bferg

I have been throwing the 4 inch Kai Tech swim baits on mine- with a 1/8 oz head on them. I have very few issues with them getting fouled up...every now and then they will...actually have more issues of the paddle tail getting fouled in the hook bend than I do the rig getting tangled. Just make sure they are spread out as wide as they can reach.

We were off the water at about 8:30. Wish we could have stayed until 9:30. On the A-Rig- I am not sure- just a few inches. About half as long I would say as the other ones. (they cost about $10). They have a couple of different options at HL&S and I saw one the other day at WalMart too...I will try to post some pictures later tonight so you can see it. I have messed around with putting a small blade in the middle of it. Not enough to get much of a read as to if it makes much of a difference or not. When there is no wind and with that clear water I tend to stay away from the blade because I like something a little more subtle (not that that word can be used in conjuction with an A-Rig of any size)...but that being said, I have caught quite a few fish with the blade on.

My brother and I hit up the RB area last night for a couple of hours after work. Not a ton of surface activity but a little. We started off working main lake points in about 20 ft of water. But before we got too far into that program I caught a decent bass on the deep side of a tree...then we pretty much stuck to that program and hammered the fish the rest of the night. Lots of bass, one white and one lost striper. Anywhere we saw standing timber near deeper water we threw the Kai Techs past the timber and brought them back through it...lots of fish. Followers on almost every cast. Also caught a few with the Kai Techs on the new/smaller A-Rigs. Those things are SO much easier to fish. Saw a few shad blitzes- one was in casting range and hooked up with what seemed to be a very nice striper. He was smart too- got down in a tree. After a couple of minutes of trying to get him out we just couldn't get him. Went to the last resort- fed him some line hoping he could swim out and still be hooked but it just didn't happen...he came unbuttoned. You might have heard the swearing all the way down at Prarie Creek.... Great night on the water. One crazy thing: the very first bass I caught had an old Kai Tech stuck in his mouth- a white lead head on it. Maybe someone got him tied up in a tree or had a knot fail. I have caught fish with old lures in their mouth before- but never the exact same one I was using! Slow learner I guess...anway I was able to get both baits out of his mouth. So the recipe was Kai Tech (and/or A-Rig)+timber+deep side of the water.

Thanks Jeb...we have not figured out our plan yet...I am kinda thinking of going up by the dam and throwing a c-rig around for a bit...

Was on a solid Hybrid/White/Occasional striper bite around RB about a week and a half ago in the AM around RB- mainly top water. Anyone been in that area and seen any surface activity? Trying to plan where I am going to throw my swim baits tomorrow PM! Any report would be helpful...

Thanks F and F... I am gonna be solo tomorrow which means no boat so I am gonna stay away from the big lake. Probably hitting Little Sugar. You ever do any good at Lake Bentonville or Crystal Lake? I have only ever seen carp at lake bentonville- which I fully plan on chasing down with my fly rod as soon as I can get down to McClellans to get the line fixed/replaced.

I think any of you who are over 35 should get off the water and leave the big fish for us younger guys- for your own health...I am only thinking of what is best for you.

Gonna revive this thread- not looking to steal anyone's secret spot or anything but I have some time before work tomorrow...anyone have a spot close (like within a 20 min drive from Bentonville) that one could hit up before work in the AM?

Hit up RB area before work again this AM- again looking for top water stripers. On the water at about 5:15. Fished until 7:15. Water temp was about 71. Wind out of the south although it flipped on us at about 6:50 and started coming from the north. No crazy frenzy today. But we were seeing some consistent but scattered top water action. Fish were still off of long main lake points. Almost all the action today was in 20 ft of water. They never got up shallow like we have been seeing lately. The wind was perfect and at about 6:15 we got into a few hybrids and a very nice spot...but at 6:30 the wind almost totally stopped blowing and the bite died off pretty quick. It was slick out there for about 20 or 30 minutes and we couldn't buy a bite. The wind kinda switched directions and started blowing again- but now from the north more- at about 6:50 but it was pretty much done for us. The fish had moved into deeper water- we started seeing busts in 40-50 feet of water but couldn't get a bite. All in all, still an decent AM on the water. Oh, I spent most the AM throwing the smaller A-Rig that is the newest new rage and had it loaded up with KaiTech Swing Impact 4er's in sexy shad and then went to a red pearl I think it is called...Love those things. The smaller ARig is certainly much easier to cast and doesn't sound like a bomb when it hits the water. However, the one I had would probably be mangled after one battle with a striper. The arms got pretty bent up after 2 decent Hybrids. I will be looking for something that is a bit stronger maybe. The one issue I had with the KaiTechs today was a few fish were short striking it and bit the tail off of a couple of them. Other than that and the fact that they smell like rotten squid (I know- they are supposed to) those things are pretty sweet. I had a small willow blade spinner in the center of my rig- once the wind died down I took the blade off thinking it needed to be a bit more subtle- still didn't matter. Caught all my fish when the wind was blowing and with the spinner on the rig.

Hit the RB area this AM before work from about 5:15 to 7:00 AM. Looking for the topwater striper bite. Was not disappointed....wind laid down just enough set it up nicely, although I would have given anything for some clouds! Not much doing at first but then breakfast was served at about 6:30. Multiple shad blitzes near wind blown banks. None of them lasted long but we just stayed in the area and kept casting and catching fish. Caught quite a few hybrids and this little striper. Was back in the office by 8:30. Not a bad start to a Wednesday! Thanks to F and F for his quality reporting lately- our fish were mainly caught shallow but were all on long sloping points as promised by F and F!

Now that is a report! When u say the island by rocky branch do u mean the two little island(s) or the big one.. If that makes sense....I am headed out before work in the am....was planning on cedar/ford creek. You give the best info man! Always glad to see your reports....

Got in a quick float Saturday afternoon. Cloudy, slight breeze and water was pretty low. Good thing we got some rain today because that river will be difficult to float soon- water was really low for April. Anyway: I had never floated that section before. Fishing was not as good as I had expected but wasn't bad. We each caught 10 or so fish with this fish as the fish of the day. I think I expected to catch more quality fish like this one than we did. But, since it was the first time down this stretch I think we had a hard time knowing where to spend our time and really fish hard. I had the best luck on the classic bitsy tube. I wish I would have mixed it up more on the deeper pools. But, it was a good exploratory/scouting trip for sure.

Ha! Thanks for the warning on those blasted Coots. I was on a decent bite last week too but it died a quick death when the wind and cold came. Will be looking for it again next week!

Hit it up after work for a couple of hours yesterday- fished from 5.30PM to about 9PM. We wanted to get on some fish before the FLW got totally out of hand. Saw a few pros out there but not so many as to make fishing difficult. We were mainly looking for a topwater striper/white/hybrid bite. No love there....hardly any surface activity at all. Wind was blowing strong but laid down fairly well as the sun went down. Ended up with 0 Striper and a hand full of small black/spots. Also I caught my first Walleye! Just shy of 20 inches! Caught it on a 4in. Wild Eye Shad- shad color. That was a nice finish to a beautiful evening on the lake. Anyone seen much surface activity lately?

Went out this AM for a couple of hours of before work Striper fishing. Looking for the topwater bite- no dice. First cast was at about 5.20. Fished until 7. No hits and only saw/heard maybe 3 decent boils. Water temp was about 60...seems like it should be right- slight breeze out of the south and some overcast after the sun came up. But no love from the line sides. We were fishing secondary points that the wind was blowing onto. Anyone finding a decent topwater bite for Stripers right now?

The Simms are freaking awesome....just to throw out another option: I have a pair of Korkers CrossCurrent that I scored on Sierra Trading post for about $40 a few years ago and they are awesome. Soles are interchangeable and boots are super comfortable. I like them because they are the lightest wading boots I have ever put on and I don't feel like I am walking around in moon boots. Korkers also has the Predator boot with the boa system that my neighbor has and he loves them. If you do not get the daily deal flier from Sierra Trading Post you should get on the list. They carry both Simms and Korkers as well as some other decent brands and Korkers, Columbia, and Redington items show up on discount all the time.

For fly fishing I love my #6 TFO TiCr-X. I carry a floating spool for throwing top water in the AM and usually have my intermediate spool as well in case I need to get a bit deeper. For What It Is Worth: If you could only buy 1 fly rod to fish this area a 6 wt the TiCr-X is a good value and super versatile. Spinning rods: 2 Browning Citori 6'6' medium fast actions with citori reels. Love those rods....Also have a carrot stick but for some reason the Brownings just feel better to me so I usually leave the orange rod at home. Baitcaster: BPS extreme 6'6 medium action with a BPS extreme reel. My BPS extreme reels have been unbelievable when it comes to durability. They might not be the most expensive reels or the smoothest casting thing on the market. But for the money I feel like they are really solid, perform well, and are very durable.

Ok I thought that was what you were talking about but wasn't sure. I have neglected the beaver tailwater too much- both the upper and lower section! this spring summer I plan on changing that. What about Beaver dam? Can you actually walk on it?

Yeah my bad I meant Little Sugar although I have floated Big Sugar from Deep Ford to the Elk...water was WAY low because it was late in the summer...and although I had little success in bringing fish to hand I saw a few very nice fish along that stretch. I think now I have a better idea of how to actually catch them there... So for little sugar I basically just walked along the trail by the lake at Bella Vista and just jumped in and started fishing. It seems that the few access points below the lake get hit REALLY hard but I might be wrong about that? Seems like a lot of the bucket/baid crowd mainly? Above the lake the stream is smaller but I don't see as many people up there. Again, very limited experience there but something I plan on hitting more this spring. FandF: I have a canoe and a decent size Jon boat. Where is beavertown bridge? Can I put my boat in to get to it or is it kayak/canoe size water only? Also- can you walk along the dam at beaver? I have a pretty sweet technique for fishing rip rap dams that I learned in Colorado...

This is one reason it is always worth it to buy a $15 fishing license. You just NEVER know when something like that might happen...

Anyone been fishing for whites below the dam? Any reports? I have a box full of clousers ready to do battle!

My bro put in at Sidewalk and ran way up the War Eagle past the island last night. Said the water was chocolate milk once he got past the first bend up the river from the ramp. Fly fishing for whites and throwing clousers and sculpin helmets. Caught a few small males. The dirty water makes it tough with flies... We are hoping that it clears out by Saturday...hopefully no more major rain events this week. Anyone else been up the rivers lately? Anyone been fishing for whites below the dam on the tailwater? Trying to decide my plan for the weekend....

F and F you are the man! Love your reports and really appreciate the detail and information you share.

Nice Thread Tx... We have only lived here for 4 years and I am just now starting to really get into smallie fishing in NWA. Have not touched a lot of the water you mentioned yet. I have fished Kings twice...once in the summer from Rockhouse to Trigger Gap...we only caught 1 fish all day but it was prime floating season and there were just too many floaters out. I think that stretch would be pretty good if you floated it in April/May before it gets over-run. Lots of nice runs in there... Last June I floated and fished from the Hwy 62 bridge to Grandview (private access that you can call ahead and park on for a small fee) and we did very well...I think we floated it in late June and it would have been a bit better in late may/early June. We floated on a Friday and did not see another person on the water (we were the first ones there right at sun-up). I think the deal with the Kings is the lower section is better...but you have to watch and float on weekdays or early season before all the people get out there. What I am looking for is someplace within 30 min of Bentonville...I have fished a bit on Big Sugar up in BV and caught a couple of Blacks but no smallies...I want to explore that some more this summer. Also heard the War Eagle can be very good and have that on my list to explore this summer...I have fished below the Mill some for whites and caught a few very nice large mouth but nothing bronze yet.... Not to hijack the thread but...What fly patterns do you like to use? I am primarily a flyfisherman as well and I am loading up my box right now....tying some fish skulls, some clousers, and working on some new sculpin patterns with the new sculpin helmets.

That is one sweet picture!! love it.