Bill Babler

Thanks Mike. Did you all catch in bass out there with them? Got to think a soft thermocline is setting up in the usually 26 ft. range so a few feet either side of it on either the Rock or Bull us usually the ticket, either suspended or on the bottom.

I have used Dyna in the past, but everytime I pay my bill I just feel like I have been absolutely hammered. Their reviews on Google are not good, mostly the same complaint with what they usually say when you fuss is "Well that is cheaper than buying a new one." I believe and please correct me if I'm wrong $165.00 is their minimum charge if they just clean and polish without adding any material. We are talking at 25's to 27's here in 3 or 4 blade. I have had 5 done there and that is what it has been on all 5. So either they saw me coming or that is the minimum for scratch removal and polishing. Prop Dr. where they were at Kimberling City was $90 for the same fix. Never heard a single fuss about John's Hot Props, on either price or quality of workmanship. Good Luck

I don't think this thread is at all about everyone just getting along as you put it. Far from that and also far from a little Fish and Ski pulling the kids around on a tube during mid day. That is pretty much old school and no one is fussing about that. This is about huge wake making watercraft that are designed to throw huge wakes. It has been a problem from Campbell Point to Big M for quite a few years with at first the big 26 to 36 foot Cobalts and now that problem is compounded with the X boats. That are creating wake by filling bladders with water to create a bigger wave, to not ski on but to litterly surf behind the boat. With the narrow features of the lake in that area, ie more like the White River Channel, it is having a reverb effect and the waves have no place to disipate. They are not only damaging shoreline but personal property. As a boat operator you in Missouri are still responsible for your wake damage, and this needs to be enforced by what ever body and in whatever small amount they police Table Rock. Another factor is more and more of these boats are out at sunrise. Guided out of Baxter a couple of days ago and was on the water at 5:30. guests at the Chalets on Table Rock Lake had 3 Xboats running in the mouth of the Big Indian and going back 1/2 mile past point 18 into the trees by 6:30. Since just before the holiday weekend I have had these types of boats run between me and the bank towing and surfing from Baxter to Campbell point on the flat points on both sides of the lake. Sometimes these boats are running in under 8' of water and running thru trees. Does not seem to matter as ignorance is bliss. None of us own the lake, but this is going to be a problem and someone is gong to get hurt by this type of non-responsible boat operation.

You just spent $135,000.00 for an Xboat Extreme and you think your going to be worried about gas at 5 bucks? When pigs fly. Guys lots and lots of these people are 6 figure a year folks anymore and gas prices are not going to hamper their summer lake fun. It is just getting horrible and really I have no answer Good Luck

Ham, same exact deal on TR. Top Bite is from 5:15 to 5:30 and consists of one or two Kentucky bites. These fish on both Bull and TR are just full of Lobsters and they seem to only be looking under rocks to find them. I think both lakes must have just had a huge hatch of crayfish and the predators are really working on them. A couple of weeks ago when we caught those really nice catfish and walleye, they were just full of daddy's. I'm seeing plenty of both gizz. and threadfin shad on both lakes so they could have either. Another thing we were finding was that all the big 3 were spitting up small bluegill. That could have been since they were up there working shallow. This has stopped somewhat and it is just about straight crayfish since they moved out a bit. Pretty much only took a limit both days to with the CPA this weekend. 24 pounds for two days. That is 12 pounds per day. Pretty slow. Talked to one of the guys that fished it. He lost the fish when we all did. Said he was catching 18 pounds a day 2 weeks ago and every bit of that moved. He weighed in 9 pounds for 2 days and just could not get bit by any size fish. He had been fishing a shaky head in front of the bushes and out to 24 ft. on the bluffends and where the channel swung into the bank. Had also been throwing a 7" swimbait on the bluffends. That deal dried up on him but he just could not get anything else figured. Said he had not worked the long flat runnouts, just could not make himself fish that slow that deep after the last 6 weeks catching them like he had been. It is really, really hard to give up a pattern that has been working so well, with the topwater in and infront of the bushes and the jig SB and wobbler in front of the bushes. Those that can adapt usually win. Those of us that are stuck in our ways and cannot change usually struggle. I fall into the struggler, as I just have a hard time changing and moving, always thinking it is locations and timing rather than a complete move. I'm working on it. Good Luck

Great Report and just a wonderful fish. I by far am no Bull Shoals expert, far from it, but it does fish like the Rock. These fish are not only in transition from their Spawing pattern but also now moving into there Summer play ground. Work your way out these long main lake flat points and also the long flat creek point till they dump into the channel. I believe there are some out there that are the right kind including some nice walleye. Best deal for me that last couple of times has been a Zoom Fish Dr. in GP pulled on either a splitshot or a 1/4 oz C-Rig. It is time however for that bottom bouncing rig or a lindy to start catching those deeper walleye. If the thermocline sets up in the usual 26' early range that is a pretty good place to drag anything thru. Don't forget they will also suspend in those locations. I just love that pond, never know what will latch on.

I will tell you this. It is Summer now, and if you plan to fish that area of the lake after 0800 in the morning, you are making just about as big a mistake as possible. The lake is completely packed and has been all week. Get out early and off before you get just tormented to pieces. If your on a long point fishing and are a full cast from the bank, someone will run between you and the bank. It has happened to me multiple times this week, and it is just getting horrible. At one point today, looking from my front deck, from the 86 bridge at Long Creek, to State Park Marina, I could count 53 boats. That my friends is a bunch. We are talking about 3 miles of water. Buster guided for Big Cedar this morning and said the boat traffic is as bad as he has ever seen, and you will flat get swamped if your not careful. He stated at 0700 and by 0800 had already told his folks he thought it was just pretty much going to be impossible as the traffic was already that bad. I guided out of Kimberling yesterday but went to Baxter and with the Camp kids and all the Big boats I thought I was going to get sea sick. You just could not get away from them on that stretch. Rant Over Warmest water I saw yesterday was 75.2.

I fished my clients hard yesterday for 19 fish with 3 keeps I believe Beck had 24 with 6 and he had some good sticks.

16 pounds is a very good sack right now, I don't care when your fishing or who you are.

Best of wishes. You take care, you all got the best out of them for this Spring. Let the heat of the Summer get by and get yourself back together and they will be waiting for you in the Fall with mouths open and tails waggin. Sincerely BB

Had 3 wonderful guys today out of a resort at Baxter. I could not put anything together at-tall. We had 14 total fish with 5 really nice ones and a couple hop off. Started on a fin and had 3 toads just crashing around chasing, but they would not hit it for the world. Tried to swim a grub and fish Ned a little bit, grub because of the wind and Ned cause it is just the right thing to do. NaDa!! Went to a wobble head and a shaky head and caught the fish, but just like Bull they are moving out. It was hard today. Wobble head was the best by far. I put a zman orange/green pumpkin worm cut in half just like the Ned but on a 3/16 shaky head cause of the wind and it worked some. Not like the Wibbler however. Talked to a couple of other guides today and Mike Webb was catching some 55' on the bottom on a crawler and he also had some suspended at 28' to 35' on the same bait. All 3 kinds of bass. Beck told me they moved yesterday to the ends of the long points in 22 to 35 on the wobblehead. Yesterday Phil Stone had everything under 15' but we talked today and he was out in that 25+ range, this was an overnight deal. Bill thinks it was time and when the rain fill came and they started running all this water, it pulled them out into their Summer Pattern. Just hope this topwater deals gets going, as it is as slow as I have ever seen for this time of the year.

The bass fishing got so slow we drug a nighcrawler harness in the same type of locations that you and I fish and nothing. Only good bite for me was a green/pumpkin fish Dr. on a rig. Water temps were 73 and the lake was really quiet as far as fish activity for Bull. I know someone was catching them, but this is a CPA week down there and I would imagine that it will be pretty quite. Bull like the Rock kind of changed up this week. That in front of the bushes topwater deal and all those shallow fish in that 15' depth range that we were catching last week, was not there, starting day before yesterday. I spoke to a couple of different guys yesterday and both said they had just been hammering them and completely lost the shallow bite on either a buzz bait or a spook. Shallow Smallmouth also are on the move and seemed to have reconcentrated on the long gravel runnouts in the 20 plus foot range. Just where the Summer pattern starts. I was seeing some fish a little higher in the water column and these may have been walleye that would have taken that slow trolled crank. As of day before yesterday what you were doing on Bull and Table Rock is now not the deal so much. Spoke to Mike Webb this morning and he was catching fish on the Rock at 28 to 55 ft. on the bottom, all three black bass species. Mike was crawler fishing, with clients. On both lakes right now it is currently taking pretty much no weight to cash a check as long as you have 5 keeps. Lots of the locals are saying in this weeks CPA on Bull they are expecting the two day derby to have a winner at 25 pounds which is pretty slim pickins. Good Luck and look deeper after the early morning topwater rush.

Have not seen a ton of 7yr. olds that can flip bushes, but maybe? I think at that age I would look for a bluegill bite as much as anything. Holding the attention of a child that young is more than a problem. He for the most part cares little about the size of the fish it is the number of bites he can get. If it were a girl it would be way different as the patients factor is times 10 over the boys at that age. Get a box of worms and have at it. Good Luck

Guys, I believe they moved out abit. I guided out of Diamond this morning and we gad an in front of bushes bite for about an hour and then nothing. Moved out in the 20 to 25 ft. range dragging a fish dr. and we hit them pretty good on the long runnout flat points, between Diamond and Buck Creek. Mostly Jaws, but a couple of LM. No K's or walleye, Good Luck

Contact Sac River Jim he may buy this boat. He is really looking and this seems to be the right deal.

Guided on Bull today and it has come up some, but hot much. None of the creeks down there are running in the least.

Lots of my clients just sling them onto the boat seat back to stabilize the fish. From there they are easier to unhook with pliers by first pulling the hooks from the fish and then from the boat seat. Good Luck

Your scaring me. I get nervous around the shoreline.

In the last 5 days here at Blue Eye, we have gotten about 3.3 inches. The lake has risen from 915.4 to 917.2 I think it is going to take a bunch for it to get to 920. That prediction of 5 more inches would I think have to come true to push it there. Wonder how much Bull is moving?

Looks like the Rock is risin and guess we will see if it puts them in the bushes or they stay put. Here are some photo's from the last week with the highlight being the Ned Rig or as we call it so much love, the "Varmint." As you can see this is very similar to the critters they are munching on. Most all these fish are coming in the 8' to 15' range and most all are belching crayfish. Early morning have been very dramatic with the fog on the water as the sun comes up. We have been starting at 0530. Still are not catching small K's, most are running very nice size in the 15 to 18 inch range. Lots and lots of Jaws. About 90% of the fish my clients are catching are Brown. The girls are really putting it on the guys this last week, and with very quality fish. This was a real quality Jaw, I just love the tiger striping on it. All these fish were caught on Ned. Not even going to tell how many Gina caught on Charles. He is not pictured. Not from lack of trying, but she flat put it on him. Her best 5 would have been 13.5 pounds. His best 5 would have been? Well he did catch over 20 fish if that is a consolation. Good Luck

Great Report. I have been seeing lots of jugs and lots of foam tubes floating at Baxter. Most look to be about 4 ft. in depth. I have seen 3 being towed around by huge Gar. I'm thinking they were not the intended targets.

Sorry for the loss. Lets keep the political stuff off. We all know how bad it is. There are some folks that only look for any type of a political post to further their agenda on here. so for those of you that are regular TR posters Lets talk fishing and let those folk only looking on our forum to comment on some type of non-fishing topic stay off the TR forum. I believe now both Minkota and Motor guide have quick releases on their TM brackets. I know you can take my new MG off in about 30 seconds. That my friends for leaving equipment unattended in dock on any lake is bad news.

Tenn. Shad and Blue Gill flash along with the Black Shad seem to be the deal. You might also look at a clear purple that Swing Oil is making. It is very good.

I think he is being pretty quiet on that OTHER bait.

I would love for me to catch a 3 or 4 pound smallmouth. Got a feeling a fish is a fish is a fish for the kids. Fish small fish gravel and fish early. by early your day should be ending around 0900. After that it is starting to turn into work. Fair to slim chance of catching a walleye on the gravel across from the Indians at Combs Ferry. Put a night crawler on a dropshot rig and start dragging it out the long gravel points from 15' to 30' That will be your very best chance. Buster is not a traditional walleye guide but his means work fantastic on Bull Shoals. It would not however be for the kids. This would be something for you. He is not a bait fisherman, and lots of precision casting is involved. I know he caught some last week on a very unconventional method and continues to catch one or two every trip. He is primarily bass fishing down there now and the eye's are a bonus. Give him a call and he can fill you in 417-335-0357 Good Luck