Bill Babler

Great reports. Good to have someone on that end. Hope there is not a lynching. That area of the lake has always been the most closed mouth on what is going on. Lots of locals and old river folks up there that keep fishing information pretty close to the vest. You will also notice that the guide chatter from the James is almost non-existant. Usually don't talk to much about the derby section of the lake. Kind of keep those LM quite. We get someone up the Kings, and we will just about have this pond covered from end to end. Good Luck

My understanding it will not be open this year. It is of course just down from the house. Wish something would happen and they would open it. Staff is already gone. You would think they could open the launch, but I guess the restrooms and the trash would be a nightmare, without staff to moniter them.

You are Crankier. Best you just fish Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. Bring the Wife to keep your BP in Check and catch the fish. Hope you got your item and I have a load of very good jigs for you. Come and get them. Lake this year does seem very busy. Anytime during the week there is traffic, not only on the weekends. As far as the fisherman, I have never had so many people come in on me. Was fishing a point in the dam area last week and had a guy and two kids pull within 30 ft. of me and drop a trolling motor and drop crawlers. Had folks trolling between me and the bank in 10 ft. of water. Just what are they thinking? Had a guy a month ago up at Viney see us catching fish and pull completely around us then back between us and the bank. That did undue me. I asked him what in the Frig did he think he was doing. He asked me if I owned the Lake. I said yes for sure this 20 ft. stretch, and if he didn't believe me we would mark it on his nose. Just flat riduculas. May have to have some classes on proper lake ediqute.

I sense a mild irratation in your hand this AM, RPS. At least you could dangle your Feetsies in the Ice Water said BoZo provided. On your end of the pond if the biggins are out, there is just not the ammount of room for those wakes to disapate much before you get the full monty. School starts in 4 weeks and vacations are over in 6 weeks. Time then for us to reclaim what is (Rightfully Ours.) Maybe not. Right now I'm finding 5:30 to 9:30 in the early morn, to be the safe period. Seems the big boys stay out till dark. Good Luck

Probably no one in the area has more experence with the micro guides than my Buddy Bill Beck. He has been fishing them since Falcon started placing them on their T7's. I have had mine for several months. I will tell you the casting distance is completely dramatic. At least over anything of the same weight, length and flex, the micro guides by keeping the line in a straight precise non looping motion, will create further casts. I have to be very carefull when casting at objects with the same reel tention and be aware if I have picked up the micro. If not, I will even will all my fishing experence, simply sail the bait into the tree tops. Bill uses and loves the micro's in warm weather. In cooler weather the eyes will at some time freeze, and ice will block the eyelets. Also with the line being a bit stiffer in the cooler times it can be a problem. The primis with the micro's is to keep the line from becoming slack on the cast and hitting the larger eyes and looping, slowing down the line thru the bigger eyes. With the micro's and more eyes it maintains a straighter line to the bait. The micro eye rods will also keep you in very close contact with any fish you catch, just by having more contact points and using the entire rod on either the hook set or in playing the fish. Have not noticed anything on sensitivity. Don't believe there is a difference. Don't think you need to have ten of them, but a couple of micro jig rods are a pretty solid fishing investment.. i would for sure look at the Falcon Micro Cara T7 finess jig. Pair that with a Shimano Core or Diawia Steez and you have a lighting feather weight combo. "Don't let the wife see the Visa reciept on that outfit, or you will also have a new living room set." Good Luck

Bait area has been fishing great below Fall Creek. Almost everyday the guides are reporting fish that are just simply huge. The last couple of days Buster Loving has had a 10 pounder to the boat and then yesterday, he had a 7 pound Rainbow in the boat. All on Crawlers. Others reporting the same type of fishing. I have handed out more 20 inch pens this year than I can remember. Buster said the big fish are just coughing up Sculpin. We are all also catching sculpin while after the willey rainbow. Must be huge Sculpin numbers in the lake. Fish are just gorging on them. Might be why that Olive/Green/Sculpn Brown jig is doing so well. We had 6 browns yesterday in the restricted zone. Nothing big, but they were brown.

Buster double booked yesterday and gave me what he thought was going to be the hard trip out of Big Cedar. Told me my client said he was a fisherman and wanted to use his own gear, and throw a jig weather we caught any or not.. My kind of guy. I had mine ready also.. Reggie was suspose to be at the dock at 6 AM. I got there at 5:30 and was just putting the finishing touches on the 3/8th. Pig Sticker when he strolled up sporting 4 G Loomis Rods rigged with Chronarchs and the right line. He knew how to use them too. Got to tell you it was more than my pleasure to take this guy, he was a stick. Started on a Island Runout. Very chunky with 100 plus ft. water on either side on the hog-back. I threw a swimmer a few casts and zip. Reg. wanted to throw his big Lake Fork Stuff. He had a Big jig at 3/4th. full skirted with a fair size 5 inch twin on it, color was good. Nothing for either of us for the first 20 minutes. I knew the spot well and knew it held quality fish. Lots of shad both Gizzs and threadfin on the surface. Put down the Swimmer and picked up the PigSticker in 3/8th. Green Purple Flash with a Green Pumpkin/Pepper 4 inch twin. Wham!! Just a toad 3 pound K. Next throw Slam! another big K. About that time Reg. Hung his big jig and tried 3 banjo snaps. We have all done this and do it all the time. The G Loomis with the 14 pound Seaguar didn't like it and snapped in the middle. Shucks. Handed him my T7 Cara finess Jig micro guide.12 pound carbon with a 7.1 Steez, and said "Fling This." First throw and he was on the board. Another nice keeper K. Caught 3 more keeps off the island. By 6:30 we had 12.5 pounds. Best start I have had in quite a while. Reggie said he had fished with guides all over the country and everyone was impressed with his equipment when he showed up. He said mine was better. Had no idea of the lightness fast tip and the quality of the Cara T7. Could not get it out of his hand the rest of the day. He could throw the 3/8th. 30 ft. further than the 3/4 with my junk that weighed about 1/3rd. as much as his. I threw one of the Loomis rods also for a while. Not even the same equipment as the Falcon and the Steez. You feel like you have stepped back. into another era in quality. Fished 8 locations in the 4 hours and had some very nice bass. Mostly keeps in the 15 ft. depth range. Surface temp at 89.8 Clarity is dingy. Reggie also had a 30 pound carp I was hoping was a flat head. Super trip with a great gent and fisherman. We will go again.

Good point on that tree, and very good advice. Guys don't be mislead on where to run just because you saw someone blow thru there. Might be a guide or it might be a jet. I went thru some 2' water today on plane. Would not recommend that manuver to anyone. I just know my equipment and the configuration of the bottom in those areas. Had another great morning with about 30 fish. Very quality size. Green 3/32nd. or 1/8th. jig and then on 4 generators a size 10 white wooley bugger.

As Phil mentioned those evening trips are for me producing fish. Probably not the numbers he like, but the quality is fantastic. In a 4 hr. trip my 3 clients caught only 24 fish.BUT nothing much under 15 inches and most Butter Fat 15 to 19 inches. I way perfer a smaller number with quality like this. Did not injure a single fish and had nothing swallow the bait. On the lower end around Banson it is still full of powerbait fish. As far as the boating question. Watch the level. Anything under 704 you had better watch out, unless you have the bottom pegged down. One of the worst stretches is in front of Short Creek and the next is the bar above the ramp at Fall Creek. On up the riffle just before Clay Banks is very tight and then the riffle above Clay Banks is tight. The Reef above the Big Hole is shallower and the channel is on the rebar side as it has been. You can run the channel behind the island, if rebar is crowded with boats. There is a huge tree just below rebar, but it has been there. Good Luck

First trip out of Lilleys' yesterday with 3 gents to catch and eat a limit of tasty taneycomo Rainbows. Extreme Sucess. Crawlers from Fall Creek to Lilleys' Caught 42 fish with a 22 inch 6 pound bow. Big fish released immediatly and a certificate and pen headed back to Ohio with the Boys. Best bite was from 7 AM till the sun started beating us up. About 10. Afternoon Group trip from Chateau and the fish in the restricted zone were simply on fire. 24 fish for folks that had never fished with the best one at a Screemin Fat 19 inches. Could not get my hands around this fish to hold it. Have not been taking picks as these fish are wild and you just cannot hold them without dropping them in the boat. Trying not to handle the Restricted area fish very much and keep them in the water during the release. At 100 degrees, their skin starts to dry almost immediatly and it is ashame to injury the fish, for a photo. When it cools off some we will try and take a few pics. Water is still off color and the fish in the Restricted Zone are still coughing up shad.

If you have not been to the Knob, since the 90's hold on. Not the same place at all. With the Spit-toon, I would probably fish the long runout points, deep dock cables and bridge piers with crawlers. Fish seem to be in the 26 to 40 ft. range. Probably catch a kitty or an eye mixed in with the gills, and a few bass. Good Luck

Have not tried trolling leadcore line. Guess I'm going to have to buy a new boat, as the 250 Merc don't like that very well. Nice catch.

Super fish. Glad someone caught one on a jig just like they were suspose to. Nice release. Fish still looked fresh and healthy. Thanks all.

Most of the fish we are seeing on the electronics, are not bass. Here is a tip on your electronics, you may only get here. If you see multiple targets that are very loosly formed, single targets that are suspended and targets that are stationary near the bottom, Very few are bass, if any. Fish that are moving in the water structure for the most part either rising from the bottom and then returning are Bass. Usually K's. Fish that are rising and moving in the upper water sections are also usually small K's. Fish that are relating to the tops of structure have not been bass. Mostly Gills. Fish that are rising to your presentation, from the interior of the structure weather they accept it or not are bass. This pond is crowded now with Gills, Gar, Spoonies, and all other sorts of fish that are not bass. I am still struggling with catching any bass if Gar are working the area, and for the most part they are working everywhere. Good Luck

With the Rock fishing as hard as its name, most all the guides are fishing Taney. Fishing has been better than good this week in several areas and lots of methods. Resticted Zone on 2 units and up, has been fishing excellent. Please know this area very well to boat there with under 3 units of generation. On an earlier thread I read of a guy speaking of a Navtronics Chip. FORGET ABOUT IT. THIS BOTTON IS NOTHING LIKE IT WAS 3 MONTHS AGO. If you are going to anchor fish, please anchor out of the channel, or expect boat traffic to be on or over your junk on a constant basis. This is a navigatable waterway and the channel will be used. Boat will not go around you into the shallows to pass, nor should they have to. Anchor on the flats and toss your goodies into the channels and you have no problems. Drift fishing with either a white or sculpin 1/8th. oz jig has been excellent. Dragging a size 8 white wooly bugger has also produced very quality fish. I have had flyfisherman for the past 3 days and we are catching fish deep nympthing, using a size 8 red sanjuan worm and egg combo, or a egg and size 12 grey scud combo. I am fishing them on 3 units at 16 to 18 ft. below the indicator. There has and is still going on a dry fly bite, and it is fasinating. Maybe 4 or 5 takes from the dam to Fall Creek, but real exciting casting and very fun stuff, if you don't expect a load of bites and you are an above average caster. Fly does not seem to matter, as long as it is big and yellow, red, chartruse,or and bright combo. Best bite is right on the bank, under the overhanging limbs. Fall Creek To Cooper Creek has just been wonderful for BIG BOWS. Lilleys' has given out multiple pens and certificates this last week for 20 plus inch fish being caught and released. Most on Crawlers. It has slowed some in the past day or two with the heavy fishing prussure, but they are still biting. Powerline above Monkey Island thru Bee Creek is loaded with rainbows. Most are small, but there is a lot of bites down there. Best deal is orange and charturse gulp powerbait. Again let me mention here that early in the morning in the fog, Please keep on the right side of the lake. With all the boats and guide boats down there, you need to watch what you are doing. If you are going down the wrong side of the lake in the fog, with no lights on your boat, you are in the wrong. It is no different than driving down the wrong side of the hiway at night with your lights off. If you are concerned or apprehensive about the boat operation, wait a bit. Fishing has remained good so you don't need to be out there when it is a challange for your operating ability. Be safe. Spoke to a few people today pulling out at the Cooper Creek Ramp that were down town today and they said the water skiers were just thick from K Camp to Bull Creek, and not all of them were Campers. Lots of boat traffic. Good Luck

Listened to the news today and they said for next week, dangeriously HOT. That has not been what the fishing has been on the Rock for the past couple of weeks. It has been very hit and miss. Some guides report drop shot fish as shallow as 15 ft. and other catching a few at 35 over 100 in the tree tops. No one that I have talked to is by any sense of the imagination doing very well. Bite has been early and I mean super early, and not very often. Most of us guide types if we can have been perched on 53 degree taneycomo if at all possible. Table Rock surface temps ranging from 87 to 91 depending on the time of the day and the lake location. As RPS stated on another thread thermocline is ranging in the 26 ft. depth level, with the entire lake being slightly cloudy or somewhat of a green type of moss bloom. Never have I seen a year with a worse topwater bite or the absence of any type of a White Bass schooling bite. Did for a while have them at Turn Around Island at the mouth of the Kings River, but they seem to have vanished. Excluding the limited dropshot bite the bite for most of us is still from the bushes out to the origional 910 bank line. Lake wide the bite and tenique is the same, and that again is more than a little bit strange. Big 10 inch green pumpkin pepper worm- 1/2 to 3/4 oz. Green Pumpkin/Purple jig with a big trailer or a 5 inch twin tail--Deep Cranker--or swimming a 5 inch smoke pepper grub. Fish have been on the bluffends, long gravel runouts and cove mouths, and not very many on each location. You can pretty much pull the troller up after the first or second fish, and be better off with your time. If there is a drop of breeze even if the location looks yucky, fish it. The big Worm is catching the LM and jig and grub the Jaws or K's. It is hard. You all know how much I love Shell Knob, and it has just flat sucked the past month. Yes, you can catch some fish from Campbell Point up the Kings away and then on up to Big M, but they are for the most part very young. Most still having milk on the lips. James River still is maintaining the bite, but it is covered up with fisherman. You pretty much have to take a number to get to fish a spot. Beck was at the Ramp at Cape Fair this morning and at 5 AM there was a crowd. He said at one point he looked up looking down the lake from PigPen and there was more fisherman than he had ever seen. This lake is packed with fisherman and pleasure boaters, it is the season. Bite in the dam area is still one of the best on the lake, but it is slow. Maybe we have to retool our thinking and believe any bite and any fish is better than nothing. Spoke to one of the Big Cedar Guides today and he had 7 fish on his guide trip yesterday and thought he had won the lottery. Get out early, catch 5 or 6 and head for the showers. You might still get a big-en on that big worm or that jig. Just not the big numbers of dropshot fish we usually see at this time of the year. It is however a steller BlueGill year, and you can catch all you want in 15 ft. on crickets Good Luck

It is great when good things happen to good people. RPS has put in hours on the water and shares his days with us in little regurad for anyone infringing on is stuff. If anyone deserves a great fish like that it is RP. Way to go and many congrats

Great photo of those daddy's. Looks yummy. Best luck I have seen is a local at Shell Knob that used to run a trapline. He put his traps in the shelf rock timbered deep cove guts. Usually in 15 plus feet. he would attach them to some docks some times or to a dock cable and no one ever knew they were there. He would always prebait an area for a week or so using cut gills, liver and necks. He caught hundreds, with lots of them being BIG. He ate the biggest ones and used lots for limb and trot lines. He had the best of both worlds. He told me nothing in the traps works better than turkey necks and a little lard. He also really liked beef liver, but after the blood was gone it was no good. Usually about 2 days. He would also bow shoot carp and put some of that in his freezer. He canned the meat. He would use the carp carcausses in his traps. Hope this helps good luck

Guys had their choice this morning, of either Bass or Trout. We had 40 nice trout yesterday with several in the 4 pound range. Picked the bass out of Big Cedar. Told them this may not be wise. It is almost impossible to drop shot the dam area without the gills driving you crazy either on the bottom or suspended. We threw a jig. Pigsticker Green Pumpkin Purple Flash. 3/8th. Chompers twin tail 4 inch in watermellon Candy was the meaty part. Only had 12 fish, but had 8 nice keeps. 6 jaws and 2 K's. Some of the guys are reporting still catching them in front of the bushes, but our fish came out of 15 ft. on the long runnouts. Caught 1 nice jaw on a bluffend on the jig, trying to stay out of the way of the boys throwing the fin, Noda on the Fin-------AGAIN. Fished 5:30 to 9:30 and the best time was 7 to 8. All fish were caught in that hour, and then they were done for us. Good Luck

Post Spawn Bluffends.

T. it was only a 3 pounder and we don't worry about those. You are not going to believe it but Becky got your item sent back to you in the mail. Still have your jigs, but you are going to have to come and get those. Thanks Buddy.

Gitnby has got you fixed up. Big Time Won't beat the location at Schooner Creek and for sure not the guide service. That is just about as good as you can get on the Rock. Bill Beck will show you how and where. Stop by Harter House at the top of the Hill for some Quality Steaks and you simply got a dream week. Good Luck

Snake was up the James yesterday starting at 5:30 in the AM. Really be silly to try and tell what we did. It was a huge day on the big 10 inch worm, and the 3/4 oz. PigSticker jig with a full baby brush hog in green pumpkin trailer. Promised my client I would not tell where. We threw big baits all day. Lots of fishermen, the bite for us ended about 9 AM, but what a bite from daylight till then. We only had 18 fish, but a dozen of those were simply KNOCKOUTS. 6.15 was the big gal.

Had longtime client and friend John Dickerson out this morning up at Viney Creek. His son Andrew and friend Curtis were along for the catchin if there was to be any. It was hard. On John's first toss, he nailed a 3 pound K. Second cast he had another on and it escaped and then we had to work. Viney to Shell Knob is covered with huge Gills, shad, Gar and loads of fishermen. Someone on most every point. Was looking down the White River from Emerald Beach and could see 8 points. Each had a boat on it and lots more trolling. Did not see one topwater bust all morning. John caught his fish on a Head, with a green pumpkin slim sinko. Andrew and Curtis caught several including a 2-3 and 4 pound LM all on Crawlers. Crawler fishing is almost impossible as the Gills are solid from 15 to 30. I looked over 30 on 5 locations, and saw nothing. Most of our fish came in the 25 ft. range. About a dozen bass and twice that many Gills this morning on the 85 degree water. Some or I will say most of the Gills were huge. If you are a gill eater, you had better get up there. I believe if we had been using crickets, it would have been a feast.

Better watch out about askin. I would be on the hook for sure on that deal. Great Pic's and two nicer guys there are not. Thanks Bill