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Saw a few hit the top yesterday AM around Rocky Branch but could not get them to hook up. Not a lot of activity although a storm blowing through did not help us much. All of the Striper boats we saw were on the main lake in deep water...not much info there but maybe it helps.

Thanks for the report. I am new to NW Arkansas and have been wanting to try the Illinois. Do you know were I can go to find access points? I have tried googleing and exhausted my web-searching skills... Any input would be great?

First of all, I am no Striper pro and I am sure there are lots of guys on this site with a LOT more knowledge than me. I just moved here and this is my first season chasing them so I am a rookie. Also, I NEVER use live bait which probably makes it a little tougher. But, that being said, we have been having really good luck up near Rocky Branch for the past 3 weeks. We have caught at least 1 every time out. My advice is this: 1. Get there EARLY- like 20 min before sun rise 2. Fish main lake points 3. Start with top water baits like a large pop-r- if you are not seeing fish hit the surface around you move or switch to a jerk bait. Make sure it has some good rattles in it. 4. Once the sun is up the top water bite will probably die down. This is when I go to the jerk bait. There is a map you can buy called Fishing Hot Spots- the map shows areas known for Stripers and has been a good starting point for us. Also, I think it is a good sign if you are seeing Striper boats around you. Last week we put a 20 lber and a 12 lber in the boat within 5 minutes of each other. The guys paying the Striper guides trolling past us were jealous!

We have been having some luck in the EARLY mornings near Rocky Branch around main lake points. It is over by 7:30. The rising water is not helping us out that is for sure. The FLW boys are going to have a rough go of it this week! Talked to a buddy who is co-angling and he had only caught 5 keepers in 2 days. There was some major boat porn out there on Tuesday AM!! Some nice rigs...

I have not been up there personally but I was talking to a friend who fished up near Lost Bridge on Saturday. He said the water temp was about 53 and they did not have much luck on the smallies. If we can get a few warm days and get that temp up to 58 it will be on!

So we are having a little bachelor party for my brother (Cofly) on the weekend of May 28-31. We have 8 guys and we are having a hard time finding a lodge or cabin to rent that sleeps that many. Gene's has a pretty nice looking larger lodge we can rent but we are looking for other options. Any of you know of cabins, vacation homes, or a small lodge available to rent? One that sleeps at least 9? Thanks for any input... B

If you want to catch some whites you can try putting in at Beaverama...or even down at Twin Bridges in Goshen. It should be turning on down there soon... Also, I have heard the black bass are hanging close to tree stumps in shallow water up the the river arms and guys have having some luck pitching jigs around standing timber and wooded cover. Again, this is more hear-say than first hand knowledge but hopefully it is a starting point.

I hit up Hickory Creek for a couple hours Monday night. I was throwing a spinner bait and jerk baits along wind blown points (wind was about 15 MPH). Caught one short black bass and a little bitty white. Overall it was a pretty slow night but I am new to the area and still trying to find my spots. Also, in Colorado most of our bass lakes were 200 acres or less and had gin-clear water. I have some learning to do on big water fishing!

I hit up Twin last night after work. Obviously the water is high and I left the boat at home- that was a mistake. I got skunked but as a rookie my fly fishing skills are rough to stay the least! Still was nice to be out. The wind actually died down nicely later in the evening. Did not see anyone else catching fish either. Not the best report but that is all I got!

So, I am new to NWA and still trying to find some places to fish. What is the name of the access? Can you tell me more about the access near Weddington? Can you wade fish there or is it a place to take a boat? Any info would be great...

Madness already? The lady told me they will be open until end of April! Over the past few weeks I haven noticed that they have already been out of stock on tons of stuff! I can't imagine how much worse it is going to be.

I just moved here from Denver CO and was a member of the same forum (www.coloradofisherman.com) that Chad LaChance was on back in CO. That dude is a great fisherman. I have also fished the Yampa a couple of times. The Yampa is an amazing river but it is a shame what they are doing to it now. They are trying to remove the Pike and Smallies from the river because they are invasive species. And the Humpback Chub, Pikeminnow, and Whitefish populations are hurting. However there is a group of anglers that have organized and has proven that the chub, pikeminnow, and whitefish are hurting because of habitat loss not predation by pike and bass. Anyway, that is an intense debate back in CO right now. Here is a link to the state park site that shows the access points: http://parks.state.co.us/Parks/yampariver You have to think of the Yampa as two different rivers: from Hayden upstream is trout water and from Hayden down is more like traditional warm water fishery- flat water that you can float in a canoe- rare in CO. In the Hayden area you will find trout and you used to start seeing smallies and pike there. However the removals have really been concentrated from Hayden to Duffy Mountain area. So the fishing for smallies and pike in that water is not what is once was. Most of the trout fishermen focus from Hayden upstream. (Don't forget that you can drive to Steamboat and fish some great water right in town!). From Juniper Canyon on down they cannot access as many places for the removals so Pike and Smallies are abundant. There is no rule FORCING YOU to keep Pike or Smallies that I know of. They ask you to consider but many anglers think that it is only a matter of time before they abandon the removals because they just can't get all the fish out of there. So, lots of guys, myself included, practiced catch and release. You can form your own opinion on that. We straight hammered the smallies on my last float from Duffy Mnt to Juniper Canyon. Beautiful strong and large fish!

So I heard that Sportsman's Warehouse is in financial trouble and is closing almost half of their stores. I called the Rogers Sportsman's and sure enough they are closing sometime in late April/early May. Kind of a bummer since I liked that store and it was only minutes from my house. Kind of good because I will save some money now! Where do you guys buy your stuff around here? I know McLellan's down in f'ville is good for fly stuff. What about other tackle stores?