Stocking & Fishing

Hi Mike,

I want to take up this topic of stocking again. Does anyone know the schedule and what kind of fish when? I AFGC doesn't seem to have the info.

AFGC has that info and is usually available on the website. Also SID would know the schedule. I don't have it handy but can find it.

Hi Fishers out there,

I want to ask again. Does anyone have information on when our lakes are stocked, by whom, and with what? Does it vary by lake?

Hi Forum,

When is stocking actually done and what exactly is being stocked in the lakes right now? More bass please!!!

Also, is anyone fishing deep in the lakes? If so, what are they getting?

I hear the fish are really biting right now. Wish I had more time.

Like to fish? Just be sure no gas drilling or fracking happens near you!


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cKpv_LaSQVY&feature=related


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEB_Wwe-uBM&feature=related

great thread. i also need to go fishing!

Hi trout, Mike, iroc,

I'm no fishing snob -- corn is fine with me -- especially if you use light tackle. What's weird in my experience is how corn works well in one geographical area and not another. Like using wet flies too and will even use a very small bobber with it on occasion.

So the boy/girl trout thing -- beyond the laugh -- is a matter of coloration?

Couldn't have said it better. Man I think I need to go fishing as soon as the river will allow. Right now she's a real pain in the

I also use a #5 shot weight sometimes two depending on the current. Fish for trout on the Spring at Mammoth at the Warmfork/Spring, also at Lassiters area and sometimes at the area about four miles down stream at a AGFC site.(cann't think of the name of it) Since our property backs tothe South Fork we fun fish there alot. Catch and release, Redear and smallmouth. Practice flyfishing and just relaxing. I am not a boat fisherman, I like to wade fish. It just relaxes me more and I feel closer to the fish especially with our clear Ozark streams.

As to why they like corn. Maybe since they are corn fed at the hatcheries or it catches their eye. Trout are lazy sitting in areas that hide them and with least resitance to the flow of water. I have used wet/dry flies and popping bugs, salmon eggs but corn seems to do the trick. I use corn on the SF to catch redear and bass. My friend who fishes from his dock uses corn to catch catfish. I know some dieheart Trout fishermen would never use corn, it would be just against nature but it works and we bring home dinner when we go fishing.

Funny thread I agree.

Corn is what I know and have used, but admittedly I don't do much river fishing, but I really think I would enjoy it if I did it more often. I have fished the spring a few times and it is fun standing out in the river not worrying about a thing. As to why corn is used, I have no idea. I've just been told that it works and it does and so be it.

Trout, why does corn work so well?

Hi trout and iroc,

Do the trout prefer sweet corn? Just kidding.

Seriously, does anyone have a clue why corn works? Is it the color? Is it something the trout "mistake" for something else? Or has enough corn fallen in the water over the years that trout actually came to experience it as a food group?

And use no weight? Do you fish in the south fork or the spring mostly? It all depends for me if I use weight or not. And yes on 4lb test. And yes on very light tackle.

Paul you know you left yourself wide open on that question. I usuallly find out when I fillet them if they have eggs or not. Also if I remember correctly their coloring is not as bright as the male. I will research this for you and get back. Tell your son that if he wants to catch trout around here, just use can corn. I put three kernnels on a number 6 hook and go to it. I use ultra lite gear with 4 lb test line. Sometimes I flyfish depends on location. I wade fish which is a very relaxing way to spend some time with nature. Fishing should be fun and not a lot of work. ENJOY.

Now thats funny right there

Hi trout,

Maybe you can answer this question my son asked. How can you tell a girl trout from a boy trout?

As to boats and fishing, yes, you're always better off with a boat. The good news is on these lakes you don't need anything big and expensive. You can be on the water for very little money if you look hard enough. Just a small rowboat or jonboat with a small 9.9 motor will be very sufficient. Remember, you do not need to get insurance for any boat that has a motor on it that is under 50 hp. That is why you see so many 48hp motors buzzing around Arkansas waterways. The owner does not need insurance, only registration. Boat registrations for a small boat like that is less than a lunch at McDonalds. Loads of money and boating do not have to go hand in hand if you want to fish on these lakes. Start searching craigslist.

trout wrote:Mike, fishing over a baited field huh lol

yep funny but true.

that's pretty common among crappie fishermen everywhere from what I hear.

Hi trout & Mike,

It's good to hear that Tbird is solid. It's a matter of going when the boating is out of the way. I also sense that fishing off the shore isn't the best way to go there.

In England, where I did some fishing years back "ground bait " use is common. As for cedar logs, I hear there were some unhappy fisherman on Omaha when they dredged a few of them out!

Mike, fishing over a baited field huh lol

Thunderbird is not fished out. Neither is Sequoyah. The problem with Tbird is the tubing and waterskiing obviously is not conducive to good fishing lol, but... I've seen plenty of people out when the lake is empty and calm who you can tell are experienced local fishermen in their own fully loaded bass boats. I've seen very nice bass pulled out of Thunderbird. Sequoyah is the place to be and I saw my son a few weeks back catch two very large bass on a rubber worm casting from a dock right at a neighboring dock late in the afternoon. Sequoyah is also known for the crappie but you need to know where the structure is and nobody will tell you that. The fish are there. My advice on crappie on Sequoyah. Take a nice large dead cedar tree into a boat in the middle of the night. Go to a spot you will will remember and drop it to the bottom in 15 to 20 feet of water and wait a few weeks. Then just like that you have your very own private crappie hole that nobody else knows about. Trust me, that's how it's been done over the years. The most widely known spot is just a couple of boat lengths out from roped off area (east rope) at the public beach. There has been plenty of structure dumped there over the years and that is a known crappie hole.

Paul trout need cold water and the CV lakes can not provide that. Very few if any trout are caught below Many Islands on the Spring the water starts warming up to much for them. I have heard in the winter trout have been caught at Hardy but I fish up near Mammoth for trout.

Hi trout & Mike,

Yes, I've heard good things about Chanute. Trout, i think that you are right about T-Brid. I also wonder if the motoring has anything to do with it. Has anyone ever pulled a trout out of the lakes?

Chanute is my favorite.

Probably local and easy to get to. More houses on Tbird and other lakes.