Bill Babler

Now we know the rest of the story. tjm, dude you are on it like purple on grape. So the head itself weighs 256 and that is what Mr. Jones based his size on and he called them 1/2 micros. and I am assuming the Full micros as he stated the head weighs 156 oz but like wise the finished product is about double that. thanks

Texted that to Steven in under 30 seconds he said 109 per oz.

Snag has a very good option, but the VRBO'S are for sure the way to go if Daphne won't work.

Phil pretty much has all his remaining completed inventory. Molds are who only knows where. Heather told me they were stolen. The inventory that we received after he passed were heads he had already molded and were in her inventory. I have tried to reach her this year, but her phone has been disconnected. Out of the Blue one day she will call me and we will see what can be done.

Yep Al was a completely different cat. Great fisherman but could not stay out of trouble. Died I believe of Lung Cancer, quite a few years ago, if memory serves me.

Someone back at the start of the thread said it looks simple and should be easy to duplicate... Yep. Jump right on that.

If me or Rick Lisek were guiding or calling Bill to much and we kept screwing up he would tell us we were "Exhausting". Bill and I were fishing a derby and catching them on that little jig and lite line and I know I told Champ this story, we pulled into one of the big docks in Fisher Creek and Bill caught a limit before I even made a cast. I just put bouy's on them and put the in the box. He said it was my turn and he just got out of the front seat and picked up the net. I promptly broke 2 off setting the hook on that lite line and he flounced down in the seat sighed and said I was done. Just laughed so hard tears came to my eyes. He put up with my "No Fishin Butt" so much it was simply ridiculous. At times we would both just sit down and laugh till we teared up. The day I culled the fish with the bouy still in its mouth his eyes got as big as saucers and he just said "Really", then slapped me in the face with another 3 pounder.

tjm, Turner called it extremely fine Neck Hackle. Said he hand selected each piece and your right it is the same consistence of down. As far as the eyes I believe they are stick on and then clear coated over, I have never had one come off. As far as the head material I don't know what it is. Turner was somewhat vague about it telling me one time that it was not entirely lead and it was not entirely tungsten. I will tell you it is heavy and sinks at a very rapid rate for its size. The head of the 256 oz. is about half the size of this BB.

Turner was not a rich man, quite the opposite. He and his family came from Cally to move to Springfield his daughter if still alive most likely lives in Cally. Turner brought her over to the house once saying she was going to help him. I knew this was not going to fly, and she was gone back to California in a week or two. These people are what I refer to as VW Bus people, or really from that type of generation. That included Turner to some extent but for sure his daughter and grand daughter. 60's and 70's both hard and soft rock. There ain't a thing wrong with that. He always wanted someone to help build jigs and take over the company, but "Whoa Nelly" that person would have been the birth child for being Micro Managed. Turner was anal about those jigs. At the height of his business he had 6 women working for him in a put together shop in his basement, each being managed and putting a piece together in the puzzle. The wholesale price of the jigs didn't change much in the 20 plus years I have used them, only when he had to go up. I remember a dozen years ago the price of hooks really jumped and he said it was one of his saddest days when he had to call and say he had to increase the price of the jigs a few dollars a dozen. Every component of the jig including the tube was purchased from a different manufacture. I know in the end Heather his grand daughter{ I believe Heather is in her late 40's} ran out of tubes as they were no longer available or perhaps she just could no longer find or afford them. She sent me quite a few loose in a zip lock. Heather did not at the time have a car and she would give me her bank account number and ask me to please deposit the jig payment in her account. I relate this story about Turner. In the late 90's he sent me a box with 50 dozen jigs in it thru the mail. We were having some mail theft problems at Shell Knob and that package was taken from my mail box we are guessing cause it never was found. I reordered the jigs and thought Geez, I'm out 50 doz. Nope, Turner found out as the mail was being traced because of this problem and I had ordered another exact set of jigs. He said, "Bill did you get your micro's" I told him I did not and he said he would resend them free. I told him no way and sent a check to him and he sent it back. I resent telling him why he should keep it and he sent it back and told me if I sent it again I would get no more jigs. After that he insured the package and again I asked if I could pay the postage with the Insurance and he said "NO". He always called his clients after he sent the jigs and asked if they were what you ordered and if you were satisfied. Every time. In the end It was taking us 6 months to get them as he and Heather were making them by themselves, and he would send each color set as they made them so you would have them always asking which you need the most. I'm going to say without question that right now Phil Lilley has the largest amount of original Turner Jones Micro Jigs still in existence. Lilleys over the years have sold hundreds of dozens. In the past 5 yrs. the deal of the day at first was the trout magnet, and it ran a very successful course and still catches some fish. Then the Berkley Power worm and it is without a doubt one of the best trout catchers I have used in my career. When times are tough however and when push comes to shove either a olive or a ginger 1/2 micro size 14 hook and 256th. oz. will put them all to shame as quick as a wink.

First question, first. Yes he made several jigs and prototypes. He made Bill Beck and I some float and fly jigs also and they were unreal for early season Bass. Merlin Olsen was a fly fisherman and was fishing the Green River, either early 80's or late 70's. His guide used the "New fly/jig and of course they ripped them." Merlin immediately wrote Mr. Jones and asked if he was in need or would like a spokes person for his Micro's. Merlin said he would be that person free of any obligation other than Mr. Jones giving him all the Micro Jigs he needed to keep catching trout. Deal was done and a match was made. Prior to and after Turner's passing his Grand Daughter who lives pretty much off the grid made them for Phil and a few other of their better clients. She ran out of materials and there was some problem with stolen molds and other equipment from Turner's estate. Kind of a tangled web, to say the very least. At one time Turner took a partner, a young woman who he thought was going to help him. She immediately stole lots of written information and molds and sold them to Lucky Strike and that's how they started making the product. Thru much legal battling Mr. Jones got this stopped as he related to me. The jigs Lucky Strike made were similar but trash, there is a bonding process that adheres the miniscule single strand of Hen Hackle under a colored collar of shrink wrap that holds this together. There is no tie thread or no marabou as Turner said it makes the jig way to heavy and not realistic. Both thread and marabou add bulk and this fly is extremely streamline and zero bulk. After he molded and painted the head and added the eyes he then added the shrink wrap and hackle body and then clear coated the head and the attaching wrap. Multiple steps that he said had to be exercised correctly to make the fly as life like as possible. He said it is either a newly hatched sculpin or a small minnow imitation. He also made Sculpin jigs that the head was an identical match for a very small sculpin. We ended up this morning with 62 fish for 3 clients on this jig. The fish here are extremely fat and healthy with lots of fish in the 13 to 17 inch range. This post has been promoted to an article

Been tried by everyone that tie including myself and cannot even get close. Head is extremely unique and the hackle is not tied it has a colored shrink wrap that attaches it to the jig head At one point Turner had an associate that sold the business to Lucky Strike. They came out with a fair looking duplicate but they just simply fell apart after a fish or two. Just could not get it to stay together at all. The bonding process is unique. The paint is special on the jig head after your color is on it is clear coated paint seldom seems to come off no matter how many times it hits the rocks. The eyes on the jig are also special. Try as anyone might, no one has duplicated this fly or even close to it ever. Tim at Tim's fly shop tried and tried after Mr. Jones passed, but his were also a poor replica.

I'm pretty sure the Joe Bass on the Rock this last weekend was won on a 6" Lake Fork flutter spoon. Some of my buddies are fishing 7" to 9" baits right now and they are catching some Hog Mama's. You have to commit to this, if catching 10 plus fish in a day is a priority don't do it. If catching an 8 pounder is, heave away.

Nice morning Randy, 3' is quite a bit shallower than I'm currently getting bit. Son and I had a fantastic day Saturday, but most fish were 10X that deep. Thanks for the heads up.

This is pretty much it for them. Phil has a fantastic supply but when these are gone that's it as the maker has passed and there has been problems with his estate and we have lost our source. They are not marabou, the body is hen hackle and it is extremely soft. They come in sizes 12 and 14 or 156oz and 256oz They are the complete BOMB, and a tool that I use in my business every time the water gets slick or is not flowing. On flat water they have no equal in the restricted zone. Yes they cost about half of what a bottle of power bait cost, but you can catch 50 fish on one before it goes poof. You cannot use a forcept on them you must unhook the fish by hand. If the water stays like it was this morning, I have 3 clients in the morning and they will catch between 40 and 80 in 4 hrs. depending on how many they miss and how many of these lunatic fish jump off. Fish a scud, fish a midge or fish a small marabou jig and you will not even come close to touching the numbers you will catch on this very unique fly. It is really one of a kind.

Seth, the bite was extremely lite, but after they took the fly they were completely insane. I'm going to guess we had at least a dozen fish in the 13 plus inch range come unbuttoned We had one 16" fish jump 5 times, and she was serious about it. Lots and lots of fun for my guys this morning.

Phil cannot even think about buying it for that price wholesale, and my guide program discount is just about this same as their wholesale price. He really can't do that however it would be a book keeping nightmare for their staff. In the long run for what Phil sells it would be a drop in a rain barrel. They stock PB and make some money on it, but it is more about serving his fishing clients. If he took it off the shelves I'm going to say his bottom line does not move any more than with some of us purchasing a few bags from Dick's. Means "absolutely nothing to anyone except the person using it and getting a nice tidy savings." I'm guessing and this is always the way it is. Berkley is footing the bill on this, has nothing to do with Dick's other than a promo to see how many people are looking at their website and taking notice. I'm going to guess this is a total loss leader and even Berkley is just breaking even on it. If you will go to Dick's site and purchase additional products that is what their after, not the purchase of the trout worms at a buck a bag..

I am an avid hunter and a 20 yr. NRA member. I could frankly give a total flip what Dick's policy is on anything gun related. They are such a miniscule amount of any gun sales in this country it would not even approach 1%. This is about me and my clients only for a change. I used over 100 bags of trout worms last year mostly purchased on Berkley's Capt. Program, but when I can get them for a buck a bag I'm on board. Not going to mean a durn thing to the future of guns and not going to mean a durn thing to either Berkley or Dicks in the long run. 16 bags for $15.39 delivered in 3 days means a lot to me.

Very nice report, Thanks a bunch, sounds like you all had a blast.

Started out on extremely flat water out of Lilley's with surface temps in the 48 degree range, 5:50 AM. Plenty of depth this morning with the lake at 703.4 even on slack water. Fished from Fall Creek down for the first hour and had roughly 15 nice and I mean nice bows in the 12 to 16 inch range.. They bit well on the Bubble Gum Berkley Power worm 6' under the float until the sun hit the water and it was over like turning off a light switch. Pulled into the restricted zone and switched to a olive head olive body Micro and it got really good. Water was completely flat full of surface pollen and not moving a lick from either current or air movement, and it really didn't matter. Had easy 20 plus fish in a couple of hours on the Micro by just shaking it and letting it set. I don't remember a strike that the indicator was pulled completely under. They would just rattle it or move it a sideways. I'm sure my clients got tired of me saying "There he is or he's on it." I've seen so many soft strikes, I see them in my sleep. We had fish up to 19" hitting that Micro and the indicator would just shudder and not even think about going under. One of my guys this morning was a fly fishermen from Colorado and said without my help he would have missed 90% of those strikes, as he just had never seen anything that lite. Mostly cause he fishes moving water with a dry fly. He was amazed at the quality of the fish, the extremely lite strike and then the activity of the fish once hooked. We had lots of jumpers. As Phil has been telling you, lake is full of very quality fish and between now and the 4th. might be a good time to come and give some of them some exercise.

Nice video, Subtle to no movement at all on that flat water fishing any kind of a marabou under an indicator is for sure the ticket. If you notice the way Phil shook the rod and I call it shocking the indicator without really moving the fly toward you produces lots and lots of strikes on calm water. All I want to do is attract attention to the fly If your fishing a micro the hen hackle tail imparts lots of wiggle diggle even in flat no drift water, as does the marabou tail. Really fun to watch. And yes I guess the bears are back in Branson. Couple of years ago there were multiple sightings and some damage to gardens and bee hives. Did not hear a lot out of them last year except down on Bull Shoals they seem to see them with regularity. Two different bears were spotted on the 30th. Easy to tell from the color phases of the Black bear. One was dark black and the other was a lighter chocolate or brown.

You did the dinner deal right. We had to go to Flat Creek Inn. I'm not complaining.

Mag-Nif-E-Co. Fantastic morning Somebody beat you to her the first time. glad they wanted someone else to give her a test drive. Every top water and the spoon fish we caught had already been pin pricked and released to bite another day. We had 14 K's later in the morning and none had a scar. Rubbed off tails but no oral surgery.

That's a good morning Randy. I'll bet by Saturday afternoon we will see surface temps approaching 88 degree. I don't really remember that type of bath tub water June 1st. or 2nd. It was really still at the dam around 9AM and it just sucked the moisture out of you. It did indeed feel like a Sauna.

Don't know how where or why that Jack Salmon thing ever got started and the biologist laugh at it as the walleye is not even remotely in the salmonid family. I have heard it referring to walleye since I was a kid. I think its a Ozark thing. There is a Jack Salmon however and it is an early returning male King Salmon that has returned to fresh water to soon and is usually very small On the perch, sunfish or what ever you want to call the spiny little rascals, they really get going here the 1st of July usually under 20' on the gravel runnouts

Little better day for us a the dam today starting at 6 AM out of Moonshine. Surface temp at the start was 84 and visibility is 10' plus. Little bit of fog and a slight breeze and we just fished the flat points from Indian to the Belle. Had 7 topwater fish on the 110 Pooper, 2 on the Jet then they got nasty when the sun hit. Durn it got hot quick, hot and still. We stumbled around catching 14 more deep fish, all on the bottom in 30 to 40 ft. on gravel, 7 on a crawler and the other 7 on a purple cuttail worm. At 10 we were all drenched in our own juices and about as miserable as you can get while trying to have fun. Buster had the other part of the group and fished deep trees and did I believe about the same. He used live bait. Said they were 35' over 70 in the trees, but were not frisky at all. They would look at it and then dive back into the trees Better than the other day but pretty hard for me.