Bluff-Bassin

We're 18+ running way up the river?

5 and a half hours on one point! That's patience. Great group of fish. Look like healthy prespawn females.

Haha yeah I think there were only two or three of us that entered all the events. Let's try to improve on that this year! Wish we could get a little prize of some sort to keep everyone interested. Anyone want to donate an old wart and pack of Ned worms to the winner!?!?

Time to defend my title!

Fished at the extreme upper river north of udall yesterday. Water is clear up there 8 to 10'ish. Caught a few nothing big.

Grass is always greener on the other side my friend. This is just me but from my experience if you are hunting for a trophy I'd drive down to Dardanelle over to grand or up to lake of the ozarks. But if you want great numbers come on over this way. The again I don't fish up the river all that much on bull. Hear a lot of big fish stories from k dock up.

I caught one this fall in turkey creek while bass fishing on a square bill crank. I know next to nothing about em. How do you target then? Similar to crappie?

I never thought I'd see the day when you could buy a lucky craft crankbait cheaper than pretty much any spinnerbait in the entire catalog aside from booyahs. I understand why luckycraft has been forced to reinvent itself at a lower price point. The market is flooded with good square bills at the 6-9$ price point. What I absolutely do not understand is why spinnerbaits are so high. It's basically the same materials as a jig minus a fiberguard and plus two metal blades. Yet most jigs you can get for 4 bucks. I'm to believe the extra blades explain an extra 3 to 5 bucks!? I get it, they are worth what people will pay for them. It's just surprising given how they really haven't changed much as far as how they are designed and made in the last couple decades. As a whole most hard baits seem to be coming down yet spinnerbaits and buzz baits are on the rise Maybe that is part of the reason I don't throw blades all that much and I see a lot of people turning to swimbaits instead. Am am I missing a hidden cost in spinnerbaits aside from the ole "fishing is just getting more expensive" or "as long as people keep buying them they'll keep raising the price"

Went out on Norfolk for a derby last weekend 6 or 7 boats. Took like 8 pounds. 3.5bb muddy. Haven't been on. Bull.

I have made my own football jigs for the last few years and have started pouring the same football heads without the weed guard and a 4/0 hook to use on a rig. They are a wire hook so I can straighten them out if need be when snagged and by pouring my own they only run me about 25cents a piece(mustads). When their point folds or their bend gets straightened I just swap it out for brand new. That means my hooks are always super sharp and I can just ease into the fish. I've had a really good bite to land ratio so far. I never realized it but the football shaped head actually adds a little roll to the swimbaits which personal belief is helps the action. Not to hijack but has anyone experimented with alternative lines? I've been using 40-65lbs braid on bull shoals and I really think the zebra mussels slice right through even heavy braid. I have thought about trying 30lbs fluorocarbon or 30+ mono for added abrasion resistance but would still be strong enough to straighten a hook. Anyone played around with that at all?

Is he actually putting together a list? Or is he just trying to find moresites to monitor for material for his blog?

If I remember right Jerry I've seen you post several times about Clearwater lake which I've fished quite a bit. I was curious if it had some of the same type fishing as the black river arm when you get up around bluffview in the winter. In the last few years I've pretty well learned there is no magic bullet to fishing success and rarely a "promised land" but as I say that, it still doesnt stop me from wanting to explore new places! and as you said from the google earth it looked pretty fishy! Thanks gents as always sound advice. I was planning on fishing there for the day this monday, might just give it a try depending on all this rain!

I was looking at the map planning an upcoming trip and saw the glaize just seems to continue on forever, I'm assuming it starts getting pretty shallow up around the public launch has anyone seen how far you can take a boat? Looking at the arials there is a bridge way up there (Swinging bridge?) can you take a boat all the way up there? Granted i'm sure it depends on water level as well. I like running up creeks to fish but figured I'd see if I was better to save my gas and just ask those that probably already know. Thanks fellas!

Always enjoy these. Thanks for posting. The graph at the bottom was particularly interesting to me. It almost looked liked there was a decent zone for the fish to inhabit between the 85-100 foot range. However between about 30 to 85ft the dissolved oxygen was too low for sustaining fish. Am I interpreting that correctly? If so do fish get trapped in that deeper water? Or do/can they still travel between the two zones if needed? Occasionally on the lakes I'll graph super deep fish but most of my scuba friends say they don't really see fish deeper than about 30ish feet which seems to match the upper dissolved oxygen line of the graph.

What's the name of the site if you don't mind me asking!

I think I found the ramp you are referring too. Does this look like it to you?

Thanks for all the ideas gents. Plenty of options to check out now!

That'd be perfect. Do I need to stop in somewhere to get permission to launch and pay or anything or is there just some type of drop box?

Looking to make a day trip up there in the next couple weeks and was really wanting to fish around the dam area. Looking at the map the closest pub launch is Coffman? That still looks like a pretty long run to fish right around the dam area. Is there any private launches closer that you can launch at for a for a few bucks around 0 to 5mm? Appreciate the help!

Thanks!

Anyone know what area of the lake Watson was fishing? According to bassmaster he was in a similar stretch of the lake as Mclelland and Clunn.

Made it out monday and fished above the bridge. I had all but forgot what the parking lot looked like at the bridge. Your right... Thousands and thousands of these little buggers in the shallows. I guess that speaks well for our lakes future and makes me feel a tad better about this miserable high water year. Did manage one solid one on a jig and a few keeper spots to go with.

That's a heck of a smallmouth! Congrats regardless you gotta be happy with that. I figured jigs would be big given my last few outings.

http://www.respoolin.com/News/NewsText/175 Good to see it taking a decent weight (17lbs) again at a derby as it's been pretty stingy this year. Anyone here word of how it was won?

http://www.bassmaster.com/news/bass-announces-expanded-elite-series-schedule-2016# Very interesting format, Day 1 on Bull Shoals, Day 2 Norfork, 50 Cut on Bull Shoals then top 12 on Norfork again.