Bill Babler

Be careful on this deal. Working a jerkbait with a 7' rod on a crowded front deck is really not for anyone under 6' tall. Just way to hard to keep that rod in the correct position and attitude to make the bait work properly. Lots, and lots of the best Jerkbait fishermen on the White River Chain are still throwing jerkbaits on rods that are 5'5" to 6' Most pistol grips and short handle rods. I'm using a Cara T7 Jerkbait special at 6'6". Casting distance is never a factor, I'm throwing either a Diiawa Steeze or a Lews Tournament Pro with either 8 or 10 pound test. I'm only 5'9" and cannot work a 7' rod anyway near correctly enough as I'm always slapping the side of the boat or the water with it. Good Luck

Yes. Buster and I used them quite abit last year for Walleye down on bull. Had Tim Hughes custom paint some for us as at that time their selection was not what we were looking for. We just wanted the additional depth without adding to much weight to the bait. They worked really good and were our go to bait. Fished them on the Kings where we caught all those bass that day jerkin and did well their also.

Thanks Ham, That is confusing. I appreciate it. Sorry, those are the only ones for sale at this point. I use them for everything except swimming a grub, or dropshotting.

Thanks all for the great ideas. I believe Phil has a very good idea now with some round table discussions from some of the local full time fisherman. I believe he will try and cover map and graph reading, walleye, and bass fishing in each season and some very nice discussion on Taney as well. I'm sure we will put up a list after Christmas with dates and speakers and hope we can find something to interest everyone. Thanks Bill and Phil

Line weights and how they preform with certain rods are printed on most all the top end rods. Very similar to a fly rod, you want to stick with the weights of line that the rod company says preform the best on their particular blank. Example if you chose a light or mid light action rod with a Moderate flex and the extreme top line rating on that blank is 10 or 12 pound test, you will not get the performance you desire. Say if you chose that medium to medium heavy and throw 8 or 10 pound test with a Full or Moderate Full Flex you will be much happier and the rod will preform as you expect it to. Also most all top end manufactures will not only post on the rod the weight of the rod, but will also give you a flex indicator. This is another great step in providing you information on the performance of the rod. Falcon offers Rod Flexes in XF-F-MF-M-S A 6'6" to 7' Cara with a Fast tip with a 3/8oz. jig will pretty much if you want throw the entire spool of 8# mono on either a 2500 series Excellor or a Stradic. When casting distance is of real importance and for us here with our super clear water on the Rock it is most times. I will chose a fast tip or a tipflex rod. Baits such as a tube, shaky head, 3/8th. or lighter jig, jerkbait, and topwater baits work extremely well on the MH Fast flex. for cranking you need to move to a Medium flex. For drop shotting I prefer a 7' medium with a Medium/fast flex. I don't want it all on the tip, I like my rod to give some help to the line and the bait that is sometimes as close as 15' from the tip. Very seldom even with a to big hook set on a drop shot will I have someone break the line by using a Medium flex rod. A tip flex on a short string will break them time after time. I have also been having folks ask about the IM rating of the graphite in rods. Pretty much right now I believe both Falcon and St. Croix are using what both are calling on their top end rods a 120 modulus 100% graphite.

Spot Remover are pretty hard to beat. My second chose is Chompers

Check out my buy sell trade post. I use Falcon Cara T7 for what you are wanting, and have 3 for sale. They are brand new and $50.00 under full price. 2 with split grips and 1 full grip. They fish a tube, 3/8th. jig or shaky head and will fish a 3/8 spinnerbait or a redfin perfectly. Good Luck

Guys and Gals I have a new Navionics Hotmap premimum card for sale. I bought two when I got my new boat and my graphs are synchronized and I only needed one, as long as I have power to each graph. I called Bass Pro and today it is $158.00 including the tax. I will take $100.00 bucks for it. I also have 3 Falcon Cara T7 New in the Sack Spinning Rods for sale. Cara T7 CS-S-166MH Action Flex Guides Line Wt. Lure Wt. Handle Length F MH &Fuji 6-12 1/4-5/8 2 split 1 full 6'6" Tackle Warehouse-Cebalas-Bass Pro $199.99 plus tax or shipping if applicable I want $150.00 each or all 3 for $400.00 This is my go to rod for those persons that do not throw a bait caster. I fish a fin on it to a shaky head to a jig or split-shot. I much prefer it to the Falcon Shaky Head rod that for me has way to soft of a tip. This is a perfect multifunctional spinning rod for Table Rock bass fishing. Give me a call at 417-332-7016 or email on instant message. Thanks Bill

I'm not that mad at em. Got to get over 40 before I get a twitch. 18 right now at the house. Nice day to catch up on truck lic and oil changes.

That didn't get much action did it? Bought time for your walleye guys up there to start their Winter time swaray isn't it.

I guide between 200 and 400 persons per year for the last 22 yrs. on Taney and the fishery in that time period has been basically the same. The exception has been a bit bigger fish released at times since they went to the 4 fish limit. Not all time mind you and we will still get lots of fish 8" and some under, but growing fish is just like farming. Not every animal in the pen is growing at the same rate. A pen of 5000 to average 11.5" will have to no doubt have shorter and longer fish to make the average. Very, very seldom do I have a trout fisherman complain about the size fish we catch on Taney. Notice now I said TROUT FISHERMAN Folks that on a continuing basis that fish for trout across this country 9 out of 10 times think the size of our fish is very good. Non trout fishermen, deep sea fisherman or striper fishermen usually think they run to the small side. Strictly what you think you know about fishing. At times here and even with all the years that I have guided in Alaska I am appreciative of the size of our fish. As for the Heron's, this is a huge problem. They are more than a major factor in the number of fish we have in the lake. Their consumption is tremendous I witness this most everyday I am in the restricted zone where they can fish in shallow water. They are also a huge consumer of wood duck ducklings. The numbers we have here are majoring on the extreme with I believe at least 5 rookeries of adults producing young without any natural predators. I would like to see a federal wildlife agent count their numbers lake wide. Would be pretty easy, and I believe there would be close to 1000 birds lake wide. Just say those birds don't get to eat everyday, but they for sure will eat at least once every third day with I'm sure some of the more experienced eating multiple times per day. Even at that you have a thousand birds eating 1 fish each per week that is 4000 fish per month. or right at 50,000 per year. Way to many, and we probably need some kind of a control mechanism. Be really nice to have a study here.

What is a good crappie bite on Table Rock for some is a Zero bite for most of us. Yes in the Indian Point area there are some crappie. Most are under the big Commercial docks and it will take time to find them and be able to fish them without getting in trouble. Spoke a couple of days ago to a guy that was catching them good at Cape Fair, on conservation brush and around the docks. We put in together at Aunts Creek the other day. He fished the docks in the creek for 4 hrs. and only had 1 keeper. If I had to just strictly fish Indian Point for crappie I probably would not fish, unless I had a slip in one of the big docks and could walk that dock and fish the interior stalls. Had Breakfast at Shell Knob with the fishing crew last week and they had been fishing the docks from Baxter to Twin Rivers and were doing very poorly. These are good Winter Crappie Fishermen. So, in reality if you get on some and catch them, that is probably that. They do not replenish well. Josh his some of his favorite locations and caught some. The next guy in is probably toast. Couple of years ago on one of the best Crappie Winters I have seen on the Rock in 20+ years we could catch them off the deep docks up the James 1 time per dock. You pull in and catch a limit of Keeps and the next time or any later time and there were none. Go to a different dock and the same thing. Seems once you hit a dock and caught them that was IT. They would not replenish. Not the best of news, but it is what it is on the Rock for crappie.

The Death Traps are chemically sharp right out of the package and needle point not cutting point. Much less damage to the fish and also the penetration and sharpness is far beyond anything anyone can do with a file and a sharpener. Try your cardboard test and you will not be disappointed. Also poke that cutting head clear thru and then the Needle Point death trap and see which one is hardest to extract. Good Luck

Ya. Right.

With the conditions we had yesterday you had one great day on Table Rock. Super Report. Anyone that can catch them like that under the conditions we are having should either run to Vegas or buy multiple lottery tickets. Extreme High Prussure on a cloudless sky with absolutely no breeze and very clear 55 degree water. I know my first chose would be a blade. Just shows you, fishing is fishing no matter how much you think you know. Thanks for the post Good Luck

Bo is more than on the money here. Another good point is when you find them schoolin in the morning when the sun gets high, go right back there and look to down.

Yep, had breakfast with him this morning. Said he was fishing the Big Indian today. He most often fishes with Bryant Ward when Bryant feels well enough to go. Danny has forgotten more about the Rock than most of us will ever know. Trouble with him is "He Ain't Tellin".

Rolan, I really do not. Those fish will not remain under the boat on the upperend. The only time they will is when they are running 4 units. Without power generation, they run from the boat like deer.

Started at Big Bay at 0800 just as Bo said. Again I'm struggling. I refuse to abandon the deep bit and much like Bo stated it was super hard for me for most of the morning. Fished from BCreek to above Shell Knob, concentrating most of my efforts in the 45 to 70 ft. range, where they should be. Probably have never jerked so many shad. In some locations they will just black you out from 70' to 30'. Most are very, very small threadfins. There are some gizzards working the surface and you can see the birds working the shad in some location. Went from 0800, till 10 Am without a bite or even seeing deep fish. Just shad. Started flipping the shady side of some docks on the South bank between Campbell Pt. and the Knob and started catching LM really quick. Most in the shade or shady stalls in the 25' range. 5 fish all short. Got a fill of this and just had to get back after the deep fish. It is what I do and who I am. First location about 11:30 was a deep gut in a creek arm and I caught 14 K's with 2 keeps and they were squeekers, that is what I wanted to get started. Fish were at 56' worming thru the shad. First fish I had seen move on bait all day. Caught most on a 3/8th. Cabelas jigging spoon in pearl. Some on a grub. Went back to Big Creek to the very same locations I fished early and the fish were on top of the shad and moving in the water column. Fish were in the 40' range over 50' to 75'. Caught 6 nice LM here, all keepers, nothing over 3, but certainly not the squeeks the K's had been. I really wanted to stay and chase them some more, but it was closing in on 3 Pm and had to get home. Bo, wish you would have hollered. For sure for me the afternoon bite was the best. Surface temps at the Knob started out at 54.6 and when I put the boat on the trailer at 3PM at Big Bay the temp was 57.3. Water is pretty clear up there, and with the cold coming it will really settle out and clear up. Lots and lots of Eagles. Good Luck

Good Luck with this one.

Plug, I'm sure I'm with ya. Will be having my 59th. next year. For me however it has been an evolution and an adaptation as far as the electronics. The setup is always the key and I will tell you I'm not as good at that as I am at interpreting the screens. Rick Lisek and Bill Beck and he is our age have always been very good at the setup. Reason being they tinker with it all the time. Bill knows all his menues and goes to the often. Once my unit is dialed in I just use it to zoom mark and view. I can work it all but am lazy. 100 percent of knowledge on the entire machine is not what I'm after. It is like knowing every function of your computer in every mode. Just don't need to know. For people that are retired or just have time and are not weekend fisherman there is really no excuse for not knowing how to use electronics. You have the time, use it wisely. I remember Dan Langely telling me he used to spend at least 1 hr. of every fishing trip just learning his electronics, sometimes he would not take a rod from his box for the entire day. How many of us even with no time restrictions do this. I'm guessing not many. Now it is easier than ever with all the tutorials and DVD's on usage for both Hummingbird and Lowrance. Good Luck

Move North of the Border, Boy did you set yourself up those this one.

Guys and gal's Phil Lilley is trying to put together a Winter seminar schedule. We would like your thoughts on who and what you would like to see to improve your area fishing knowledge. Please give us some thoughts from equipment to areas to technics. Anything is a possibility so if you have a topic, we will see if we can find the best people in the area to address it. Thanks Bill and Phil

Winter time deep fishing is really the time to use those electronics. I will at times spend the majority of my time with my head plastered to the HDS8 Elite in the console. Really no need to fish the way we fish without seeing fish and shad in the Winter. At times you can lite on them, but most often this time of the year, we are looking for schools of deep fish usually suspended under bait. I look till I find it. Will not always bite, see Sunday, but 90% of the time this is the ticket for me.

Good golly for us yesterday I just don't think it could have been harder. Good Friend and Client Jerry K. and son Brian took in directly on the nose. Son Steven and I had fished Saturday after my Taneycomo trip and we fished out of Baxter. Had 18 in about 2 hrs. with 10 pretty nice keeps. Most deep. Picked up the Boys Sunday at their dock in Aunts and just could not get bit deep or shallow. Ran up to Baxter and had gulls and Loons diving on the shad above the deep fish we caught the day before. We were using a spoon and a grub and the fish would worm up and charge the bait in the 20 foot range over as deep as 60', but would not take it. Had a total of 4 fish. 3 bass and a gill on a wart. It was just brutal. Beck was having the same trouble, but he did light on a deep stop he said they bit a little for about 45 minutes and then would just run from it like they were early. Buster also had a rough day on Bull, but pulled it out of the fire when his client caught a 8 pounds LM on one of the last casts of the day. He said he had 5 bass and 2 walleye. Remember last year his success with the eyes, starting about this time of the year. Lake is 7 feet higher and he thinks it will be tougher this year, but he is after them again.