Down The Home Stretch

[jdmidwest]

11 hours ago, FishnDave said:

  I read that if you like both men AND women, but they don't like you...you should identify as "bi-yourself".

 

And that's how threads get derailed. 😁

Back to Ham's quest!!

I try not to identify, just remain anonymous.  Lurk in the shadows and wait to strike.

[Ham]

86) Bluntface Shiner

Lifer/Flyfer Thanks to @Johnsfolly

My first drift with a size 16 GRHE and Bang! I had my primary target in hand. I caught a few more before focusing on looking for darters and trying for a Redspot Chub. 
Easy peasy not counting the 3 1/2 hour drive there. 

[Ham]

87) Redspot Chub

@Johnsfolly introduced me to this fish in the Spring River. They look identical to Hornyhead Chubs, but they don’t share the same water. They were not described as a separate species until 1971. 
last year, my Flyfer came easily from Bella Vista area, but my first swing thru there this year, I did not catch one. I tried at the Bluntface spot kinda a lot with no results. I hit up Bella Vista area creek again on the way home hoping to add Redspot and more. 
Bella Vista must have had a high water event because lots of changes to stream bed and Stream flow had occurred. Not great.

I broke out a light colored and light weight weighted fly to drift along. I was able to see “lights out” bites. When the fly disappeared, it was in a fishes mouth.

I got a good take and carefully fought the fish in. Very Happy, but then realized it was a big creek Chub. then, I repeated the process 4 more times. Creek Chub after Creek Chub. I like Creek Chubs and these were Big Ones, but I needed than Redspot.

another take a little higher in the water column. Fish was a little more orange colored. Carefully brought in an hustled to the photo bag. that was my guy (or gal), but the colors weren’t great. So, I kept grinding. That’s a Big Chub!

I spent a lot of time looking for Plateau Darters. They ghosted me.

I tried one more spot on the way out. I got a pretty Redspot. I was pretty disappointed about the lack o darters, but Happy to have finally gotten a Redspot. 

 

[bfishn]

Cool! Next time you're in the BV area you might try at this Spavinaw Creek bridge west of Hiwassee a few clicks;

https://maps.app.goo.gl/NKVFdTHS2LoTQteK8

Lots of variety there, rollers, darters, shiners, sculpins, etc. Like Little Sugar, Spavinaw is "over the hump" west of the WR basin, so it's an entirely different drainage with a few different species. The next bridge a mile or two downstream can be good too, but less access. Last time I was at that one someone had salted the hole with barb wire. At one time AGFC stocked a few trout there too, but I have no recent status on that.

[Ham]

I have fished that creek below Lake Spavinaw and Lake Hudson

im running out of race track, but I’d love to fish it

[Quillback]

5 hours ago, bfishn said:

Cool! Next time you're in the BV area you might try at this Spavinaw Creek bridge west of Hiwassee a few clicks;

https://maps.app.goo.gl/NKVFdTHS2LoTQteK8

Lots of variety there, rollers, darters, shiners, sculpins, etc. Like Little Sugar, Spavinaw is "over the hump" west of the WR basin, so it's an entirely different drainage with a few different species. The next bridge a mile or two downstream can be good too, but less access. Last time I was at that one someone had salted the hole with barb wire. At one time AGFC stocked a few trout there too, but I have no recent status on that.

I remember that there were trout in that stream, but I thought it was all in private land not open to the public.  

That's a big ol' chub Ham.

[bfishn]

17 minutes ago, Quillback said:

I remember that there were trout in that stream, but I thought it was all in private land not open to the public...

That's right. The only public access is at the limited road/highway right-of-ways. There was a bit of kerfuffle back then over public funds used for next-to-no public benefit. I've heard nothing more about it for years.

More recently, there's a private property between Hwy 43 and the OK line that hosts corporate events boasting of the onsite trout fishing. No idea where those fish came from.

[BilletHead]

1 hour ago, Quillback said:

 

That's a big ol' chub Ham.

             Be careful with what you say Jeff! 😁    Put fish in there somewhere. 

[Ham]

88) Longnose Gar

I’m kinda surprised that it took me this long. I’ve had more than a dozen hooked that I just could not get to hand including a couple of BIG ones and a melanistic one.

I’ve been nervously watching water levels at Batesvillie looking for a number than would enable me to get Waldo into “The BIG Stinky” an Oxbow off the White River near Oil Trough, AR. 

Today was my day off and magically the water level was where I needed it to be. It hasn’t been high enough recently. 
 I got started about 1100. I had three rods rigged out. Two for Gar and one for carp. I had a rope fly on the 6 weight and a Woolie on the 8 weight. 
I had been casting for like two minutes and I missed a pretty decent Longnose which was the primary target of the day. Them a pretty solid Largemouth ate my rope fly. I stripped the rope fly along a log and let it settle for a while. The line came tight and I lifted I to a real nice Longnose. The rope fly had done its job and I didn’t stress about it very much. I really need a Musky cradle. It was a chore getting the gar I to my oversized net. 
then I had to spend a lot of time with the stinky thing to get all the rope out of its teeth. 
it taped out at 43 inches
glad I got it done. 

[Quillback]

Those gar are nothing but muscle.  I read something the other day, I believe it was on the AGFC website, that they are releasing alligator gar fingerlings into the lower White to boost the population.