ArkieHawg

Here's what the latest report from up there said... "Bass are biting fairly well on soft plastics, spinnerbaits and crankbaits. Top water lures and flukes are working well early in the morning." That was weak, so I got the old reports off my website from this time last year, here they are... "Spotted bass and crappie have been caught in 25 to 40 feet of water, with most of the larger fish being caught near the outside of brush piles at 25 to 27 feet deep. Jigging spoons fished vertically and nightcrawler rigs have been the most successful bait for these fish. The deep water trolling bite is good in 30 to 40 feet of water over submerged structures. Reef Runners have been working well to catch walleye and spotted bass during the day. Schooling white bass are biting spoons and have been seen in the back of creeks. A split shot with a nightcrawler has also boated bass near the bluff ends and drop offs." "Walleye and bass are biting on crankbaits trolled deep, jigging spoons fished around brush piles and nightcrawler rigs during the day. Most are being caught 30 to 50 feet deep. Bass are also biting well at night on jigs and plastic worms."

We fish some of the clearest, deepest lakes in the country here in Arkansas with Lake Ouachita, Degray Lake and Greers Ferry Lake. We fish them all at night during the summer, and the key to success is deep water, specifically open water humps with 50'+ water on all sides. Ledges also hold fish around 25'-30' at night. We don't waste any time with spinnerbaits. You can catch good fish all night in these spots with just about any plastic in Junebug, lizards and brush hogs work best. A 1/2oz Finesse Jig in Junebug with a Junebug Rage Tail Craw catches more fish than anything for us. Study your lakes contour map and locate some humps near the main river channel or a deep creek channel and post up on it for the night, they'll be close by you can bet!

Also might try a Carolina Rig on the slopes/drops. creature baits, lizards and worms all produce good fish. Size in the summer is a non-factor in my opinion. Saturday my best fish (5.5lb) came on a carolina rigged baby brush hog. My partners biggest bass this year came in at a hair under 7lbs and took a carolina rigged zoom super fluke on a 4' leader.

One of the lakes I fish regularly is located in a chain of 3 manmade resevoirs all of which are part of a river system. The river feeds a much larger lake (40,000 acres) to the NW, this lake is held by a dam which feeds the lake I fish (7,200 acres). Downstream of the dam is a 4-5 mile stretch of clear, cold, moving water which opens up into the lake. The water temps below the dam hold constant in the upper 50's year round. As it nears the lake mouth it holds around 70°-75°. These waters are loaded with trout and striped bass. Will Largemouth Bass hold in these cold, shallow waters? I know that this area will have the most oxygen, and plenty of food, but I have always assumed the water was too cold for them? Am I wrong in thinking that? Would they be more apt to pile up at the mouth where the cold water meets the warm lake? If LMB could be in the area, what approach do you think would be best to entice a strike? Any input would be great! Thanks.

My tackle seems to grow with each trip to the water. Its crazy really, but I always seem to need something...ha. First of all, many of the most effective baits in my bags can't be found at Bass Pro. You would think they would carry everything for bass fishing but they don't. I have different must have baits for each season and for night bassin. WINTER * Spro Arkushad - Red/Craw (Late Winter) * Jigging Spoons * Strike King Itza Bug Hair Jigs * Jackall Squirrel - Deep diving suspending jerkbait SUMMER * Football, Finesse, Swim Jigs - Natural Colors * Rage Tail Anacondas (Tx Rig) * Zoom Magnum Lizards (Car Rig) * RI Skinny Dippers * Rage Tail Craws SPRING * Megabass Vision 110 Jerkbait * Spro Fat John * Big Bite Baits Kriet Kreature (Car Rig) * Zoom Magnum Trick Worm (Wacky Rig * LC Sammy * 1/2oz Razorblade Spinnerbait FALL * LC Pointer * Jackall SoulShad * Chatterbait YEAR ROUND * Zoom Magnum Trick Worm in Watermelon Candy rigged on a 1/8oz Shaky Head Jig - Catches fsh all day, everyday, here in Arkansas.

I have the Revo SX, Curado 200e7 and the Quantum Smoke, and I also use Duckett rods. I prefer to throw carolina rigs and texas rigs with the Curados over the Revos. The Curado doesn't have any problems in windy conditions like the Revo. I fish rigged plastics quite a bit on windy days in open water, and the Curado doesn't miss a beat, and doesn't require any adjustments. The Revo will give you fits trying to throw it into the wind if you don't make adjustments regularly. I like the Revos for Jigs, Spinnerbaits and Topwaters. I use the Smokes for Cranking.

Ended up getting the Smoke for $164! I must say I am pleasantly suprised by this reel. I ordered the 150PPT Model, 5.3:1, and it is feather light. The reel is smooth, strong and looks pretty sharp. I have just started getting it broke in good, so I'll let you all know how she holds up!

The insert on the tip broke pulling in a fish and the third guide from the tip broke last week on a hookset. Like I said, maybe I just had a lemon? A few terribly rough rides over memorial day weekend could have contributed to the guide break, although all my other rods made the same rides. Never had a single problem with my Cumulus or Crucial Rods. Im not poor mouthing Shimano, 3/4 of all rods/reels are Shimano...just have hit a few bumps with the Cumara.

I just got a new Quantum Smoke 5.3:1 last month. I paired it with a Duckett Micro Magic rod, making for the most lightweight combo I have ever seen. I gotta say, I absolutely love the reel. All of my reels are Curados and Revos, and I forced myself to live a little and try a Quantum. I'm glad I did. The Smoke is powerful, smooth and its distance rivals the curados. I've fished it about half a dozen times without a complaint. Oh...and it looks bad a** too!!!! I also was torn between it and the Lew's Tourney Pro Speed Spool, but I was looking for a lower ratio, and at the time Lew's only offered a 6.4:1. I was able to get a new Smoke in factory sealed box for only $164.99 on ebay with free shipping, so that made my decision even easier. Lew's will be releasing a new 5.4:1 Tourney Speed Spool model on June 20th. I ordered mine last week Good luck!

I purchased the Shimano Cumara early last year. I paired it with the Shimano Curado 200e7, and fish plastics with it. The sensitivity is incredible, HOWEVER, I have been extremely disappointed with its durability as compared to several of my far less expensive rods. I had the rod about 3 months before I had to have the tip replaced. As we speak it is at the rod shop having one of the guides replaced. I expect more out of a $240 rod. Maybe I just got a lemon, who knows.

First of all, excellent choice on your new "hobby". Let me warn you, what may start as a hobby, will soon snowball into an obsession! I started out much of the same way as you have, just about 20 years earlier. For years I stocked my boxes with baits for every species in the lake. But I found that to be successful in fishing, you should really focus most of your attention to one, maybe two species. I like to occasionally fish for Stripers and Hybrids, and in the Spring I like to Crappie fish from time to time, but the other 355 days of the year I bass fish. Any tackle I have for the other species stays at home on the shelf the majority of the time. Here's what I would recommend you look into to get things rolling: Learn to throw a baitcasting reel. Invest in a good starter casting reel/rod (Shimano Citica/St. Croix Mojo Bass combo is a good choice, only about $200 for the combo new) and spinning reel/rod (Abu Garcia and Pflueger make good combos for around $100-$150). One of each will suffice until you get going. Develop a passion for plastics! Worms, Creature Baits, Crawfish Baits, Lizards, Frogs...all catch fish, all the time. Learn to fish a Jig. Swim Jigs, Football Jigs, Finesse Jigs...You can just about always catch em on a jig when all else fails. Study bass behavior. Develop an understanding of their annual patterns and what they relate to in their underwater world. Learn how weather affects them, water temp, fronts, pressure, wind, rain, etc. Here's what I'd recommend for your tackle box: 3/8oz to 1/2oz Spinnerbait Square Bill Crank Lipless Crank Deep Diving Crank Jerkbait Topwater Baits (Spook or Sammy) #3 to #4 Worm Hooks #4 Swimbait Hooks Power Swivels 1/4oz up to 1oz Tungsten Egg/Worm Weights Zoom Flukes Reaction Innovations Skinny Dippers Zoom Trick Worms Zoom Brush Hogs & Baby Brush Hogs Rage Tail Craws Rage Tail Anacondas 6" & 8" Lizards Senkos 5" Grubs I catch 90% of my fish each year on these baits. I have probably 10 times this number of baits, but these produce the most fish. Hope that I could help! Good Luck!!!

My fishing partner recently upgraded his electronics to a Lowrance HDS7 with Structure Scan and Side Scan. We have fished probably a dozen times since he had it installed, but I don't think we are really using it to its full potential. I have an HDS5 (No Structure or Side Scan) on my boat, and have somewhat figured out how to adjust the basic sonar, but still have a very small understanding of how to determine what is what on the returns. We fish mostly clear reservoirs, with high surface clarity unless there has been a good rain. When we set the surface clarity to high, the sonar returns are really weak, almost non-existent. When returns are made, they are hard to decipher. VERY rarely do we see arches representing fish, when fish are present. Some times it displays flat lines which I assume are fish?? My question is this...what settings would you recommend for the Sonar, Structure Scan and Side Scan for Clear Water (Med-High Surface Clarity) with depths of 12' up to around 35'?? What should I set the frequency to? Clarity? Noise? Contrast? Could the HDS5 graph on the bow interfere with the Structure Scan/Side Scan on the Console unit? Can both independent units be used accurately at the same time? Thanks alot for your help.

TOPWATER! Always keep the topwater baits handy. Sun goes behind the clouds, grab it! My favorites- LC Sammy Zara Spook

So far this Spring, its really depended on the lake I was fishing. Most all the lakes I fish are big, deep and clear (depending on the rain of coarse). But so far, here's my top 5: #1 - BBB 6" Kreit Kreature (Green Pumkpin/Red) Carolina Rigged - Best bait for quality fish, one over 6lbs and several over 5lbs. These have replaced Brush Hogs in my boat. I fished Brush Hogs all last year and never caught as many BIG fish as I have with these. I have actually ran out of Kreatures, put on a Brush Hog the same color and never managed a single strike. #2 - Megabass Vision 110 Jerkbait - Best quantity bait, 76 fish this year, 16 on my 1st trip with it, 19 on my second. #3 - Zoom Magnum Trick Worm (Watermelon Candy) Wacky Rigged Weightless #4 - Zoom Shaky Head Worm or Zoom Trick Worm on 3/8oz Skip Gap Jig Head (Green Pumpkin) #5 - 1/2oz Razorblade Spinnerbait (Silver & Gold Leaf, Shad)

I throw a pink wacky worm (magnum trick) in clear to lightly stained water on cloudy days and do pretty well.

These are awesome. I've been throwing them lately and doing well.

I use big bite baits plastics relegiously. Every 5lb+ bass I've caught this Spring so far came on a Carolina Rigged 6" Kreit Kreature. I've also been throwing the flying squirrel lately with good results. They're Bush Pigs are identical to Zooms Brush Hogs, only cheaper and available in Bulk. I used them all Summer last year with excellent results. Just because something costs more doesn't mean its automatically superior...however, that's what the tackle companies are banking on.

If you throw a crankbait, cut off the front facing hook on the front treble. This really helps to keep you from snagging trees. Works great for me, and haven't had any problems with losing fish.

Spinnerbait

Thanks for the replies everyone... Hooligan - I have spotted schools of suspended fish in open water many times around the Goat Island area but always wrote them off as Whites and Hybrids, never assuming them to be largemouths. I guess mainly because I constantly see the whites and hybrids surface feeding in the area, and the few times I've tossed a crankbait in the schools all I seem to lock into is whites/hybrids. I think my approach to the lake has been wrong all along. I should probably fish it like a river, and concentrate on current more. I've been trying to fish it like the other lakes.

There is some pressure on the lake most year round. The thermocline is well defined on the lake throughout the summer, and I usually keep a close eye on it. The oxygen is high in the upper end of the lake for sure, with a steady stream of fresh water moving through the dam. I have spotted quite a few good fish in the cold waters there, but they are tight lipped. Is it possible that the bass have adapted to the colder water in the area because its more oxygenated and receives less traffic? I've never fished it much for largemouth because I thought it was too cold. Stripers are abundant in the area, as well as gizzard shad.

I fish the bigger lakes here in Arkansas regularly. Lake Ouachita, Degray Lake, Greers Ferry Lake and Lake Greeson. I absolutely love Lake Ouachita and would recommend you try and spend some time on the lake. It's gigantic at over 40,000 acres. I have been fishing it regularly for nearly 3 years, and there are probably 15,000 acres I have yet to see. The lake is loaded with cover, full of baitfish and is surrounded by the Ouachita National Forest so the entire shoreline is undeveloped. The lake is the best in Arkansas in my opinion. The lake is home to the FLW Forest Wood Cup again this year too.

I'm ready for football. The last game of the year this season will better than most bowl games! GO HOGS!

Do any of you have that one lake that always puts you in your place? That lake that humbles you every single time you fish it, and keeps you up at night trying to figure out what you're doing wrong? Maybe it's just me, but there's a lake here in Arkansas that has been kicking my rear end for years. I could definitely use some outside input to help me get over on this lake. Before I go any further, let me familiarize you with the lake. Lake Hamilton is a relatively small reservoir at only 7,200 acres, with varying depths up to 110' in a few areas. The lake is completely contained and controlled by dams on both ends, it is fed by the massive Lake Ouachita and emptys into a much smaller Lake Catherine below. All three lakes are the result of damming the Ouachita River. The river runs through the heart of the lakes. Lake Hamilton is located in the middle of the 3 lakes, which allows the Corps to completely control its water level. This past winter the Corps dropped the lake only 3' and held it there until March when it was returned to full pool. This is significant due to the extreme drought we encountered to start the year, all the other lakes were some 15'-20' low, whereas Lake Hamilton never suffers from these changes in water levels. So year after year, Lake Hamilton doesn't undergo dramatic seasonal water level changes like most other lakes. Another significant factor about the lake is that is heavily populated, with hundreds if not thousands of docks, with very little "natural" cover, very little grass and no submerged timber. There is some natural cover in the feeder creeks, but not much. The main river arm of the lake is loaded with cover, but the water in the area is swift and is cold year round, from around 48 degrees now to the mid 50's in July and August. The lake is clear for the most part. From Memorial Day to Labor Day the lake is extremely busy with pleasure boaters, and the weekend water will be murky during these times, but I typically fish the lake mid-week when traffic is minimal. I have fished this lake hard for over 5 years. We have a house here, and for several years I lived there, fishing everyday for some time. I know every inch of the lake like the back of my hand, have every brush pile and every contour and creek channel marked. I seriously have caught maybe a dozen bass that would keep over a span of several years, but seem to have no problem catching hundreds of dinks. I became tired of the frustration and for the past 2 years I have focused more on neighboring Lake Ouachita, and have great great success most every time out, with dozens of 4lb to 6lb bass this year alone. They say the bite on the two lakes mirrors one another, but I don't see it. I know for a fact there are gigantic bass in the lake. Last year a 14lb largemouth was caught on the lake, and just last month a 13lb fish was weighed in at a one day tournament that took 25lbs to win. I don't know what I'm doing wrong. I've talked to these tournament anglers, and they claim that they throw jigs in the dirt and find the big fish there, but I've tried it and nothing. I've fished the docks until my eyes cross with little luck. I seem to find alot of small fish around the docks and on main points, and some smaller fish in the creeks. My partner that I fish with regularly has the same problem on this lake, and nearly refuses to fish it anymore. Should I fish the lake like a river? Because of its constantly moving water? Should I focus on the bridge pilings and areas with current? Should I focus on docks near the deeper river channel? Where do you think I could locate the larger fish? Any help on techniques or baits would be great. This lake really throws me for a loop. Thanks alot.

No, can't do that, I love the rod! I found it at Trader Bill's Outdoors here in Hot Springs, AR. You might could call them and see if they have them.