Quillback

Trophy, I haven't fished for them in about 3 years, panfish that is. I don't know If I'll do it this year, I just spend too much time bass fishing. A couple of years ago Darrell had shocked up some fish and had them in a washtub by the Windsor dam for some school kids that were there for a field trip. He had some BIG redears, I think one of them was 14", probably weighed 1.5 lbs. They are in there, but those big redears are tough to figure out, I can only catch them early in the spring.

Article did not say, just said they would have hunting regs out in 2014. And the only place I have seen a turkey on Beaver (I've heard gobbles in the hills from time to time) was back in Indian Creek one spring day about 5 years ago. Big old gobbler was out strutting away not far from the bank.

This area is located on the upper reaches of the Indian Creek arm of Beaver lake, running along 3 miles of shoreline totaling 1,375 acres. It is owned now by the Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission and was funded by the 1/8 percent conservation sales tax. Hunting seasons for the area to be announced in 2014. No camping or off road vehicles allowed. The commission is going to vote on final approval to acquire an additional 351 acres in August. The AGFC is also acquiring 220 acres adjacent to the site. Total area will be 1,952 acres when the additional purchases are finished.

Survey is on the AGFC website. It does have a question as to whether you support changing new rule proposal to remove length limits on spotted bass (remove the current 12" limit). If approved you will be able to keep spots no matter what the length. http://www.agfc.com/Pages/default.aspx

Too bad, I think I would have enjoyed reading it (even though I'm a bass fisherman). Sometimes people get a little too thin-skinned.

Good old Sitka, made a few trips up there in the 90's. Always came home with a load of halibut and salmon. I wonder how the salmon fishing is holding up in Sitka? It the timing was right we caught a buttload of silvers in the 10-12 lb. range, with an occasional King thrown in. One concern I have is getting the fish back here still frozen.

When I was on Table Rock a couple of days ago, some of the males were locked down on their beds, I could move the boat right over them and they would stay on the bed, I'm thinking those guys were staying like that because they were guarding eggs.

If BPS had prices that matched Tackle Warehouse and free shipping at $50 I'd probably buy a lot more stuff from BPS. BPS does a better job, IMO, of keeping stuff in stock. I've gone to TW's site quite a few times to buy something only to find out it is out of stock, they do have a good backorder policy, TW that is, but usually when I'm buying something I want it NOW. TW also has a wider range of products when it comes to bass stuff, and does a better job of getting new products on the shelves.

I never have smoked white bass or panfish, I have smoked trout and they were pretty tasty but not good as salmon. I did not bring my Little Chief out here either. inside was covered in a layer of that brown, oily smoke residue. Carp are supposed to be good smoked, but I'd want to try some before investing in all the smoking stuff.

I would say this about any pro who runs a boat in a tourney, but I always take their recommendations with a grain of salt, because the top guys, KVD being an example, get a new boat at least once a year. So it's hard for me to trust their recommendations, I'd rather hear what people say that have owned a particular brand of boat for several years and have no sponsorship to uphold. I think one thing Nitro could do to improve their image (if you think it needs improvement), is get testimonials from long-term Nitro owners who are happy with the construction and durability of their boats. When I was researching boats a year ago, I read and talked to many owners of the brand I eventually purchased you were impressed by the construction of the boat, features, and commitment to service. I'm sorry to say, I just did not get that from the Nitro brand. I'm not meaning to bash Nitro at all, but I am saying that Nitro has an image problem that they just can't seem to get out from under.

I have used both the Buff and the Sims equivalent. I've had glasses fogging issues with both of them, but the Simms is lighter than the Buff so that's what I'm now wearing. I also wear sunscreen underneath the mask. I'm a little paranoid I guess, but I burn easily and I've been burned many times in the past, so I'm not taking any chances.

Nice one!

I've heard a lot of good reviews on the Lews baitcasters, I hve os many dang reels that I don't need another one, but maybe one of these days I'll pick one up.

Some snow here this morning, maybe 2" on the ground, but no accumulation on the streets. Now it's melting.

Curious as to what the water visibility is mid-lake above and below Sailboat bridge. I was reading a couple of weeks ago that it was pretty brown. Thinking about going over there to bass fish and I'd like to know if it's good enough visibility wise to fish.

Ahhh, the Little Chief, smoked a lot of salmon and steelhead in one of those, man that was good stuff! You can't beat warm, right out of the smoker, salmon. Take a piece of that snack sized rye bread, spread some mayo on it, add some smoked salmon, top it off with some chopped red onion and a couple of capers - good eats!

There's a popular fishery for them in the Yakima river in Washington state in the late winter, they stack up in the deep holes and can be easily caught, I never targeted them, but always thought about it. Most folks in the PNW smoke them, supposed to be tasty.

That's an excellent day for the Beav! What was the water clarity in Clifty ad Rocky Branch?

I see that Tackle Warehouse has a daily special on a wake bait (they must read this forum ), never have tried this particular bait, but it looks like it could catch fish. It is a bit small, and only weighs 1/3 oz, but that could be a good thing. Like I need an excuse to buy more stuff from TW, but this looks tempting. http://www.tacklewarehouse.com/Savage_Gear_Double_Wobble_Waker/descpage-SGDW.html#multiview

That's a good one for Beaver!

None of the lakes are "electric only", but the smaller lakes, Norwood, Rayburn, Avalon, and Brittany are no wake lakes. You can use your big motor on these lakes but no wake allowed.

I'll give you my 2 cents: As far as best lake for big bass - Hard to say, I saw a photo of a 12.5 lb. bass caught in Brittany this spring, Brittany certainly has some big bass and is not too bad for average size fish either. Windsor is a good lake for big bass, but getting any over 8 lbs. is tough, there are decent numbers of 4 - 7lb. bass in Windsor. Avalon also has some big bass, my personal best, 9.5 lbs. (approximately) came from Avalon. Lake Ann also has some good bass in the 4 - 7 lb. range. Numbers? You can catch a bunch of 10-12 inch bass on Avalon. Windsor and Ann are good for numbers and better average size. I have not fished Loch Lomond much in the last few years, but it has decent numbers of bass also. Crappie? Crappie fishing is tough in the BV lakes, lots of pressure. If you can go out and catch 6 keeper crappie in a day, you're doing darn good. If I had to choose a lake for crappie, I'd probably go to Avalon, lots of brush piles and they stocked several thousand fingerlings in there a couple of years ago and they should be around keepers sized by now. The lakes are fairly murky right now from the rains we received this spring, but unless there's a gully washer before you get here, they should be in great shape by the end of May. When you get close to coming down here, feel free to shoot me a PM and I'll tell you what's going on. Another option for your wife, if she likes panfish, is there are some good bluegills (8-10") in Lakes Ann, Windsor, and Loch Lomond. I like to use a #8 Eagle Claw longshank panfish hook, and a split shot (no bobber), use a redworm hooked one tijme through the middle, or a cricket and fish flats 6 -10 feet deep.

Started off fairly well, caught a spot on a wakebait and had a few blowups on a gravel point. Switched to c-rigging a lizard and picked up a few on it, then things got tough. Probably stayed with the lizard too long, I was trying to make them bite it and they just were not interested. Later on in the morning picked up a couple more on a trick worm and a couple on a weightless Damiki Stinger. Ended up with maybe a dozen total, mostly sub-legal spots. Talked to a fellow at the ramp and he said he did well as far as numbers fishing a minnow type topwater (he did not specify what it was exactly), but not many keepers. Saw about a dozen dead white bass scattered around, not all in one spot but in several miles there were some dead ones floating. Why that is I don't know. Lots, and I mean lots, of carp spawning right now, this would be a great time to be a bowfisher. I saw water temps that were 63-64 around noon before I left.

Here's a wakebait I fished today for the first time, picked up a spot and had a few strikes. I'm not saying that it is the best wakebait, but I like what I've seen so far. http://www.ebay.com/itm/New-Custom-Painted-6th-Sense-Wake-X-2-2-Crankbait-Lure-/390497897935?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item5aeb7d0dcf

I've seen those pontoons with the big motors on them, why anyone would want a pontoon with a 300 HP motor on it is beyond me. Pontoons are all about kicking back, relaxing, enjoying life. A 300 HP motor on a pontoon is just plain wrong.