Bill Babler

We spoke about this jig source in the topwater thread. They currently have a 30% off Summer deal code SUM25. You might browse their site. They have fantastic tungsten jigs and weights. I believe the sale lasts till the 3rd. Paint is bad about coming off tungsten heads but I have never had any come off a NAKO and the hooks are excellent and for some reason really repel rust. Give them a peek.

Yes, I have in Alaska. Not a fan. It works but not as good as a triple hook. Back to the fishing I’ve not gone in the last couple of days, but the neighbor has and told me the action cooled down quite a bit. Said he only had a dozen this morning with one keeper. It was however a 4 pounder on a flutter spoon. I won’t be back on the water till the 7th. so good luck out there.

I’ve done the line trick dozens of times on myself and clients, but you really have to watch it if there are tendons involved. Also, if you’re double hooked. It is really a risky procedure at best and should be used sparingly. Anything over a size 1 and your taking a chance. TJ Micro Jigs are the absolute worst as they will snap out of a trouts mouth and get anyone unlucky enough to be in the same time zone.

Becky got me some body fish grippers. They don’t work. I can remember one of our OG’s getting hooked in both hands in a derby 20 plus years ago. Bobby Sullivan had a jerk bait fish get him good. I’ve also told the story of a wife hooking her husband in the face with a spook. That was REALLY a bad one. I got hooked under the thumb nail with a WP when they first came out. Beck and I were in a derby. He said” let me look at that. “. I said, “Ok but don’t do nothing.” I should have known better, cause he just ripped it out and said, “don’t whine about it.” Durn that hurt.

Good idea for sure. I’ve had 2 friends that have been caught in both hands by the flip of a head. The small fish are the ones that get you. Having both thumbs stuck and a fish flopping in the middle is just somewhere you don’t want to go. Buddy up on LO had one flip out of his hand 2 weeks ago and 2 hooks went in his leg to the bend with the fish still thrashing. $1,100.00 at the emergency room.

Buddy had 23 this morning most all on the Keitech but caught his best ones on a 6XD. He had 5 keeps. Same pattern just run till you find them. Said he probably could have caught more had he not fished the crank bait. Guys when your by yourself, be really careful of those multiple hooked baits. You can get in a pickle in a hurry. These fish are really active both in the water and in the boat. It takes absolutely nothing to get in trouble trying to release them. I’ve had at least 4 scares in the last 10 days. They start going crazy, just drop them.

Nako or Keitech, Tungsten heads. Size 1 hook. Hook size is important on this small bait a size 2 is way to big. 3/16- 1/4. Nako just flat do not rust and have a great bait keeper. Good hook, very fine wire. Expensive.

I’m remaining fairly Lucky, but I’m kind of making my own. In about a 12 mile stretch on the White and mouth of the Kings they are starting to chase. I’m saying, Baxter to Cedar Creek. Fish are on the flats chasing. Here is the deal, not always the same locations. I’m putting in some serious seat time looking. Been starting at 0530. Guys, it’s almost like a shad spawn where they’re on the bank at first light then move deeper. No deeper than 20’ but they are movers. Spook Jr. in chrome, 2.8” Keitech in Gizzard Shad 3/16 head, 6th. Sense Speed Shad, 1/2oz. Dixie Jet and 1/2oz. WHITE jigging spoon. That’s it. We fished 2 locations this morning. We had 27 on the first spot with 1 keeper and then we were going to fish conservation piles and ran into a mega school of chasers, at 8:30 am and had 26 more out of that bunch with 15 keeps up to 4 pounds. Caught all the fish in the last group on a white slab spoon buddy had a chrome spoon on and I was totally killing him. He switched to white and it was tit for tat. Shad are dime size to 4” not counting the big gizzards that are everywhere. Surface temp 88 degrees. I’m actively hunting them just by driving and looking. Not fishing till I see some type of either shad on the surface or a chase. If I stop, and I don’t see total chaos on either 2D or FFS, I don’t stay. Started doing this last week when I got lucky and found the first bunch of them and have had success that I probably don’t deserve since I think the key here, is just don’t go fishing. Put the jig, the ned and the drop shot in the box and go hunting. I bet you won’t regret it.

You’re catching bass at 40’ and I’m catching them under 10’ in 90 plus degree water. Crazy. You can only catch gills if you don’t want them. Caught this one, total luck 24” on a WP. It chased a foot long gizzard shad right by the boat and I underhanded the Pooper out there and it snarfed it.

Mostly up on the points and flats. 8’ to 16’. Have caught some total monsters. Caught some huge ones off Viney last week. You can see them on your 2D. Good chance of catching something with teeth also 😁

Surface temps at 0500 86.7 water clarity at 18 inches. Not muddy or murky but more a deep James River Green. Didn’t get over 1.5 miles from the ramp, started out looking for 1 lonely single walleye. Becky said it was time again for one. Walleye were suspended and to be honest I suck at suspended walleye. They get on the bottom and that’s a different deal, but today they just were not having it as far as my junk was concerned. With all the blue gills, walleye fishing gets expensive in a hurry if they are not eating it fast, as the gills rob you blind. Ran to the mouth of the Kings surface temps up there 86 have no idea why but just a bit cooler. Personally I have not seen chasers in a month and I don’t think many others have but today it happened. As always it’s better to be lucky than good and I was totally LUCKY. All 3 black bass species were blowing small balls of shad over about a 1/4 mile section of flats. No deeper than 20’ and some were crashing right in front of the bushes. This went on and on and on. Boat traffic didn’t seem to matter. 3 hours of just cast after cast. White jig and white spoon. Caught a couple on a top water but to many triple hooks for this type of deal. Absolutely nothing of size. I think maybe 2.5 was my biggest and lots of 13-14-15 inchers. Mostly LM They were still coming up when I just flat got to hot and came home at 10:30. 92 degrees with the surface temp at 88.

I’d agree with you 99% of the time Randy but the durn things are all over the flat gravel shallower than I’ve ever seen them. We had surface temps today at 90/91 degree and if you didn’t know better you would have thought the walleye were working on their sun tans. Caught two with Tommy Bahama’s on😎 Not near any type of transition or roll off. Just all over the flat gravel chasing Gills. SHALLOW.

Dock the same scenario is playing out up the White and Kings River. I’m throwing a small jig and there are lots of bites. Not catching lots of quality, but did have a nice 4 pounder last week. If there is wood of any kind in the 5’ and under depth range there is most probably multiple fish on it. My only problem has been wanting to bass fish, when all my buddies want to catch walleye. Nice problem to have. Dock, look at the banks I’m fishing. Looks just like your stuff.

Walleye and gills here have a symbiotic relationship. At times as Dan said They will be mixed in with huge gills, really to big for their consumption At other times they will be on smaller gills and will be hunting them. I have not cleaned or seen a walleye here with shad either in its throat or stomach. It is however not uncommon to see either small gills or crayfish while cleaning them or just seeing them in their gullets when releasing them. I’ve cleaned 2 walleye over the years that had small walleye in their stomach so they do eat their own. I don’t believe walleye are in the business of preying on shad. As any predator they are opportunistic and if one falls or flutters by I’m sure it’s consumed. I have never caught a walleye chasing shad. I’ve caught everything else including catfish but no walleye. I have caught them near or hovering under shad but have never seen them enter a shad school Now you ask, why do they eat a spoon so well if they’re not consuming shad? I have no idea. I’m guessing they are like a vulture just waiting for one to die and drift down. Don’t think they are thinking, why wait, let’s just go kill something. Crayfish, small gills and juvenile walleye are in their strike zone all the time makes for less expended energy and much easier prey than shad that is usually higher in the water column.

Don’t know how long this will last, but the amount of short walleye in multiple age groups is simply unreal. 8”, 10”, 12”, 14” 17” We are in a walleye boom. I know there have been concerns about harvesting sow walleye up the White and Kings River prior to the spawn. It looks like some of those concerns are unfounded as the lake seems to be replenishing through quality spawns for at least the past 7-8 years. I’m averaging about 2/3 keepers per every ten I catch. About the same with the 3 bass species. In June and now into July me and my guests have put close to 200 walleye in the boat and only kept 11. I’m pretty sure I’ve been out 15 or 16 times. On another note we have been catching plate size bluegill. Have kept a few that got it deep but there is a ton of them out there. Good Luck.