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Bill Babler
Bill Babler

By Bill Babler •

Table Rock 6-11-18 White River Arm

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Outside of Saturday on Taney, I have been on the Rock the past week most everyday launching either out of Shell Knob or Baxter and fishing up to about Viney, which I see is now open for business.

Surface temps are ranging from 84 degree early to 88 in the middle of the day or at least by 11 as that has been my quitting time most days.  Traffic has not been a problem except for the Kids Camp at Twin Rivers.  They are out pulling tubers before 6 am.

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One quick rant and then I'm on with the report.  I'm going to blame them but if not I will say I'm sorry in advance.  Last Thursday morning I was the first boat at the Shell Knob ramp and there were 8 spotted bass floating up and banging on the ramp.  I should have carried them off but I didn't as my client got there while I was still in the mad mode.  I'm sure it was the Wednesday night derby.  After I got back from my trip around 10am there was someone taking photographs of them.  Don't know who or what as they jumped in their car as I was still in my boat approaching the ramp.  This made news or totally made someone else mad besides me.

If I had a dollar for all the fish that has been killed on Wednesday night over the past 30 yrs. out of Shell Knob, I could retire.  I have heard folks say they have gotten better, but last Thursday was an embarrassment if it was the tournament event on Wednesday night that killed those fish.

Fish from Baxter to Viney Creek are still biting and its not hard to catch 30 to 50 on a guide trip with or without live bait.  They are hitting a drop shot worm as well or even better at times than a crawler.

Top bite is hit and miss but I'm catching them really well on a flutter spoon in the same places that usually hold top water fish.  You can see most of these fish and they are at times pushing to the top and at times just holding at the thermocline between 20' and 30' suspended.  I've been catching them by the dozen out in front of the big docks with at least 75' of water at the ends.  Had 7 this morning off a deep dock and a NO Wake Bouy, including two 3 plus lb. LM.

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You can also catch them swimming a 3.3 Keitech right now the same place as the Flutter Spoon, and also off the long runouts up the White and Kings River.

 Also had a nice walter come in on the Keitech this morning, to client and friend Jack Swank.

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Further up the White you get the better the jig bite is.  It is also really good from Baxter to Big Creek.  Unlike Bo, I'm using a huge Nicholes Craw and catching big SM on it, along with some quality spots, Go Figure. Most of these fish are in the 18' to 25" dragging on the bottom, much like a C-Rig.  Using either a 5/16 or 3/4 Pig Sticker FB jib in GP or Brown to do the damage.  Best Craw color as been Texas Craw.  Best top water has been the WP 110 in Loon, and the best color for the Keitech as been Pro blue Shiner.  I'm also using either a 4" Yamamoto cut tail in Brown/Purple or a watermelon Chompers DSW.

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These fish seem to move everyday from location to location so If they are not where you left them yesterday, look on the next runnout.

If I could think of any more information than that you would know more than I do.  On the other hand knowing more than I do is still not all that much.

Good Luck out there.

 

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stoneattherock
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great report...on your rant it seems with any water temps over 80 the livewells are too hot for the kentucky/spot keepers to live more than hour or so..smallies and largies seem to make it...I think a lot of the smaller tourneys should look in to taking digital pictures or just pictures of length..if we mistrust our fellow fisherman enough that we feel they would cheat then heck i dont need to fish with them..save a lot more fish that way for sure...similar results for son and I this past weekend fished from shell knob bridge to cambell point great fish off deep points...problem was boat traffic by noon kicked us off the water...

 

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thanks for the info bill.  yes, you have every right to be mad at all the floating bass.  it really is a disgrace to not take care of the bass to begin with, but then to just waste the resource and not at least take them home to eat compounds the error.

with the warmer water temps and the bass beginning to get deeper, you have to go to some effort to really protect them and be able to release them alive.  it was the same thing back when i fished all the derbies, the same folks always had dead fish, and a few of us always had bass that were just as lively when they were  released as when they were caught.

it is looking like we may have a very hot summer this year.

bo

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Royal Blue
2 hours ago, LD Fisher said:

Great report and thanks for the information!!  Unfortunately, as the water temp goes so do the floaters so it seems. If the temp is this hot, wonder what July and August will bring. It's just too bad that people can afford the boats, motors and tackle, but not a $1.29 bag of ice!! 😡

This^^^ We fished the little derby out of Cape Fair last Wednesday and started the day with 4 bags of ice in the well, stopped along the way and bought 3 more.  All of our fish wire lively, but we checked them religiously all day.  I can promise you, that I'd at least eat the spots if I did that though.

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Bill Babler

Guys that's the deal.  After the weigh-in I will guarantee you that those fish were floating then.  Someone needs to scoop them up and take them home.  I know they are worthless to eat and if they don't want to eat a summer fish with flesh like mash potatoes  they at least need to put them in a garbage sack and take them to the dump.  For Pete's Sake stop that Derby if they can't take care of fish after the middle of May.  I'm sure BO will concur that this has been going on at Shell Knob as long as both of us can remember on Wednesday nites.

That aside, the fish are biting and if you can get out early and get off early you can really have a great trip on that middle section of the White.

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rps

Look guys, I am a foodie. You all know that, right?

If you aren't going to eat it, let it go before it has no chance to live.

I will admit when I was younger, I kept bass. I always ate them. To this day, I will defend the right of anyone to do this. However, no one has the right to kill any fish through stupidity or negligence, especially when the only reason to release is to avoid the dead fish penalty. 

Do we need to show up at these weigh-ins and make a scene? I am down for that.

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slothman
4 hours ago, stoneattherock said:

I think a lot of the smaller tourneys should look in to taking digital pictures or just pictures of length..if we mistrust our fellow fisherman enough that we feel they would cheat then heck i dont need to fish with them..save a lot more fish that way for sure...

I agree. We should take a number from the kayak tournament guys and use photos or digital scoring in some way. I think it is time for us as tournament bass fishermen to evolve beyond the “bassmaster classic moment” to a more conservation-minded group of anglers...especially in the smaller and club tournaments.

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