know any good lakes in southern Missouri or N Arkansas?

[beeflover]

Bought a new boat and can't wait for ice out. Anybody know any good spots besides the obvious Table Rock or Lake of the Ozarks?

Probably last week of March or early april.

[Yaeger Guide]

Beefie,

I fished LOZ a few years back in March with limited success. Depending on weather, LOZ can be feast or famine in March.... Know that Table Rock is crystal clear. Fish it like some of the MN lakes with similar water clarity. Good luck. I do not have any knowledge of any lakes other than those two and Lake Dardanelle in Russellville, AR. That lake is as muddy as hot chocolate. Have fun, that is the reason for the early season getaways anyway. I am heading to Texas in March for the same reason.

[mamohr686]

I'll be in texas also from march 19-26th. I'll be staying in quitman and looking for a lunker. Bull Schoals is a ok lake but when it's that early in the season florida or texas is the way to go. It's only 17.5 hours away to lake fork!

[Sproguy]

Beef,

If you don't want to travel to far south try either Stockton or Pomme in Central MO. Both of those lakes can be very good and you can find colored water in both. Both will be crystal clear by the dam but on the lower end of the lakes they get very stained and can hold some really nice fish. Otherwise never forget about the great lakes in OK. I haven't fished them myself but they are not a terrible drive and a lot of them have great fishing. Otherwise there is also Kentucky/Barkley. All of them would be good choices.

[Daze Off]

Some possibilities in MO: Truman

Some Possibilities in OK: Grand Lake of the Cherokees, Tenkiller, Keystone, Ft. Gibson

Have fished all of them and all have quality fish - weather is a big factor on each.

Good Luck!

Daze Off

[beeflover]

Oklahoma? who ever thought of going fishing in Oklahoma?

I was lookin for something off the beatin path, but Oklahoma. I wouldn't want to find anything good about OKlahoma because I'm a transplanted Nebraskan.

I'm going to consider these Missouri lakes, a couple I haven't heard of before.

[Doufish2]

We fish Stockton early April every year, fish the greenville side of the lake. Go under the bridge at the access, follow the lake as it comes to a T go lwft. There are boulders, stumps in the coves back there and they are awsome. Jig n Pig or Texas rig a blue Culprit lizard. Skip em way back under everything, in every crack you can see. It's a blast.

[Doufish2]

We fish Stockton early April every year, fish the greenville side of the lake. Go under the bridge at the access, follow the lake as it comes to a T, go left. There are boulders, stumps in the coves back there and they are awsome. Jig-n-Pig or Texas rig a blue Culprit lizard. Skip em way back under everything, in every crack you can see. It's a blast. It goes way back in, just follow the bank to the left, about a mile of darn good fishn!!

[beeflover]

Stockton? I'll check it out. That's exactly what I was lookin for is someone with some local knowledge.

Pomme de Terre also looks great, this lake was recommended earlier and it would save a couple hours drivin

Thanks

[DougSpringBay]

Hey Beef,

You are taliking about my old stomping grounds now. Before moveing up here to Lake Vermilion, I fished tourneys on all of those lakes. If you are going at he end of March early April, then Lake of the Ozarks or Grand Lake in OK would be my choices hands down.

If you go to LOZ, stay up in the Warsaw area, and fish out of Drake Harbor. The number of areas to fish is unbelievable. This is a river system area and fishing in the creeks off of the river would be awesome. The crankbait bite on chunck rock can be awesome. Try the Cole Camp, Turkey, Nigre, Brushy, Duroc Bay, on and on. Also go into these areas and toss a spinnerbait up on to the bank--Yes, on to the bank and slow roll it into the water. The blades might not turn twice before you get slammed.

I could go on and and about this area. I would be happy to answer any questions further for you if you would like-- e-mail me.

As for Grand--- I love this lake--. Depending on the conditions and water temps, if the water is up them flipping the flooded willows is WOW. If fish the Honey Creek, Horse Creek, Sailboat Bridge, Terra Miranda areas this time of year. The suspending jerbaits can also be a phenomenal choice depending on what stage the fish are in.

Wish I was going with you.

Doug

[HuskerTornado]

I live in NW Arkansas, so let me give you a little insight.

Bull Shoals is awesome. It is hard to fish unless you are used to the big reservoirs. Walleye and Bass are plentiful in Spring through Fall. If the lake isn't on, head to the White River and catch all the trout you can until your arms get tired. I got an infisherman master angler last year in the White.

Beaver Lake is also a great lake if you like Bass and Stripers. Again, like Bull Shoals, it's hard to fish unless you are used to the type of lake. Walleye's have been stocked for the past few years and it will be a hot spot within the next 1-2 years. A 7 1/2 lb Walleye was caught in the tailwaters just last week. Just be sure to get out there early. The party crowd comes out in the afternoon and getting your boat out of the water can take an hour if there's a load of people. My top catch is a 5 1/2 lb. largemouth caught a few years ago.

Lake Norfolk is also supposed to be a great lake for Walleye as well. I haven't fished it yet, but I've heard great things.

Grand Lake in OK is also supposed to be great. I haven't made it over there yet, but will at some point this year. This guy's dad that I know lives on the lake and says the bass fishing is awesome.

Table Rock Lake in MO is a very good bass lake with some horses taken out annually. It has a lot of skiers on the lake all year round though, which I find can be distracting. I keep meaning to check it out, but always use that week to drive up to Minnesota!

Lake of the Ozarks is a pretty tough lake and is mostly a party lake from what I hear. My uncle has headed out there twice (from Nebraska) and has caught a few, but the waves can get pretty crazy.

Greer's Ferry Lake in AR is a world class walleye lake. World records have come out of there. I've been there once, many years ago. Don't go in July, just a tip. It was 100 in the shade and nothing was biting. Spring and Fall are prime times for GF.

Lake Dardanelle in AR is a fairly productive Bass lake that I used to frequent. There are plenty of small fish around, but I failed to catch a big bass (over 4) which is rare for me

If you need any assistance in getting a guide or if you want to know some spots (I'll point you in the general direction!) for these lakes, don't hesitate to ask me here. I have connections with the best guides on Bull Shoals, and can help you locate some good ones on the other lakes.