Two Observations/questions

[J-Doc]

If you can find tourney permit info for beaver that is, I sure as heck can't. All I can say is that I've fished Grand, Beaver and TR many times and I based on personal observation, I'd say pressure, at least as far as black bass, is about the same.

I trust your opinion and you''re probably right. Like I said, I am not experienced on TR compared to Beaver.

[Feathers and Fins]

Quill I have looked to and a permit is required for tournaments on Beaver but ill be darn if I can find anything more than that,

[M_Taylor]

I appreciate the insight. It's always good hearing from the guys on the front lines so to speak.

I'll continue to enjoy and learn the fishery!

[1969Larson]

If you want to catch fish go to Table Rock or better yet a farm pond. If you want a journey and a challenge, learn to catch them on Beaver.

[J-Doc]

Lol!!!

[marknsaw]

Maybe it's me.. I dunno. All this talk about Beaver being a "Bad" lake for bass is pure nonsense. Hell.. the crappie and walleye fishing is tougher then bass most of the time. Bass are my "go-to" bite all year around. Simple and predictable they are. Most people around here try to hammer a bite... won't work most of the time on Beaver. Slowing down and making a good presentation is key.. jig and pig, fat Carolina, ned rig, long slow shakies, popping a spoon, slow roll a spinner with a trailer, my favorite in late summer is a slow rolled harness or floating jig on a BB with a crawler through the pockets on points, deeper flats, and drop offs. I wouldn't win a tournament with my catch.... but I do catch 'em. Which is all I care about They are there... you just have to be willing to adjust your style to the bite. Most PRO's aren't, and that's why they hate Beaver...it doesn't fit their comfort zone exactly right. Most just let the "science" get in the way of going out and just fishin'.

[Feathers and Fins]

I gave this more thought last night and the more I think about it the more I think it has to do with TV, Magazines and other publications on what a person is “suppose to do” at a give time of year. I think people get conditioned to what is the “Accepted” method and get locked in to it. The other is people get locked in to a confidence style of fishing and wont adjust to what the conditions give them.

The Ned-rig is especially productive yet I can’t think of the last time I heard it was the tournament winning bait; I have jigged up some very large bags with a jigging spoon but can’t think of the last time I heard of a spoon winning a tournament and so on.

Comparing Beaver to tablerock of grand is like comparing and apple to an orange they are very different lakes. Yet people want to talk about them in compare to Beaver. How do you compare lakes with multiple rivers flowing in to them against a lake with only one major river? How do you compare lakes with a constant current to one that is not?

Reading the above post tells me Beaver is a respectable to good bass lake if a person takes the time to learn it and be versatile or think outside the norm, which honestly is how the most productive guys catch fish. Look at Davis on the Rock this year, he went against the norms and did very well and now across the country people are doing what he did.

[M_Taylor]

Thinking about it more myself, I realized that's how my home waters were for trout. I grew up with the perfect wild rainbow trout stream in my back yard, but not an easy stream at all. Even after 25 years, it can still make you wonder. I watched people come in every weekend and think it was going to be like A River Runs Through It. They'd get frustrated and never come back(which was fine with me). Taking a slow methodical approach to Beaver won't be as big of a shock to me since I'm use to it for trout and I don't have a list of bass lakes I've fished on.

[Feathers and Fins]

Great Observation Taylor,

I remember when I first fished the Big O, I thought it was going to be easy and load up on bass, lord knows all the shows and pictures were out there and I was way to overconfident and arrogant. I mean come on I had numerous 8 to 10lb LMB's and a few in the teens even I knew how to bass fish I smacked them in Cali and knew what I was doing. OH but I was greatly humbled by that first trip and had to learn new techniques and presentations after 5 years I could catch bass regularly on it and thought I had Florida figured out so went to Stick Marsh farm pond 13 and again was humbled. To me its those humbling days that really drive me and even more they have taught me a fish is much smarter than I am and never get over confident and arrogance is really just a better way to spell FOOL.

[Champ188]

I've said many times that anyone whose only enjoyment in fishing comes reeling in a fish darn well better find another activity, because there are going to be far more hours spent trying to locate and figure out how to catch fish than actually reeling them in.

Beaver isn't an awful bass lake, but as stated above, it's not Table Rock or Grand. For the most part, I prefer doing my fishing elsewhere because my personal belief is there are not as many fish per acre in Beaver. But there are times when I will fish it, particularly if there is a tournament to fish or prepare for. I do enjoy a good challenge, and Beaver certainly presents one more days than not.

Welcome to the forum and enjoy the lake. But I'd also invite you to range a bit farther and try some of the others.