Champ188

Thanks, Tim. Gotta give my partner credit ... she contributed 3 of our 5 keepers including the biggest at close to 4 pounds. I really needed the help since I was bucking the big waves up on the trolling motor.

Denny is right — it's a zoo out there on the weekends. Just have to buck and roll if you're going to fish main-lake stuff.

We ended up third with 12.15. Winning sack was 14-something. Second was 12.48. We scratched out a limit of five but just couldn't get a kicker bite. And let me tell you, it was cactus-hot out there.

That's fun fishin. Chasing bass derbies around like Donna and I do, we don't often get a chance to enjoy action like that. Thanks for the report.

If Bill comes in drag, I'll pay you guys' entry fee

Hey Denny, tell Webb if you see him again today or tomorrow that I'm gonna check his boat for crawlers Saturday morning before that Guys & Gals derby. Or maybe he's just training those fish to hang out in certain areas.

Thanks much, Bill.

Hey deecee, this is the first one we've fished but they had 21 at the first Table Rock tournament in April.

Good stuff, Denny. Looks like you're gonna hafta break down and make that trek to Branson for some more twin tails. You might call first, though. About half the time I go to that store for something, they're fresh out and I end up making a run to Springfield the night before a derby. One time it was for line ... could not believe that a Bass Pro Shops store was out of 15-pound fluorocarbon (or 14-pound in the OWN XPS brand) but they did not have a single spool in the house of any brand. Keep after those swimmers. Glad you're having a great vacation and I'll take you up on that Stockton offer. I'll be fishing Central Pro-Am up there July 31, the day that I turn half-a-century old.

Those are OK fish, Bill, but you could do much better if you'd get up on the bank and fish shallow. I distinctly remember reading that somewhere. Seriously, very nice brown fish and great pics. Love the detail shots of the tackle. Denny and I had a great time Sunday. Ended up with about 14 pounds — mixed bag of LM and K's, mostly on jigs in the Kimberling to Baxter area. We'd have done a little better but Denny lost the big un I put him on. Just kidding, Denny. Not sure I've ever fished with a nicer guy. I wimped out about 2:30 p.m. since I'd been up at 3 a.m. and made the drive two straight mornings. Hope to fish with him again real soon. Fishing the Guys & Gals derby Saturday out of Schooner Creek with Mizz Donna.

That's a darn good day. What species of topwater plug is that?

Gracia, SKMO. I shall print that out and stash it in my boat for when owners/users of noncommercial docks start spouting off about no fishing being allowed around their docks.

I'll put my shallow-water skills against anyone's on this forum but from June through September, conditions have to be perfect in order for me to get five quality bites in a day's time beating the banks. Otherwise, the "deep-sea fishermen" will beat you every time. As for guiding, I spent several years doing it myself, mainly on Lake Ouachita in west-central Arkansas, which is big, deep and clear like TR. There are year-round shallow fish there, too, but they don't live 20 feet up in the trees along the banks, which is exactly where 75% of guide clients will throw their lures given the chance. Bill, your skills aren't the point here. Your clients pay you to put them on fish, not squirrels and birds. No one is going to get as many bites a day in hot summer beating the banks as they will fishing out. And bites are what clients are paying the guides for.

I'm with Tfsh4bass and Capt. Joe both. I don't believe the lake is at all in trouble but it could only benefit from closing down some of the spawning areas on an annual basis. Wonder if there's any way to get MDC to listen to such a suggestion and give it a try? P.S. Again, it's partly a money issue, but if you want to see poor game and fish management, come to Arkansas, where the striper is king.

Obviously a great trip for ya, Bill. Glad you got to spend a day fishing and not baby-sitting. Super report, too. As always, thanks for the info.

dtrs5kprs is exacly right. Would hate to see resort owners and guides be shut out for a month during a critical time of year for them. Honestly, I'd be willing to give up my tournament fishing for a short spell during bedding season but I don't think MDC could effectively do it by setting a blanket statewide period. Seems to me they'd need to zone the state and set different dates according to normal spawn times for particular regions. I know someone is probably going to bring up the old catch, measure, record and release suggestion for tournaments during the spawn, i.e. hold a "paper derby." That may be fine for bass clubs but in my opinion, that would never fly for bigger-money tournaments.

Don't know about uplake but was on the lower end (Oakland area down to dam) for Central Pro-Am and spent five full days on the water. The Walters, aka walleye, were thick around shallow-sloping points, mainly about 15 feet deep just outside the green brush line, and would absolutely eat up a 4-inch Kinami grub in the Natural Shad color. Plenty of bass out off those points too, but most (for me anyway) were small. Any kind of draggin' bait (fb jig, C-rig, etc.) would catch them.

Mine falls out of the boat periodically. I'll have to ask her to check out the forage supply next time she's underwater. Of course, since she's on this forum regularly, I probably just signed my own death warrant.

I'm not opposed to closing things down for a month during the spawn, but let's close it to all fishing period ... not just tournaments.

Yes, Donna and I plan to be somewhere up the White ourselves Saturday. There's a Guys and Gals derby June 19 that we plan on fishing so I figure we better go see what we can find. I'll definitely have my "deep dawgs" in the boat as well along with some fb jigs. Might even have a fairy wand or two onboard in case I can remember how to rig up one of those drop-shot contraptions. One might say that kind of fishing isn't exactly high on my list of preferred tactics.

I heard from a very reliable source that yes, the deep crankin' bite is underway up the White. That's about all I can say about it but again, that comes from a reliable source. Also, seeing that an established deep crankbait expert finished both in second and third place in the KVD tourney should tell you something. I'd say spending Saturday looking for that pattern would be time well spent.

A friend fished the Nichols Marine/Ranger team derby Sunday on Grand Lake. Took 25 pounds and change to win. My friend and his partner finished 49th with 17 1/2 pounds. A stringer weighing 15 pounds even would have landed you in 124th place. They had 280-something boats. Now that's some incredible fishing.

Hey rps, look on the bright side ... at least a snake didn't bite you while you were in the water working on your lift.

I grew up in the Hot Springs, Ark., area fishing around Brady and his dad, Freddie Meredith. They're top-shelf fishermen and great people. Congrats to Brady.

Our own Jeremy Rasnick finished in second place in the BFL All-American derby, which ended today on DeGray Lake near Arkadelphia, AR. On a can-be-tough lake at a challenging time of year, Jeremy sacked 12 keepers in three days for 18-7, which was three more keepers than any other co-angler. The only guy to beat him, winner Brett Rudy of Iowa, caught just six keepers over the three days but they totaled 21-4. Rudy's second day bag of three bass totaled 12-0. After winning the BFL Regional on DeGray last October, worth a new Ranger boat, Jeremy came home this time with $17,000 cash. A great haul by a really great guy.