Bill Babler

Very nice report, thanks a bunch, great info.

White River Outfitters Guide Service Great day on the pond with Steve, Bob, and Don. Lots of big SM getting ready to do the deal. We fished from Aunts Creek to Baxter on the main lake White River and boated a bunch just like the ones in the photos Most of the day boat in 25' to 35' off the flat gravel points or about 2 casts off the bank. I believe the majority of our fish were in that 12' to 18' range. Only caught 1 K today, all the rest were brown and everything was on the 2.8" Keitech on a 1/4 oz. head Best 5 would have been nibbling at 17 pounds and we jumped off at least 4 as big as the biggest fish we put in the boat. Everyone of them would just sky rocket and then dig for the bottom line crazy. Lake was totally crowded to the max today I got really luck to put these guys on this type of fishing. Good Luck

Quick Bulletin. COE will open 5 gates at TRD at 0900 this morning 1 foot, to compensate for the rain in the area. The flow will be 15,000 CFS. If shad start coming thru down there the fishing will be spectacular on Taney.

We should hit a 3' rise sometime around noon since this weather pattern started. That roughly works out at a Table Rock increase of about 1 inch per hour For the past 36 hours. That's pretty healthy. Were do you guys think this will crest? In Phil's Taney report he thought TR would come up 3' but it looks like we will be quite a bit over that. I'm terrible at guessing lake levels but I'm thinking somewhere between 719 and 20.

What he said.

Just heard Eureka Springs had 6+inches. Had a wall of water roaring thru downtown. It was just on with video on Springfield, TV. This pond is going to jump big time. I'm just right at 2 inches now. That's 1/4 inch in the last 20 minutes

Lake up 6" since midnight. That is a huge rise in that short of time period. I'm up to 1.75 inches here and it's just pouring.

I'm sure that's absolutely true, but its much easier with 2-3 non fishing clients to throw that 1/4 oz small swim bait as far as they can, count it down to 10 and slow reel it back than fight that moss up shallow from the dam to Baxter. I've never until this year had trouble with swallows on the Ned, but this year the Ned and the Shaky head are winding up way to deep in fish. I think with the moss that the folks cannot tell if its fish heavy or moss heavy. None the less, I'm swimming that Keitech as long as the fish will let me.

Yep. Counting last night, we are at 1.25 inches here in Blue Eye this morning and they say the heavy stuff is coming this afternoon. Also this rain is in the White River Basin so I'm guessing we will see a pretty good rise.

Guys is it just me or do a lot of these pic's look like spawned out sows or males. I fished for 2 hrs. after my morning trout trip, launching out of Kimberling and had 5 keeper Jaws. All were egg heavy and did not look ready. All caught on a 2.8 inch Keitech. 15' to 25' suspended staging off spawning coves. Couple of the guides totally hammered the LM yesterday on flukes. One long time seasoned guide told me it was his best day ever on the Rock. I tried it a bit and had some short K's hammer it, but it was mid day so I was late to the show. Good Luck

Jimmy is a different kind of Kat. He is Very, very opinionated. There would be no Jimmy Houston without Forrest Wood Worked the Oklahoma Sports Show with him 2 or 3 times. He would contradict you in a NY minute in front of anyone. He was strictly a power fisherman and for the most part his way or the road way. I tried to avoid him and got by fine.

I don’t think he staged that wasp event cause the stung the Holly BeJezers out of him.

Agree totally Jeff

You guys should have been in a derby. Blake had easy over 15 lbs.

Dance has some of the funniest bloopers ever caught live. You just can't make his kind of goof ups really happen. The time he caught the limb with the wasp nest was a total classic. The guy has lost and broken more rods than most of us will ever own. Harold was a pioneer. I guided him on Taney out of Main Street Marina when Bob and Jacky Cline owned it. I'm thinking maybe in the late 90's. I think at the time he told me he was 85 or so. Talked about either Great Bear or Great Slave lake catching Lake Trout on a bait he designed called a Reaper. Lake trout were his favorite to catch and he wanted to catch the world record on film. He wanted to show sportsmen what was out there. He was just a might pretentious. Good Stuff

Agree 100%

Jimmy’s wife Chris really should be in our prayers. Extremely poor health. Got so tired of watching Bill Dance catch 5 pounder after 5 pounder in the PRIVATE FLorida lakes then try and sell you the No-Miss lures he was catching them on. They would bite a tennis shoe. My friend pond in Camden county is about 5 acres and you can catch a 3.5 pounder and up for hours at a time, almost every throw and really any type of bait.

Where were you seeing water that warm? Talked to at least a dozen guys fishing the bash and 53 was tops from dam to 45 mile mark. I did see 54 in the back of Proctor Creek but for the most part 51 to 53. If we would have kept 9” crappie we could have had limits every day but there is just nothing on a 9” crappie. Going back next week when it warms up a mite.

You all are being pretty hard on theses folks. For the most part theses guys still love the competition and the competitive aspects of tournament angling. They are really only competing against the fish. I guide lots of theses people and most of them are simply wonderful people that miss the participation of either team or individual sports. They have the resources to do this and really enjoy it. Most know they are not fishing to win but fishing to place, all want to exceed and keep improving On any day however they can and do place and finish high. This keeps them going, and for guys that are on the back side of 40 there is not a lot of other things they can do to keep those juices flowing.

It’s on the web, both days results Tournament was Phoenix, Bass Fishing League. It’s a part of MLF along with the Toyota series and Bass Pro Tour. Two events this last weekend. Saturday was a regular schedule and Sunday was one postponed from Lake O. From earlier this year due to weather. This tour is a pay event and anyone can enter. No qualifications required just the entry fee. Congrats to World Wide Watson. Great weekend for him. He also did well on the last Toyota event on Grand.

We have cleaned 22 the last couple of days and everyone was a hen We have not been on the bAnk been out in 12’ to 15’ with the rig might try it onshore tomorrow unless I go home for a week

Crappie was not good yesterday in Rainey for us. Again probably 30 plus shorts with 5 keeps. Got to be 11 inches or better or we toss them back. Wind was simply terrible and hard to fish the Spider or for that matter any light line process. Lots of folks dock hopping and walking docks. Got close to an inch of snow here now and it’s coming down hard. We’re in front of the fire today Good Luck

We’ll be in a 23’ Center Console AlWeld with Power Poles. If you see us come say howdy. Going to hunt till 10, have some breakfast and head over

Fished for Crappie in Rainey Creek Sunday. Spider rigged and we went thru 10 doz. minnows as quick as a wink. Surface temps 53 and really murky. Most fish just on the flats and channel breaks in 6’ to 8’ we kept 17 all 11” or better must have caught 70 with lots of youngsters. I’m watching a dizen turkeys hope they come in to my spread. Hunting with a bow this year More later

Should not be a problem swimming that 2.8 in swim bait.