Walleye Question

[hoglaw]

Hey guys. I've fished the Kings for years, but I've never started this early and I've never done the walleye thing. I'm toying with the idea of doing a camping float next weekend. Will the walleyes still be going with all the warm weather we're getting this week?

Also, do they make it up the river as far as...say...Stoney Point? I've gone from there to Romp lots of times and I figure that's probably the best float for me next weekend. Is there another takeout below Romp Hole, or does it just turn into lake down there? I seem to recall driving over a bridge a few miles below (north of) Romp a few years back that still looked like a river, but I don't want to get swamped by bass boats.

I read about the nightcrawler/chub on sunny banks pattern. What else do they do? Do they hang out at the bottom of the deep holes on cloudy/rainy days like Saturday looks to be?

I don't much care for white bass. I've caught enough to hold me over for a lifetime, but I've never caught walleye other than by accident. Any advice would be appreciated.

[brownieman]

Walleye are a cool water species and nocturnal by nature. I think what makes them hard to catch sometimes is they also are a suspended fish.

I know very shallow smaller lakes won't even sustain them. Cloudy conditions are definately better and once you find the depth they are at stick with it. Being a low light fish they tend to hang in the deeper water especially on sunny days...or areas that are shaded as long as the water is still cool. As the water temps warm I feel they hang in the deeper water due to lighting conditions and water temp.

They are the largest member of the 'Perch' family and IMO eat as well as any pan fish there is.

Timing still should be decent for you...might hang a big old sow that's got her business done.

Good luck

[shaker]

Hoglaw I don't know where the romp hole is, is it close to the area called White Bass estates? I haven't been that far up in several years and the last time I was there by white bass estates there wasn't a ramp there. Anyway the best wallleye fishing that I have had has been down river from there to the long hole called the Corps Bluff, which is north of the state line around the corner going east and west and before you get to 86 highway bridge and there will probably be big boats there. Hope this makes sense, best baits for me has been #7 Shad Rap in natural shad color and grey Road Runners, and a few on Rattling Raps same color, which they don't make anymore! Good luck!

[hoglaw]

Thanks for the info guys. Romp hole is the last AGFC access before the state line (on the south side). I'm not sure where White Bass estates is. My knowledge of the Kings is fairly comprehensive, but is limited to those areas I've canoed. I'm pretty sure the next public take out below Romp Hole is the highway bridge on the north side of the state line. I've never done a walleye run before, and i"m trying to figure this out from a canoer's perspective rather than a boat running up from the lake. If they made it over shoals that the big boats wouldn't run over, that would be what I'm looking for. If I'm going to have to share big water with bass boats, I'd just as soon not go.

[shaker]

hoglaw do you know where bull holler is? stewert bottom? Caught walleyes in both areas, years ago you could turn on the state line and go down to a gate with a box on it put a dollar in the box and drive on down to the river which wouild be just a little ways south of the state line, don't know if that is still available or not? Could you give me directions to the romp hole, I'm just trying to get a fix on its location, I looked through some of Arkansas state web sites and couldn't find it.

[hoglaw]

http://www.kingsriveroutfitters.com/rivermap.html

That's a crude map. Romp hole is 4 miles above the highway bridge (highway 86?). Other than that, I just know to google earth it. It's on the river right as you float downstream.

[24KGold]

Go through Berryville and take 221-21. Outside of town you will take 221 toward Carr Lane. About 5 miles down 221 you will see a GandF sign at a dirt road on your right that says Romp Hole Access to Kings river.

[hoglaw]

So, back to my initial question. Now that we're all vaguely familiar with the whereabouts of Romp Hole, does anyone know if the walleyes move above it? Am I wasting my time trying to find them between there and Stoney Point?

[shaker]

I would say absolutly not, the upper most area that I was talking about is probably about a 1/4 mile down steam from there. About 6 to 8 years ago I caught a 7.5 about 1/2 mile down from there and have seen bigger! The last time I was on the river the lake was 10' low and couldn't get that far up, hope this spring things will be half way normal. Good luck!

[hoglaw]

Thanks for the reply shaker. It looks like it's going to be really windy this weekend so I may have to scrap the canoe trip. May go try my hand at some white bass.