Quillback

Some interesting stuff, I haven't watched the entire thing, it runs an hour. Some interesting stuff concerning bass/crappie and fluctuating water levels. Wrench - It's a biologist presenting it, you probably don't want to watch. 🙂

I've got a milk run set up, based on 10 years of fishing the Big M area in the winter. Usually I can find some fish on one of my milk run spots. Tuesday I found a bunch in a couple of locations where I hadn't had much luck so far this year. The fish just seemed to have showed up on those spots, don't know if it was some kind of pre-pre-spawn thing or maybe had to do with craws getting out. If those 2 spots had not held fish, it would have been a tough day. And as Bo says, it's fishing small, it's real easy to get on empty water, gotta keep looking for fish if you aren't on them. I have a lot of faith in the Ned rig right now, I've been fishing it real slow, but it seems if there are fish around they'll eat it. Jerk bait bite has been an early thing, I can't catch them on it after the first hour in the morning.

I'll have to check the fabric dept., maybe they have them there.

My local WW stopped carrying Fiskars a while back, wished I had caught that sale, 99 cents is dirt cheap.

Beautiful fish!

Well I was in Wally World today and I bought the Rapala serrated edge ones, heck they were $2.96 so I figured if they didn't work I wasn't out much. Got home and tied a couple of knots, had no problem cutting tag ends off. We'll see how they stand up to the test of time, if they fail, lots of good suggestions on this thread. Thanks for the replies!

Here's my proposal for the menu, still some blanks to fill in, and open to changes/suggestions/additions. Thursday night - I propose we bring cold cuts, sub sandwich rolls, cheese, lettuce and so on and have an everyone make your own sub night. Be good to bring some chips too. Friday morning - I suggest we bring doughnuts/pastries/ granola bars for breakfast unless anyone wants to volunteer to cook breakfast. Friday night - JD's crew food night, which looks to be chili and chicken and dumplings. I was thinking we might also want to add garlic bread. Saturday morning - Assuming Rick is able to go, he has volunteered to make us a deer steak and egg breakfast. However there may be some early risers that will want to get out as soon as possible so having doughnuts/pastry on hand for those guys to grab and go. Saturday night - Fish fry, bream and catfish. I can bring cole slaw and ketchup. Sunday morning - Doughnuts and pastries. Lunches - We can bring bread and lunchmeat for anyone that wants to make a sandwich to take out on the river.

Looks like we have gotten a few recruits the last couple of days, and I think this will push us to 14 people total. I realize some are still questionable but we're almost 3 weeks away and we need to put a stake in the ground as far as lodging. We've got Cedar Gables and I now think we need to add the River Lodge, which would give us 7 people in each lodge. Total cost for Thursday-Saturday nights for both lodges is $1675, divide that by 14 and it comes out, with a little rounding up, to $120 per person. Not bad for 3 nights lodging. So I'll give it a day or two before booking the Villa to see if anyone objects.

Myself Little Red Zigjigman Jesters HK and BrandonFMC + BIL John's Folly? Ham? Wounded one The BH FishnDoug and buddy?

Those Jerk baits with 3 sets of hooks give me the heebeejeebees too. I've started crimping the barbs on the first two sets of trebles, it might cost me a fish or two, but I'm tired of dealing with fish that are wiggling around and waving those trebles at me. Watching the BPT last week, some of those guys were catching them on JB's. They aren't allowed to net them or let them hit the carpet, not too mention they are fishing fast and want to get those fish off the hook and weighed as quickly as possible. That's just asking to get stuck at some point.

Might throw one a bit next time. Dang cold weather coming back for a couple of days so may not make it back until next week. I threw a Shad Rap a bit, no luck on it.

I have started messing around with braid. My scissors have a tough time cutting that stuff especially the tag ends after tying a knot. Any recommendations on a pair of scissors?

So I'm rolling down AR HWY 94 doing around 55 when a skunk bolts out of the grass and runs right in front of the truck, no time to react, Pepe fortunately moved fast enough that he went under the truck at about the center line. Thought for sure either the trailer tires or the trailer cross bars would get him, but it was his (and my) lucky day as I felt no thumps from back there and no stink on the trailer when I got to the ramp. Fishing was great today if you like numbers, I caught 30 bass, exactly 30 as I quit when I caught the 30th. Only 5 keepers however. I think I got 6 on the 78 Pointer and the others came on the Ned rig. The bass look to be feeding on craws, had several with craw antennae sticking out of their throats. Fish were scattered, some spots better than others. Caught a few as deep as 20 feet, and the rest were in the 5 - 15 foot range. A couple on gravel, but rock runouts and ledge rock were the best. Only saw 2 other boats, and one of those came out the same time I did - he said he caught 10 bass, but one of them went 4 lbs. didn't ask what he was using. WT 44-46 This post has been promoted to an article

Ok, cool, jut got back from fishing so I'll take a better look at things to see what we're going to do for food in another day or two. I am thinking we may need an additional place as we're starting to get a bit crowded.

Very nice, love those big spots!

OK, well I am going to assume that between Brett and Zigjig man we'll have enough fish for a fry. I can get the oil, 7.5 gallons if I recall. We'll have to get organized as far as what nights to eat whatever.

Thanks for posting that. Some nice redears, I keep expecting Ham to get after those things. @Ham

Way to go! Nice warm day to boot.

Might be worth waiting until March or April, once the tourneys get started on the big lakes it helps ease the pressure on Swepco.

Couple of things that are noted wrongly in that thread, Swepco is around 700 acres, not 200, and the ramp has been rebuilt since 2006 and is a decent ramp with a courtesy dock off to the side. The ramp is exposed to the wind and it's not unusual to have whitecaps coming across it on a windy day. Swepco is not a big lake, but it is exposed to the wind so keep that in mind.

Some great looking fish!

Haven't fished it this year, but have quite a bit in the past. It's always been a plastics lake for me, c-rigs, T-rigs, wobble heads. The lake fishes better when the plant is running and when the discharge is hot, 90+ degrees. The bass love to get up in that discharge, but everybody that fishes that lake knows that so it's a busy spot, but if you go during the week, get to that discharge before the sun comes up you can catch numbers and size there. The bass have Florida strain genetics and spawn early, they should be spawning about now. It's a good lake for quality fish. I'd stay away on the weekends if you can, it can get really and I mean really crowded during the winter. I've been meaning to get over there myself.

Surprised to hear there were so many boats, I guess the warm weather got people out. Hope you and your daughter get into them!

Bill, those crappie were just out cruising around as far as I could tell, my guess is they are out eating those slow moving shad like the bass are. I think February and March bass are in the best shape as far as fatness and coloration. I love fishing this time of year when the weather cooperates.