Quillback

Launched at Indian around 6 AM, things are getting busy there, the campgrounds are open and people like me coming in for a day of fishing. The winter solitude is over. There's some scattered striper top water activity over by Point 1. Not a lot, but worth chasing if you're into it. The first 4 or 5 blowups I had missed the bait, finally got an 8 lber. that hooked up. That was it, once the sun came up, the top water activity pretty much ceased. The smallmouth appear to be done spawning, they have left a lot of the banks I have been catching them on. There were a few here and there, but nothing like last week. My best bite was throwing a UV Speed Craw on a c-rig on points. Something back in the woods making a lot of noise, I suspect cicadas, but never saw one.

Spotted bass and smallies appear to be done with spawning, don't know about the largemouth. Shad have been spawning for at least a week. It seems all the spawning activity was fast forwarded a couple of weeks this year.

Probably thinking that now we have to clean a bunch of fish. 😀 Nice bag of fish Seth!

It was definitely a day where we worked for them. However, it beats staying at home and watching soap operas. I did take a pic, for Pete and JF @snagged in outlet 3 @Johnsfolly

That's a very nice walter!

Tomorrow AM is looking decent as far as weather. I'm going to Table Rock to fish out of Dutch's boat tomorrow, but I bet they will be biting tomorrow on Beaver. If there's enough rain to get water running in the back of the coves, that's where I'd go.

Have not seen one around here so far.

AGFC, UAPB tune in to trout movements on Little Red River • Arkansas Game & Fish Commission

It's a slow moving front, been looking at radar several times this morning and it has stalled out west of here all morning, but looks like it will get here later this morning.

I don't fish that area of the lake, but I can tell you that on the lower end of Beaver Ned rigs are working really well with small swimbaits a close second. Swimbaits may be a good choice for your son, similar to cranks and spinner baits as you can cast and retrieve them. Might be a top water bite too.

The smallies are still biting. Ned rig and swimbaits. I believe the spawn is peaking for the smallies. Saw lots of beds today. Lots of squirrely bites. My striper fishing buddy and his son got on to a topwater striper bite this AM and caught some. I did not get on the lake until 10 AM, but the smallies are biting all day long. If you want to get stripers, get out there early. This dude is just a 12 incher, but gotta love the colors:

Pete, I believe you established a record for most moles caught by an OA Angler. Congrats!

Way to go Pete! The mole thing is weird. In all of my days of fishing, I have never seen a mole in the water, let alone 2.

The smallies are still biting. Neds and small swimbaits. Ned rig is a better bite, but they will eat a swimbait too. A buddy of mine had some good early topwater striper fishing today, they boated one that went 25 lbs. Lower lake, but I am sworn to secrecy as to the exact location.

Didn't get much here either. South of here, looks to be coming down. Up early, going to chase some fish unless that stuff moves north.

When it comes to fishing, craziness is good! 😀

Smallmouth fishing was really good on Beaver yesterday, doubt it has anything to do with the water flow, but for whatever reason it was the best smallmouth day I have ever had on that lake. Looks like they've stopped generating at Beaver, so it is slowly rising. Weather guy last night was saying 1-3 inches today through Friday AM.

That is one fat rainbow!

The smallmouth were biting like crazy today. Caught a bunch. Ned rigs and 3.3 Keitechs on 1/4 oz heads. No giants but caught some solid fish. Some scattered stripers popping shad are around. WT 67

They are full time generating at Beaver too. More heavy rain possible Thursday.

See if you can add this one to your list. 😃 There was not much hope for tiny, endangered Devils Hole pupfish as the species' population dwindled to just a few dozen since the late 1990s. But recent population spikes are giving scientists a reason to celebrate. Nearly 200 Devils Hole pupfish were spotted during the spring count, National Park Service biologists said, which are the most seen in Death Valley National Park in 25 years. “It’s exciting to see an increasing trend, especially in this highly variable population. Increasing numbers allow the managing agencies to consider research that may not have been possible in the past, when even slight perturbations of habitat or fish had to be completely avoided,” Senior Fish Biologist for the US Fish and Wildlife Service, Michael Schwemm, said the press release. “We’re excited about the future directions with respect managing this species.”

The Bella Vista Fly Tyers do kids fishing activities and some other charitable stuff. I don't belong, so I don't know exactly what they do, but here's a link to their website if you want to check it out, Bella Vista Fly Tyers Club (google.com)

I would have gone yesterday but needed get a new starter battery. Boats (sigh).

That poor woman. But seriously, congrats!

Where in Germany is your son stationed? I was there in 77-78. Stationed in a little town called Oberursel at Camp King which is north of Frankfurt. Camp King has been shut down for a while now. It used to be a POW base for airmen in WWII. Here's some history for anyone interested. Dulag Luft - Wikipedia