Champ188

Feedback coming this week from here.

Ya'll don't get out there and start ramming each other like Walter Matthau and Jack Lemmon did in Grumpier Old Men when they were trying to catch that big fish they called Catfish Hunter. Now that was one funny movie scene!

Don't be afraid to go well back into the Cows (Little or Big Cow). Find where steep banks with big chunk rock transition to gravel and concentrate on those areas with a 5/16-ounce finesse jig or a grub. You can also get whacked on a jerk bait, especially if there's timber around. Get out there and have fun. Wish I could go.

Oh Bill, you're no fun. Come on in to the skinny water, we'll make room for you. When we're done fishin, we'll pull out boats up on the bank, build a campfire, join hands and sing Kum Ba Yah.

I'd say that's a pretty darn good testimony for your Skunkworks jigs!!!!

Good day. Good report. Good news for all. As the old golf announcer Peter Alyss liked to say on Sunday afternoons of a hotly contested major ... things are starting to bubble.

I'm convinced that some people literally shorten their lives trying to find ways around paying fees. Personally, I'm not going to waste precious time or energy worrying about whether I can get out of paying a launch fee on a Corps lake! Donna and I go buy our $30 Corps pass when it comes due (it's good for a year from date of purchase, not calendar year) and then we can legally launch on any Corps lake anywhere in the country. And we can spend our brain cells worrying about where to catch a fish, not where to launch. Doesn't matter if you're a weekend perch jerker or an Elite Series tournament pro, if $30 a year is gonna break your bank account, you need to find a new pastime.

You're gonna love that Duckett/Lew's set-up, 96 CHAMP. I threw a jerk bait a big part of the day Saturday on a 6-6 Med/Fast with a Lew's TS1H and just marveled at how light it is and how well it throws even into the wind. It's not a new set-up at all ... about a year old ... but it still amazes me at how perfect it is for jerk baits. For the record, I use 8-pound P-Line mono on my jerk bait rigs.

My best advice would be for you and your buddy to get together and split the cost of a day with a good local guide. Our moderator here, Bill Babler, is among the best and would go out of his way to help get you pointed in the right direction ... with knowledge of the lake, lures, seasonal patterns and most important, the fish themselves. It would be time and money well spent ... the difference in learning enough to start catching fish now or going months, even years trying to learn it yourself.

Danger, one more crazy little suggestion. The 2004 Opti that we had on the Champion was cutting out on top end during a Central Pro-am derby at LOZ. I limped thru the week with it only to get home and find the connections on my cranking battery were corroded. Once I cleaned them up and locked everything down good and tight, the problem was solved. I had started thinking on the way home that it was only cutting out when I hit rough water, which was jostling the battery around. Just something to think about.

I'd take 25 tomorrow and not complain a bit. Donna and I are headed up early in the morning. Thanks much for the report, QB.

Me too, Balsabee.

Very generous indeed of you to share your crappie intel, Ducky. That's what makes this such a great forum.

Hear me out here before jumping to conclusions .... Jerry has a point, but this was not the most sensitive time or place to make it. First, congrats Biglerma on your great trip and moreso on sharing some special time with your dad. You, your dad and an 11-pound swamp donkey ... now that's quality time! I also hear what Jerry's saying ... he's probably a lot like me in that his greatest joy in fishing these days comes from the hunt. When fishing managed C&R lakes like this one in Alabama, the hunting part has been eliminated. They are there and you collide with them upon arrival. You throw, you catch, done deal. Sure, some days are still better than others, but you don't have to wonder if you're around fish. I'd venture to say that Babler, Beck and other "seasoned" guides take their greatest joy in putting clients on fish rather than catching em themselves. I'm the same way, except my "client" is Donna most of the time. I've also been known to take care of my golf pro since he takes care of my swing, such as it is. I think a lot of it has to do with experience ... Jerry has no doubt reeled in his share of bass, including big ones. So have I. Not to say I don't still enjoy catching them, but I'd truly rather see Donna catch them than me, especially if they're big. My joy comes from finding them and figuring out how to get them to bite. Nothing wrong with fishing manged lakes whatsoever. Heck, Biglerma and his dad drove a loooong way to fish that one and probably paid an access fee once they got there. He was upfront about where he went and what type of lake it is. By the same token, nothing wrong with Jerry not liking that type of fishing, although like others I thought the method of saying so was pretty harsh. Different strokes for different folks.

I really can't express how ready I am for 60-degree water.

Denny, I think maybe we should just continue status quo and be happy with the way things are.

Bill, I keep trying to tell Donna exactly what you said ... I just don't feel right taking her fishing on the weekends if I haven't been able to be on the water every day the previous week locating the right numbers and size of fish. I mean, her time is limited and will be even moreso when she is working two jobs. So it's only right that I quit this silly job of mine and get out there and start hunting her up some fish!

Thumbs, not to speak for Bill, but my experience with the gravel bite is that it starts about now, peaks in April or May but stays pretty darn good throughout all the warm months. You have to adjust your depth from 1-40 feet or so depending on the month. Just about any draggin' bait will work at times ... just gotta experiment and see which one they want most. In the coming couple of months, that's likely to be grub, fb jig, Fish Doctor on a mojo/split shot rig or a Carolina rig with a lizard or centipede.

Sticking with two spots all day probably led to your high finish. It's just very very hard to cover much water this time of year. The minute you start trying, you start fishing too fast and out the window goes any chance of getting bit. Like I said before, it's always easier for me to catch em when I know I'm around em. Otherwise, I start doubting my area and wondering if I should be somewhere else, and the minute I lose that confidence, I'm screwed.

Neat trick. Are you talking about the Matt Reed from Texas that fishes the BASS Elite Series? I always figured him to be a nice guy. Very down to earth.

That fish does look like a powerhouse, and Mitch nailed it ... resembles a mini tuna. Looks like you guys are having a great time. Donna and I received your care package. Will reply in more detail by PM but the stuff looks great! Guys, this is not typical homemade stuff. Jigs are quality and really well finished out from line tie to the tail strands. Plum purty.

Good job, Alex. Nice call to go back to where you'd located them Friday. It's always easier to catch them when you know you're around them.

Phil, I know the fishing department manager very well at the Cabela's in Rogers. I will point him to the website. Sore Thumbs also might want to do the same. For that matter, any forum members who know Chris Johnson should join us in encouraging him to post their promotions here.

Grand is an excellent lake for big worms. It's a lot like LOZ ... somewhat shallow, stained and very fertile. Lots of old septic seepage (horrors) into the lake from surrounding residential property, providing the basis for a helluva healthy food chain. Old Plug is spot on ... a jig plays big into the picture of things at TR way on up into the summer. Before, during and immediately after the spawn, you can catch a ton of fish by throwing a 5/16-ounce finesse jig right up on the bank. Banks with ledge rock drops down to 15 feet deep are excellent during this time. You can also throw a football jig on gravel banks and catch the snot out of all three major species. Toward summer, follow the fish out to the main lake and keep dragging a football jig on bluff ends and even on soft-sloping gravel points, but concentrate on areas where the point rolls off into the creek channel. This is Mr. Babler's forte ... listen to anything he'll tell you about this kind of fishing because you can take it to the bank. No, wait, take it AWAY from the bank. My last suggestion regarding jigs is boat docks. Some bass spend their entire lives under them on TR. Springtime, they'll spawn around the walkways and shallow ends. When done, they'll move out to that magical 15-25 foot depth and stay there until it gets lizard hot. Then they go even deeper and often suspend, making jig fishing not the best option although you can still catch a few on it.

You may catch a few during the day on Table Rock using a big worm but that will pretty much be limited to the stained ri ver arms ... Long Creek, the Kings River and the upper James. Elsewhere on the lake, that kind of action is pretty well limited to very early and very late in the day or at night. Some of the discussion here has included info from Lake of the Ozarks, which is considerably more stained from end to end than TR. When you do throw one, the Ol' Monster is certainly tough to beat, but a lot of other good choices have been offered as well. Good luck.