Ozarkie

I spent five years in Europe in the Army. I fished pretty heavily. I found Zander to hit the saem lures walleye do and hit large Mepps I fished for Hecht with Pike to us. I fished only fromt he bank, but Zander will hit crankbaits very good. Same ones I use here!! Lately we have been tearing the walleye up, the lake is up the water is 75F and walleye are all over the shallows post spawn. We have boated 35 walleye in three evening with a five, a six and finally I busted a SEVEN POUNDER. But tones of small eyes. We simply troll hot N tots, black back, silver sides, purple back wors well too. But we are using 8lb flourocarbon line, this allows us to get these down in 18-20 feet of water. We found a cheapy lure that works better cost $2.50 so it dont hurt to bad to loose one. but we do loose a few on the bottom and in timber. We wacthed with binos and counted the fish others were catching using jigs and minnows and they just ain't catch anything. Wiggle warts will work too, I think its more action than colors to a point. But the water is cloudy from rains. We just came in and have 13 eyes over the 18 inch min length, with largest at 22 inchs. We did not fish Memorial Day weekend as we felt to much boat traffic. But tonight was good as has been Tues, Weds, and Thurs of the last two weeks. For us its a 12 miles run one way to the best area I have found and worth every penny. Ozarkie

Dance fishes lots of pits in Florida. But on the other hand I have seen some swamp pics and kow those places are in Arkansas. Ever notice many times he is a smaller aluminumboat and Cypress trees. He is fishing the backwaters of White River Refuge in Arkansas or Felensthal. We have seen him on both. I dont care to watch any big shot fish El Salto or some other Mexico lake I could never fish. Yes, they take a couple weeks to film and then do the dirty work. I really like the shows where you know the lake they are on and time of year. Those may still take a couple days or weeks but you have a chance to repeat it. Ozarkie

Looks like stream smallie regs for 2008 will be one fish and an 18 inch min. While I hate is some ways to see this I know its good for the fishing!!!! I heard its all but a done deal and maybe no live bait. Which is fine for me but some are witching about it. Ozarkie

The newer oil is chemically enhanced to provide better lubrication, reduced ash and carbon along with lower emission. My Dad has a 58 Year model Mark 75 Mercury, it has run super fine since he bought it new, he runs the TWC-3 oils in it at 25-1. one of the mechanics told him he could run 50-1 with the new oil, but Dad being Dad says "25-1" I have used it in a 1976 Evinrude 50HP without any problems, plus many smaller older motors of the river. Ozarkie

Yesterday I marked some structure that heald fish, I used the standard marker buoys. I made several drifts thru them and was catching fish. A man and lady that were not catching fish, went right between the MY BUOYS and then turned to drag their lures under my boat. At first I figured he was inexperienced so I explained that is was rude and since I found the sturcture and was fishing it, I would apprecieate it if he would not go thru my buoys. His repsounce was "F*& # YOU its a public lake" . Well first I ask how smart are you? To which he responded he had four years of college. I said "ya, did not learn much did ya!" So instead of fighting and beating his rear, I took up my buoys and left. Went about a mile down lake and was fishing without buoys and catching xome small bass in a small cove, low and behold here came smart butt full bore then shuts down and throws a huge wake. Again I ask "Are you just rude aor are you that stupid?" Well other words between us came about and again instead of of a battle I decided to leave. But this time I trimmed the motor out and sprayed the crap out of him and his new Ranger. THe returned the big wake favor two fold. Having a full tank of fuel, it was a nice wake too. I figure if people are going to be rude, the lest I can do is try to wash to crud away. Maybe he learned his lesson, I am sure his lady friend gave him the were to too and what for after her shower. Back at the ramp I was talking to some other people and they too had problems with the jerk. Since he had a new boat and no numbers on it what else could I do? LOL Ozarkie

We headed out yesterday morning. Caught some bass just inside main lake points, then decided to bump bottom with some night crawlers and found walleye. We saw several people using minnows but all claimed they were slow. Just before dark we had landed 17 walleye with one 27" and 6 other keepers, plus some very good white bass over 2 pounds. Lost a good Kentucky when it found a hole in the net. Hate to tell this but its funny. I was fighting a very nice walleye, it surfaced out about 20 feet. tangle two other lines and I was stuck could not reel it in. so in a hurry I wiped out my knife to cut the lines. well in hast I hit the wrong line!! MY LINE!!!!! I carry a knife thats sharper than a razor blade and a bump I knew I had hit the wrong line!!! Sucked at the time but funny in retrospect. We are heading back out this afternoon. Ozarkie

Sure they will bite! Some of the biggest browns bite at night. If you want use a crappie light or underwater light, check local laws first. Use a deep cycle battery too. We night fish in a lake for trout using submerged lights. Sometimes we catch walleye, crappie and other assorted fish. I know some people that fly fish at night for trout, I am not a fly fisherman but they catch fish. We have fished White River at night and its good to great fishing but the water level changes due to power generation and its a scary thing to do. We use bait power bait or night crawlers, take some bug protection!!! Ozarkie

I have to agree with why not give the fish a rest during spawning. It just makes cents. With the low survival rates anyway what could it hurt? I see toruney after tourney jerking fish from beds on Bull Shoals and you cannot say it does n ot hurt the populations. I have my hawg on the wall from Zara Gossa Spain, we had to fish after the spawn so whats a couple pounds of eggs??? Is it a macho thing I can snag fish from a bed! I could spend days catching fish from beds and I know it will hurt the survival rates. While stationed in Germany a buddy and I ruined a yellow perch fishery, there was no lomit and no closed season, in the month prior to the spawn we cleaned house on those critters. We never had good fishing again in that lake, it also caused the pike to grow abnormally large heads over the next few years. the pike over populated and were starving. In Bull I am seeing a lot of thinner bass than 20 years ago also being a taxidermist I know the big bass are just not there, this year is tougher than last. each year gets worse. I know what the recommendations were and what happened. but as mentioned $$$$$$ is what controls the regs. Ozarkie

Ok so most agree with releasiiiing big fish, well lets look at the catching bass from beds. How many future fish are you killing by catching bass from beds? Do you fish beds? Me I dont fish beding bass!

Nice job! I wonder if the seat peds being so tall will make the boat easier to rock from side to side. I put seats in my river jon boat and ended up getting rid of the peds, it's 14 X 36. But not finished out on the inside. Ozarkie

Were you wrong? Do you feel you violated thier area? This is something only you can really answer for yourself. I fish lakes and White River often, 2-3 times per week. On the river bank fishing I have had guides run over my line and within ten feet of me. I dont think thats right, they have a 50 to 75 yard wide river to use in most cases. As a boater on the river I still have had guides get right on top of my boat. Close enough we could have shaken hands. That also is not right. Even on Bull Shoals and Norfork lakes I have had tourney fishers come right in on top of me. It is not right. So what is the distance to stay away from other fisherman? I say past casting distance. Some people think they can set a hook with 150 feet of line out, we all no its not really a good idea but we have to share the waters. We have to share the waters thats the main thing and sometimes it sucks. I have had fly fisherman standing right in the channel on the river, blocking the egress up and down stream. That also is not right but they think its fine. We all have to shear the waters. we should try to get along, so do what you think is the right thing. Just remember someone might have a set of grabhooks on high test line. I had to use this on a guide a few years ago. Today he stays away when he sees me and yes he told other guides. So now sledom do I have other boats come close. There are channels we all have to share and I have found the guides fish the quick catch water, I have changed to slow catch waters and catch bigger fish. It should not be combat fishing. Just wave and stay out of the range of their cast. Respect for each fisherman. I am not in total agreement with fishing private docks, some of these the owners have done some work to attract fish for their fun, so I try to stay away especially on week ends. Good luck Ozarkie

I have Used the product and know it works, thats all I need to post. I will not try to baffle you with Bull Crap. I will use the steelflex product again why? because it works. Yes, tighten all the rivets first, using sand paper ruff the around on the top of each rivet, then sand the flat areas with a power sander I would use a electric sander so you dont get carried away. You are roughing the surface to give the product a gripping surface. You certainly dont want to seal it with a primer as any primer is designed for paint to grip to, NOT the SteelFlex product. Aerospace product and working products that are taking the beating on daily use require two different desgined products. Not all products work the same in the same repsect. Ozarkie edited to add http://www.fascoepoxies.com/

Sunday we were fishing for trout on White River. My wife caught a chub, when she threw it back a large trout hit the chub the instant it hit the water. We were less than 10 feet from the trout, we never saw the trout until it took the chub, so either the fish had followed the chub to the boat and was just hanging near the rocks. Anyway the trout took the chub and we never saw the trout until then. Yep the trout saw the chub flying thru the air. I have caught bass the instant the lure hit the water along with pike some in not so clear water.

With Steelflex product you DON'T PRIME!! You need the ruff surface for the product to grip. You cannot and will not get the same results with polyester resin. Primer is to help PAINT HOLD, primer will act as a release agent. This will not allow Steelflex to hold to the hull. As with any product you should wear nitrile gloves and use throw away roller to apply. Simple common sense is simple saftey. Use outdoors Catt, This resin is not the same as you buy locally, it is made with teflon and other ingredients to help airboats slide over the grass and ground in a swamp, it also flexs better than the local resin. Anyone who has used polyester resin over aluminum will tell you it will flake and chip DUE TO BEING BRITTLE and no cloth or mat reinforcement. Epoxy resin is different than polyester resins, also vinylester resins do have more flex than polyester but you will not find vinylesters locally. Buy the Steelflex product and you will be happy, if you try to cut corners your work and money will be wasted. There are many guides using the steel flex product on their boats that run WHITE RIVER in Arkansas and they do it daily. I have been told by many that the coating last 3to4 years. I do know they run over shoals I cant go over with my jonboat. I have not had time to coat it but that soon to change. With my old boat I scooted right up and over the shoals too. STEELFLEX SUPER SLICK EPOXY COATING #9X-2000 For airboats. Super slick surface is produced in one operation. Not necessary to spray an additional topcoat. Contains Teflon plus additional friction red additives. This stuff is way better than cat will admit and ask cat have you used this product? If not then you dont have any business posting any how to about it. I am also going to use this product on my canoe since it works great on aluminum boats. I would not waste my money on a product that I could buy local or does not work. Ozarkie

A good examiner will give you the test three times. Yes, three times. Firs this gives them a chance to get you settled in and calmed down from the having to be tested. The second test will include some questions you and he know to be true. Baseline!! The third test is the for real test this is the test that could be used in court. But many courts refuse to use them, why they are not always accurate. With my position in the Army I was taught to pass them, but then the enemy would not know the answers to some questions. If they are trying to clear their name, then something may well be amiss with the examiner or the instruments, Ozarkie

http://www.fascoepoxies.com/ Slcik epoxy is what you are looking for its $50.00 for a 2 quart unit covers about 300sq ft. STEELFLEX SUPER SLICK EPOXY COATING #9X-2000 For airboats. Super slick surface is produced in one operation. Not necessary to spray an additional topcoat. Contains Teflon plus additional friction red additives. Used on Airboats and does great on river boats!!! I used it on another rover jon and stopped all leaks, slides over rocks great. Sand with 36 grit, lightly sand and be sure you work it in the joints. oh be sure and mask the area, I mix about half then when I get it used before it kicks I use the rest of it. I think you will love the stuff after application. About like honey as for viscosity. Ozarkie

Fish can see you at longer distances than you can see them. The fish eye is designed that way. I fish rivers and creeks a lot I have found that wearing camo certainly helps. Not the dark camos but camos that blend with the skyline or grays that look like rocks. Yes some people llol at me on the creek or river but I catch bigger fish so who is really loling. IN stained or colored water it may not be so important.

Was not the KNOT, the line broke at different places and it was not due to sudden stop. #14 test just broke in mid cast. I have used this brand of line a lot, especially river fishing when I use a leader and just loose the leader in place of the line breaking elsewhere. I will be sending it back to Berkley this week. Don't know what they will do about the lures. I am glad I was not using some of those $15.00 plus lures!!! Ozarkie

I think everybody that fishes whises for that big fish. I know I have caught and KILLED a couple. But did my doing so hurt the fish populations as bad as bed fishing? I am also stuckbetween a rock and a hard place. I am a taxidermist mostly fish. I do a bunch of skin mounts everyyear. Yes the people could have a fiberglass replica but to them its not the same. To others plastic is fine. But with plastic you have a copy of a fish hundreds of others have, same fish just finished different and painted different. We all know pictures lack and no matter how carefully you handle a live fish you will have mortalities. I also fish for trout and during the spawn in an unnamed river I caught eight nice browns that died, I tried to revive them but even with the best I could do they died. Hell these fish never left the river bank but did fight hard on light tackle. So they died, so I kept them. Someday maybe I can get time to finish my own stuff. I willnot fish for spawning trout anymore to many died. Same for bedding bass you are killing next years crop when you fish beds. One thing certain you cannot legislate morality and to kill a big bass is up to each persons guilt or no guilt. The person keepin a lot of big fish all the time probably will still keep the fish no matter what the law says. When I was younger I would catch and keep anything that bites my lure, I still might keep a trophy of sometype these days, maybe not big or maybe if I am lucky big. Trophy bass or trophy deer? What is the real difference? Maybe next time I will be a catch and release deer hunter! NOT!!! Guys on another board think I am bad for keeping limits of stocked trout, always rainbows except the spawners and I will not fish them anymore. Hell trout are released just for that and yes we eat a lot of trout, hey they are good when cooked in a deep fryer!!!! To kill or not to kill that is the question. Ozarkie

One of my friends and I won a bass tourney some years back. 7.5hp merc yes 7 POINT 5 hp and a small aluminum boat. We never left sight of the laucnh ramp. We had two limits of largemouth and they were big. We were LOL that we had won the boat!! The money!!! BUt low and behold we were DQed because our motor was not over 25HP. Now what to hell does motor size have to do with ones ability to fish? None but what we did was embarassssssss the whole tourney crowd and some big name TV guys!!!!! As I was reading a tourney rules yesterday I lmao, they require yo to use this rod, these baits etc. lots of B.S. one thing they did for me was make sure I will never buy those products again!!! I will take my Rebel Lures and catch just as many fish at those $15.00 lures and should I loose one not any big deal. My Grandad "Toad" caught a lot of big fish and guided on Table Rock and only had a Richline and a 20Hp Johnson. Do I need a Triton of Ranger? Nope I have a Lowe Aluminum with a 90HP I have been catching a lot of fish this year I doubt I would do any better with a fancier high $$$ boat. Do I need a 225 or 250Hp motor Nope I can put a lot more fuel in my 90HP for what you put in that big boat. Just last week one of those OPTimax was sitting at the dock with the throttle position senor gone out!!! What did it cost him, maybe the tourney, and getting towed about 12 miles plus all day waiting for his tow. My Lowe will do 50mph on a good day, I can't fish at 50mph!!! I also dont jump from point to point when fishing in most cases but thats me. My favorite rod is one my Grandma made for me 35 years ago when she worked for Ark-Rod, I still have yet to spend $50.00 on any rod or reel. But thats me and the way I fish, if there is a fish in the cove or around the point that may bite I will fish it. Do I always catch fish? NO but thats fishin! Ozarkie P.S. I do always have fun!!

I am against bed fishing. The minute you remove a bass from the bed, bream and other preds will move in and eat everything on it. Then you hear about the Game and Fish need to do something to increase the bass populations. Last Saturday on Norfork Lake in Arkansas, I found many bass on beds. There was a guide that took two groups out and use flukes to catch bedded bass. Not only that they keep the bass and I know three were under sized. I did confront him n front of his clients about keeping short bass and he told me to go F*&^ myself. He said this infront of his clinets., "If they bite they get kept." Yep, I turned him in. I have mounted a few fish for his clients and it cost me his business but I do have morals on somethings. I checked the bed and there were bream and minnows all over it. I vote now and forever no bed fishing! Bed fishing It is not the responsible thing to do.

BPS still sells XPS lures, swim baits includes was In springfield last week and spent to much money on them.

Man am I mad, new Fireline on a baitcaste. Tied on a NEW Bagley deep diving crankbait, suspending one at that, made the first cast the fricken line broke at about 40 feet, ZOOM the bait was gone and lost. Decided well I would use a spinner bait, cast and darned if it did not happen again!!!!!! Ok at this point I am thinking man this sucks, bite my tongue, this was just a freak thing. Tie on my 3rd bait a War Eagle spinner and I will be a snake in the grass if it did not threepeat. Fricken S.O.B. I was and still am mad as hell, missed away $15.00 worth of lures in just minutes!!!! Yes, I am going to send a sample to the maker and my complaint. This maybe just one time but I certainly am thinking nomore with a baitcaster. Anyone else had troubles with it? Ozarkie

I bought some Maui Jim and dont like them first they dont fit across mybroad nose and second they are brown and seem to make everything bluer in color. I also have a pair of prescription bi-focals (first pair) they are brown but they don't cast the blue hues. Cannot explain why???? Stick with a neutral grey or green, wrap around if you can. Make sure they are returnable because once on the water you may not like them and it sucks to lay out $170.00 and be stuck with a high dollar piece of crap. Ozarkie.

Water temps is the reason. You do have plenty of big smallies in Pickwick!! I have mounted a number of 6 and 7 lb smallies from Pickwick over the years. None lately as the clinets have quit going to Pickwick.