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KVD has won previously on the Louisiana Delta, but not at this time of year. At first I didn't pick KVD on my fantasy teams, but changed my mind. Every time I think someone else is going to win and don't pick him, he seems to surprise me.

I was watching the weather you had in anticipation of the blizzard we got Tuesday night and Wednesday. Did you get much ice and or snow? We got dumped with 16 inches of snow and today it was 10 below zero this morning. Can't wait until our annual trip and stay at Oak Hill Resort the first week of April. Hope you folks don't mind my joining in on occasion. Enjoy your forum and would be more than glad to help out anybody coming up here in Michigan to fish when it warms up a bit.

We saw spawners in both Big Creek and Wolf Pen last weekend but they weren't locked in.The bite really changed from Thursday to Saturday. We caught 50 fish on Jerkbaits in the Big Creek area on Thursday, but when we returned on Saturday, could only catch one keeper on a Scrounger swim jig and only a couple of short fish on the jerk baits.

Thanks for your response Bill. Smallmouths are definitely a different character compared to largemouths. Even up here in Michigan, we can catch them some days in three foot of water, and the next day, they are suspended off some point in 50 feet of water. Pre-fishing for tournaments involving smallmouths only makes it more confusing. They move around so much! I have been surprised where I have caught some of my bigger Table Rock smallmouths. I agree that fishing any of the main lake points with with a slow taper and pea gravel could get you a big brown fish on the end of your line. Seems like those meanmouth bass like the same areas. I haven't heard much about them this year.

Thanks Bill. It's always best to spend more time fishing and less time driving. I'm getting my wiggle warts and stick baits Table Rock ready this weekend. Being from Michigan and loving to catch smallmoths, do you think the Indian Point area will be ready for smj's by April 5th, or should we look elsewhere at that time? We thought we would trailer that way from Aunt's Creek the first day, before we put our boats in at the resort if we had a better chance to catch some smallies. We are catching them all the way to Aunt's Creek the past few years, but I still think there are more towards the dam. What do you think?

I attended a stickbait seminar at the Fishing and Sport Show in Grand Rapids, MI Thursday night.It was put on by Don Watts, a very well known successful and respected fisherman up here in Michigan. He is respected up here for his fishing very much like Bill Babler is on Table Rock. His "go to" bait is the 5 and 1/2 inch, 1/2 ounce special edition Rogue. He modifies it with a red hook up front, and dressed treble on the back, and he weights the front end treble and front with suspend strips. In Michigan/Indiana he throws mostly the perch color(which most of us think looks like a bass pattern), but he also uses the Tennessee Shad and Thunderbird(silver with blue back/orange belly) colors.He throws it using 14 pound spider wire with a medium rod. I've tried it in some Michigan tournaments, but didn't really know the minute details of how he fished it before, and I still caught some good fish with it.He thinks it should work on Table Rock as well.He could and would throw any of the other baits mentioned on here, but he fishes a ton of tournaments and wins a lot of money on these baits. Not to mention the fact that they cost $6.99 compared to what Lucky Craft, Spro, and Megabass cost. He likes the bigger profile, which he thinks puts him on bigger fish, which are needed to win tournaments. We also have Northern Pike up here to contend with and you lose a few baits to them.I have the Lucky Crafts, Megabass, Spros, Rapalas, and Rogues, but just wonder why I haven't heard anything on here about these bigger Rogues.I've been coming down to Table Rock since 1980 and remember when a guy won a BASS tournament down here throwing the huge magnum Rapalas.I've tried that too, but it really is a lot of work.I listened to the podcast of Bill's Stickbait seminar and thought it was great, but was left feeling like I wish I was there in person to really get the full benefit.

Sounds like you had a great time with and after Bill B. Was that a Norman Flake colored Spro? I ordered some from Tackle Warehouse when one of the gentlemen on here gave us the word that they were the deal of the day.Being from Michigan and always staying in the Aunt Creek area, I'm not sure where Shell Knob is. Is it the area near the Big M and Viney Creek Public Use areas? A few years ago we ran all the way to Eagle Rock and I thought I was going to run out of gas on the way back. Quite a ride!Would it be worth trailing there from Aunt's Creek.Just looking at my two Hotspots maps, it looks like I could get there by taking HW 13 south to HW 86. About how long of a ride and miles is that by truck and boat? I'm going to be down there the week of April 5. Are we better off fishing near Aunt's Creek then, even though I would hate to bother Techo's pet fish.Can't wait to get down there. The ice just melted off the lakes on Friday and then we got about four inches of snow yesterday.

Topwater - Rebel Pop R(or LC G-Splash) and LC Sammy Jerkbait - Spec. Ed. Rogue and Slim Pointer Jig - Dale Seller's Lil Cootie Bug and Jewel Football Jig

Bill, you are replacing those hooks with #6 Death Traps? What are you putting on the wiggle warts? I was thinking of putting the #6 on the front and a #4 on the back. Would you do that?

Up here in Michigan, it's very hard to find three and four inch grubs. Most places sell the five inch Yamamotos or Kalins. Are the five inch grubs too big to match the baitfish? Seems like the larger grubs would attract the larger bass. The angler that won the FLW said he was throwing a shad colored grub. Does it have to do more with the water clarity and whether it is sunny or cloudy out, or does it have more to do with what they are feeding on? Seems like your whites, smokes, and salt&pepper colors would imitate shad, but the green pumpkin and watermelon colors would imitate craws or bluegills. Would you fish the darker colors closer to the bottom, or swim them like the shad colors.Do any of you fish the Poor Boy's Erie Darter or tubes?

Thanks for the link. I ordered 100 hooks plus some jigs. I recieved the order in two days!

I have use Triple Fish Flourocarbon in the 12 and 15 lb tests. WOrked well and only costs $9.99 for a 300 yard spool.

I bought Shimano at the Auburn Hills, MI BPS a couple of years ago. Got a$100 off a Stella.

Depending on how much you want to spend, I would buy a Shimano. I have caught 30 inch steelhead trout with a Spirex on six pound test, and have a couple of Symetre, a few Stradics, a few Sustains, and a Stella, and they are all good reels that have never failed me. One of my freinds uses some Daiwas and is also happy with them. I haven't been happy with either the BPS or the Quantum reels in the past.

I have a gortex rain parka that I bought at the Ranger Store in Flippen. I think Gortex is the reason it works so well.Frog Toggs work pretty good if it's warm out.

Sometimes the BB gets glued to the inside of the body. Amazing it doesn't happen more often.

We just got about 10 inches of snow up here in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Hopefully no school tomorrow.

What about colors for Table Rock? I've heard in the past chartreuse shad and Table Rock Shad for pointers, chrome shad for McSticks, and the rogue colors used in the past go from the custom purple top with chartreuse sides to the chromes and painted baits. The sexy shad colors look pretty good on the megabass lures I've seen on line. Anyone throwing any of the sexy shad colors in any of the baits? What's the best megabass colors? I've known guys to throw the clown colors also in the past. Are they still used successfully?

Thanks for the suggestions gentlemen. I'm taking my boat, so I don't have to be the guy that left something home. Even though we always come down the first full week in April, the the bite never seems to be the same.Last year we did the best on grubs, but I have caught all my biggest fish on jigs over the years.The wind seems to be a big factor on the wiggle wart, spinner bait, and stickbait fishing.Being from Michigan, I really love smallmouth fishing and have enjoyed the smallmouths we have caught the past few years. Not too many years ago, we wouldn't catch a smallmouth unless we were down to at least Schooner Creek, now we catch them even in Little and Big Aunt's Creek. We always enjoy the hospitality and I have learned a lot of techniques on Table Rock, that I have put to good use back in Michigan.I appreciate all the good information the guides and fellow anglers put on here and if any of you decide to make a trip up to Michigan, don't hesitate to contact me for any help I might be able to give you.

How do I listen to Bill's Podcast from last year?

I'm going to be bringing down a first time visitor to Table Rock the week after Easter. We will be staying in the Aunt's Creek area, but can run if need be(or trailer the boat). He asks me what kind of tackle should he bring and I tell him it's hard to say, because it seems like every year(we have to come down during spring break because most of us are school teachers), the fish seem to be doing something different. It seems I always bring too much. What would you folks tell him if he had to pack one bag with about five plano 3700's? What about rod/reel combo's and line? Is the James area the best at this time usually or would the areas closer to the dam be better? I know it's a lot of questions, but it's supposed to get down close to zero degrees the next few days and it would be a good time to go shopping.Thanks.

I keep a few 15 inch Spots now and then and they taste good! We release all LM and SM.

I know most guys don't fish at night until it warms up more, but my largest bass ever(8lb. 2 oz.) was caught during this same time frame about an hour after dark. We only could fish about two hours after dark because it was so cold that week that the ice froze in our guides after about two hours. Caught the fish on a jig on a chunk rock bank. We also caught fish on the black single blade spinnerbait that week.

The group I fish with from Michigan have three spots on Table Rock that they have named: Rattle Trap Point, Five Pound Cove, and Shad Cove.

I didn't know they could weigh in a crappie? I've had days in Michigan where I wish I could of weighed in walleyes and Northern pike I caught while fishing bass tournaments.