What about that 70° weather we had Monday? Don’t know about the rest of you but I got out and enjoyed it along with the company of John Stocker and his father, Kent, from West Fork, Ark. We put the boat in at Prairie Creek on Beaver Lake. With the water temp running under 46° on the main lake and no big balls of bait seen, we went to search for warmer water in the back of the creek arms.
We dropped bait down in the back of Prairie Creek but had no luck. So we decided to search the Avoca and Goose Creek arms knowing they both had more of that south wind blowing warmer water into them. It was a good call because the further we went towards the back the warmer it got. We found water as warm as 51° the further back we went.
We found the bigger schools of bait in water from 20 – 40 ft. deep hanging out from 10 – 15 ft. deep. So we stayed on the bait and as the sun got higher the stripers came in to join us.
We had a big 9-in. shad get hit first but missed him. Then our planer board with a smaller bait with no weight went down between us and the shoreline, then as John set the hook here comes a wake board boat out for a ride almost running over our long balloon then decided to go by us and the shoreline without even slowing down seeing we have a fish on. No respect for nothing except his joy ride.
As the stripers ran we had another rod get hit, then as we netted John’s fish here he comes again with the bow a little higher to give us a good three-foot wave as he headed back out. We were already running late on getting back in but we stayed another hour but the fish did not.
I’m sorry, I do not like to complain but it does seem like a lot who pay over $80,000 for a boat designed for nothing but putting out a big wake seem to think that’s all that matters with most showing no respect for others fishing or the ones just out for a peaceful day in their kayak.
There’s room for all, but please think of others who are out their enjoying the peace the water brings them also.
Now back to the fishing. There were not a lot of boats out Monday but all we saw fishing for crappie and bass were in the creek arms hitting that shoreline where the water was warmer.
Our days are getting warmer so Spring will be here before long. The walleye are already starting to stack up between Holiday Island and Beaver Town, getting fat with eggs for their upriver spawn coming very soon.
We are running one last special for those in the books before March 1st for their Spring or Summer Trips. Please be safe out there and think of others instead of just yourself so we can all enjoy what the Ozarks give us.