Champ188

Serious crappie fishermen catch a lot of them around the docks in Racetrack Hollow. Donna and I caught some big ones in there a couple of years ago. I was swimming a white bass jig and she was throwing a LC 2.5 crank bait. Of course, look for docks with floodlights pointed toward the water, rod holders mounted on the docks or any other sign that people fish off the dock. Chance are they're fishing for crappie and that there are brush piles around the dock.

Sore Thumbs, no reason that purple-tinsel jig shouldn't work well on Table Rock. It got its start as a football jig on Beaver, where J.R. Beehler used to catch a lot of good fish on it. He used a Yamamoto cinnamon-purple flake double-tail on it.

Happy Thanksgiving to all. I too am grateful for the many things I've learned here and the good friends I've made.

Got that right, Sore Thumbs. And as for speaking your mind Bill, keep it up and so will I. One of the special things about this forum is that there's a standard of honesty and accountability to each other, and an understanding that it's OK if you don't catch fish every trip — whether you're a full-time guide or a twice-a-year novice. We learn just as much from folks not catching them and telling what they tried as we do from the good reports. Checking our egos at the door makes this a place to exchange information, not a braggin' board. We've all benefitted greatly from Bill sharing his deep knowledge in much detail. Can't get that kind of info just anywhere.

Sore Thumbs, good to hear that Beaver Craw/Purple works. I've always liked that color but haven't experimented with it much. I'll have to add it to my arsenal.

Similar to Bill, two of my favorite jig colors year-round are Jelly Flash and Green Pumpkin Candy. I generally use the 5/16-ounce finesse jig with a green pumpkin Lil Critter Craw by Zoom. I know lots of folks like to match the PBJ or Jelly Flash jig to a pumpkin or cinammon craw but personally, I like the green pumpkin on it. For my 5/16-ounce jigs, I use BassX jigs. They're made in Rogers, Ark. and can be seen at www.bassxlures.com. For heavier (3/8 and 1/2 ounce) ballhead and all of my football jigs, I like the War Eagle jigs, which are also made in Rogers. Their website is www.wareaglelures.com.

Puzzled us where the better fish were, too, sfiser. Weather like that usually gets them moving. I had a big ol' smallmouth come to the boat with one of our keeper spots, trying to get my blade away from him but that was the only good fish we encountered all day. I got frustrated at 1 p.m. or so and we pulled out and went home to Bella Vista. Finished up the day on Loch Lomond and caught a few but still not as good as I thought it'd be. Going back to the Rock this weekend, Sore Thumbs. Winter series derby up there Saturday out of Ahoy's. Be interesting to see what this forthcoming arctic blast brings. Donna and I aren't quite ready to commit to the Polar Bear yet on Beaver. Be the first one we've missed in a long time. Probably a pretty good bet that we'll be there to make yet another donation.

OK T, since you admitted to wanting to ruffle feathers, I'm gonna have my say here and be done. 1. Fact: Fishing has been tough lately for everyone including the likes of Beck, Babler, the Davis brothers and the Fann brothers. Opinion: I'm at least slightly suspicious that only you are waylaying them in the shallows every time out. You aren't the only talented shallow-water angler on the lake. As you repeatedly stated, you aren't required to prove anything but likewise, I'm entitled to my opinion. 2. I suppose I lean toward the modest side, but I can't recall anyone here posting pic after pic of average-sized fish. Lots of us catch our fair share of fish. Donna and I have managed to beat out five-fish tournament limits two out of our last three trips, even tough as it has been. I post results of most of my trips here in hopes of helping others. If I catch em, I say so graciously. If I don't, I say so. Far as I can recall, I've only posted one pic since joining this site several years ago and that was a couple weeks ago because the fish was a rather large meanmouth. 3. The comment about "no fish left in the dam area" was not mine, but denjac's. Rest assured, I'm not the only one here suspicious. That's my 2 cents' worth and the last I have to say on this subject.

Didn't see you Sunday sfiser, but one or the other of us might have been down in the trough of one of those mighty swells when we passed each other. LOL. It was another one of those frequent days when I'm proud to be in a Champion. We fished from break of day to 1 p.m. and managed three keeper spots — two on a spinner bait and one on a watermelon seed Wart. Caught a bunch of shorts on the blade and one on a grub but it was nearly impossible to throw anything but a blade that wind. Man, did it blow. By 10 a.m. it was 20-25 mph steady with gusts over 30 mph. Nearly all of our fish came off flat, windblown points in the Cliftys. Pea gravel with scattered chunk rock was best.

The wind may blow, but no worries — it's for money. http://winterbassseries.com/

What's up with the little white patch in exactly the same spot on the left gill plate of all those smallmouth? Is that specific to Table Rock smallmouth? Even the two in the pics from Thursday have it.

Maybe some of 'em will escape the onslaught and make it up the river. They aren't nearly as apt to get caught up there by us hacks.

Can't hold a candle to what a couple have been reporting, but considering that the top guides and derby fishermen on the lake are struggling mightily, Donna and I had a decent trip Friday. Fished from Baxter up to SK, then up the Kings to Sweetwater. Kings was dead for us. Did manage six keepers for the day, including a glorious 4-pound meanmouth and a LM about the same size. All told, our five best would've weighed 15-plus. Spinnerbait, buzz bait, Redfin on flat, windy points produced all of our keepers. Fish came from both main-lake and secondary points. Water temp was low 60s all day.

Fish shallow? That's crazy talk.

I've caught quite a few skinny LM's up the river this fall and other years. They always seem to fatten up by winter, though. Of course, the ones in Aunt's Creek stay fat year-round. I'm guessing there's gonna be a bunch of boats in there Sunday for the AIA derby. I hear they've really been biting in there.

Good ones. Always fun when they smash that blade up shallow.

Sounds like a great day, particularly given that you got to share your boat with some special company.

Quillback, this is not the slow, winter jerkbait bite. Working a jerkbait fast is a killer tactic from late spring through fall. Wind is the key and clouds help too.

That's awfully nice of you to say Bill. Didn't know we'd been so much help. As I said in my report, the rascals were scattered from a foot of water to the deep blue sea. Guess Donna and I will fish the Anglers In Action derby next Saturday. We'll see how smart I am then.

Donna and I fished from 8:30 a.m. to dark Saturday. Launched at H Highway (Baxter) ramp and stayed between there and SK bridge. Ended the day with 9 keepers and a bunch of shorts. Not to be intentionally vague, but we caught fish from 1 foot to 45 feet deep. Deepest keeper was our best fish, a 4-pound largemouth that bit a spoon at 37 feet in a dock slip. Productive baits included the spoon (War Eagle 7/8-ounce white), drop shot (watermelon seed Zoom Finesse worm), finesse jig (War Eagle pond scum perch), swim jig (Bass-X 5/16-ounce white with white twin-tail trailer), spinner bait (War Eagle 1/4-ounce green shad) and finally a Red Fin. Best advice for right now is fish what the conditions give you. We started out fishing deep docks because there were no clouds and no wind. Moved a bit shallower as the wind picked up and were finally able to throw a spinner bait mid-afternoon. It's fall and there are fish at every depth. Surface temp was 64-67 every time I thought to check it.

Techo, you are a bad man.

I would add to these suggestions the Sweetwater ramp in the Kings River. Plenty of good stuff to fish nearby.

Guess I need a lesson. A buddy and I fished hard yesterday 7 a.m.-3:30 p.m. from KC to Indian Point and barely managed to beat out a limit between us, fishing from our own boats. I hurled a spinnerbait nearly all day. Ran into several others who said they struggled too.

I'm with Bill on this one. Although I am not a smallmouth expert like he is, when I do go looking for the brown fish, it's always on slick pea gravel points or banks. Glad they're building habitat but wish they'd do it elsewhere.

Hmmm, the water patrol soliciting info on this forum? Sounds fishy to me.