Bill Babler

Hey, when will guys be done. Becky and I may meet ya at the Steak Inn for Supper. If you last till noon with the deep stuff regardless if your catching them or not, I'll buy your dinner. I don't think I'm in any danger. Good Luck

Lots of nice guesses, and some pretty close. Here is the deal. Bass if possible like to corner the bait as any predator would. Most times you will see them pushing bait to the surface. In this instance, it all started as that huge shad school at 60' of depth came over the top of a small obstruction on the bottom. You can see this on the first screen on the right bottom edge. 3 bass went into the bait from the bottom. At the same time this triggered bass that were and have been suspended above the bait at 20' to 30' to start diving downward thru the bait, trying to pin the shad against the bottom. Here is where it is very strange. For most of this deep fishing season, and I don't know about Bo, but I have been finding the bass most of the time above the bait rather than below it. 8 out of 10 times the bass are below. This Winter they have 9 out of 10 times been above the bait. In the second screen, the attack was on from all directions, completely dispersing the bait ball into just a screen full of streaking fish and black clutter, which was the shad. In the third screen, the attack continued from mostly now below and mid pack. The shad were trying to regather as this is their only defense to become a huge ball of one instead of individual targets. In the 4th. screen the shad had reformed into tighter schools, but divided from one massive school of I'm guessing 10,000 into two schools at 2 separate levels in the water column. It was quite a site. From that point on for a couple of hours there were loose shad and small schools at all depth out 90' and the bass were in them from top to bottom, with the heaver concentration of bass remaining for the most part in the 20' to 40' depth range over what ever the shad were at, but still for the most part hovering over the shad and diving thru them from top to bottom Good Luck

I had a really good day up there a few days ago. Narrow you scope down somewhat, and get away from the bank if you are near it. I have not caught a fish in a month that was closer than a deer rifle shot of the bank. Yes we have been getting some reports of shallow fish, but concentrations of fish are deeper. All 3 Black Bass species are gathering and chasing deep shad. I get a kick out of folks saying they must be shallow as they have crayfish in them. A very good friend of mine that dives here year around says there are huge concentrations of crayfish right now in the 50' depth range. The fish sure do not have to come into the bank to eat them, just drop by the deep shad and have a lobster dinner. That deep water is mid-50's right now. last week when I was up the James and again yesterday, I had schooling fish, pushing shad completely to the surface. Look in some of these big cove arms for activity. a few evenings ago off the bouy across from point 10 there were thousands of threadfin shad on the top in huge schools. Take a very close look in Little Aunts Creek, you might see some. Good Luck

Clock is set right on. That was not the question, it is a feeding frenzy of which I speak, but it has a certain oddity about it. It has happened here more this Winter than I have seen in the past. It does happen but not to the extent of this year. Keep guessing, someone was very close.

Welcome Willy, glad to have you on board. How many puns are in that sentence. Boys, if you will look at those electronics pictures real close there is something there, that I'm sure most of you have not seen much. I very seldom see this type of feeding activity in this fashion. Not the numbers of feeding fish but the fashion. This for some reason has been happening more this Winter than I have ever seen it. Outside of Champ and Bo, does anyone see what happened here? Bet ya didn't know there was going to be a quiz. Lets hear what you have to say, you all have been very good at this. Good Luck

Apologize for the foggy pictures. There was a big sun and with the cold mist coming off the water it kept messing with my lens. I also shot some video of the deal, but it was just to wiggly to put on the forum, it would have made you all queezy. Water was getting back up toward 49 degree by 1300 when I put her on the road hauler. Good Luck

Just relooked at this deal, and take no offense at all in what Bo said. I for one know you cannot reflect your tone or your feelings on the internet. I have crossed that line many times, not meaning anything at all. It can be hurtful and demeaning to read something that you assume is an attack and in reality it is not. Sore Thumbs makes a good point however in if you have a thought that is somewhat negative or not in line with the post you are reading, by golly instead of stating it there, start a new thread, show your spoon and the way you rig and fish it. Give all the pros and cons and let her rip. I got on that Real Image Spoon about 12 yrs. ago and have caught and released over 10,000 Table Rock bass on it. Got a hunch it falls pretty nice, or I would not be using it. I like bo, basically use 3 colors, Pearl, Chartruse, and Nickle. Seems the Whites like the nickel and the chartruse the best and the bass like the pearl, however all three work great. Lets move along, I got them bitten on the White River now, Heck with the James. Good Luck

Yep, that grub is a spinner. In cold weather that line has enough memory anyway, so I do everything I can to keep her straight. Get down here. they are just tearing it up.

12-27-13 Table Rock Lake Current Fishing Report White River Outfitters Shell Knob, Missouri Launched this morning at Viola up the Kings River at 0700 to a very spectacular sunrise and a not so special water color. Water was murky to a lovely Horse Poop Brown at Viola 43.5 degree Y'all know I'm not havin any of that and headed for the main lake. Just past Twin Rivers the water cleared even though they are pulling it for all their worth and I settled down and started watching for some activity. You may think it sounds strange this time of the year to look for surface activity, but not only am I looking for any possible swirls in the water, I'm also looking for predatory birds of any type, Gulls, Loons, and Eagles. Didn't take me long to find them downhill from Shell Knob. Eagles in the trees, and Loons diving as I shut the Phoenix down in 85' of clear main lake 46 degree Table Rock water. As soon as I flipped the trolling motor over the side, it lit up almost completely thru the water column. Most of the fish I was seeing were suspended today in the 35' to 50' range over 60' to 85'. My screen pretty much filled up with scattered shad and fish and birds running thru them. The shad today were just incapable of schooling or bunching as the fish slashed and slashed keeping them scattered, completely to the surface. At times I had fish chasing on the surface and caught at least a dozen swimming a 1/4 oz grub thru the swirls. Most often I presented a 3/8th. oz slider with either a Yamamoto or Chompers C-tail. Salt and pepper or grey worked equally as well. Most of my action today came suspended so I kept the spoon on the deck. Did drop it once to the bottom when they scampered down there and wacked one immediately. Fishing was just spectacular and to tell you the truth, watching the Eagles and the Loons and seeing a sonar screen full of fish, I lost track of how many I caught, but after 2 hrs. of this I put the rod down and just idled around and enjoyed the morning with line after line streaking thru my graph. I even had from time to time Loons dive thru the cone and got some great views of them chasing shad right under the boat. Most shad were threadfin from 1.5 to 3.5 inches and the fish spit them all over the boat and the water surrounding me. I hit two more identical like locations before I quit at 0100 and caught 10 on each location before I headed in. Mostly K's but I did have a limit of LM with the best one about 3.50. Lots of the K's were just thumpers and completely full of shad. I'm thinking about 15 pounds and to many fish to count. What a Day!! Good Luck

Never were able to. Those docks have been off limits since I can remember. People however do fish them. There is a particular guide that drive down from Springfield that fishes all the commercial docks in the What's Up complex in Schooner Creek, and that is a complete No, No. Beck and I got beat in a derby a couple of years ago off those 1st. 4 docks you are speaking off. They are off limits but if you are good enough at deception and don't get caught you got it made. Just sayin.

That is pretty much the kit and Cabootle. I think and am just guessing that Josh is fishing Table Rock. If not probably the pothole.

Any reports on the White River walleye boys yet?

On those fish he is on, that mouth of the Kings deal 1 mile either of three ways is no secrete. Not uncommon to see 20 boats out there on them when they are on those swings and humps. Another deal is they are very bad about moving. You can look on those locations and look and one minute they are there and the next gone. Shell Knob Bridge to San Suci up the White or from Twin Rivers up to the first bend in the Kings, those are Wintering grounds for Whites and K's.

That would certainly explain the mark. Got ya. Boy I have tried turning around a console graph or trying to fish one that is not on the front of the boat and it is really a pain. Again great catch.

Why would you do that? You should be able to see your spoon at all times. I caught 60 fish today and seen everyone of them before, during and after the bite. On guide trips we will at times mark the line for crawler fishing for the guy in the back of the boat, but if you are fishing up front and looking at your graph, you should be able to see a Seed Tick on the fishes back. I saw 3 of those fish Pass Gas today.

Where that walleye is going it won't matter how its being held. You are exactly right. 90% of very good fisherman cannot catch these fish. Another point is that the longer in the day they go without catching one the worse they fish. Buster gets better as the day goes on. I fish 10 times harder when they are not biting and amp up my concentration level. Very seldom even with all those hooks will these Winter time walleye catch themselves. You may fish 3 hrs. without a bite and then, if your technique is still good, catch a limit in 4 casts. You must however maintain your concentration and fish each cast like it is the last cast you will ever make. If you are able to do that you can catch Winter time walleye on Bull Shoals.

I have never had a problem with that here fishing deep fish. Yes if you put them in the livewell or keep them out for photo's for very long they will need to be fizzed but just catch and release not so much on Table Rock. I'll tell you the reason. Those fish are moving thru the water column on a continuing basis, going up and down. They are not holding at that depth, they are shooting thru the bait balls and sometime they will above the bait other times below. I had fish surfacing and blowing shad this morning. I could have caught them on a spook or a fin and yet, they were loads on the bottom between 40 and 60 feet. Caught crappie on Toledo Bend. Fished the famous Chicken Coop area and the crappie were solid to the bottom in 80' everyone of them we caught coughed up their guts and their eyes completely popped out of the socket. What a friggin mess, so I see where your coming from.

Why are you coloring your line black at a certain depth? Don't understand that. Great Catch.

If your good enough with a bait that a company names one of their top selling baits after you, I'm thinkin you pretty much know how it should be fished. Just Sayin. As Champ said with water under 50 degree I'll throw mine on 8 pound Maxi. When it gets mid 50's I'll go to 10. They get just to feisty for the 8#. Also when fishing this type of bait in the Winter or the Pre-Spawn, there could be one of those good ole biggins out there.

Yep, I almost went up there, but wanted to check the James for Crappie. Very nice catch. I looked up there last week and could not find them yet. I see they are there now. Usually will stay there all Winter and most often will have a bunch of K's with them. Sometimes some walleye in amoungst them too.

Look at that Real Image Cabelas Jigging spoon. If you can find a better looking spoon, you will have to show it to me. In the Winter when the threadfin shad are this size it is a complete identical match for size and color. If you touch a fish with that Death Trap he is coming to the boat.

Current Fishing report on the James River White River Outfitters Guide Service With weather closing in I thought I had better make a run up the James to several of the crappie docks I like to fish and also check on the deep fish. I am usually up there before now, but this weather has kept me in the Dry and Cozy. Got on the water at Aunts Creek at 0730 with the surface temps at 48.4 and headed up river. Checked 6 docks and caught a total of 8 crappie out of them with 4 really nice 12 inch keepers. Water is a very clear up in the Campers area to the mouth at Point 9. About 0830 with the crappie not doing as I wished, I headed for the bass cuts and it was more than on. Best depth for me today was 40' on the bottom. Did catch some worming and up suspended all around very small threadfin shad. Fished the first location for 2 hrs. and just decided to more, they were still just hammering the grub or a spoon, whatever I put down there. Went around to a very similar cut and started it again at the same depth. In this draw the fish were as shallow as 27' and almost all had their bellies extended with crawdads either coming out their vent or puking them up. Around the docks the bluegill are just thick just under the floats so they have not gone deep up the James yet. Had a total of 60 K's and one nice LM with 30 plus 16 to 18 inch keeps. That's the way it is suspose to be this time of the year, On the way in I saw a bunch of gulls diving on shad in the middle of Aunts Creek. There were 17 loons mixed in it was quite a site. Good Luck

check out my report on Upper Bull shoals. Buster is at it again. He says they are just starting to move up on his locations. He is catching about a walleye an hour plus some really nice bass. He had a client last week catch a 9 pound LM while after the Eye's. Walleye are running about 50% keepers with some nice fish up to 6 pounds so far. Good Luck

Bulll Shoals Lake Fishing Report--Walleye 12-18-13 Busters Guide Service by Bill Babler Buster is at it again. I Keep getting pictures and text messages about catching walleye. He is on them decent, and if anyone would like to learn some valuable walleye and bass techniques for cold water presentations now thru February is the time to get in touch with him. We hope we can get him to do a seminar on Upper Bull this Winter, but he is pretty hard to move. If you would like to learn from him on the water, give him a call at 417-335-0357 You will not load the boat by any means, this is a slow down presentation that has not only caught him huge walleye but lots of quality bass. A client last week with him had one close to 9 pounds. A good 6 hr. trip would be a couple of walleye hoping for a keeper and a dozen bass, that could be BIG. Good Luck

Beck at 6'5" uses a 7' rod and gets along with it fine. I just cannot as that rod has to be in a very down position to get the correct action on the bait. My tip on a 7 footer is 4 inches under water and I'm smacking the boat with the back of the rod. Irritates me to pieces. Most all suspending baits out of the box if they are suspending models are made to suspend at the baits maximum depth at 50 degree water temps. This depth can of course vary due to the line you are fishing it on. Lighter the line the deeper the bait. In most instances the bait will sink if the water is cooler than the 50 degree surface temp, or slowly rise on warmer water. Fluorocarbon is heaver than water, even at its densest 39 degree temp and will sink. Most jerkbaiters think it sinks the bait by the nose and that is the improper attitude for a dying shad. Most often a shad will fall by the tail or belly. I don't think I have ever seen one sinking by the head. Usually when stunned or dying they will flutter toward the surface head up and then sink back toward the bottom tail down.