Champ188

Sam, I popped off a bit with my last comment and I apologize. Having been an outdoors writer all of my life, I have several close friends who are professional derby fishermen and I know from trying it myself for a brief while (less than 2 years) back in the early 1980s, it's a brutal way to try and make a living. TV and magazine coverage glorifies it, focusing only on the catching and the winning. And yes, unfortunately there are a few jerks out there, and they are the ones whose impressions on the general public tend to stick. But there are a few jerks in the crowd everywhere ... at our work places, at the mall, even at church Sunday mornings. Yes, it's irritating to have someone sitting on your spots anytime you go fishing. I get aggravated, too. But the FLW guys will be here and gone in a short while. If you're on the lake during that time, I hope you don't run across any of the jerks. And you certainly have it right about the timing of the visit ... weather conditions could be terrible. Someone wasn't thinking or just hasn't experienced the lovely conditions that March can bring on TR.

I'm sure the derby guys appreciate the extra space on the water, too.

Brett, My hat is off to you family guys. Glad my kids are grown and that neither has chosen to procreate yet. Given the option of (A) going to Silver Dollar City or ( removing my own spleen with a butter knife to get out of it, the choice would be simple. Glad you got to catch some fish.

Techo, please do not be one bit concerned about offending Donna. She will find your post as big a hoot as I did. No thin-skinners around our house. Glad you and the Mrs. got some time on the water. Donna and I are relegated to Beaver this wkd for a college bass team fundraiser Sunday. Pray that we don't fall asleep from boredom, fall out of the boat and drown.

Agreed there, Techo. I'm lucky to have a great partner in Donna and greatly prefer her company over anyone else. Don't tell her I said so, though. She "back-ends" me enough as it is.

I can only speak for myself and not other pros, but I personally enjoy having a co-angler in the boat with me. Not only have I made some good friends over the past few years fishing Central Pro-Am tournaments, but I have learned some things from my back-deck partners. And I enjoy sharing what I've been fortunate to learn about our sport. As for how I treat my co-anglers, my history speaks for itself. CPAA doesn't keep records on such, but my co-anglers have one heck of a batting average when it comes to cashing checks. In fact, a couple of years back at Bull Shoals when CPAA pro-ams were still two-day events, the co-angler winner and runnerup each fished one day with me. And if I recall correctly, both outfished me. Last spring on Table Rock, I "jackpotted" the BFL tournament and drew out with Jeremy Rasnick, a member on this site. Fishing was somewhat tough but we had a great time getting to know each other and at day's end, we both cashed a check. Jeremy will attest that I shared lures with him and I did so in part because he showed respect for my boat, my water and was just a pure joy to fish with. Don't get me wrong ... he is a fierce competitor and a talented fisherman, but he realized that he was competing not with me but with his fellow co-anglers. On the other hand, I once had a co-angler who first thing in the morning, when it was foggy and I couldn't run to my fish just yet, suggested a fishing spot near takeoff. Upon arriving there, I noticed Dave Barker fishing on the other side of a treeline. Fortunately, before I made a cast, I put 2+2 together and realized this guy had fished with Dave the previous day. When I asked him if they'd fished that spot, my co-angler said yes, we caught them good here. Clearly, any pro-am circuit prohibits co-anglers from sharing spots with partners on subsequent days. That was only the beginning of the problems with this guy. He showed up hung over and shortly after taking me to Dave's spot had to visit the restroom, meaning I had to drive him back to Ahoy's, then sit on the ramp for half an hour while he took care of business. When we finally did get to my fish up the river, he complained constantly that he couldn't cast because I was handicapping him. Mind you, the lake was terribly flooded and I was having to work the boat way back into the woods to get bit. For a while, I even saved this guy spots to throw to and pointed them out to him, but eventually I got enough of his bellyaching and stopped trying to help him. Even then, I did not intentionally place the boat where he couldn't cast. I only know of one pro on the CPAA circuit who seems to consistently have problems with his co-anglers. To my knowledge, the rest of us enjoy having company in the boat and are more than willing to help them catch fish. I would gladly pay $100 plus fuel for the chance to spend a day with some of my pro competitors, PLUS have a chance to win a nice check at the end of the day. No, it's not for everyone. For some, hiring a guide is a better way to go if you are looking to learn. Table Rock is blessed with an abundance of top-notch guides including the moderator of this site, Bill Babler. Other great guides frequent our forum as well. Bottom line ... co-angler vs. pro issues often begin before the fishing trip. If a co-angler will take a positive attitude into the day and talk openly with his pro before the actual fishing begins, he has every reason to expect a positive experience.

My console GPS unit is a Garmin 178C, about 4-5 years old. Sonar side of it sucks but have always really liked the GPS ... well, except for the preprogrammed time change stuff. Just glad it didn't actually cost us anything (this time) except some embarassment.

Hey J.E., here was the deal on the GPS clock ... it "fell back" by one hour a week too early. So last Sunday, when it was actually 3 p.m. and we should have been at weigh-in, my GPS clock said 2 p.m. It was while Bush was in office that the dates for the beginning and end of daylight savings time were changed.

Not a lot to offer but here's my take on things after fishing five days last week ... practiced Wed-Friday and fished the CPA Shootout on the weekend. Lake was falling hard, which probably helped make things tough. Of course, I threw a spinner bait a lot. Did find some keepers on shelf rock in the Kimberling City area. Seemed inside the pockets were better for this pattern with the better fish holding 5-10 feet deep and out from the bushes and banks. Little channel ledges in the pockets were key and having the wind blowing in definitely helped. Was slow-rolling a War Eagle half-ounce Screaming Eagle model in the mouse color along these little ledges. The only other halfway reliable pattern I was able to develop was pitching a 3/8-ounce War Eagle jig (green pumpkin-brown with a green pumpkin Zoom Lil Critter Craw trailer) around docks from KC to the dam. The most productive stalls were 15-20 feet deep and the fish were mostly smallmouth, including some up to 4 pounds. Be advised, though, Donna and I had to run a LOT of docks to get bit. Those in major creeks — halfway back and farther — seemed best. We did catch a few dragging a War Eagle football jig (brown-purple with green pumpkin double-tail trailer) along the channel drops in the back halves of the same creeks and larger pockets. We had a variety of weather conditions ranging from bluebird to dark cloudy with rain but were never able to develop any kind of topwater pattern. Nothing in the cedars (topwater or rolling a spinner bait through them) which really surprised me. Hope this helps.

For those who haven't heard, our own Jeremy Rasnick won the co-angler division of last weekend's BFL Regional tournament on DeGray Lake near Hot Springs, Ark. Jeremy survived some tough fishing conditions on a stingy lake to land 14 pounds, 10 ounces over three days and won a Ranger boat plus a trip to next spring's BFL All-American tournament, also to be held on DeGray Lake. At the All-American, Jeremy will fish for a top prize of $50,000. I was paired with Jeremy last spring in a BFL tournament on Table Rock and can personally attest that he is not only a skilled angler, but also one heckuva nice guy. I truly enjoyed my day in the boat with him. Good luck to him in the All-American!

LOL, Whack 'em. I wish you were wrong but i fear you are dead-on correct.

The high water may have hurt the deep bite, as it generally does, but there are still ways to catch a good sack of fish. Did it last weekend myself and hope to do it again this weekend in the CPA Shootout. Granted, these tactics aren't feasible for guiding but the bite isn't dead.

Water temp was 60-63 Sunday around Kimberling City. We're planning to fish the CPA this weekend, too, Fisherman. Donna and I will be in a white/silver Champion w/red and black trim. Hope to meet you.

Looking at the COE web site, looks like they are already pulling it and according to their forecast, they plan to pull it down by several inches a day til they get it back down to normal pool. In my experience, this draw the fish out near the edges of the bushes, which makes them more accessible. Should be a decent flipping bite but with the water clear, you'll have to keep the boat out from the bushes and make fairly long pitches.

Smithwick actually added "log perch" to its color choices in the Rogue jerk bait back in the 80s. Not sure of the legality of it, but some friends used to catch them with throw nets from creeks around the Hot Springs area and use them as live bait for Lake Ouachita bass. They were deadly. They called em "zebra minners."

If this moisture pattern continues, just wait til winter. We're gonna hafta see if we can trade some kind of redneck/hillbilly equipment to the Yanks up north for some snowplows.

OK, I realize I'm answering my own question here but for those who are interested, there's a winter series team derby Saturday out of Ahoy's. Hours are 6:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Entry fee $100, optional big bass $20 and no membership fee. It's run by Teri Pierce. For those of us who lack the ambition to chase four-leggers around the woods, let's go fishin!

Anyone know the specifics on the winter series derby Saturday at Ahoy's? Thanks in advance for any info.

Edwin, I have to echo Wayne's suggestion on looking at the Johnny Morris Signature spinning reel. I bought one last spring and it's fabulous. It's the only non-Shimano reel I own but again, it's been a darn fine reel so far.

Hey Whack em, Donna and I are doing great. Getting geared up for the Central Pro-Am championship at Bull Shoals. We do have tentative plans to be at TR on Sunday for the Beezley benefit derby. Haven't been on the lake since first of August but hopefully we can keep from embarassing ourselves. LOL To answer the question about zebra mussels, they're hard-shelled little creatures and attach themselves to everything like barnacles. They'll cut your line in a heartbeat. I remember them well from my days of living down in central Arkansas and seeing them invade the Arkansas River.

Just a quick comment on fluorocarbon ... I've had breakoff issues with Seaguar and recently tried both Trilene and P-Line 100% carbon. Loved them both, especially the Trilene.

Gnat, not doubting you one bit but very strange. I've used nothing but Curados for the past 10 years or more and have never had that happen. I own a bunch of the old green 200s and two of the new silver ones. That really does suck. I hope Shimano makes it right.

Glad to hear of that shallow shelf-rock pattern, Bill. I know what that should mean on the other end of the lake. Look forward to checking it out soon, but Donna and I are off early in the morning for Stockton and the CPA team championship derby. We've had some decent practice runs up there and are really looking forward to it. Fish are where I like them to be and doing what I like them to do. Hope to have good things to report next Monday.

Don't let the siren song woo you Techo. Stay away! You'll be glad you did.

Hi praise, but no doubt well deserved. Bill obviously truly loves the sport and is more than willing to go the extra mile to share his knowledge with others. Side note about my first time to meet him: I was down in my back that afternoon, as I am from time to time, so my wife (DonnaG on this forum) was about to tote our day's catch up the hill at Ahoy's to weigh them in. Bill came along about that time, took the bag from her and carried it for her. A gentleman, indeed.