Ozark_Basser

Funny thing, I just moved back to harrison. There is a club here. Facebook Harrison Bass Club. They'll tell you everything you need to know.

Good deal. With frogs, the thicker the cover, the more misses it seems, especially at night. Keep trying, if there is a hog to be found, I would think he is under one of those matts in that body of water.

The shallow area sounds like the best area for bass to me. I find it odd you've had much less success there. I've got one word for those matts....frog.

The shallow area sounds like the best area for bass to me. I find it odd you've had much less success there. I've got one word for those matts....frog.

Nice build. The garnet wraps go really well with those mhx blanks, I think.

Floating jerkbaits.

I am no stranger to the water willows lol. That fish must have really been buried up in them for you to pull up that much of that stuff. Nice Catch.

The Curado I 200HG is my frogging reel. Fits the bill perfectly.

A used 13 metanium on fleabay.

Green pumpkin is what I use as a trailer ~95% of the time regardless of skirt color. I don't think it matters an awful lot though most of the time.

Definitely on par with my first attempt as well. Metallics are definitely harder to wrap with also, but the wrap actually looks pretty good. To get a clean edge on your epoxy finish, never touch the blank with the brush. Place the brush at the edge of the wrap and push down letting the epoxy push from the edge of the wrap onto the blank. It just takes a few turns of the drying motor with the brush pushed down before it starts to form a clean edge. Let dry. Apply a second coat, and it will look really good. Try it on a dowel and you'll get it in no time. Thank Mike from DVT for that tip.

Hmmmm I called up rodgeeks and asked if their carbon 4 was the same blank as st croix's sciv, and they said it was.

I've always wanted to fish those rice lakes down in Stuttgart. They seem like shallow water heaven. Hopefully I will be able to get out some more this fall, but with a newborn, it might be difficult.

Welcome! It's always good to have another member from NW Arkansas. I look forward to hearing your input.

The way I static test is I first set the guides how I want them with 1/8" orthodontist bands then use 1/8" masking tape to secure them in place leaving room at the foot of the guide for wrapping. Works really well. The reason I use 1/8" tape is because I almost exclusively use micro guides.

Why not?

I do a lot of floating as well. In the summer, shade is key where I fish, especially if the conditions are bluebird skies and little wind, which is pretty common in the summer. I have my best success when I get out on the creek before everyone else as well. I'm talking if the sun rises at 6, be out there at 5:30 or earlier. That period of time of low light before sunrise can be dynamite. You also get first dibs on spots down the river. Don't be afraid to throw big gaudy baits either. If you look at my last trip I took in the thread I started http://www.bassresource.com/bass-fishing-forums/topic/150478-quest-for-the-4-lb-creek-smallie/page-7you'll see some nice creek fish all caught on a 5 1/2" gold/black floating jerkbait. My best five was probably around 17-18 lbs before noon....in a creek!!! That's not typical, but it goes to show you don't have to throw shakeyheads on 4 lb test to catch creek smallies. I would also advise you visit http://forums.ozarkanglers.com/They have subforums of the waters you fish.

Do you generally wade fish or float?

Fish eddies, current breaks, heads of shoals, or pretty much any area of slack water adjacent to current. Hula grubs, smallie beavers, and the Ned rig are hard to beat as far as numbers go. A little more information on where you are from and where you are fishing would also be helpful.

Just fish shallow and be persistent. There will be days when the big ones will come up shallow, and you better be there. Most of my PB's were caught in late fall from the bank on small lakes. Bait choice to me depends mostly on the cover available. On lake Willastein in Maumelle, AR, the main cover is sparse grass with some areas being pretty thick. I usually would just cover water with a swimjig, chatterbait, etc. while running the bait into as many grass patches as possible. In areas where the cover was thick I would cast or pitch a jig. My PB was caught there in December of last year.

Cup and stick

Jig and a hollow body frog.

Alps mvt is the most comfortable casting seat I've ever laid hands on. For spinning seats I prefer a Fuji vssm.

Sounds like you need to do a little more research, BD. The bottom of a soda can is a good choice though for mixing. It gives you a little extra pot life compared to plastic, and it doesn't create an awful lot of bubbles while mixing.

I'm not sure, but they probably do need to be sanded. You should be able to tell by looking at them. I usually just measure about 20" from where the line comes out of the reel for the stripper guide then static test from there.