Bill Babler

Well, I told ya’ll. Becky and I launched at Eagle Rock at 9:30 this morning after breakfast at the Depot Diner. They were right where I left them last week. Becky loves BG filets so I told her she had to come catch her own. She did and then some. I’ve been around the block more than once and I have never and I mean never seen BG like this. BIG-GIANTS I baited the hook and extracted the prizes and she hauled them in. We decided to keep 12 but ended up with 15. Could have just kept 4 as they were that big. There are 100’s there. 25’ right on the channel edge. We just drop shot 1/3 crawler. Amazing. I’ll never forget this day with my lovely wife. She just had a ball. They filleted like crappie and I never messed up one fillet. How often does that happen with BG.

Thought both those areas might be a tad bit familiar 🤣🤣

Started messing with the Walter’s day before yesterday. In the last 3 days I’ve caught 15 but only 1 keeper. 14” to 17 “ with lots of K’s around them. Keeper was a 20 incher. Also just some enormous bluegill. Got on a spot up across from the ramp at Eagle Rock and I’m guessing there was a school of over 100 and they were just huge. 25’ Dead Balls On. Hate to mention it but bass are on an A-rig over the conservation piles, also a big worm. There is also a very good top water bite on the flat across from Haddock Creek just prior to the Arkansas state line. Nothing huge but both whites and green bass are really chasing on that flat. Daylight till about 9 so they’re staying up. Good Luck.

The Branson Landing Convention Center can seat 4000 persons and furnish a drive thru arena and stage, without adding additional seating to the floor of the arena. They can accommodate more by doing so Chateau on the Lake can seat 3000 but without the pull thru. Bp’s new convention center at BC can only do 1000.

I’ve had some great days in there, usually on a crank bait or a jig EARLY season. I’ve also caught whites chasing in the back but not for several years. As you go in on the left that first pocket used to be good. Really not so much anymore. The second pocket has a run out point that you could catch jig fish off it every time. Not so much now. However, going down that shelf bank till it flattens out is still durn good. Caught all 6 of my buzzy fish there. Lot of pressure up the white yesterday. Guys were fishing where they were supposed to be so I assume they were locals. At least 1/2 dozen boats stayed on locations all morning without moving. I’m guessing night crawlers for walleye. 25’ to 32’ above Big M. Not that deep at Shell Knob and the Kings River. 18’ to 22’

I IMG_0756.mov I’ve got quite a bit of video but it won’t load. Only this snippet. You can hear the cheetah type chirps. I saw 14 together one day on Taney 10 years ago but this group of 6 was the biggest I’ve seen on TR. They are super fast and can hold their breath it seems forever. I bet they simply hate them at the Roaring River Hatchery. They not only kill for food, they kill for fun.

Going to take a couple of PB friends that live in Holiday Island next week and haven’t been up the White in a couple of months. First stop was for me and headed to Panther Creek to throw a buzzer. I was tossing it by 6:30. Fished both the flat side and the channel side. Had 6 fish on the flat side with 2 squeaker and I mean squeaker keeps. Think I would have done better, but the creek was full of Otters 🦦. Had 6 in front of me going down the bank lending a helping hand. Funny story I saw a dead Otter in the road at the Roaring River Bridge Saturday. Panther Creek is just across the lake. Don’t know if it’s the same family but it was a coincidence. My friends aren’t avid anglers so I then went in search of some drop shot fish and found plenty at 27’. Also found a small Covey of walleye. Caught a couple then left them. They were mixed with BIG GILLS and some nice bass. 8-22-25 Fished the Kings with my brother in law and just flat had a great morning. Most on topwater Speed Wake. They bit from daylight till 10:30. Did catch a decent amount on a Gizzard Shad Keitech in 2.8” Nothing big but they just bit and bit, exploding on the little wake bait.

MLF might be in more danger. Rumors on Redcrest being on the Rock next year. Don’t know if it’s confirmed Only reason I can see is logistics as far as phone ie TV coverage and unlimited housing and restaurants. 3 major convention centers Oh, I guess there is also BP. I’ve only got 2 little bitty places on the entire lake that I don’t have great phone coverage.

As all here know, I’m retired but wanted to touch a bit on the post. Top_Dollar, thanks so much for the detailed report. Your fish pic’s were nice too. Love to see the young guy out there catching fish. I wanted to speak on the equipment and my reasons for using it. I’m using Falcon 6’8” drop shot rod and they are really a medium wt. rod. Reason, you can establish a better lift with more hook penetration than a lite wt. rod. This is importance especially for a guide. Way fewer missed fish and less time fighting a fish especially in these hot water days. My spool line is 6# Maxima, it has no memory and uncoils at blazing speed. Twice as fast as braid. It also doesn’t bite into its self on short line hook sets. From the Maxi I go to a swivel and then 12# carbon leader line. Reason, I want the speed of the drop from the Maxi. And the durability of the 12# carbon line, especially if walleye are in play. There is absolutely not a bite worth of difference in 2# test on a drop shot leader and 12#. NONE, on any of our White River Lakes. I’m also using a 3/8 drop shot weight. I want it to depth quickly and I want it vertical and the weight helps to stabilize this as the boat twists and turns. When fishing with clients I want the bait at the depth of the fish and don’t want a slow fall with the fish taking it on a slack line. Way more chance of them inhaling it with the fisherman not even knowing they have a fish on. This setup has not produced 1000’s but 10’s of thousands of drop shot fish on both TR and Bull. I’d use 15# but I can’t get it to palamar on a size 1 drop shot hook easy enough going thru the eye 3 times As far as the FFS, it is totally fascinating to watch fish respond and not respond to presentations. It has made me and anyone I take have a totally different perspective on how fish feed and set up in the water column. I cut my teeth on a flasher and then 2D but all they show is what’s there. The FFS shows what the fish are thinking. Unfortunately most of the time they’re thinking get that junk out of here. Artificial gets turned down 80% of the time and live bait gets the I ain’t having it 60% of the time Ed’s a great guy if you would have told him only artificial and new locations you haven’t fished and I flat don’t care about numbers you would have gotten that. I know you had your boy so he did what any good guide would do if he could, get you bit. Table Rock is full of community holes that we all know. You go there cause your going to get bit, pure and simple. Thanks for the report glad you had fun, that’s what it’s all about Another note on Ed, when he and Sonny were at Chompers there is no fishing company I’ve ever heard of that treated their clients and guides better. I can truthfully say they helped me to the point of having baits and techniques that I really could not afford, just starting out. Ed Phillips supported my guide business and was always a pure pleasure to work with.

Ken and I launched at Aunts Creek at 5:45, it was just getting golden in the east. If I had to do it over, I would have ran right across Aunts and fished to the split in the back on the flat dock side. We ran instead up to the flat timbered cove across from Campers Pt. Caught a nice K there on a jig but lost 2 LM ON A Black Buzzer. Both were substantial. Nothing else on top. Fished Schoolhouse and several others but nada. Picked up the deep crank and caught a nice keep on it but a gar took it from Ken. On a side note if you throw a glide bait up the James be prepared to lose it. Ken had a new Perch that’s looks more alive than a real one and simply could not throw it as the gar would just flat hammer it. If there are gar present keep those super expensive toys in the rod box. We ended up catching them decent on the steeper points on a 3/8 oz. Jig. I’m thinking they were 15’. We did catch a few on a 1/2 oz. FB jig strolling in 20’ to 25’. I’m guessing we had 15 but 10 keeps if and I mean if we had put the 2 buzzer’s we lost in the boat we might have had 15/16 pounds. Back on the trailer at 11:00. Surface temp 83 water a dark tea brown. Not near James River green. On a side note only saw 5 other bass boat all morning and even in Aunts no ski or wake boats. Us and a guide boat at the ramp and that was it. Really quiet.

Surface temps have dropped up here. We were in the high 80’s to touching 90 degrees, week prior to last. Surface has cooled to 83 and it really has not improved the fishing. We have a very strong thermocline at 23’. The topwater deal has pretty much vanished for me with a few exceptions. It was fantastic till the water cooled down. Took son Steven Friday and Saturday. Did well on Friday he had 3 fish over 3 pounds and Steve had one of the most ferocious top water bites I’ve ever seen. Scared the begebbers out of me. Surge Shad. Fishermen and wake boats and many many jet skiers were on the water by 0600. Saturday was slower and very few boats of any kind. Saw 3 bass boats and fished till 0900. Big crappie on a flutter spoon. Dixie Jet chrome 1/2 oz. 90% of our fish came on a 1/2-5/8 oz. jig at the thermocline. Had under 30 fish for the weekend but probably 15 solid keeps. Going up the James tomorrow to try the buzz bait deal. If you see the black Phoenix come over and say howdy.

We spoke about this jig source in the topwater thread. They currently have a 30% off Summer deal code SUM25. You might browse their site. They have fantastic tungsten jigs and weights. I believe the sale lasts till the 3rd. Paint is bad about coming off tungsten heads but I have never had any come off a NAKO and the hooks are excellent and for some reason really repel rust. Give them a peek.

Yes, I have in Alaska. Not a fan. It works but not as good as a triple hook. Back to the fishing I’ve not gone in the last couple of days, but the neighbor has and told me the action cooled down quite a bit. Said he only had a dozen this morning with one keeper. It was however a 4 pounder on a flutter spoon. I won’t be back on the water till the 7th. so good luck out there.

I’ve done the line trick dozens of times on myself and clients, but you really have to watch it if there are tendons involved. Also, if you’re double hooked. It is really a risky procedure at best and should be used sparingly. Anything over a size 1 and your taking a chance. TJ Micro Jigs are the absolute worst as they will snap out of a trouts mouth and get anyone unlucky enough to be in the same time zone.

Becky got me some body fish grippers. They don’t work. I can remember one of our OG’s getting hooked in both hands in a derby 20 plus years ago. Bobby Sullivan had a jerk bait fish get him good. I’ve also told the story of a wife hooking her husband in the face with a spook. That was REALLY a bad one. I got hooked under the thumb nail with a WP when they first came out. Beck and I were in a derby. He said” let me look at that. “. I said, “Ok but don’t do nothing.” I should have known better, cause he just ripped it out and said, “don’t whine about it.” Durn that hurt.

Good idea for sure. I’ve had 2 friends that have been caught in both hands by the flip of a head. The small fish are the ones that get you. Having both thumbs stuck and a fish flopping in the middle is just somewhere you don’t want to go. Buddy up on LO had one flip out of his hand 2 weeks ago and 2 hooks went in his leg to the bend with the fish still thrashing. $1,100.00 at the emergency room.

Buddy had 23 this morning most all on the Keitech but caught his best ones on a 6XD. He had 5 keeps. Same pattern just run till you find them. Said he probably could have caught more had he not fished the crank bait. Guys when your by yourself, be really careful of those multiple hooked baits. You can get in a pickle in a hurry. These fish are really active both in the water and in the boat. It takes absolutely nothing to get in trouble trying to release them. I’ve had at least 4 scares in the last 10 days. They start going crazy, just drop them.

Nako or Keitech, Tungsten heads. Size 1 hook. Hook size is important on this small bait a size 2 is way to big. 3/16- 1/4. Nako just flat do not rust and have a great bait keeper. Good hook, very fine wire. Expensive.

I’m remaining fairly Lucky, but I’m kind of making my own. In about a 12 mile stretch on the White and mouth of the Kings they are starting to chase. I’m saying, Baxter to Cedar Creek. Fish are on the flats chasing. Here is the deal, not always the same locations. I’m putting in some serious seat time looking. Been starting at 0530. Guys, it’s almost like a shad spawn where they’re on the bank at first light then move deeper. No deeper than 20’ but they are movers. Spook Jr. in chrome, 2.8” Keitech in Gizzard Shad 3/16 head, 6th. Sense Speed Shad, 1/2oz. Dixie Jet and 1/2oz. WHITE jigging spoon. That’s it. We fished 2 locations this morning. We had 27 on the first spot with 1 keeper and then we were going to fish conservation piles and ran into a mega school of chasers, at 8:30 am and had 26 more out of that bunch with 15 keeps up to 4 pounds. Caught all the fish in the last group on a white slab spoon buddy had a chrome spoon on and I was totally killing him. He switched to white and it was tit for tat. Shad are dime size to 4” not counting the big gizzards that are everywhere. Surface temp 88 degrees. I’m actively hunting them just by driving and looking. Not fishing till I see some type of either shad on the surface or a chase. If I stop, and I don’t see total chaos on either 2D or FFS, I don’t stay. Started doing this last week when I got lucky and found the first bunch of them and have had success that I probably don’t deserve since I think the key here, is just don’t go fishing. Put the jig, the ned and the drop shot in the box and go hunting. I bet you won’t regret it.

You’re catching bass at 40’ and I’m catching them under 10’ in 90 plus degree water. Crazy. You can only catch gills if you don’t want them. Caught this one, total luck 24” on a WP. It chased a foot long gizzard shad right by the boat and I underhanded the Pooper out there and it snarfed it.

Mostly up on the points and flats. 8’ to 16’. Have caught some total monsters. Caught some huge ones off Viney last week. You can see them on your 2D. Good chance of catching something with teeth also 😁

Surface temps at 0500 86.7 water clarity at 18 inches. Not muddy or murky but more a deep James River Green. Didn’t get over 1.5 miles from the ramp, started out looking for 1 lonely single walleye. Becky said it was time again for one. Walleye were suspended and to be honest I suck at suspended walleye. They get on the bottom and that’s a different deal, but today they just were not having it as far as my junk was concerned. With all the blue gills, walleye fishing gets expensive in a hurry if they are not eating it fast, as the gills rob you blind. Ran to the mouth of the Kings surface temps up there 86 have no idea why but just a bit cooler. Personally I have not seen chasers in a month and I don’t think many others have but today it happened. As always it’s better to be lucky than good and I was totally LUCKY. All 3 black bass species were blowing small balls of shad over about a 1/4 mile section of flats. No deeper than 20’ and some were crashing right in front of the bushes. This went on and on and on. Boat traffic didn’t seem to matter. 3 hours of just cast after cast. White jig and white spoon. Caught a couple on a top water but to many triple hooks for this type of deal. Absolutely nothing of size. I think maybe 2.5 was my biggest and lots of 13-14-15 inchers. Mostly LM They were still coming up when I just flat got to hot and came home at 10:30. 92 degrees with the surface temp at 88.

I’d agree with you 99% of the time Randy but the durn things are all over the flat gravel shallower than I’ve ever seen them. We had surface temps today at 90/91 degree and if you didn’t know better you would have thought the walleye were working on their sun tans. Caught two with Tommy Bahama’s on😎 Not near any type of transition or roll off. Just all over the flat gravel chasing Gills. SHALLOW.

Dock the same scenario is playing out up the White and Kings River. I’m throwing a small jig and there are lots of bites. Not catching lots of quality, but did have a nice 4 pounder last week. If there is wood of any kind in the 5’ and under depth range there is most probably multiple fish on it. My only problem has been wanting to bass fish, when all my buddies want to catch walleye. Nice problem to have. Dock, look at the banks I’m fishing. Looks just like your stuff.

Walleye and gills here have a symbiotic relationship. At times as Dan said They will be mixed in with huge gills, really to big for their consumption At other times they will be on smaller gills and will be hunting them. I have not cleaned or seen a walleye here with shad either in its throat or stomach. It is however not uncommon to see either small gills or crayfish while cleaning them or just seeing them in their gullets when releasing them. I’ve cleaned 2 walleye over the years that had small walleye in their stomach so they do eat their own. I don’t believe walleye are in the business of preying on shad. As any predator they are opportunistic and if one falls or flutters by I’m sure it’s consumed. I have never caught a walleye chasing shad. I’ve caught everything else including catfish but no walleye. I have caught them near or hovering under shad but have never seen them enter a shad school Now you ask, why do they eat a spoon so well if they’re not consuming shad? I have no idea. I’m guessing they are like a vulture just waiting for one to die and drift down. Don’t think they are thinking, why wait, let’s just go kill something. Crayfish, small gills and juvenile walleye are in their strike zone all the time makes for less expended energy and much easier prey than shad that is usually higher in the water column.