunken boat lift and watched a bass race up to look at it and follow it down. I thought for sure I had a good one. Nope....he lost interest. Needless to say, that jig has been put back on the bench. Changing color and presentation for next trip. My best advice: - The morning bite is best. - The mid-late afternoon bite stinks. - The later afternoon bite is brief and varies from day to day. The striper below was 38llbs 2oz. and the only striper of the day. I caught a big flathead and a hybrid. No striper for me. Oh and it was caught no where near any striper guides (for the record) I did witness something I've never seen before on Beaver Lake. Daisy-chaining stripers. Looked like a circling school of sharks. Fins and mouths out of the water, swirling in a large enough circle that I could see it as a boat wake from 200yds out. I thought it was a boat wake. It was a feeding frenzy with a large school. Later we saw a massive surface attack as if you had thrown fish food to giant phirana. Probably 100ft in diameter and so loud/visible that we heard and saw it from 450yds away. The stripers are in various locations from Rocky Branch to the dam area. But I do recommend highly Moulder Cove/Hollow. Especially early in the morning. And if you see a guide boat, be sure and toot your horn and go say hi. He won't mind at all....... And if any lurking striper guides who simply cannot share open water with another boat within 200-300yds of your esteemed vessel (Moulder Cove if you want that location), we didn't see the big flashing neon sign hanging over the entire cove at Moulder that read "Stingy's Cove, Bait & Tackle, and Whine Cellar". So sorry we crashed your party so quietly at 300yds out, within adequate & legal sharing distance and drifting away from you as you turned into us under power by vessel as we drifted away from you Moulder is a very large cove with plenty of room to share. I personally take fishing courtesy very seriously and I respect other vessels/anglers and do not encroach their spot, area, or path of troll. I try not to anyway. Any regular posters in this forum would know me well enough to know I respect others (I hope). Moulder is a large area. Anything within 300yds is more than fair game. We turned away from you when we got too close. When you turn and come to us as we are drifting away from you at over 150-200yds away............dude that's your encroachment.......not ours (which is why you have a photo of our backsides and us sipping coffee quietly). If fishing as a guide is that stressfull and having a boat within 300yds of you affects your "game", go to the doc and get some Zanex man. You need to lighten up and live a little. Seriously....lifes too short to be wound up that tight. Loosen your drag a little.

Interesting.......

Well said Nathan. Well said.

Yeah I get that for sure. I used to just bass fish. Got ticked when I'd catch a walleye. Now......I'm smiling like a baby with a pacifier when they are on the line. :-) I blame Feathers&Fins. Lmao!!

Yeah but I can sling a DD22 a country mile. Lol! I don't use mine for crankbaits. Not unless I'm throwing a 2XD and I don't often. I just take it easy and loosen drag. I haven't lost a fish on the a-rig yet and considering I'm unspooling the lreel, I don think I can get more yardage. :-) But I hear what you're saying and it makes sense.

Lol! Should have said hi. Well that's a nice rig you have.

Is that a Merc on the back? Trying to remember if I've seen your rig on the water before. If you ever see a red alum. Ranger, say hi. :-)

Anytime you can catch that amount of eyes on Beaver, you're doing something right. And the quality shows.