A Visitor From Texas, Please Help

[WIG]

I will be visiting up there all of next week. I think we are staying in the Buffalo River National Park near Yellville AR. I am having a hard time figuring out what the river is doing up there is it high, is it low? How do I prepare my tackle for a successful trip without bringing 100lbs of stuff? I've never fished a river like this. I'm used to the big bass Texas lakes so this is totally new to me. Please help.

Thanks

Chris

[WIG]

I just realized that the sticky note on levels above was update info. I saw that it was posted in 2005 and that threw me off. Still, any pointers or tips would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks

Chris

[Danoinark]

Premier smallmouth water. Fish up or down from public accesses. Fish will typically be in deep holes, in tail outs of riffles and in along rock structures where there is some current.

If you are fly fishing a sink tip line or sinking leaders will help get clousers, woolies and other streamers on the bottom (change up your stripping as it seems day by day as to what they want) If you are fishing conventional tackle I have had the best luck on tube baits (gitzits) fished ticking along the bottom in the current. Good luck and have fun.

Dano

[gotmuddy]

Where are you camping? Rush, buffalo point?

[hoglaw]

As much as I hate sharing knowledge with a Texan...here goes.

You can use some of your smaller bass gear. Most folks use spinning outfits, but I'm pretty strictly a baitcast guy. I use a number of different rods, but you can't go wrong with 8lb XT mono or heavier flurocarbon on your baitcast rods. If you're using spinning tackle, I'd use 8lb mono. I'd carry at least two rods and keep one rigged up with a bottom bouncing type lure, and the other with either a top water or a soft jerk bait such as a fluke, senko, or trick worm.

Your lures are going to be your standard top waters that you use back home, smaller crank baits, and an array of bottom bouncing stuff with weights of 1/4oz or less. Typical bottom bouncing lures would be anything that imitates a crayfish such as a tube/gitzit or any number of crawdad type baits. You can also use lizards, worms, or creature baits with plenty of success.

Weekend traffic can hamper fishing at times, but there are tons of bass in the river. For the bigger fish you'll want to fish closer to sun-down and sometimes through the night.

Whatever you are comfortable doing in Texas will catch fish on the Buffalo.

[hoglaw]

Oh, and the water will be very low absent some significant rain. This is good for fishing. Not so much for floating. Keep your trips short.

[bigredbirdfan]

What color on gitzits?

[Al Agnew]

What color on gitzits?

Look at what color the bottom of the river is. Look in your tackle for a tube that is as close as possible to that color. It'll work.

[ness]

You're half way to great BBQ.....come on up and see what you're missing

[ness]

Oh, 2011. Never mind.