Work took me to north central Arkansas earlier this month for a few days. As I was traveling solo, I packed some fishing gear alongside a bunch of IT equipment for the trip. Previous work drives had allowed me to spend a few hours casting in Kansas, Texas, New York, and southern Illinois with the aim of landing a bass. Each of those prior trips were successful but Arkansas still owes me a bass.

Investment – Before setting out, I went online to obtain the $30 three-day non-resident permit to make sure that I was legal. I also picked up a few new lures during a stop at an Arkansas shop, a Storm Chug Bug, a Strike King KVD Sexy Dawg, and a couple packs of Yum Dingers (the latter as souvenirs for the family to use later).

Greer’s Ferry Lake

My first choice of spots did not work out as noted below

Greer’s Ferry – My work destination was Heber Springs which lies right on Greer’s Ferry Lake. Listed at just over 40,000 acres, I did some advance research to find a couple access areas that I thought would be worth a visit. Unfortunately, I got lost looking for a spot called Cove Creek Boat Ramp (may have been closed). In addition, there was a $5 access fee that I was unwilling to pay with only thirty minutes of daylight at the end of a long day (left Illinois at 3:15am, worked from 1:30pm-6:30pm). The next evening, I got a little earlier start after working from 6:30am-5:30pm but once again was not into paying an access fee for an hour of fishing. Instead, I parked in a boat launch parking area and fooled around for a bit without a bite. Conditions were tough with clear water, low lake levels, steep drops, and barren rock bottom.

Frierson Lake (335 acres) – On my last day, I worked from 7:00am-10:30am before heading out for a nine-hour drive home. I went a bit out of my way to hit Frierson Lake north of Jonesboro. It was more to my liking in terms of size and water clarity. The tough part was a batch flooded emergent vegetation that ringed most of the bank access. In addition, sunny skies at just after noon did not put the odds in my favor. In about forty-five minutes of casting, I failed to manage a bite. While disappointed, I felt that this smaller lake was more in tune with a solid shot at fooling a bass. A stop at the Visitor Center on my way out reinforced that some quality bass call the water home, including a ten-pound lake record.

Maybe Next Time – Near Corning, Arkansas were two more spots that I had on my radar, but I ran out of time. Victory Lake and Mom’s Lake will have to wait for another day should I find myself headed back to work in “The Natural State.”

Possum Grape – I spotted the road sign above and was left wondering if “Possum” and “Grape” were two separate places or if “Possum Grape” was one place. A little internet research revealed the latter and per a map, Possum Grape lies somewhere in the vicinity of Goat Neck Lodge and Nuckles Switch Cemetery.

And there you have it, a fishing report minus a fish. Not sure if/when I will be back in Arkansas, but I will have a better plan should it happen. Talk to you later. Troy

Pre-casting predictions

To end June, I took a half day off work to visit an old fishing hole with a longtime fishing partner. The significance of the trip taking place on June 30, is that it would mark twenty years to the day since the last time I made a cast on these waters. The name of the West Central Illinois public water will remain a mystery for now. If the backdrop in the pictures and clips look familiar, perhaps you already know. Read on for the results and notes.

June 30, 2003 – twenty years since my last visit to this fishing hole

Stats
Date: June 30, 2023
Location: West Central Illinois public water
Time: 2:50pm-8:50pm
Weather: Sunny/calm to breezy
Air Temp: 85-65F
Water Temp: not available
Totals: 19 bass (Brent – 11, Troy – 8)
Lures (Troy): 5” Yamasenko wacky rig weighted (natural shad) – 5 bass, 7.5” Yum Ribbontail Worm (plum) – 3 bass
Lures (Brent): Senko or Yum Dinger wacky rig – 6 bass, Mann’s Chug-N-Spit Popper – 5 bass 
Top Bass: 3-2 Plastic Worm (Troy)
Top 5 Weight: 12-2 (3-2,2-10,2-10,2-4,1-8)

7:03pm – Top Bass at 3-2 (18.5″) on plastic worm

Notes and Nonsense

Background – I fished in these waters as far back as the late 1980s and as noted in the intro, my last visit was June 30, 2003. Fast forward to a discussion with my friend and fellow Top 5 angler, John Kirkemo a couple of years ago where the location came up as a suggested destination. Lucky for me, John took a scouting trip or two and provided impressive feedback including a 15-11 Top 5 (4-2,3-5,2-14,2-11,2-11) from June 13, 2022. My personal Top 5 covering data from May 4, 1989, through June 30, 2003, tipped the scales at 10-1 with a Top Bass of 3-8.

Winning Lures

Texas Rig – Two and a half hours into our outing, Brent and I had nine bass in the log, all on a Senko wacky rig. However, only two were “keepers” for a combined weight of 3-7 (2-10,0-13). At that point, I elected to add a Texas-rigged worm to my presentations, a setup that was a mainstay in my arsenal in the 1980s and 1990s. For various reasons, I moved away from such a presentation, primarily using creature type baits for Texas-rigged setups, and relying heavily on a Senko wacky rig as my plastic worm approach. Upon making the change, I was able to end a drought of over an hour without a bite in landing a 2-4 on my Yum Ribbontail worm. The Top Bass of the trip would later fall to the same lure, weighing 3-2 and landed at just after 7:00pm.

7:55pm – Vintage Chug-N-Spit still gets the job done at 2-10 (18″)

Chug-N-Spit – While my worm presentation represented an old school technique that I have neglected for many years, Brent did me one better with one of his choices. A Texas-rigged worm is no rarity among anglers, but I suspect that Brent’s old Mann’s Chug-N-Spit topwater popper is not a mainstay in very many tackleboxes. Not because it doesn’t work, but more because it may qualify as an antique and is no longer on the market. A quick internet search did not produce any details on the sales life of the Chug-N-Spit but when referred to as “vintage” among the search results, it is an oldie.

Fellow Fisher – The belted kingfisher is a cool bird in appearance, call, and habit. If you hang around the water long enough, you will encounter these birds that make a living out of fishing. Sometimes they give themselves away with their rattling call while other times you may spot them first on a shoreline dead limb surveying the fishing hole. Even better is when you observe one swooping down and grabbing a meal with a splash. Well, we heard and saw all the above in addition to a new kingfisher trick, swooping down on a lure. As shown in the video clip below, luck was on our side as the kingfisher opted not to nab Brent’s lure, allowing our intended quarry to get the Chug-N-Spit instead.

Guessing Game – For several years, when I get together with Brent or a few other anglers for a full day of fishing, I solicit predictions prior to making our first casts. Most spots where we are fishing, there is some history behind our guesses. But on this spot we had only John Kirkemo’s input as we had not been on the water for twenty years. John’s Top 5 day of 15-11 was a tall order and our predictions reflected such with Brent guessing 8-7 while I was a little more optimistic with my 12-13 guesstimation. We also post our guesses for overall Top Bass and a combined catch total. When all was said and done, Brent came closest on Top Bass and Total Bass while I took the Top 5 prediction.

Final Results

It’s tough to beat a day on the water with my brother and even better when there is a little something extra with the Twenty Year Anniversary aspect. Once again, a big thank you to John Kirkemo for the incentive to get on the water. Add a pat on the back to me for coming up with the idea to revisit on the twentieth anniversary of my last casts on the water. Throw in a thumbs up to Brent, me, and our employers for time away from work. Finally, a nod to the bass for cooperating and the IDNR for their efforts in restoring a lake that has experienced population challenges over the years. Glad we were able to take our shot and suspect that I won’t wait another twenty years before I try it again. Talk to you later. Troy

While at a family lunch get together, my brother, Brent, and I cooked up a plan for an evening fishing trip. I’d already spent four and a half hours on the water to begin the day but there’s no such thing as too much fishing. So, off we headed to Little John Conservation Club with just over two hours on the clock to fish.

8:18pm – Top Bass at 2-0 (16″) on a Senko

Stats
Date: June 24, 2023
Location: Little John Conservation Club (2 lakes)
Time: 6:40pm-8:50pm (2.00 hours fishing)
Weather: Partly cloudy/breezy
Air Temp: 91-85F
Water Temp: not available
Totals: 8 bass (Troy -5, Brent – 3)
Lures (Troy): 5” Yamasenko wacky rig (natural shad) – 3 bass, Booyah Buzz Buzzbait (white) – 2 bass
Lures (Brent): 5” Yamamoto Senko wacky rig – 2 bass, Mann’s Ghost topwater (chartreuse) – 1 bass
Top Bass: 2-0 (Brent)
Top 5 Weight: 7-5 (2-0,1-11,1-8,1-1,1-1)

Winning Lures

Notes and Nonsense

Guiding The Ghost – The clip below features Brent fooling his Top Bass of the outing at 1-11 on a hollow bodied topwater lure known as The Ghost from Mann’s Bait Company. The lure itself deserves a story but for now that aspect will reside in the “one of these days” files. Obviously, Brent knows what he is doing but, in this case, as I was on rowing duty, I positioned the boat and said, “Maybe hit that other pocket…” A missed strike and a follow-up cast later he had a bass. So, it appears that while I cannot physically land a bass on a frog type lure myself, I can guide others to a catch. Perhaps I need to comb through my 1980s tackle archives to see if I can find an old Mann’s Ghost before I continue searching for a slop bass bite.

Low Water I – The dry year has had a noticeable effect on the smaller bodies of water that I fish. Former shallows are now nearly devoid of water and areas that once held a few feet of water have become solid weed mats, humps are exposed, and underwater points are shoreline. While such conditions dictate shifting gears from tried-and-true areas and presentations, they also afford a chance to learn.

Low Water II – As noted above, the low water conditions offer an excellent chance to expand your knowledge of any body of water. If you have access to any ponds or strip pits, this is prime time to get out there and roam as it can provide unprecedented shoreline access. In many instances, ledges and flats are now exposed allowing you to walk around to areas that were once tough to get to or entirely inaccessible. Shoreline cover is laid bare and offshore targets may be revealed. Pull on your boots, jot down notes, shoot pics and videos, try some new presentations, and learn. You cannot predict the weather and never know when you may get such an opportunity again.

No big bites but always fun to take a shot at Little John, especially as I had neglected the area completely in 2022 for whatever reasons. In addition, Brent is not a member, so it is good to have him along to try his luck. Not only do I enjoy the company but also having a skilled partner in the boat means an additional lure/presentation in the water. With only a couple of hours of daylight, we did a run and gun with a quick lap around two lakes and managed to find a few. Less than a week later, we were back in the little boat together again. But that’s another fish story. Stay tuned and talk to you later. Troy