Quillback

Today I made myself throw a square bill and tried hard not to pick up the dragging baits. Stuck with the SB for about three hours, starting at daylight. Didn't catch many, but got 5, all largemouth, 2 were keepers. They all came on main channel chunk rock banks, up shallow. When I am by myself throwing SB's or other cranks, I'll position my boat parallel to the bank and throw down the bank from the bow, trying to keep the bait running near the bottom, kicking off cover. Caught about a 3 foot gar on the SB also. Caught another 3 or so on the Trick worm, one was a keeper smallie. Smallie was an accidental "deadstick" fish. Had a hard rain shower hit me about halfway through my retrieve, put the rod down, put on my rain coat, picked up the rod, reeled in the slack and he was there. Fortunately he didn't swallow it. Sun came out about 10 AM and that shut them down, I fished until 11 AM but did not get a bite after 10. The wake boat navy was also making its appearance so it was time to go. Surface temp was down to 83. This post has been promoted to an article

Champ probably cleaned out the inventory.

Yep they have a sexy shad type color, it's been out for a while.

I found them on Ebay (thanks Mojo), but I did not buy any. You guys should be proud of me.

What you guys found them somewhere? Not that I want to know where.

And others that may be interested in fly fishing for carp. http://mynorth.com/2017/07/vision-quest-world-class-carp-fishing-beaver-island/

I made a few efforts in the Indian creek arm after the lake came up. I could catch some 12-15" smallies but never could find the largemouth or spots except for an occasional one here or there. It had me scratching my head. But, I hear the mid lake area has been good for bass fishing.

Please, no more...

As much as I fish, I don't think I have ever seen divers out there spear fishing. I am sure there are some out there doing it and they can harvest some big fish, but I would think the effect is negligible on fish populations. It would be interesting to see what the impact of bow fishing is on a lake like Table Rock as far as the gar and carp populations. I know they shoot a bunch at that annual tournament. My opinion is that MDC should do a study to see what impact there is. Hard to set management goals if you don't know what you're managing. And maybe they know, I don't want to make assumptions.

Anyone ever been bit by a snapper? Never have myself and I have never have talked to someone that was bit. They seem to be pretty ferocious, but never bite anyone. I am sure there have been people bit that were messing with them, tugging on a leg or trying to get a hook out of one. But I wonder if they will go out of their way to get you.

Biggest snapper I have seen (except for that monster they have at BPS Springfield) was in Massachusetts. Back in the early 70's when I was in high school, bass fishing with the old man, big snapper rose to the surface about 20 feet away, eyeballed us for a few seconds, then silently submerged, hard to say how big it was, but it dwarfed any snapper (except for the BPS one) that I have seen since then, and I have seen a lot of snappers.

That is a good day. I was out yesterday and was whupped by the fish. One in the boat on a spoon, and had a good largemouth get off right at the boat that bit a worm. I was trying to find deep fish, not having much luck at it, my usual late summer tactics just aren't working, just can't find any deep fish, they seem to be moving a lot, aren't schooled up. I may have to apply opposite psychology and fish shallow with square bills and top waters. Surface temps really dropped, I saw 85-86 as opposed to near 90 last week. Seemed to have killed what top water bite there was.

Thanks for the pics, hopefully you'll get time to take and share a few more.

Curious if that 6.9% rate of growth is annual or over the 2009-2017 time span.

A thread over in the Norfork forum where a guy is catching them 50 feet deep on spoons.

I finally had a good week, but it is too little, too late.

I back it into the garage, lower the motor, unhook the trailer and push it in the last couple of feet. They'll push OK on a straight line, it's making turns that is tough.

Well my guys dropped a bit, but I think I still have 4 fishing tomorrow. I believe the top 50 fishes the last day with the shortened tourney to 3 days. Number 50 is 6 lbs. and change from the lead, this thing is still really up in the air.

True that.

Well I lived for close to 20 years outside of Seattle and worked for a company that was based in San Jose CA. I'd tell people that I was going back to Arkansas to visit my folks on vacation and it was always funny to hear their reactions. I gave up trying to tell them like it is, and would just say stuff like, "Well the still broke down and Ma and Pa need me to come back and fix it". Or, it's fall and they need help butchering the hogs. People out on the coast really do base their opinions on this part of the country based on what they see on the tube. Of course that's not true for everyone out there, but quite a few. West coast is messed up now, way too many people. It is paradise lost, if the population was 10% of what it is now it would be a great place to live for an outdoors person. Still some great outdoors opportunity to be had out there, but you have to work to get to it. And fight traffic.

Might as well stock some gobies in Bull, then you'll have a Lake Erie south. Zebra mussels, walleye, yellow perch, smallmouth - just need some gobies. Yellow perch are tasty, I'll take them over walleye.

Ouch! Your better half has my sympathy.

It can certainly be tough. My advice when you're off on the ends of those long points over deeper water, if you're not seeing fish on your electronics you need to move.

Several of the guys on my roster this tourney are guys I have picked on many of the tourneys this year and they finally came through - well for one day at least.

Didn't get that much in Bella Vista, maybe 1/4" or so.