Champ188

Thanks, guys. Thought I might save a little boat gas/oil by putting in up there Friday before the CPA team tournament Sat.

Anyone know if it's possible to launch at Cape Fair or the 76 bridge? Haven't been up there since the floods and didn't see anything about those areas on the ramps report at the top of the forum. Thanks in advance.

Guys, The season's final Central Pro-Am team tournament will be Saturday (June 21) out of Mill Creek ramp. Entry fee is $100 a boat and you can pay at the ramp. Unsure about takeoff time but probably 6 a.m. Come join us. More information available from CPA office in Kimberling City at (417) 739-3478.

Those are some beautiful pix Bill. Been quite a spring on the Rock, especially considering the added difficulty of finding catchable fish given the high water. Of course, always appreciate your reports and those by Capt. D, Eric and everyone else here. Also, glad to hear of the hospitality at Big M. Have considered going in there to see if they had a grill several times but never have. Will make a point to do so now. Love fishing that area of the lake.

Bill speaks the truth. Some Redfins just won't work properly no matter how much you tinker with them. I've found that the Jackall Mikey and Mikey Jr. wake baits are far more dependable, but they should be since they cost somewhere around $20 each. Good thing is you aren't apt to lose a wake bait on Table Rock. On my home lake of Beaver, you're risking feeding one to a striper every time you toss it out there.

Phil and others, Regarding my request this morning of prayer for the co-worker, I just wanted you guys to know that Damien called me late tonight to say that he and his fiancee have resolved their problems and renewed their plans for a November 1 wedding. I told him of posting this request and he wanted me to thank you guys for your prayers. I thank you as well and ask that when you can, please remember this young man with the learning disability in prayer and also, if you would, please pray that I will remain a tool of the Lord to help Damien along in his new walk with God and his struggle with alcohol. God worked a true miracle in delivering me from alcoholism and it is one of my greatest desires to share my story with others in hopes that they will choose an easier and shorter path than I took to get where I am today. God bless each of you for caring enough to take time to pray for Damien and me. It's been said before, but is it any wonder that Jesus loved fishermen so much?

Guys, A friend at work approached me yesterday in tears over problems he and his fiancee are having that have led to the postponement of their wedding. This young man recently accepted Christ as his savior and is attending church regularly, but I learned in the course of our conversation that he has continued to drink. I personally sacrificed 25 years of my life to the bottle until God literally delivered me from it a year-and-a-half ago. I know firsthand the absolutely needless pain and suffering that alcohol can cause and my request is that you pray with me that God can continue to use me as a messenger to this young man, Damien. I know that his heart is soft and open right now and that despite his learning disorder that God can work the same miracle in his life as He did in mine. Thanks in advance for your prayers. James

Capt. Don, I did that once in a tournament ... got a Rogue hook buried in my hand first thing that morning and left it in all day. Boy did it swell and hurt. Hope the doc gave you some pain pills, too, for the first day or two afterward.

Bill, Thanks much for this information. Can't get that anywhere else. Curious what the water color is like in the Kings, say from from Sweetwater to 86 bridge? Thanks again.

Seems to me the 15-inch minimum length limit is working as advertised. Where else in the country can a guy catch spots the size of those at Table Rock, plus great smallmouths and largemouths, too? I fished last Sunday on a not-too-great weather day and had a 5-pound largemouth, 4-pound spot and 3 1/2-pound smallmouth. Just my opinion, but I don't know why you'd want the MDC to jack around with the regulations for Table Rock. It's been a winning formula for a long, long time. I, too, disdain the idea of jerking bass off beds — males or females — during tournaments. I'll be fishing Central Pro-Am next weekend and do not intend to bed fish or even look for beds. A guy can waste way too much practice and competition time doing so. I'd be fine with the idea of not holding tournaments during the spawn, but I believe some folks would still be out there yanking fish off the beds. As for paper tournaments, those may be fine at the club level. But I'm not spending $1,200 and up on entry fee, fuel and oil, lodging, eats, etc. to fish a tournament where weights are guesstimated with a formula.

To Bill, Don and other guides/local experts who post here ... this tournament fisherman thanks you all for sharing what you do. I have guided myself in the past and I feel your pain. It doesn't come natural to most of us to get nasty with people, but there does come a time when enough is enough. Again, thanks for what you guys do share here. Anyone who knows much of anything at all about fishing should be able to take that general info and make it work for them. But therein lies the problem, they don't want to WORK at it. Personally, I get as much joy out of the "work" part of fishing as I do the catching part — examining the conditions, making an educated guess as to what the fish are doing, going back to the blackboard when it doesn't work, and hopefully finally putting it all together. Guess that's the difference in true fishermen and those who just want something to pull on their line.

I will be fishing Central Pro-Am up there April 5-6. From tournament reports on 724outdoors.com from last weekend, fishing is pretty good despite the high water. Haven't been up there myself but plan to leave early Wednesday morning, April 2, and put in three good days of practice. Will be happy to report back, although I know it will be a couple of weeks from now. BFL tournament is Saturday up there so that may provide some information.

Great. All we need is more and bigger stripers. Guess we can still hope that after they finish off what shad are left, they'll start eating their own.

Figured I'd throw one in the mix as well ... my wife and I are very fond of Schooner Creek Resort, which is in the midlake area at Kimberling City, very near the Highway 13 bridge. Plenty of boat slips, clean rooms, reasonable rates, etc.

Ham, As a spinnerbait fanatic myself, I can attest that these guys have all given you great advice. The War Eagle purple shad color is as good as it gets in the clear waters of Table Rock. The only thing I would add is that when the water is warm and you need a fast retrieve, be sure and try the Screamin' Eagle model. It's a half-ounce bait built on a quarter-ounce frame with added weight on the hook shaft. As dtr said, the hook may be a little small but you can fix that problem by adding a trailer hook. Good fishin.

My comment would be, "Don't mess with success." Certain lures work best on certain lakes, and the Wiggle Wart is a proven winner over decades of use on all the White River Lakes — Beaver, Table Rock, Bull Shoals and Norfork.