Bill Babler

What he said. Plus 1

That would have made one spectacular video.

Last couple of days have been a better bite for me and mine. I have been on the water from Baxter to Holiday Island and for sure my best bite currently has been from Point 22 up the lake. Guys, I have been just covered with emails about fishing patterns and locations. I don't mean not to get back with you as soon as possible, but we are really busy here at the Lodge and also guiding and there is just not enough hours in the day and I apologize for not responding to everyone. The last 3 days or so we have been averaging about a dozen fish per day with most being really nice LM in the 2.5 to 4.5 category. In 4 days of fishing last week, we did not catch one K or Jaw, all LM. I have no idea where those K's are since they ran out of the deep guts, they have just eluded me. Don't think it has been real good in the James or Kimberling City to the dam area, as lots of my buddies have been struggling in those locations. We will see today what the tournament weighs in and will know more. This deep A-Rig bite for me is yielding about 15 to 16 pounds per day and by golly I even had a couple of jerkbait fish the other day. Key locations for us have been the long sloping runnouts on either secondary mainlake points or main lake channel points. I have not caught a fish off a bluffend and I'm guessing its my fault. I am not seeing any suspended out there either. Everything is coming off some kind of a chunk rock gravel mix combo with my boat setting in the channel and throwing the A-Rig into about 15' of water and crawling it back to the channel break. If I'm not bumping bottom on occasion I'm not getting bit. I am also using very small baits on the rig, Paddle tail swimming minnows. I have had a couple of clients using way to big of baits and they are not catching as good. I have told them to let me switch those bigger baits and most have wanted to throw their own junk. Does not take them long to switch. One of my buddies said he has been getting pushed a bunch and swiped. He was fishing 5 and 6 inch baits, I told him to size down and it worked. His hookups were much better. Also my clients have been trying to set the hook on the Rig like they were worm fishing. WRONG. Just keep reeling and winding thru the bite, and you will hook up way better. There is no reason to set the hook, you will feel the weight of the fish and he is on it. Also if he misses it and you keep a steady retrieve he will take it again. Just keep reeling. Right now, if I was not out there everyday either guiding or fishing, it would be impossible for me to take someone. It is still hard for me to take someones hard earned money with the way this bite is. If you are guiding every minute you spend on the water is extremely important, especially this time of the year. We are seeing tournament bags that are toping 20 pounds, but our local tournament fisherman are not a representative group of people that just want a fun day on the water. Not by a long shot right now. All 3 of my clients this week have been good fisherman, but it takes something special right now. You have to keep your concentration at peak level if its you first or last cast and that is hard to do. Most guys fish pretty good for about 1 hr. the second hour is tougher and then if its slow its really hard for them. The guy that can enjoy the outdoors no matter what and be the bait on every cast all day is going to do ok. My guy Thursday was a regular and a very good fisherman. We had a pretty nice bag and he wanted to try a stickbait right at the end of the day. I told him to hop up on the front and run the trolling motor and I would fish the back behind him as there are really not that many fish up. I told him to fish slow and just turn the head of the Megabass from side to side. To move it but not move it. He is a very good stickbait fisherman. I caught two very nice keepers behind him and he did not catch any. He easily made 3 casts to my one and I told him and told him but he just could not slow it down, was just not possible. He caught them decent on the Rig, but the 36 degree water on a stickbait was just to slow of a presentation for his style of fishing. At the end of the day he asked me how many people would have caught those stickbait fish I said the normal cast of guides down here and some locals. And of course Buster, but even for me it was a commitment in patients. That of course being the key for February 38 degree water temps. Good Luck

From the Kings River to Eagle Rock the last three days they have been everywhere if you look. Probably at least 6 or 8 pairs. Day before yesterday they were doing aerial acrobatics in tandem. It was spectacular to watch. Wednesday we saw them picking up a fish or two and setting on the ice.

Was going to put in at the Knob this morning, but the ramp was iced over and so was the lake out about 59' from shore. Went into the Store and grabbed a Breakfast Scramble, 2 pieces of sausage and a biscuit. 3 bucks. great deal. Remembered Champs report and headed back to Eagle Rock. 2 boats already in on non-frozen ramp or water. Caught 2 pretty quick on a rig off bluffends. Went on up the White and fished similar and did not do well. Temp at the Ramp was 36 degree. Temp at Devils Dive was 40 Temperature at Big M. was 38. Kept throwing the A-Rig and caught 4 more on very similar types of stuff, long sloping ends with the channel hitting the bank. Nothing to brag about by any means as the 2 best were squeaker keeps and the other 4 were shorts. All LM. I did have something hooked that was pretty good as it pulled me out and then under the boat and came unbuttoned. No idea what it was. Had the boat most times in 30 fishing in. Did talk to a local that was catching better than me. He was also throwing an A-Rig, but on a totally different pattern, and I did not ask permission to tell. OWL, Panther, Cedar, Viney, and Carter were all frozen in so I could not look for any deep fish on that end Going back tomorrow and try what the other guy was doing and see how it treats us. Good Luck

I have fished this lake since the early 70's and have never ever done well around a bunch of dying shad. If I can see one here or one there I have caught them and caught them good. If they are dead floating or I can see gulls diving and see them dying all around me, I pretty much get out of Dodge and move to a area with less natural forage.

I view it as a very big possibility that some of these COE parks are going to be sold to private concerns. Some may or may not continue as parks. I believe some will be developed. Viney would make probably one of the prettiest subdivisions on the lake with water front access on both sides of the road. It would be magnificent. If that parcel of land would come on the market there would be no telling would a developer would pay for it. On an upper scale development even in this current market 1 acres lots would be easy 25 to 50 thousand. One acre next door to me just sold for 65 grrr. and it is not near as nice as the property of viney. It does have huge majestic views and is close to God forbid Branson, in a very upscale subdivision.

If you would start Dave's Bait and tackle and just sell what you have on hand the wife could quit pushing pills and you all could move down here to a very nice retirement. Hee Hee

Thank you gentlemen, it was just about as good a seminar evening I have spent and I have heard them all. Excellent turnout and as powerdive said, we can take this right to the water. Phil has done a great job putting this Spring Series together and it is not over yet, with Stockton, the White River and some more great information on Smallmouth. Time for me to hit the water this morning as I have a noon guide trip on Taney. Good Luck

You cannot let a friend use your pass. Your vehicle lic number is recorded. You cannot even pass from car to car in the same family. Ever vehicle has to have its own pass. AS has been stated the revenue goes into the general fund and the amount paid to go into the park is not the answer. The money that is budgeted is the question, and the number of park visits is what determines who will and will not be shut down. Viney has the lowest visits on TR and so it is the first to go. Until congress passes a bill that retains the money from park fees and it goes to a fund to support the parks, money is not the answer. Really does not matter if it was a hundred bucks to use the park per visit per day. That is not the question, as that money does not have one bit of effect on whether the park is open or not. It is hard as HE double L to understand, but that is the way this dog scratches its back. Until a bill is passed that is the way it will be. Good Luck and thank you so much for your interest in the Viney Park

Well, it would seem we hit a home run with this one. Professional fisherman and longtime guide Buster Loving pretty much knocked it out of the park. Not only did he pass his favorite walleye baits around the room that was full to the brim with over 60 seminar goers but explained techniques, presentations and areas that he like to fish. Walleye: Kdock to the Powersite dam Target mud flats where the channel hits the flats regardless of how far you are from the bank. Use feeder streams, channels, cove mouths and ditches as indicators that may be holding staging walleye. Target cover such as stumps and lay downs that are along the mudflat banks that relate to the main channel. Present suspending stickbaits to the top of the flats and fish them ever so slowly with the boat positioned a full cast into the channel from the mudflat edges. Crappie target mid-channel pole timber with slow falling soft plastics, his favorite being the Crappie Magnet. Do not be afraid to get away from the back especially this time of the year. White Bass use full size paddletail swimming minnows on A-Rigs a some of the same locations described for the walleye. Swim the Arig so it is moving as slowly as possible. Target White bass with small suspending jerkbaits, moving the baits very quickly and twitch it very fast. Target the mouth of feeder creeks and the bigger creeks and the pot hole. His favorite was the RC Stick but he replaces the split rigns and hooks with better quality. He also prefers the Leland Lures small suspending 3 hook stickbaits. His favorite way to catch Bass on Bull Shoals is on a tube as he catches lots of very nice smallmouth on this method. He targets bass most of the year in the 20' plus range. For the bass he targets Gravel areas and transitions rather than the mud flats for the walleye Lots of good questions and Buster just did a Super Job. I learn something from him everytime I go with him or hear him talk about it. I thought he was extremely modest for the success he has had. Not of a lot of Bull Shoals experts would have ever done this presentation and my hat is off to him. Hope all there enjoyed the seminars as they are free and the Pro's that put them on are not compensated, they are just doing this to help our fishing community. Good Luck

It is more than time. Got my hair cut last week, and the Tall Tales Barber had not heard much yet from the floating walleye palaces. I would say as soon as you could get out it will be going.

Good golly, when you put down fishing the delta, I was thinking you were going to Louisiana and fish for specks and reds. I was ready for a report out of that country. Good luck in Arkie.

Got it much appreciated

I don't think anyone ever really fell off a Harley. I think someone's boy friend opened a huge can of whip-donkey, and that was the best explanation that could be came up with at the time. Hard to fall of a moving motor cycle with Daisy Dukes and a tank top on with all those legs and not get a scratch on you. Hey Dave, don't be mean to the Hogs, they might win an SEC game this year. I'm not guaranteeing anything, but they might. Might be at Heaven Forbid Mizzou. NAH won't be there.

Found it. He took the O. Cord Job at Iowa State and said he did not know what his top weight was, but in the last year and a half he has lost 180 pounds. Good for him.

Did I see a post or some news somewhere that Mangino lost over 200 pounds? I really cannot remember but I think he got a very good O.Cord job somewhere and lost a huge amount of weight. I got a feeling he will get another good D1 job one of these days if he wants it. Think he got a bad deal at KU and it caused them to lose the best coach they have had in years. I think they really never liked him cause of his weight, but I thought he was a pretty salty coach.

That is completely hilarious. Covers about 99% of us from our wives perspective. The Dumbass part nearly dropped me out of my seat.

They said yesterday but I failed to get the number. Did they say the park had 80 acres, or 120 acres? Anyone know this? I think they said 44 camp sites with 1/2 having electric.

That is a very good point, but in reality, I don't think MDC would have the current budget. I still don't believe after the major retirements and layoffs several years ago that the enforcement division is at any kind of strength. They are cut so thin, I dread calling them on anything outside of some type of a dangerous situation. Hate to call and say someone has a short fish or one over the limit. Yes I know they are into land acquisition but I doubt they would want to run the park. It lost 14 Thousand dollars last year. It cost 44 thousand to run it and it took in 30 thousand, so I think MDC would frown on those numbers.

Oh! Thought you were talking about the football season at KU and did not know they had one. Hee Hee!!!

Big day yesterday having to go from Springfield to Gravit Arkansas and then back to Golden for the Viney meeting. Report is all roads clear and ready if any of you all want to make the trip. Nothing in the forcast to change that and the easy of accessability of the Library Center is great. Park at the front door and walk right in. We have no lake or no topic requesting more information than on Bull Shoals and as we posted please submit any questions you have if you cannot make the seminar. So far no questions so I am assuming we will have at least 200 people there that have had question after question on this pond the last 5 yrs. We are finely going to get some answers and some perspective. Hope to see you all there.

There has been a little ice in the back of some of the pockets, but Table Rock including the ramps that are open is very fishable,as you can see by the bags that were weighed in last weekend. I was over the Kings River yesterday and it was not frozen at the 86 bridge at Carr Lane and that is one of the freezest parts of the lake.

It would only take a couple of days work and a dozen signs to fence off the campground and put up signs to state no trespassing government property Access only permitted on paved surfaces and this would be a done deal at Viney. I guarantee we could get the fence and signs up and get the fence paid for unless the government told us how to build it.