Beaver Lake Bass Stocking

[Feathers and Fins]

Champ, I would say there is a very good food base in the lake. Sunday I marked over 300 shad balls from HSB to 12 Bridge that were showing on side scan an average of 20ft wide x 30ft deep. Combined with the numerous small bluegill and minnows ive been seeing I think Beaver is one of the healthiest lakes as far as prey sources I have seen in many years. I know most if not all those balls were threadfin as I would occasionally need more bait and go visit them with the cast net. Gizzard shad are also doing extremely well IMO its not to difficult to find them in shallows and the size range from 3'' to 12''.

[J-Doc]

F&F...

I wish I had your knowledge and experience. :-)

[Guest]

Reckon it'll go back like a few years ago when the "Dinner Bell" would go off in Blackburn and the topwater bite would be nuts for an hour at a time?

Ahhh, the Blackburn topwater bite!

I almost forgot about that one.

[Feathers and Fins]

lol doc, You know your welcome in the boat anytime but I throw the net lol.

[J-Doc]

lol doc, You know your welcome in the boat anytime but I throw the net lol.

Hey carefull............I'll take you up on that one! I'd love to take a trip on your rig and watch and learn!

[Champ188]

F&F, I hope that's the case. I will say that bass catches and weights both tournament and recreational seem to be as good as I've seen them in the 12 years since I moved here from the Hot Springs area.

I will never be a striper fan and on that we will just have to disagree. But I do believe from your many previous posts that we both have the overall good of the fishery at heart. It's a good old lake and supplemental stocking can only help as long as the food is there to support the fish.

[Feathers and Fins]

Champ, Stripers are fun lol. But I actually search out the prey sources more than the game fish. If I can find the prey I can find a predator. I am opportunistic when it comes to fishing and try and find whats biting more than one specific species. Kinda like the smallies this year I went out one day wanting stripers I found them but also knew the big smallies were biting and those little bulldogs made me give up on stipers and run down to them. I knew they were keyed in on a crawfish pattern and had a blast. But im weird I guess in the reason I knew that was after catching a few I went in shallow and started rooting around to find out why they were there. Its the Herpetologist in me wanting to know WHY.

I do that a lot find something and want to know why, even in hunting when I find birds constantly in an area I just got to know why they are lol.

[Champ188]

The best fishermen I know focus more on the fish than the fishing. If you learn the fish, the rest becomes easier. Never easy, but easier.

[jolicious]

Ahhh, the Blackburn topwater bite!

I almost forgot about that one.

I mean, I've "heard things"....