Bill Babler

I don't drive a Kitty, but before anyone anywhere starts comparing anything to one, they had better have at least a dozen cases completely full of J.D. Power awards for: Best in class, Best in Performance, Highest Quality Build by MMA, Highest Customer Satisfaction, Highest Resale to initial price, and a simi-load of patents on how to build one of the most structurally sound Fiberglass boats not only on the market but that has ever been built. I don't believe anyone including what I drive wants to get in that arena and start anything with that boat company. On top of that, those are some of the best folks I have ever met in any type of the boat business. You go down there to look at a boat regardless if you are Mike Ike or Joe Blow, and The friggin owner of the Joint is the 1st. person to greet you and he knows your name and everything about you. Every person in the plant will know who you are call you by name and show you the complete operation. BassCat is a Complete leader in the Bass Boat industry and is run by one of the best staffs in any kind of business. The Quality of their product is beyond reproach, they have been doing it right since 1971. Carry on.

Thank you Travis that is way excellent of you to post that. The information and photographs and just good people going out of their way to help and educate here is simply off the charts.

Don't know how he keeps his trap shut in a deer stand long enough to kill one, but he sure seems to be in the right spot a lot. He hunts hard regardless of the weather. I have seen him out there on days like today with -wind chills and blowing snow. Really have no idea of his financial background, but the guys seems like his nose is to the grindstone about like Mike said from eye open to eye shut. He has only won 2 tournaments but, has been in the classic 15 times. That tells you he is pretty durn consistent. You get the ole boy close to one and he will snatch it. 1.6 mil in winnings from BASS butsince 2006 his endorsements have grown from 550 grand to over 1 million per year, making him one of the highest paid fishermen on the tour. He kind of reminds me of a high school buddy. He could start telling jokes right now and continue till tomorrow, I don't think he has ever forgotten one.

That big Road Runner is Buster's number 1 bait for chasing/schooling fish. Knew there was a blow-up but forgot the participants. Don't believe the GMan would throw that big of a fit now, but never know. He was a bit out of control on the snot deal, but most usually I like him. He is a very good deer hunter and shoots a bow extremely well. Saw him make a 50yr. plus shot this last season that was right thru the wheel house. I think the guy works really hard and has the same trouble I do some times of mouth and foot problems. On another deal I really liked the Rigid Lighting on the boats trucks and trailers. Looked at their website, and decided the lighting I had was just fine. Really, really expensive. Of course it is a toy and you don't for sure have to have it, but boy is that stuff pricy. I find myself looking at lots of gear sites today, so even if the production sucked with a capital S. it got me lookin.

Going to go back a few years to the last elite of he year I believe it was a September event that was won here on the Rock by Todd Faircloth. Don't believe they called it a Fishhead Spin at that time, but Aaron Martens durn near won the deal fishing it on the bridge piers at KC. Someone probably Dave can call the name of the bait, but it just looked like a big Road Runner, with a willow blade and a fluke hung off the back. I immediately tried it as Aaron showed how he was fishing it and talked about it and everything. Really nice presentation. Personally I never did well with it as I could not keep it running correctly it wanted to spin something crazy like, and there is so many ways to catch them I put it on the back burner. There was also a big blowup out there with either Martins-Elias or Swindel, cannot remember who other than Martins was involved, but he was on those fish with that presentation, and someone tried to horn in on his deal, and it really hit the fan. Don't think it went to the bank, but pretty close with enough 4 letter words raining down you would have thought you were in Sturgus. That really is a very popular presentation here, but modified a bit and a lot of the locals fish it a bunch, mostly to suspended fish in pole timber. I know Beck will at times fish it along with Buster, but Pete probably does it more than everyone else combined. Bob Tindle when he was guiding and now even sport fishing uses it a huge percentage of the time. Most popular deal however is to use the Super Fluke or the Jr. on a Schronger head. and wind it thru the pole timber. Buster just told me it is a very good technique for fishng Bull Shoals early and to go right down the bank with it. More action than swimming a grub and you can keep it off the bottom better. Especially if we have moss problems as we do sometimes early.

I have taken the day off, and Phil and I are going to fish. We will come in early and also have burgers, dogs and chili. I will also bring soft-drinks and the camp stove to have some coffee. Might be able to round up a special prize or two also. Be great fun meeting and eating with you all, really looking forward to it.

KVD made excellent points. Ish Monroe, and I really kind of like the guy, stunk it up pretty bad. He would be doing this or that if he were one of the top anglers in contention. Probably the reason he was working the sponsors booths. Zona made a poor point in saying that the fish do not move on Table Rock or Grand, once you find them they stay for the entire length of the derby. Could not be further from the truth when speaking about the Rock. Fish live in the lake here regardless of which of the 3 you are fishing for. They move freely and are most always in transit. Table Rock really fishes a lot like Hartwell at this time of the year, with exception of the Blue Backs. Also for us to fish open gravel is an absolute key, and is one of the best patterns on the lake fishing our long clean runnouts. I did really watch a ton of it, mostly cause its to cold to do anything else and it was pretty educational. Especially the live fishing. That was live fishing, these guys are not getting a bite every 5 minutes. Just loved it. Not often, but at times Clients will have seen tournament results for our lakes and are really excited about coming fishing and catching all those fish and all that weight. Most often on a guide trip, that just does not happen. First it is very hard for people to fish as slow as is necessary and it is also not tournament fishing. Most often you are on the water for no more than 4 hrs. and most of the time it is closer to 3 and a half. Teaching folks how to use the equipment and present baits in proper techniques to afford the bites takes time. It is for us much easer to get folks bit on fish that are not 4 pounds but to take people to locations where they can get multiple bites from smaller fish that are in much greater numbers and are way more eager to nip at presentations that might need a bit of refining. These guys were fishing for 8 bites a day. Not 8 fish, but 8 bites in an 8 hr. day. Usually people that don't get to fish much need to get 8 bites to catch one fish. Good example was Ashley stating that the fish kept "Ping, Ponging" the bait around before one would load on it. Kiss of death in the guide business there would be so much hook setting and jerking that the bait would be airborne more than it would be in the water Really good stuff on the water, and don't know the answer to the ice, but I would think a week could help.

I found it kind of funny he kept hooking himself and catching his gloved hand. Believe I would have taken off the glove. Ya they are sharp. Also did you see Ike cut that hook out of his rain suit. That left a mark. I probably would have a hard time cutting a hole in a set of 500 buck rain gear, but I have to pay for mine. I'm very interested in that Stormr stuff, looks like the real deal. I at first had a hard time watching the real time fishing as my computer on Internet Exploder would freak out. I went to Google Chrome and no prob.

Ashley in the early morning clips and from what he said, was he was targeting suspended fish coming out of what we here would call a pocket or a cove. There it is called a drain or a ditch. Really just a cove gut. Said the fish were up, under the Herring and pushing them to the surface in 35' to 60'. As the sun comes up those fish retreat to the bottom and use depth for cover, just like they do here. I believe day 2 he had a limit of schooling fish in the first 35 minutes. Later in the day from the shots on his Lowrance I saw he was setting in 43' to 45' throwing those long run outs on either side of the cove mouth. The fish simply position themselves out there after the early morning bite and then as the light decreases they will follow that bait again back into the pocket. There were lots of guys running this same pattern, trying to ambush the suspended fish on either a jerkbait or some type of a mid-range presentation early and then either drop shotting or dragging a big jig on those long points after 9 AM. Skeet had the pattern right off the bat with the swimbait, but it looked to me like there were not as many fish where he was fishing and after the 1st. day he had wacked them about as hard as he could. He also said he just could not see or find them after the early bite. Ike did the exact same thing, and really Tok being out on that long run was also targeting fish that were doing the same thing. They would move in small schools on and off. Drop shot and Jig. Mike was doing close to the same thing, it looked like in the limited coverage of him. But with a difference he was working the suspended fish that we could see all day on the graphs of every fishermen they gave a screen shot of. Great pattern and durn near worked for him. He said it would take 45 pounds, which was a bit lite, but he had 41 with 14 fish so he knew exactly what he was going to produce. He said he had 2 four pounders come off for no reason, and knew that does not happen if you are going to win the classic, those fish just stay on if its your time. The crankers also knew that the fish were up there early, but they thought that some would always stay shallow and not move, but they moved. They started out like a ball of fire each day and by 9 or 10 oclock the wheels came off as the fish moved out to darker water. Any body notice what hooks the Howleer said he was using on his crankbaits? Really interesting deal.

Did you guys get any keeps? Without being in the boat with someone that practices those type of slowdown techniques it is just flat impossible to tell how slow to fish. Over 90% of the walleye he catches his stickbait is at least a 45 degree angle back behind the boat. Also I missed it from another thread, but very happy B. Day.

Yes Donna, said he put a limit in the boat early the first two days on the spinhead and then went looking for big ones on piles with the jig. NADA. Decided to stay on and fish the Head all day today, and live and die with what was working for him. We saw the result. Loved the commentary by Ish Monroe. Guess that was why he got to stay in and eat cheeseburgers all day today.

Really somewhat of an embarrassment. 4 hrs. and over 100 "Lets get Loud and Are you Ready" Just about the most unprofessional production that could ever be put together. I really don't think you could plan and make it that bad. It is a total shame. They really need to hire a professional producer to handle this. For cripes sakes the attendance was announced for the derby at over 100 grr. Happy as a tick in a dog pound for Ashley, but that production with the money available to them is completely unwatchable.

they do really get on that mid-creek runnout, but in the next couple of weeks that may be a little soon for that bank. Push it out a bit further toward the main lake on some of that transition, and I bet you get bit. I do however love the location you mentioned, just a bit early

Justin, from the Marina, take a hike out just inside the heavy wake wall that keep waves from coming into the Marina. Start there and fish the bank all the way out to the main channel, it is about 3/4 of a mile, so a lot of nice fishing with the lake at this depth. Fish the Ned ie Varmint and swim a grub on a 1/4 in head and you will get bit. Take a couple of rods with you and also fish a Spro McStick in Blue Bandit, throwing the sticker as far as you can and then cranking and jerking it down. fish it back in a twitch-twitch-twitch 20 second pause method. Good Luck and you should have a fishing report.

Beaver dam if you want to go there if the water is running

Absolutely. You want to get as close to a Kietech as possible and save the bucks, there you go.

Could you even pick a better Champion? what a super guy on his own pond. Of course I was rooting for Mike, but Casey was right in there. Said every fish he weighed was on the homemade spin head. Enough Said. Probably cost him a hundred grand to be truthful, but that is how he shot this deal. Got to respect that. Boys, he pretty much fished Table Rock the last 3 days. Very, very close to the same deal. Wonderful Classic

Eric's information thru Mike Webb is much better than mine. I'm sure he is correct for the pro-staff. Guides here that could get one, it would come thru Pro-Choice, with an April Delivery Apples to apples between 3 and 4 grand over the Z9 similar equipment. Just checked with them again and all said it was to be available to them for an late April to May 1 delivery. Glad to hear the performance is as good as he is giving us. That is super. And of course what I had heard was word on the street from guys that are driving Nitro. Had heard of course that Brian's boat had run 63 Did not hear that there was 1,300 pounds of weight in the boat, not counting the motor, Really minus the third person that is a common tournament load. 1000 to 1,200 pounds. Good Information, Thanks

Went by Eagle Rock today and it was open, but the road going down there was petty icy. I drove down and could not see where anyone had launched, but there were car tracks and the snow and ice were melted out of the tracks You can make it but be careful. Also for me something that is a very important factor, and it would have been today is just the amount of wet icy road grime that is on the roads. You for sure had better tarp the boat going and coming, but it will just get filthy. Kind of hate to spend two days detailing for a 1/2 day fishing trip.

In watching this years Classic, I think I have learned more this year from these guys than in any other year that I have ever watched any type of a fishing show. Some of what I have learned is we all probably do way more than we should and do not fish to our strengths. Did you buy this bait? Did you get that bait in that color? How big and what kind of jig are you fishing? Man, I tried everything in the tackle box today and just could not get a bite. That is not the way the pro's are playing the most important game in the world to them. They are not swinging at down in the dirt curve balls, they are not taking close pitches, they are all, everyone of them cutting at the fast ball right down the middle. They are fishing to their strengths. They are not reading the play book of the opponent and trying to come up with a game plan, they are saying this is what I do the best, the very best, and if that is not good enough, I'll try it again and again until it is good enough. Reese for the most part is swimming a Kietech, that is his deal. The Jerkers are a jerkin, the jig guys are jigging. The dock fishermen are dockin and the shallow crankers are crankin. They all want to either win or lose doing what they do best. 15 guys most doing different things within 6 pounds. Going to be a great finish. Just shows you no matter what the water temp is, you fish to your strength with the bait you have the most confidence in regardless with in reason what it is and you got a chance.

Christie was pretty accurate with his weight. He usually does not tell all. Would really be nice on the presentation if they would just be a bit more main stream. All the Hoop-La and other stuff is just not necessary. Really gets to be more than a boor. Several stories present biggest is probably A-Mart loosing his father last night.

Sounds like a plan. I have read lots of other forums including BBC and I don't know any of those people, and really would not trust any as far as I could throw them. Just interested if any of our members have any knowledge as that is way more reliable. I'm really thinking the Talon from all that I have read so far. Love the fact that it is self adjusting and it lays flat on the deck when not in use. It also has no internal parts or needs any interior mounting other than running the battery cables.

everyone of those guys will weigh in more than it says.

Folks, I am putting together a new Bay Boat. It is a center console AlWeld with a 6 degree tunnel hull. Going to use it on Bull and Taneycomo as well as a gulf boat. 22 plus feet powered by a 115 merc 4S. My question is that I'm going to put a shallow water anchoring system on it and want to know if any of you know what you would suggest the Talon or the Power Pole. I'm leaning toward a 10' talon as it will completely lie flat on the deck when not in use and has a multiple position anchor that adjusts with waves. Very important on taney. I have been on lots of sites and it seems to be 6 one, 1/2 dozen the other. I do like the fact also that the talon is not on an articulating pivot point that lots of people are saying gets really sloppy really quick. Thoughts?

Really good picture either on the video of him and also on one of the fish he put in the boat. There are two good photo's of the Swing Impact. That bait is hard to mistake. Don't know if he is sponsored by them or not, nor do I know if Mike was here, but Mike caught a pig load on it on the Rock when he won it here this Spring.