Champ188

Good job and nice report. Thanks much.

Probably ought to avoid jerk baits altogether then, as very few of them regardless of brand come out of the box perfect. I own quite a few Megabass and Lucky Craft j-baits and have had to tweak nearly all of them. Furthermore, you often have to re-tweak them after catching several fish or fishing them hard all day. And you sure don't want to get ahold of a Wiggle Wart that doesn't run exactly true. Talk about a sensitive bait to get tuned right.

Crappie fished 7 hours up the Kings on Thursday with similar results. Tons of small ones but only one keeper. Also caught some nice gogs.

The Dave Man reporting live from Ma's Place. Don't get no better than that, folks.

Don't have any personal experence so it's only hearsay but I was told the other way around ... that you have to go get it.

Very nice report and some great fish. Thanks.

Subway has a dock on the south side of the Shell Knob bridge and I'm told they deliver to there. If you opt for Pizza Hut on the other side, you have to climb one heckuva hill.

They look interesting for sure. Thanks for sharing.

LOL, Flippin. You're right. As long as his TM batteries are charged, he'd good to go.

Dave would give you the Mercury 250 XB off the back of his boat if you needed to borrow it. A good man, he is.

Guys, after fishing the Big Bass Tour derby this year, I want to go down as saying they run the absolute best big-bass event I've ever seen. They put Bob Sealy's old McDonald's tournaments and any of his other productions to shame. Same for other operations that I've been around over the years. I didn't see a single thing that wasn't run with ease and efficiency. Best of all, their weigh-in setup is fish-friendly. Yes, the weigh-in site is awkward, especially for those fishing the river arms and wanting to play the hourly "poker" game of deciding when to weigh in a smaller fish and slip into the money. But Mark and the staff are bound by their sponsor agreement with BPS to hold it there and nowhere else. That's life in the fishing derby world, where sponsorships dictate just about everything. That said, abkeenan's comment above is pretty darn funny.

He nailed it right there, folks. Never are we more surrounded by God's gifts than when outdoors in His creation with good friends. Bottom line: It was a beautiful trophy bass caught --- and released with care --- by a fellow who has absolutely nothing to prove to any of us. Onward.

For the record, my spinnerbait bite was nowhere near Kimberling City. But it just might work in that area, too.

They're on laydowns and other offshore wood in other areas of the lake. Should be the same up the James.

You guys are too kind. None of us are taking a darn thing to the grave with us so might as well share some of it while we can. I get a lot out of watching others catch fish.

You bet, Jerry. I've already triangulated everything using the power lines in the background, his current boat position and a chinqapin tree on the far bank left of Lilley's head. That spot is history.

That's not a bad idea at all, marcus. Probably shouldn't use Keitechs, though. Would get pretty expensive!

That's one nice fish right there. And a pretty one, too. Great color, shape, etc.

Let me just add so that Vernon and I aren't preaching two different sermons ... about the only time I'll vary my steady retrieve is when burning a blade. Like Vernon says, it can pay to stop and restart very quickly at times when using that retrieve, especially over deeper water.

Table Rock is loaded with flatheads. I've seen more up the James River arm than anywhere but that could be just coincidence.

BassBlind, the thing I see people do most often that I believe hurts them with a spinnerbait is fishing it too fast. They get this "gotta burn it" mentality from somewhere and it's just not always the thing to do. In fact, the only season where that is consistently productive (for me, anyway) is fall. I will share these suggestions out here in the public forum: 1. Fish the bait at a moderate speed in water above 60 degrees; fish it moderately slow (but keep it up off the bottom) in water below 60. I rarely stop or pause my spinnerbait. Been fishing them successfully for a very long time with a steady retrieve. 2. Make pinpoint casts and if you are fishing alone, position the boat however you need it to bring the bait as near to your target cover as possible. 3. Throw the bait up on a rock or the bank and drag it back into the water when possible, especially when your bites are coming dirt shallow. 4. Be aware for a slight "tick" (like a crappie bite) and set the hook hard when you feel it. This occurs when a bass grabs the bait from behind, often creating slack in the line. Also, pay attention for when you feel the blade quite vibrating and set the hook hard then, too. 5. On Table Rock, look for big rocks sitting just off the bank, little points/pockets along an otherwise straight bank or "shelf rock" that steps off into deeper water. Some wind on these areas can make them dynamite spinnerbait areas.

I didn't mean to come across as poor-mouthing. I had TM issues (losing power above 70% on my 101 Fortrex) on a day when the wind blew steady at 20-30 and gusted to 40 mph. The water temp was not where you'd expect it for early April and the fish were more scattered than you'd expect. It was a blue collar, working man's day for sure. By all means, it was a great day because I was on the water fishing with my best friend/wife. Always is. Always will be. I never want to sound ungrateful for having been able to go fishing.

No problem with specifics on the bait ... War Eagle 3/8-ounce gold frame with double willows (kicker blade nickel, main blade gold) and a hot blue herring skirt. I don't know about the chatterbait deal ... I'm bullheaded as the day is long on that blade. Once I pick it up, I don't experiment much with other stuff. It's a commitment bait if there ever was one.

Should be a big wave of spawners come up in about a week. Full moon is the 22nd and looks like the nighttime temps are finally gonna start warming up, if you can believe the extended forecast.

Great job, CHAMP. Glad you had yourself a good trip. See you soon.