Don House

snakem, the gell cells are the optima 6 pack batteries.. From what I hear they are really good, but also very expensive too. last time I checked into them they were also double the cost.. I run a 36v system, plus two cranking batteries talk about adding cost!! So worth the money I would say yes, but that is a lot of money!!! Good Fishing Capt. Don

tkite sorry bud, I know there is always something out there that cost money! But these are really cool and worth every penny. Smaller units 797c2 are coming down in price I seen some on the net for around 800 - 900 better than the cost of my big one 997cSI at over 2000.00. Good Fishing Capt. Don

Snakem, Here is a good Company that Sells Pro Guide Batteries Center City Marine in Springfield 1-866-876-2628 ask for Gary he can take care of you. They Cost around 88.00 per battery for a good deep cycle battery Worked very well for me in the past years, and I run the heck out of them and charge them every night! Also you can go to Walmart they carry a Maxx Life Deep Cycle cost around 95.00 dollars, they are ok used some a few years ago. And last you can look at the new gell cell batteries very nice but also very high dollar!!! Start at 150.00 per battery Good Fishing Capt. Don

Well Guys welcome to early spring on Table Rock Lake, like Bill said one more trip out of town on Tuesday and I get to put on my Carhartts and get out there myself.. Man I'm really jealous of you guys that have been able to get out, even if the fishing was not that great. See everyone at the end of the month.. Keep posting reports I will try to read them on the road. Be Good Capt. Don

Capt. Joe great Job, we had are chance back 2 years ago, I wish we could have went to that monster bass lake in Texas instead of some little lake in Kansas! Remember fish your own tournament, sometimes those other fishing reports are really no help at all, but more a side track or second guess of your own teams skills. Good Luck Capt. Don

Well, I like the spinning rod because I have to fish such lighter line easier to control and better casting and feel, but that is just my 2 cents worth.. Maybe Bill and some of the other guys on here can put in their 2 cents worth.. Good Fishing Capt. Don

Bill I bet is was just great to get out, I feel like a caged fool myself, getting tired of talking about fishing but not getting out! One more to go then back to fishing at last! Good Fishing Everyone Capt. Don

cpjones, well I have not been on the water myself as of yet, you are alittle early for crappie in Aunts Creek, but it is getting closer. Those little guys need another month or two before they will really start bitting around there. Reports are they are getting a bite but all the way up the rivers like past viola up the White River or Up the James past Bridgeport and up Long Creek past the Marina on the Arkansas Side. From what I hear 15 - 25 feet on the flats and in the river channels are the best bet.. Swimming Minnows on Jig heads, 2" tubes on jig heads and some reports of minnows are starting to work as of now.. But keep coming back reports will start to heat up as the season gets closer. End of Feb to the start of March will be my time to get out there and start looking.. Good Fishing Capt. Don

Dan, yes I still love my 997 Si unit and really do recommend these to anyone. Just that unit has allowed me to find more fish than anything else I could use. I know they are not cheap but for the money they are worth every penny! Just here on Table Rock I can find deep tree's and deep water brush piles with ease, I can go by 10 trees and tell you which one is holding fish without having to fish everyone of them. And the same goes for deep water docks as well, are fish here love to hang on deep water dock cables I can drive by each dock and tell which one will be the best for fishing without even dropping the trolling motor. Man can I say any more`worth ever penny!!! Getting ready to order my new units for my new boat and will have them ready for March. If and when you get your new unit and need any help please drop me a email or a phone call you can get everything from my new web site listed below. As far as the rod, well that is just how it goes! Still never found it have it on GPS but sure it went down to davies locker in about 45 feet.. I tried for about 4 days dragging the bottom but it never came home.. Like I say it is just the hazards of fishing and was totaly my mistake, by the way never did that again!!! Another lession learned, just went back out and replaced it with a new one.. By the way I do offer a complete training trip on these so you can get the most out of them, I will teach you the in's and out's of Side Imaging if interested. Anything I can do to help you out please drop me and email Good to hear from you and Good Fishing this year! Capt. Don

Conman, try this resort also, very nice and clean right on the lake in Kimberling City area and point 7. www.lakesideresort.net, very nice couple with a good size dock and nice cabins ask for Rick and tell them Capt. Don Sent you, he can set you up.. Better fishing with alot more choices of where to fish from the Dam to Kimberling City or up the White and the lower James... Good Luck, Good Fishing Capt. Don

DeadHead, yes we all do.. Good Thing about the spring no telling what you will hang into, Smallies, Spots and Largemouths, They all love a shakey jig. Early spring stickbaits are my favorite, then move into the shakey jig and tubes. Can't wait to get back home and start fishing again, only a few more days! Good Fishing Everyone Capt. Don

Deadhead, I use anything from a 1/8 to a 1/4 ounce jig, my spinning rods are very simple from a 6.6 med light for the smaller jigs to a 7.0 med for the heavier jigs they all work very well.. I really like the longer rods from better casting distance.. Good Fishing Capt. Don

Chief, I agree with the boy's! End of April we can get into some really nice pre-spawn fish on split-shot rigs, small jigs, and the early start of the spawn in some parts of the lake. But May has got to be my personnel favorite time, the big smallies really start to come to life on Shakey Jigs, Swimming grubs and small Jigs, also don't forget to snap a few stickbaits also! Have some fun and welcome to Table Rock Lake. Good Fishing Everyone Capt. Don House

Dan, biggest thing is your line size. Stay in the 6 - 8 pound floro range. I like to use a 5" - 8" thin razor worm in green pepper or Watermelon Red flakes, tipped these with some spike it chart on the end. Rods used well that is up to you, 6.6 med is my favorite. Good Fishing see you on the Water.. Capt. Don

jerkmybait- Here is what I will be fishing at that time of the year, three things, *** First Choice *** 1) Long billed and short billed diving and suspending stickbaits, all types Lucky craft, Jackall and Smithwick Rouges. Colors all change but the primary colors I like to stay with are, Clown (Yellow and Red) Tenn Shad (Silver and black back) Aurora Black (Blue and Black Back) Table Rock Shad (Chart and Purple, (Blue Back and Orange Side) and last AYU (Green Back and Chart strip on Side.) Work these baits around bluff ends with timber and middle to the back of the big creek arms working all main and secondary points with or without rocks and timber, start out with your boat in 30 feet and make long casts toward the bank. Change up on retrieval Long pauses/short pause, ect until you find what the fish want. Be warned hang on to your rod, alot of times you will not be paying attention with your stickbait out there just sitting and they will slam it. Had a few rods take the plunge and they are gone!! Next Wiggle Warts or Shallow diving crankbaits up in the rivers or the Bigger creek arms, use this anytime you get some good winds. Colors all crayfish colors, green, brown and Orange. Look for Wind to be beating on points with cedars trees in the Big Creek Arms. Throw these warts into the cedars and work then back out, if you go slow you can get them out of just about anything, fish will be suspended below and come out and eat the bait. Another Big fish bait so be ready!! And Last the good old 1/8 ounce Eakins jig with a small matching color crawfish trailer in Brown and pumpkin green, Missouri Craw, Brown and Purple and Green Pumpkin colors. Drag this bait back SLOW to the boat, pitch it in the cedars and any brush piles you can find in the deep water on the same type of points and bluff ends. Well there is more but those will get you alot of small fish bites, but these other should get you bit in March. Good Luck and Good Fishing. Capt. Don

Trav, it is just a hot bait on the lake right now. It has a very wide wobble to it and really act's and looks like a crawfish, also they have some very nice colors that really do look like the crawfish in green and brown and match the hatch size very well. Other do work but, talk to the tournament guys and they throw nothing but these little guys on this lake. That really makes the wiggle wart the primary bait of choice they catch fish and alot bigger ones too from time to time. No sponsorships here!! I wish! Good Fishing Capt. Don

Dead Head, man what I can say without becoming a advertisement, Yes it really works very well!!! I can use the SI technology to find fish that most don't even see or know about.. Example, fishing deep docks in the summer, I can see the fish suspended on dock cables by driving by the front of the docks, I can also see the fish right under the floats on the sides of the docks and on in the front of the docks, and then go back and fish, it saves alot of time. Here are some pictures to look at first is the Hwy 13 Bridge (old one underwater) This one is a brush pile on a long point on Table Rock with fish suspended around it. And Last a big water dock with cables visible, look for all of the little white dots around the cables and the stalls of the dock, see if you can pick out everything. Deep Trees are so much easier to find and explore they really stand out even more with fish in the middle of them, brush piles well I got in a little trouble two years ago by finding some of the other guides brush piles on the lake "oops", they really stand out, and with the GPS marking capability I can drive by these piles and be 100 feet away and just move my curser over to the pile on my screen and mark it, really that simple. Then drop the t-motor and check them out. Once you get the hang of what you are seeing man it opens up a whole new world of fishing.. And a whole lot more!! Expensive YES, but worth every penny! Good Fishing and Merry Christmas Capt. Don

This is not a advertisement, but a pat on the back and a big thank you, I was able to spend a few hours at night last week with a really nice guy and a hell of a fly fisherman, alot of you know him he is a first class guide at night on Taneycomo.. Leonard of Taneycomo Nights. I had a really nice and enjoyable time with him and to teach this old Bass fisherman how to fish with fly rods, says alot. Very kind and I still can't get over how he can see those fish in the dark point them out and then catch them!! He has me hooked.. Thanks again Leonard Anyone who has never tried this at night needs to give this guy a call and go do it or stop by his web site and look at those big brown trout he has been catching!! www.taneycomonights.com Capt. Don House

Well everyone, maybe here in the late winter or beginning of spring we can get some type of basic electronics class together for everyone, I think I can get two or three of the local guides together, we can find a place to meet something that will hold everyone and have a class with open discussion on the ways to fish like this. The goal will be to have us talk about how to setup and tweak each of the types of units from the two major vendors. Instead of which one is better.. Make sense.. Dutch, also to answer your last question Yes I have but it Humminbirds version of software, I have not used the Lowrance version so I really can't answer how that works.. And as far as the GPS locations, that all depends on the number of Sat's that your GPS will support, mine is 17 some are 12 and some as low as 4. The more sat's your unit can talk with the better and more to the pin point locations your readings will be. I can save a waypoint and it is with in feet of my location everytime. Always trust the unit, is the way I look at it.. Hope Everyone has a great Christmas and Santa is good to all of you.. See Everyone on the Water.. Capt. Don

SD Bass Hunter, Yes you can!!! I have used the 787 for drop shotting and spooning and just about everything else you can think of and it works very well.. Matter of fact here are some pictures from the Black and White Version and the color version.. This the the color version of the 787C2... A school of Spotted Bass in 71 feet of water, suspended in 35 feet.. This the the Older 787 Black and white at 100 plus feet, suspended in 35 feet again, bet you can figure out what depth these fish like to hang out in on Table Rock!! So Yes you can see fish with these Humminbird units.. I have owned both companies units, But I Like the Humminbird Units better because of support from the company, Humminbird really takes care of their end users with support and updates as needed, they are always improving the software that runs them and of course all updates are free. Plus there are alot more web sites out there put up by end users just like you and I so we can ask questions and get help from people who use these units all of the time. This is my 5 generation of Humminbird units worked with them all, now I ordering my new 1157c and 1197c units for my new boat. I spend alot of time working with clients just to teach them this type of fishing.. It's alot of fun but it takes some time to get used to fishing like this. Once you find the sweet spot on your transducer cone and get used to getting it there everytime, it is a breeze with all type of units Lowrance or Humminbird.. Just like Trav said Chevy vers Ford which ever you feel best with.. I'm just a good old Chevy (Humminbird) man myself.. You get a chance there are alot of really good guides down here about 15 or more as a matter of fact that can show you all of the tricks to this type of fishing. Hire one for a full day trip in the Summer or Fall tell them this is what you want to learn. It's well worth the money.. By the way the place in Kimberling City is called Ozarks Bait ad Tackle Jerry Snider is the owner.. Good Fishing and Good Luck and your selection of choice.. Merry Christmas Everyone.. Capt. Don

Rick, you and your family our in our thoughts and prayers. God Bless Capt. Don

Dutch, what are you wanting to know about way points? I mark alot everytime I'm out on my SD card, just way points only I don't record my paths or routes that I have traveled.. I can even record video of my way points that I have found, such as a large group of bass I can record them moving up and down and even taking the bait. Let me know what you are wanting to learn maybe I can explain it to you.. It's really easy. Talk to you later Capt. Don

Eric, basically there are some folks on here that want to know how to deep water fish and use electronics to do it. More or less a basic course or open discussion on electronics, Operating Frequency, peak to peak power, Sonar Coverage, screen resolutions, Color vers Black and Gray, dual frequencies units, sensitivity settings, bottom range settings, ect. I don't think it really matters of what brands, just what to look for when purchasing and using these graphs. We were thinking maybe if we can find a place local down here for a few hours at night or on the weekend for everyone to meet and discuss the ins and outs of deep water electronics that would be great. If you would like to help that would be great, maybe we could tag team this since both of us make a living doing just that, or try too!! This still is really in the discussion phase right now and maybe we can get this all together for them here soon. Thanks Don

Gary, so why did you get rid of the Tracker? Yes, I really like this new boat, really makes clients feel safe and comfortable, tons of room and it really handles the rough water well and has all of the bells and whistles more than I thought. It has an T8 hp Yamaha 4 stroke added on I will use it for crappie season for trolling the bluff trees and spoonbill snagging season and trout fishing on Taneycomo, can't wait to really get it out and play with it. Denjac, I seen the bell being pushed around the other day, now I know why! Good Fishing Everyone.. Capt. D

Hunter that wart bite is a blast!!! Them smallies just can't take it running by them!! Nice report thanks for the information, please keep posting your reports! Good Fishing Capt. Don