Bill Babler

Surface temps today at 80 degree. Fished the Cow Creek area and the jig bite is still really on. Caught quite a few on a 3/16 Chompers Flat stand up head with a Zinker Z PBJ. 2.5 inch. My clients as well as Beck's just have a terrible time keeping that 1/8th on the bottom if there is the slightest breeze. I had 2 non-fishermen today, just beginners and they caught them great and never hung up a single time

We're catching them without a sign of a bush. With this water color they are staying really up close just cruising. There are Also lots of shad up there tight, in and out of the bushes

Lake is divided from above Shell Knob to KC in a tea brown color and from Point 7 to Longcreek and point 15 in the James River to the mouth of the James in a turquoise green. Average temp no matter where I fish has been 75-78. Make No mistake, this water is still stained lake wide. My clients are throwing 1 bait and 1 bait only right now, no matter the lake section I choose. We're tossing a 1/2 oz PBJ Jig with a Yamamoto Cinnamon/Purple twin tail. No need to throw it in the bushes and get hung up. We are catching lots of keeper fish in 12 to 20 feet. In front of the bushes and out the chunk rock main lake and secondary points. I'm mostly throwing it on 12 pound Invesx. 1/2 day early morning trips are catching, really good numbers of quality fish. K's, Smj's and LM. I KNOW Ned will get them but if you want to throw Big Boy Toys, they are Crushing that Jig Combo. Good Luck. I'm still not able to access OAF thru our WIFI

They are slamming it up the James. By far the best looking water on the lake still cannot access the forum thru our wifi. Sorry

Since the change in the server our wifi won't let me on OAF. This is from my iPhone. Hope to get it worked out tomorrow. Great fishing now on the Rick so maybe have a report soon Good Luck

On the split ring deal, My clients have been catching some wonderful trout on Taney. I have been using a couple of small jerkbaits, the best being a Rebel floating Minnow in Chrome with a Black back. Never a problem. Another good bait, for its size and action is the XPS suspending minnow. Both of these baits are the same size and the exact same price. The difference is the trout will bend out the hooks and straighten the split ring on the XPS bait. Not all the time but way to much of the time. I remove the split ring and use a Spro, and put a little mustad hook on the rear. There is no excuse for this. Make a very good bait with a super action and then just put crap for terminal hardware on it. If a 2 lb. trout can bend it out, you have a problem NASA.

I do some, but most times I use a White River Drift Rig. It is a lot easier to change the size of the weight.

HEE HEEE, I think it did

That is one super day Looks like that water still have plenty of color. Did you get launched off the parking lot at Campbell?

Thanks Sprint, that is knowledge that you have to get everyday as the lake keep changing. Would bet you that which ever brother it was fished a jig from start to finish.

Yep, 8 pound Maxi on spinning rods for my clients. They can throw it a mile and never have had a problem. Only problem I have ever had is trying to release a fish last year on one and buried it in my thumb. Bone, Monkey Butt and Loon.

The 90 series is basically all I or my clients use and I have had very good success with it up to this year. Since we are not having a topwater bite.

Great explanation on all things White River and drift fishing. The 4 items you mentioned to a lot of folks may seem trivial, but in fact it is a combination of many things when drift fishing that yield the best results. Another if the amount of weight, it is a very fine line. As you mentioned you want a tick, not a hard thumping drag or a steady bounce. You will lose rig after rig doing this. There is a very fine balance. Yesterday it took me about 2 hrs. to come up with the perfect drag, with not only weight but location. We are not just drifting, mostly we are working seams drops and edges. Big hole right now is holding fantastic fish and you want to hit it right in the middle on every pass. I Don't think I have failed to get a bite right at the edge every pass the last couple of days. Right now on 6 pound test line 3/16th. to 1/4 depending on the bait and your drift pattern. A trick that I'm also doing with the boat is slowing down the drift, using the trolling motor. You can do this two ways, one, by moving sideways and also by either letting one end of your boat or the other, and I use the bow and let it get down stream ahead of the stern a bit and then correct. You will immediately see your lines slack and tighten and start to hit as it allows the boat to lose speed. Today we were drifting from 4.7 to 5.1. If you are letting line out to increase your depth don't just open the bail, feed it out slowly until you feel it touch, if you just let it fall it will hang up a huge percentage of the time. Also when you are beginning your drift as soon as you cast, pick up the slack immediately. This will also allow the bait to fall on a tight line and not free fall into a snagging position. Lots of tips and tricks to help get another bite. I only lost 4 baits today and none yesterday and we are just slaying the fish, using these techniques. Phil also mentioned a 45 degree cast and that is a fantastic way to slow the bait and let it gain depth. One thing to remember if you are fishing a drift rig however is to not let it get totally to the side and start to roll or you got yourself a messy nest. Take your time don't get frustrated, be safe and enjoy what we have going right now. Have at least 2 rods rigged per person to start and have all of your baits, weights and materials right where you need them so you don't have to dig thru your big boxes while you are drifting that fast. Be prepared. Good Luck.

Plus 1

Bill Beck and I hit the water at 6:30 this morning with the Tom Zapp group. Exciting would not even start to cover the action. Not as many guides or boats in the restricted zone this morning with the flow and the temps just like yesterday. Jack did have this one jump clean out of the boat and it was just a hoot. Between the two guide boats I'm going to say probably somewhere over 100 fish. I'm encouraged to say we had 12 brown trout and I think Bill had several These fish are just plain thick and heavy for their length. Some of the bows look like silver salmon. Again today we counted on the shad fly and a small silver jerkbait. Bill also caught several on a Y2K. This long old big boy was out best brown, but that rainbow in the net was a freek They were still spitting scuds and shad. Come and enjoy it before this feeding frenzy slows down.

It is a very good idea right now to put a stinger hook on. We have been getting thumped hard this week, some knocking slack in the line and missing them till I put a trailer hook on. Early Coldslaw in 3/8 with either a big Colorado or a Colorado and a williow and as the sun comes up go to a Mouse or anything white. They really are liking gold blades over chrome. This is for the stained water. When you get to point 7 the water is clearing fast and the SB bite is over by 7 or 7:30. They are eating a Road Kill or Puke Tube with the ends dyed orange in the stained water on the old bank line. Put your boat in 30' and don't go an inch under that, stay in 30 to 35 and work the tube hopping and dragging on flat gravel and cove points. From point 7 to the dam they are eating the tube, jig and shaky head in the same depth. Tube color is watermelon candy and watermelon, jig is PBJ and the shaky head is GP with its tail dyed red. Buster is also catching them really good swimming the Keitech in Pro Blue and Rainbow Shad. Very few of us can do this, he is setting his boat in 40 to 45 ft. and swimming it as slow as mush thru a sieve. Mostly main lake points and he is catching big pre-spawn K's and post spawn LM Should have a really good idea after Wednesday as I'm on the Rock constant after that.

I will say the word is out and there are no secrets. At first there were about 6 guide boats fishing, but soon enough the fishermen were out there. I cannot remember seeing so many people hooked up at once, most everyone.up there doing the correct thing was having a great time. Phil's docks and ramp are in great shape and the launch at Branson is fine and ready for business, little tight on parking, but you can find a space if you get there early.. Scotty's is open and should have fuel by the end of the day today. For those not adventures enough to head to the restricted zone Lamar said they are biting well below his dock all the way to the Landing on Power Worms under a strike indicator. Cooper Launch is a different deal. IT takes 2 folks there and the water is swift. If you are not used to launching and loading under river like conditions, don't launch there, go down town it is gentle down there. Cooper is also to far out to the dock to wade, so again be careful loading and launching at Cooper. If you are staying at Lilleys' and they are not busy and you want to launch at Cooper ask one of the guys for help, if they can do it I'm sure they will I personally don't know how long this crazy bite will last, but if you want to catch a big fish on Taney, think about it.

White is the color, Rainbow and Brown are what the color catches. Lots of nice pictures being posted, but none here. I had 4 clients on upper taney this morning and the fishing was just fantastic. 5 fish at or over the 20" mark with the best being a 22.5 inch Rainbow. Could hardly help one client release a fish before I was off the other end of the boat to repeat the process. Current is running at 4.4 to 4.7 mph and the water is a very nice aqua color. Surface temp was 57 degree. It is running extremely clean and no moss. I did not have to clean a hook and for that matter I did not lose a single fly today. I believe that is a first for dragging flys on the upper end. We drifted shad flys from the cable to Fall Creek and caught fish pretty much the entire way. The fish we caught at the cable were absolutely full of scuds and sow bugs, just choking on them. By the 2nd outlet shad seemed to be the meal of choice. We caught many that were full of shad and spitting them as I netted the fish. One really nice bow had 3 coming out one side of his gill plate and at least 3 more in his gullet. Still bit the shad imitation. I used a long shank size 8 hook tied with white marabou and white chenille or I used a white bunny zonker for the tail, white on white. Using 6 pound main line I tied to a size 12 swivel with a 2' 6 pound leader. Tie the fly to the leader and clip a 1/4 oz. bell sinker on the swivel and you have it made. As Duane said you pretty much have to throw a jig combo if you want to get it down. These fish are right on the bottom and it is running about 12 to 18 feet deep on the upper end. Strikes were simply jarring, I was worried about them snatching a rod from a hand especially drifting that fast. Not a problem as the action was so fast there was not much waiting, so everyone was paying very close attention, Capt. Steve Dicky had 3 fly fishermen and was fishing slack water just above Point Royal on the same side. It looked as if they were just hammering them. Not a big space but if you are the 1st. ones there you can do it. He told me earlier Micro Jigs and midges. Without a launching partner you might get your tootsies wet, but with fishing like this damp feet are not a problem There are some rules to follow with this current, one being do not idle or anchor in the channel above the conservation ramp. You will get someone including yourself hurt. Boats are drifting at a very nigh speed and just cannot dodge you. Also you throw an anchor out and you got a good chance of going under. Just drift with the current and you will be both safe and successful. Good Luck

Thanks, that's a very nice report and extremely accurate.

Thanks for the report Mike, 40 is a more than respectable number, that is a great day, high water or no.

Phil Lilley knows a lot about this, but I also believe there is some type of a congressional mandate about the water level below Bull Shoals dam. I think it goes back to the flood of 08 and there is some type of a release restriction under certain circumstances. Remember it was mot very long ago we were at 909 and we were wondering about not having enough water. I think the COE is dong a good job on this, the best they can, and as you all know I'm not the first person to brag up any governmental agency. Lots of things come into play here that the common lay person just does not have the information to make or understand these decisions.

Bad News; I checked Combs Ferry and Cow Creek. At Cow you can still get in, there is room for 18 rigs. At Combs, the water is over the access road and you cannot get to either the ramp or the parking lot. Bummer. I'm telling you this one more time at Cow. Be Careful, or you will knock a chunk out of your keel. Keel guards are fine, but for this ramp you need a Hamby if you are by yourself or be mighty careful. I would think that Campbell Point would be open. Lord knows when its normal you cannot launch there, as it is to flat. You would have to launch off the parking lot and it may be gated. Boys and Girls when you launch off these parking lots, be very careful. Have that motor trimmed up to the max and be careful of both your prop and skag. Just had a prop cleaned and polished and it was $175 large. You crank a chunk off the skag and bend up that 600 dollar blade and you have just whished you wouldn't have. Don't get impatient this will not last. It is costing all us guide types thousands and the resorts owners the same, but that is part of doing business on a COE pond. I just thank the Lord everyday that he has granted me this opportunity. Good Luck

Got a bad feeling if they are going to close Cape Fair once they took down the barricades that State Park and some of the others won't be far behind. I'm going to run down JJ right now and check the old main lake ramp at Combs Ferry Lots of parking and a big ramp if the road is not blocked and water across it at a low gap.

Denny just saw on Facebook where the COE closed the ramp at Cape Fair Marina after opening it earlier this week, telling the folks at the Marina that the lake was headed up again. If you look the lake has basically stayed the same for the last 24 hrs. or risen a inch or two. Would be interesting to know what the plan is. Got to think they are starting to drop Beaver and let it dribble out at Bull Shoals. Looks like we are going to be the catch basin for a while. All reports coming from mostly Big Cedar as they have a private ramp their guides are using that the bite in the dam area is very good early on a blade and then fair to middlin later on tubes and swimbaits, on the old bank line but they are getting bit.

Have not been to the H hwy ramp but the low road leading into it may be flooded. You for sure would be ok there if the road is not flooded. There will be clear water somewhere in that area or slightly stained. From what I am hearing from the Big Cedar guides the fish are biting. It is mostly an early shallow water bite with a blade and some on a jig, tube or a Ned. Have not heard of a Buzz Bait bite on this lake.