remi74

Caught 23 smallmouth bass on a brown Pistol Pete. Which was the only thing they would clamp down on. Very frustrating for a while. Lost of dirty water . . . gotta find good riffles.

Lol, meatheads. Now that is funny.

One of my toughest days out. 5 hours and not so many bass. My favorite spots were getting hit before I even arrived where folks were loading up stringers. At least I got to fish. I started off with a foam hopper but there were no takers. I moved to a deep hole with medium riffles and tied on a crawdad - still no takers. I waded quite a ways down and tied on a chartreuse woolly bugger. I was getting a lot of "suck and spit" and soft strikes all day, even with the chartreuse Bugger. I finally landed a nice smallmouth and found a small pool with desperate smallies of which they were all small . . . but I counted them on the day . . . Catch and Release for all my fish. I headed back hitting my usual spots but with no luck at all. There were some shallow but swift riffles at the edge of the bank with a large pool just to the right and where the stream split in two. I chose to stand in the slow part where the bass where recharging after chasing supper in the riffles. They kept hitting my brown Pistol Pete but just wouldn't hold it long enough for me to set the hook. I tied on a Clouser and then casted into the head of the riffles at the most swift point and stripped it into the pool where a few decent size smallmouth were waiting. I hope there are some bass left. I recognized one of the other fisherman and he likes to take fish . . . which is his Right to do but where's the fun in that? lol.

Caught him on the Boogle Bug.

I caught this fish on a brown foam hopper. I used a chernobyl ant cutter to make the body which is brown foam on yellow on brown.

I caught this guy last Saturday on the Elk. It was probably my best day out this year. I was surprised at how this pic turned out. I guess the sun must've been shining on the stream a certain way for the stream to look like it does in the back ground. It's not a trophy fish but this pic is awesome. Humble brag.

Went out for a bit. Did pretty good. Not so hot out and go to spend some quality time out on the water. Lots of fish today.

I've been a member for several years. I don't post much but when I do it's usually about the Elk River in MO. I love fly fishing and flytying - both of which I've been doing for about 25 years. I used to fish for lake trout in British Columbia but am now chasing smallmouth in McDonald County and Northwest Arkansas. If anyone is up for a float trip on the Elk or War Eagle, holler at me.

Thanks. Gotta get out of my comfort zone. May have to fight the canoe hatches, lol.

If you are from Farmington, and it looks like you fish the streams in that area, I would avoid starting up a new club or chapter. I have been fishing streams in NWA for ages - before they started closing bridges on the Illinois. A lot of spots on streams have been closed off due to the population boom, housing developments and golf courses. The fishing here on streams is good and sometimes great. It also varies from year to year based on rains, floods, droughts, etc. I feel that by making a smallmouth alliance in this area, it will only cause more people to crowd what accesses we have left in this corner of the state. If you wanna push it to be in another part of the state, so be it. But as a former member of a fly club and having been related to a past president and such, watch out. It's a huge piece of pie. If you want good smallies fishing, go to Missouri or fish the Illinois west of 68. I understand why you want to do it but it's gomna kill whatever privacy and good fishing we have left here in this part of the state. You are going to have some people join who may help and a possible dedicated fellows. However, most will be folks with money and social titles who do it to say they are members. It reek of yuppies and gear heads who don't know how to catch fish without having a guide. You will end up pointing the way to the fish. They will expect you to bring fish to the masses and put them on a fish. Trust me. I've seen it. I've been a member of clubs and want to have no part of them anymore. AGFC started breeding smallmouth bass in Centerton and released a ton of fingerlings this spring into War Eagle, Kings and Beaver. There was a big story in the paper. They tried before and finally succeeded at breeding a pair which came from the Kings and released back. I understand your eagerness and you may think me a jerk for which I do apologize. Please be careful on Mud Creek. It used to be decent in certain spots when the mall was the only development nearby. Large bass here and there . . . now, it's sad. Further down west of it all, you may see a few surprises. We used to be able to fish the mill too but folks crowded it and trashed it. The two dollar hole got shut down for a while due to littering. Gar hole too. I have had the heck of a time trying to keep fishing on good, local water much less fight the crowds.

Yeah, last year, I caught some nice fatties but I'm seeing people at my honey holes now. I usually wade in far and hit some odd spots. Does anyone know of some decent holes around the public access in Pineville?

BTW, nice fish.

Hate to bother but or Russ' place accessible?

Just a few. Caught a ton of bass on the Elk. Been hitting different locations on the river system. Lots of wading.

I caught a lot of medium to small smallmouth this week on a few top water patterns, woolly buggers and crawdad patterns. I've been wading stealthily. fish are stacking up in certain holes while large bass are cruising in shallow water. Taking advantage of low water. Just going to show a few pics. Nothing big but I'll take bass any time.]

@Greasy B, I agree it's not just the time of day or weather. It could be the moon phase or water temps but I think right now, it's a combination of the drought, the effect it has on a stream and the fish. I've been wading the same stretch of water for the past few months. It's usually every weekend that I hit this stream. So, I've been paying close attention to how this drought is affecting the stream and fish. I would say that we are probably on our third year of this drought. We had some spring flooding last year which helped to raise water levels for a few months. However, this stream level continually declines. Unless we see regular rainfall or record floods as last spring, I'm afraid that it's going to affect fishing. When the stream runs high, it enables fish to move from deeper holes into other areas of the stream which usually contain cover and structure. Last year, the Clouser was my most productive fly. I fished a deep hole that you could classify as a "run" - a very deep and log "run". At the end of this deep spot, a fallen tree rested in front of some swift riffles. Bass hung out along this tree and throughout this area. They were easily taken on Clousers and popping bugs. This year, I've had moderate success with that deep run. I've had to look elsewhere within this stream for smallmouth bass. Earlier in the spring, it was the riffles that I had the most success catching smallmouth bass by drifting wooly buggers, crawdads, foam flies and poppers. That "deep run" no longer has a good flow of water going through it. The riffles at the end trickle and the level of this pool has dropped. So, I've been hunting smallmouth. It's enabled me to practice quiet wading, sight fishing, gentle casting and helped me to think smarter. Most of all, I have developed patience by waiting those extra few seconds for a fish to take my fly. With the continual heat and lack of rain, the stream is shrinking and the riffles are slowing and the pools are not as deep. Fish were moving between holes a few weeks ago. Now, as pools shrink and structure becomes crowded with other species, these smallmouth bass are hanging out in shallow riffles. Instead of hanging out in pools, they are moving back and forth within the riffles and occasionally going back to the pools. This year, I've been working within the water column and pools and riffles or wherever else for bass. At this point, I've been working the lies. Since the water level has dropped, the wider parts of the stream have shrunken and developed into riffles. Since the smallmouth bass have been hanging out mainly in the riffles, obviously, I've had to work the "lies" - the spots or areas in which the bass are sitting or congregating as they wait for something to drift near them. Usually, folks think of trout lies but I do think that smallmouth and trout share some of the same characteristics. Yesterday, I caught smallmouth on the edges of the stream as they used weeds for cover. The bass were also sitting behind large rocks and lying in wait at the ends of riffles. I would say that a delicate presentation of the fly was necessary at times but as the frogs began to croak and the crickets began to chirp, the smallmouth bass began to slam my Clouser minnow - even as it made a kerplunk into the water or made a "ploop" - due to my lousy casting from the shoals at that point. I had to fish the lies because the bass didn't have very much structure and they weren't swimming in a deep pool. I had to wade soflty and cast deftly to these frustrating buggers. I say frustrating but it was the little bass that were furious fighters as they fought off the bream and sunfish to slam my fly over and over. Of course, it was the larger bass I was hunting. I cast along some weeds and into some swift riffles about a foot deep. A smallmouth hammered my Clouser almost immediately and took off upstream. As I fought this fiesty bass, it kept trying to take me into the weeds. I pulled him out several times. Eventually, the line broke. A great fight on a tightly wound 4 wgt. rod. A few fish later, I cast a Boogle Bug about 15 yards and as it hit the water, something slammed it and actually pulled me into the water. It ran upstream and I could not bring it back down and the knot came undone from the fly. Yesterday, I landed a lot of bass. Most were small but I caught some nice ones too. I finally landed a smallmouth in a length of stream in which I always fished but never caught them. And before I left, I caught another smallie in a pool in which I had always seen bass but could never pull one out.

Yesterday evening, it was on. Small bass were ferocious as they fought off bream and sunfish for a chance to smash my flies. I caught a bunch of small to medium bass in the riffles and runs. Deep holes don't have fast currents and bass are holding really low. Fish were best when frogs began croaking and crickets chirping. Didn't take too many pics. My phone got wet, so I lost about half of them.

Well, just the usual public accesses. Trying to hit them once a week. Spend about 3 to four hours out. Fall is going to be more productive.

gonna hang it up until fall. Need some rain!!!

Did a lot of wading. Caught a lot of small to medium smallmouth with some big ones here and there. Just throwing some pics up.

If SVA owns both sides of the stream it could be trespassing. If the water is navigable, you can float it, wade it or even camp on the shoals. If it wasn't for some residents along the stream and Tightlines Fly Fishing Club working with AGFC, there would be no trout and no SVA. If they bother you, remind them. If you've got to pay $335 a month for SVA fees to catch fish, you ain't a man. A real man finds his own fish. I fish downstream from SVA property and have been way before they came in. If the property is on one side only, I fish it. If I can float it, I fish it. If there are any problems with land owners or leaders, tell them to call the warden. Everyone argues their point and AGFC and MDC (mo) always step back. The MDC lists cases of stream issues going back to 1915 and I'm sure you can argue your case in AR.

Nice day out. About 10 bass today.

Action has slowed down for me. Luckily, I have been eeking it out, taking them here and there. Lots of small stuff. Anyone taking them on top?? Landed this and several others yesterday. White Clouser on 8 wgt. floating line.

Yum. Nice hawg.