paparock

Catch and Keep or

Spider Jigs or Hula Grubs or by any other name are very good!!!

Well where I was before moving to Bull Shoals Lake it was about 25% cover and 75% structure. On Bull Shoals there is no grass, lily pads, or other cover. There is only structure.

I'm in shape if you call being like a big apple as a shape. I have now purchased a bowflex now all I have to do is USE IT. I need more exercise than "flipping" channels during the winter!!!

I will be taking my boat to the lake using my Chevy Z71 and then taking it to my new boat stall at Lakeview Marina, on Bull Shoals Lake.

Welcome to the forum Warren! Hope to hear more from you.

I hope the fisheries managers keep the populations both under control and healthy. What I don't want to see is the disaster that is being fostered as management in the oceans fisheries happen in freshwater. We all must take notice and a part in the care of our resources. If fishing to survive and flourish we need to take an active part. I was at the conference held at Bass Pro Headquarters that announced a national program to start a fisheries management initiative (similar to that used to help the ducks) to stabilize and enhance fish habitat, starting with Table Rock Lake, Missouri.

LBH very nice pics! I have such a program, if I can ever figure out how to use it. Now that I see some of what they can do I will try harder. Thanks!

I just got mine off amazon. After trying several hard to find book search engines I had no luck today. My suggestion is to periodically check the major book search sites till one comes available. It took me a long time but that is how I purchased a first edition book "Them Ol Brown Fish: Billy Westmorland on Smallmouths". Amazon has the Westmorland book at a low price of $70 dollars to $125. I was able by periodic checks to get the first edition hardback for $35 dollars. Sorry I don't have a better answer! :-/

Last month Earthworm77 suggested reading the book "The Complete Guide to Finesse Bass Fishing" by Michael Jones. It really helped me understand some techniques like doodling, splitshoting and others in more depth than I had before reading it. I especially recommend it to new bass fisherman just learning the finesse techniques of fishing. Also I just wanted to say thanks again to Earthworm77 for recommending it.

Avid pretty much covered my views 8-)

Ouachitabassangler, welcome to the forum!!! You are not too far south of where I am here on Lake Bull Shoals. Hey I can date myself by saying I was attending college in Arkadelphia and to get away from campus I would drive up and watch the building of the dam to make Lake DeGray.

Well for some of us it's a little complicated to fit all our experiences into one state. I was born and raised in southern Arkansas where I fished the Ouachita River, Lake Chicot, and my grandfather's ponds until my junior year in college. I was fortunate in being able to fish the lakes of central Wyoming and the Middle Fork of the Powder River up in the mountains for ten years. The gulf coast of Mexico out from and near Galveston, Texas allowed me to fish saltwater from ankle deep to 100 fathoms deep for almost fifteen years. Only once did I get to go to Cabo on BCS (Baja California Sur) but I will never forget the crystal clear blue ocean there or the fishing. Now I have come full circle back to my native state from which I will not stray again. So, posting where we are now is fine by me. But don't think by saying only that; it will stop me from learning everything I can from you.

It always pains me to hear of this type tragedy. My heart and prayers go out the their families! :'( Having owned and operated a canoe/kayak resort in north central Arkansas I was "lucky" that none of my guests had such misfortune. Other operations on the Spring River were not so lucky. The Spring River comes strait out of the ground at Mammoth Spring, Arkansas. Water temp is a constant 58 degrees year round. My point in telling you this is that even in summer under the wrong conditions you can suffer from Hypothermia and lose your life. Mother Nature can be extremely beautiful but she can be very unforgiving toward those who do not give her the proper respect. A local river expert/guide tells his story in the local free fishing newspaper here in Mountain Home. With all his knowledge and skills, if not for a novice on the river, would have lost his life to this unforgiving teacher. He himself sums it up best when he said he had gotten away so many times not giving the river it's proper respect. On that one day he almost paid for his arrogance with his life. So no matter your age, knowledge, or skill level; you are playing with your life if you don't follow the basic safety rules each and every time you are on the water. I will add my second to that having all but given myself up to drowning. The air never smelled so sweet than when it filled my burning lungs after finally reaching the surface and safety. I am to this day grateful for being given a second chance and have since given Mother Nature here due. I always wear a lifejacket. Mine is a specially designed one that allows me free movement for paddling and fishing. When I guided, some of my guests would tease me about always wearing it, as most other guides either did not or only in the tougher rapids. I smiled and said I wore it because it was my responsibility to watch over them when they needed me. But more importantly I did it for me, my wife, children and grandchildren because I want to do everything possible to be around for them. If some day the Lord sees fit to take me I will have done all that I could do and will wait for my young ones on the other side of that river until we are reunited. God Bless and keep yourselves safe!

I often hear comments from TV experts that make me stop and question the accuracy of the statement. I see many fisherman choice tackles based on what a celebrity uses on his program. That may or may not be the best choice because that person is using his sponsor's equipment that can be serviceable but not necessarily the best choice. I agree with all the comments as to the difference between cover and structure but as roadwarrior stated sometimes the line can be blurred. It's like the difference between cover and concealment that drill instructors try to beat into recruits heads. Cover means something a bullet can't pass through while concealment means something that keeps the enemy form observing you but will not stop fire directed at you. These are general differences but sometimes there is elements of both present.

I'm glad to hear you are doing better Avid! Take care of that arm. It's great you found a new system to get bit. Just don't overdue it.

LBH, do you have something like this in mind but with BFS instead of filet & release and a largemouth skeleton?

I see your post was moved here. Great site isn't it. :-?Hey, what hook is the top rated one for making jigs to then tie into hair or feather jigs?

Thanks! That's what I needed. Then I can change later if I need or want to upgrade.

Ohio Bass Man, if you can afford it why not. I was all set to order one when I found out I am going to have a $4000 bill for new ductwork in my house. I guarantee you I would much rather spent the money on two 987s than that but it is but a temporary setback.

I have a Cobra Fish & Dive kayak with one of these seats designed for fishing by Surf to Summit. It has a small pack on the back of the seat for tackle. You might want to get some hook covers for the lure on your rod, just in case.

Thanks for the responses everyone. What is a good price range to get good equipment without going to cheap or spending needlessly more than I would need to unless going commercial? :-?

I've seen a lot of cases where rain seems to turn the fish ON and I don't mind getting wet after all you can only get so wet, right? But if you can see or hear lightning you are within range of a bolt. I just do not take a chance with that type of voltage. He who runs away lives to fish another day. There are even units out that detect lightning before you can. Since I had a friend growing up who's father was killed by lightning I give it the respect it is due. :-?

Hey Matt_Fly. When I had my old fishing resort on the South Fork of the Spring River the beetle was not only the best selling lure but caught the biggest variety of fish from bream to largemouth. I doubt he was targeting a lunker but put the beetlespin in front of a hungry lunker and it looked eatable.

I asked this same thing a while back. You would get a lot of info. on the Tacklemaking Forum on this site.