The last couple years the carp has been coined “The Poor Man’s Bonefish” , well if that’s the case I want to be the first to coin the drum as “The Poor Man’s Roosterfish”!  They are  hard fighting, hit the same flies as bass and walleye and put up a heck of a fight on any type tackle, especially a fly rod.  When hooked they tend to stay deep and when they get sideways their tall, thick bodies can be hard to move. Although abundant in Bull Shoals they a not targeted as a species but are often caught when fishing for the more glamorous bass and walleye.  This one measured 23” and fought well even though the water only registered at 42 degrees.

Secondary points and shorelines produced a few scrappy Smallmouth’s and a Kentucky with hits coming at about 10 feet.  Clouser Deep Minnows in olive and cream on full sinking lines got the most attention.

Bull Shoals is not there yet but she’s getting real close to busting loose.  The main lake water temperature is at 42 and some of the north bays are seeing 50 in spots.  Shoal Creek (mid lake) has some white bass getting ready to make their move to the shallows to spawn with some smaller males moving in and out of the shallow water.  The larger females are still holding in deeper water but will be right behind as soon as the water gets just a few degrees warmer.  

A trip to the north end of Shoal Creek this afternoon turned up a few white bass but what was most surprising was to find a bloom on this Dogwood tree.  They say the bass will run when the Dogwoods bloom and if this is any indication, it won’t be long now. 

What many folks don’t know about Bull Shoals is that it has become home to several nesting pairs of loons in the last few years.  Long thought of as a Yankee bird, I guess the loons have found out for themselves what a great a place Arkansas really is!