Bill Babler

This egg eating deal has been going on since I was a whipper snapper on lake O. I want to congratulate MDC for the work that they have done with the paddlefish, but they are the ones causing the problem here. To me it is a No Big Friggin Deal someone was going to make Cavier out of the eggs. MDC waste more roe worth millions of dollars than the rest of the United States put together and then makes a big deal out of busting someone that wants to utilize it. They need to take a deep breath and take a look at this. Oklahoma has set the bar here and they are making money to fund not only the paddlefish but other species with the selling of the roe. It is time we all take a good close look at ourselves and see how we can support projects without taxes, and without someones elses money or help. Paddlefish are one of those examples. Utilize the roe and sell it for a profit eliminating it from the hands of citizens wanting to do the same. I have seen in my time thousands of pounds of it dumped in the lake or on the shoreline or trash bins all over the Osage River and Lake of the Ozarks, as well as now Table Rock. Lets just waste this resourse and then fuss when someone wants to use it. The time the effort and the money it will take to convict a handful of people for processing basically what MDC considers as garbage from their actions, makes this ridiculas. Looks good in the headlines, till you take a deeper look at this. Makes no sense to me.

Hopfully by the 1st we should start seeing our regular Spring patterns. It has just been dreadfully cold here. We are running this year about 15 degrees below normal. If you are a crappie or whitebass fisherman, it should be getting ready to turn on up there. Buddy of mine caught a nice bunch of crappie in Long Creek yesterday. College kids fishing the dam area caught some real pigs on the A-Rig. Long Creek, would be considered the dam as it is within 3 miles or so. I would for sure bring your suspending stickbaits this time of the year, and of course never leave home without the jig. Smallmouth should be getting close to eating a grub, but it is just a little slow yet. Still a week off, so watch the forum and you should get some better intel. Good Luck

Thanks. Great to see all those shorts. Usually males coming to the banks.

Buster drove a boat for two different teams. He was not allowed to comment or suggest any locations. Nither day did the guys he drove for catch a single fish. Pretty tough in that weather. After the derby Buster took out a camera man to get some A-Rig photos and caught a couple. Good to see the fish that were caught. But. Not everyone did quite as well.

Thanks to everyone that braved the cold and mist. Not to mention the NCAA derby that folks missed. Phil did a great job with the chow and I picked up a couple of good pointers just listening to the group talk fishing.

White bass this time of the year, can be very frustrating. Very, very seldon to they bite all day or for that matter feed on a consistant basis. Most often it is spurts in certain locations and you have to be right there. Some may not feed at all or not even everyday when they are making this spawing run. Its very hard to schedule trips for them as a guide, as they are just about as inconsistant as any fish that swims. YOu just have to keep goin. Good Luck

Quill, thanks so much for the wonderful report. Pocket may look familiar to me also. Fish dosen/t. Most of mine are much smaller.We are all waiting for some video.

You better be. And bring the better fishing half.

I would gladly eat my words.

You guys are gluttons for punishment. This high blue after that cold snap ought to really turn them on. "Right."

Now thats FUNNY

Buster and I launched at River Run yesterday morning at 7 AM to a very cold wind and rain. We chose very poorly. Fished to 10:30, looking for whites and mainly threw an A-Rig. Nada. There were tons of people on the bank at the Barker hole. Saw no one catch a fish. We had 1 crappie and 1 K. That ramp improvement is gona have to have a dock, or us fiberglass boys are just about out of luck. If you are by yourself and you do not have a keel guard and have a glass boat you are in serious trouble. It is going to leave a mark. Was there some serious erosion going on there? Never noticed it if there was. That would be the only reason I know for spending that kind of money over there. Might have been some damage but I guess I just had not seen it. It is for sure very difficult for us now, and to tell you the truth, a bit scary with current. One little goof up and you have really damaged your boat with that kind of rock in the water. Good Luck

Rodmaker, take a look at mid-lake if you are already not booked in. Sepetember can be hard on the Rock, but there are days that you can really have a great time providing the weather is just not stiffling. September here can be extremely HOT. If you can, put it as close to October as you can get. This is still a ski and wakeboat lake till the middle of October. I always sound like a Chamber of Commerece person for Shell Knob, but they have some of the best fishing resorts on the lake that are within easy reach of either Kimberling city by water or Eagle Rock. It is right in the nice cozy middle. One of my favorite Resorts with a fantastic Dock and launch by the dock, and perhaps the nicest lodging on the lake other than Big Cedar is Indian Hills out of Shell Knob. 15 minutes to Shell Knob for Dining or Shopping great grocery store., or 30 minutes from Eureka Springs or Berryville. There is always a good topwater bite out in front of the resort in September early and late. Good Luck

Not so much, better head for Cape Fair. Another point is you don't have to have a boat to do well. I know denjack's son does really well up the James off the banks. Maybe Denny will post a how to, they really catch them.

Tight thanks for that greaty report. That is absolutely the way to fish Whte Bass. Let those big sows loose. People take these fish and don't realize the ammount of red meat on those big sows plus all the eggs they are carring. A good pound to pound and a half male is great eating, and you don't hurt a thing.

This lake is coming up everyday. Gona be full before long. We get that 5 or 6 inches and everyone is going to cry as it heads for 920. Kind of suprised, we are up over 4 ft. in the last few weeks. Headed for the Knob this morning, should be good. Maybe.

If they are already so picky, this is gona be a tough year. Usually when those fish start moving up in the water column they will snatch at most anything. Thanks so much for the detailed report, very good information.

You can either launch down town and go into Scotty's trout dock. Lamar will give you the current poop, or you can launch at Cooper Creek Public Use Area and motor up a couple of city blks to Lilleys' The folks in the tackle shop will know the who, what, when, where, and how. I will tell you, it will beat the heck out of Long Creek, first part of March,for the youngsters. Probably either night crawlers or Gulp powerbait on a drift rig. Your line and gear will be perfect. Good Luck

Rain on this end did not seem to do a whole lot to the water color. Again, and I have posted this before. Table Rock in March is probably not the kind of place you want to bring a 7 and a 4 yr. old. Even if its great, there is still not enough action. Great being you catch 8 or 10 fish. We have one of the top fisheries in the entire country here and it is good. Take those kids down to Taneycomo. You can have your boat launched and have a fish on in just about 30 minutes from Big Cedar. I live 4 miles on west of Big Cedear and can launch and be picking up clients at Lilleys' dock in under 40 minutes. Fishing is pretty fair. The guides are bringing 30 to 50 fish to the boats in 4 hr. trips and if you all pack a lunch and spend a day on that beautiful river you will have a blast. I will tell you, the young ones will get a dose of Long Creek pretty fast. In Long Creek this time of the year, you in the boat alone with 3 boys under 10 is not going to be fishing, it is going to be flat out work entertaining. Good Luck

Josh, you have been a wonderful poster. You have helped people all Winter and the forum really appreciates it. Good Fishing and again thanks for your contributions. There you all go. That is just about as up to date information as is anywhere on the upcoming white bass run.

With the water where it is now, that Baxter Ramp on a Wind like we had today is HORRIBLE. It had Ice 5 ft. up from the lake and the only way you can keep the boat on the front of the trailer from sliding off is to keep it in gear and keep prussure on it. "Gosh this is really sounding like I took a Stupid Pill this morning." It was 28 degree at 10:30 when I left the water. I'll promise to be more careful. Hope you like the reels, I just love mine. I got the 7.1 I can just imagine those stickbaits are starting to get plenty restless. You got to watch those or they will get frisky also as it is almost Spring,

Want to be just like you when I grow up and was practicing my toughness. On another note, really got to thinking, that was not very smart of me today. Today was one of those days a guy could have gotten him or herself in serious trouble. With the freezing conditions and Ice spray and me just by myself, with no other folks on the lake, might should have rethunk that. Anything happen and I would have been in a very serious position. Usually you think your bullet proof, but I would not have been out on a day like that had I been in Alaska, I know better. No difference here if you are by yourself. Me Bad. Goes under my Mom's old saying Don't do as I do, do as I say. Good Luck and I will try and be more responsible

Good to know. Josh did you all catch limits and what size. I'm always interested in the whites for clients. Onlly thing about whites and crappie Folks seem to think they have had a bad trip if they don't catch a limit. Bass on the other hand if people go out and catch some its fine. I guess it is because when we fish for crappie and whites it turns into a meat deal and all bets are off. Took a couple of guys last year when they were just below Swan and we just caught the tar out of Big ole gals. One had 14 and the other had 13 that filled my livewell. In a late evening trip, only a couple of hours. Both guys said it would have been a good trip if they would have only gotten their limit. I've given up taking people for crappie, even if they do have a limit, they always wish they were bigger, or it would not have taken quite so long to catch them. Thanks for the info.

I think you would have had to of chopped them out of chunk Ice this morning. Really quiet on the WB front so far this year. Going to warm up later in the week, and I expect them to start first over on Bull Shoals. We will be rigtht behind. I bet in the next two weeks. Good Luck

This is a very chilly report. Not that the fishing was cool, but I just about froze to death. Launched at Baxter at 7:30 the old 6:30 to a Screaming wind pounding in on the ramp. Before I ever took off I had ice frozen on my motor and back deck from the spray. Have no idea why I went other than the fact that I can go when ever I want. Pretty dumb, but I'm getting to the point that I will be guiding everyday and private on the lake alone fishing time is important to me. Truck said 23 degrees when I dumped in. Gosh that was stupid. Got a good friend and client that wanted to throw a stickbait tomorrow so I was hoping I could find a spot that they were jumping at it. Lake for me was almost unfishable in certain locations, as there were some 3 and 4 footers out there today, so I stayed in the Big Indian. Was looking for LM so I started targeting trees on transitions and swings with as little wind as I could find. Threw the McStick and the Megabass for close to an hour and not a single nip. I think really I was dragging it and fishing it just to fast. Surface temps were way warmer than this weekend however pushing 47 degree. Put the "Sissy" stuff down and picked up the Umbrella. First cast by the first Cedar Tree and got completely slacked, by a very nice 18 inch K. I was at last on the board. I weighed that toad because it was a wide as it was long 3.12. Fiddled around going from tree to tree and some I had already fished with the sticker and caught a total of 7 in 2 hrs. all on the Rig and everyone a Kentucky. 5 really strong K's with the first 18" being the best one but the other 4 were between 16 and 18 and butter fat. No Largemouth. 13 plus pounds on the best 5, not derby fish, but the first solid Kentuckiy day I have had this year. Both Buster and Bill said they started catching a few the last couple of days. At that point I was chilled to the bone and put the icey tub back on the trailer. Gona get busy so it was really with out much more complaint a very nice 3 hrs. on the lake. Good Luck This is a complete turnaround for me as I have been catching nothing much but Brown Bass and LM.