Thread: Arkansas Trip

Finally made it back from Arkansas and had a little free time to post. Had a fantastic week of fishing…..albeit not many hours of the day were spent outside. The 7 days I was there the ambient temp was 100 or more each day…..with heat indexes as high as 115. Caught a lot of trout using the Major Craft FineTail Banshee 6’7” rod. It was the right rod for the job. The rod gave great feedback from the hit and the fight. Most of the trout were 12-13 inches with a few 14-16 inches. Used the Varivas Twitch Master VLS Nylon 3# test and the Varivas Infinity PE X8 in 5.6# test. Those lines performed great. In the late evening I would fish off the deck overlooking the Little Red. Always caught fish off the deck but you had to work the lure back as slow as humanly possible. In the evenings I was using the TenRyu Rayz Spectra with the Infinity PE X8 5.4# test with either a spoon or a 3 gram Niakis spinner….when the trout hit it felt like a lightning bolt going into your arm with that line. But could only stay on that deck for about an hour due to the heat….even at 8 in the evening. My host took me out in the boat for 3 days. Due to no flow during the morning we could only fish about a 900 yard section of the river as there were shoals above and below the dock. There is no telling how many trout were in the 900 yards. That river teams with trout. I did not get any if the native brown trout and that was due to the short section of river I was able to fish….I really needed some deeper water. But I’m not complaining….with the gear I had 9 inch trout would have been fun. Will post pics of the lures I used to catch fish. Tried wade fishing one morning at about 8 but that lasted all of 20 minutes. Sweat was pouring down my face running into my glasses. So gave up on that idea. Met with my builder out there as they broke ground for my house. Found a Cajun restaurant in Bald Knob that is simply out of this world. I would have never thought a restaurant of this quality would be in Bald Knob, Arkansas. If you are ever out the way stop in at The Who Dat restaurant…..you won’t be disappointed. Checked out a couple of bluegill lakes close to my new home also….Lake Barnett and Bald Knob Lake. Also checked out the lower portion of the Little Red where the waters warm up and there is bluegill and crappie. Have to be out of here by 2 September. Not much time for fishing until then. House will not be ready before 1 November…..going to have to stay in several AirBnB’s for 2 months…..nobody wants to rent a home or apartment for anytime less than 6 months. But in the end I will have a home and shop built just like I asked for…be within 20 minutes of world class trout fishing…..20 minutes to good bluegill crappie fishing….and live in a town that has one tenth of the population I live in now. Wife and I think it is a win win situation. Of course while no one has said so…..family and friends think we have lost our mind to be moving at our age….LOL.

Regards


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Very nice report and pictures

Good for you.We need to be happy when we get older,sounds like you are there!

Wow! Beautiful fish and a terrific looking piece of water. I particularly liked the last photo! Mighty good looking plate right there!
Bob

Good report thanks for sharing.

Sounds like a nice trip .
I wouldn’t dream of packing up and moving at our age .
Hope all goes smoothly for y’all .

Originally Posted by gillchaser999

Sounds like a nice trip .
I wouldn’t dream of packing up and moving at our age .
Hope all goes smoothly for y’all .

It is a daunting task for sure. And now that it is happening I have to admit I ask myself what was I thinking...LOL. This is the first time I have ever had a house built from ground up. We are quite excited about that.....being able to pick every item that goes into the build. Building it exactly as we want...so if we don't like it after it is finished it is our fault....LOL. Really looking forward to moving in and exploring the state of Arkansas. Going to enjoy the small town life. Where I live now I can't venture out for dinner or shopping without getting angry at all the traffic and number of people. My wife...who is very laid back...admitted that it has gotten to her also. As to the fishing. I realize I am leaving some very fine waters.....especially for bluegill and shellcracker fishing. But there will be decent panfish opportunities out there for sure. I may lose a little on the bluegill side of the house but will gain a huge score for trout fishing. Over the years I have been on this forum I have watched with interest as people have aged and their fishing has slowed down. It happens to us all...some sooner than others. It is already happening to me. That does not mean I have lost my love for it but instead of doing it 3-4 times a week it will now be once or twice a week. I would have loved to bought a home right on the Little Red....keep my boat at my dock.....then I could have fished 5 days a week without much effort involved. But buying a home on the river was out of my price range...not to mention the expense of keeping my own dock in good shape. But all in all I am looking forward to one last big adventure...life is good!

Regards

Originally Posted by Alphahawk

It is a daunting task for sure. And now that it is happening I have to admit I ask myself what was I thinking...LOL. This is the first time I have ever had a house built from ground up. We are quite excited about that.....being able to pick every item that goes into the build. Building it exactly as we want...so if we don't like it after it is finished it is our fault....LOL. Really looking forward to moving in and exploring the state of Arkansas. Going to enjoy the small town life. Where I live now I can't venture out for dinner or shopping without getting angry at all the traffic and number of people. My wife...who is very laid back...admitted that it has gotten to her also. As to the fishing. I realize I am leaving some very fine waters.....especially for bluegill and shellcracker fishing. But there will be decent panfish opportunities out there for sure. I may lose a little on the bluegill side of the house but will gain a huge score for trout fishing. Over the years I have been on this forum I have watched with interest as people have aged and their fishing has slowed down. It happens to us all...some sooner than others. It is already happening to me. That does not mean I have lost my love for it but instead of doing it 3-4 times a week it will now be once or twice a week. I would have loved to bought a home right on the Little Red....keep my boat at my dock.....then I could have fished 5 days a week without much effort involved. But buying a home on the river was out of my price range...not to mention the expense of keeping my own dock in good shape. But all in all I am looking forward to one last big adventure...life is good!

Regards

Randy , I know how you feel about people , especially crowds. I do my best avoid them .
Fishing is one of the few things I find pleasure in , that I’m still able to do .
Unless one of us has a doctors appointment, I try to fish everyday.
I used to fish from daylight to dark . Never cared much for night fishing .
Now , if I can get in an hour or two , it scratches my itch .
I’m lucky enough to have several fishing spots within an hours drive of my house , the town pond is only a four minute drive as my iPhone reminds me .
Best of luck with your move and I’m sure you’ll find some panfish to go with the fine trout fishing where you’re moving .

Great fish and some nice grub

Wow, that looks idyllic!
That plate would make me hurt myself.


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