Bill Babler

I had been Him/Hawing about this for the past year. It is a major decision for me even being able to write the entire purchase off as a business expense. I have lost over 50 dates this year due to he virus and that is a bunch of income, and you have to make something to write it off. Becky is also down hundreds of room nights at the Lodge so the amount of write off expense this year is going to be really limited. I have however been questioned by potential clients about wanting to see the Garmin equipment in action, and have passed on a few clients to others that had it. I'm good to go now, but make no mistake it hurt to write that kind of a check.

I have only caught 1 drop shot fish all year, as they just are not positioned for a drop shot either crawler or soft plastic. At Big M and Eagle Rock that trolling technique will work. There will be a top water bite early up there and then he can throw small swimbaits or troll. You can also use some deeper divers on the gravel up there and catch a walleye or two. Crawler drop shot bite may start soon but for me and all my buddies the fish are just to scattered and remember there is no thermocline to position the deep fish. They are in every part of the water column and in the bushes to 50' deep with none grouped up except that early top water deal Good Luck

Mapping is fantastic with no need for additional info Garmin uses a Lake Vu and all my depth ranges are colored. Really looking forward to that as it lets you know your in the strike zone when your in the right color. My mount is the Prospective Mt. Waypoints transfered in 2 minutes not problem at all. I was going to get out today, but to windy. I'll be on the water with it in the morning.

Bad to the Bone, but a major, major price tag if you have to pay retail. You have to be really careful, when I was calibrating it I did not have my bow butt seat in to lean on and it just about bucked me out. I came within a couple of inches of swimming. There is a learning curve on all the motors but everything on the Force is special. Gauges right on the trolling motor are fab. and everything syncs with the Garmin Graphs. If I'm running Hummingbird I would have stuck with the Ultrex. For Lowrance I would run the Lowrance Ghost or the new Motor Guide Tour Pro that's set up for Lowrance. I just ran it a bit yesterday pulled my 22" Phoenix on glass still water at 4.1 mph, so quiet you cannot hear it operating and when the head turns it is extremely quiet. Totally effortless deploy and retract, with two huge power pistons to assist both deploy and recovery. Only negative I have heard is you must strap it down on rough water if your going very far as it will bounce out of the cradle. Probably a function of the easy deploy retract. I'll let you know. Phil and I believe Duane installed there own on their boats but if your running the Garmin Electronics also, it is probably a tech job as there are updates to both motor and graphs sync jobs that have to be done to start. I got lucky on my install as a Garmin tech did it mostly as a friend of the Phoenix rep for me, It took us about 8 hrs. for the install, so there would be a pretty big price tag with that. All 4 brand new units needed 2 software upgrades. I also needed a complete new front panel and installed it on original Precision Sonar Stack. They make them for most every boat line and it totally reinforces the front end as with those two graphs its pretty heavy. If your just going to buy it off the shelf and have it done your probably going to have about 13 grand in it, so this type of technology is not inexpensive. Thank goodness I have a very good friend. I'll probably do the dash early next Spring if I have any money.

I have been a very bad boy. Garmin 126SV 12" and a Garmin 102SV 10" I took it out yesterday morning to calibrate the Force and sync it with the electronics. Saw a fish down about 23' on the Panoptix 50' from the boat. Eased toward it and it came right into the 2D sonar view I dropped on it and caught it on a drop shot. First drop shot fish of the year. Amazing technology. Garmin Force with Panoptix Livescope. I need to sell my Minn Kota Ultrex so if your interested its on Buy Sell Trade. Make any offer on it you want and it will be considered. I sold my HDS 9 Touch I had on the bow in about 15 minutes thru Buy Sell Trade. The trolling motor had 2 issues right out of the box, they replaced the rise and lower piston and a week later they replaced the Lower Unit. I bought it in March of 2019 and had the two incidents before the month was over so it kind of scared me but has worked perfect since. A new one with tax is $2,750.00 plus installation. My Garmin guy told me to price the Ultrex at the price I have listed as that is about a $1,000.00 off a new one and its only a year old. Good Luck

91 degree and 91% humidity, but the water temp is only 83 and that is what we are here. I heard one of the guys say that there are just fishermen everywhere and that every blade of grass in the lake gets flipped at least twice a day. NO THANKS

Yes Sir.

Florida fishing this time of the year is more than boring to even watch. This is the 3rd. day of competition and I would just about bet the fish numbers and total wt. even with a 2 lb. minimum would be higher on Table Rock. There has been 3 or 4 big fish caught in 3 days but the numbers of 2 plus lb. weighable fish is just terrible. The first day they averaged a shade over 4 fish per angler, the second day 3 fish per angler and these are the best competitive fisherman in the world. Today sucks just as bad. From 5th. place down, most are singing the blues. Just now at 11:20 there are 16 anglers that have either caught one or zero starting the 3rd. period. That is just stupid bad.

Dibs

Used the Speed Wake again yesterday. That thing runs perfect and I caught some nice fish on it. Client I had was pre-fishing for the solo pro and he ran a Surge Shad and it pretty much smoked the Speed Wake, but I did get bit.

This is Table Rock Lake, there is not a bunch of anything anywhere. This lake is not stocked with the exception of spoonbill by MDC. Arkansas stocks some walleye up the Kings and White River, and that is a ways from Indian Point. Drop shotting a crawler on years when the lake level is at 915 or there abouts is good if you can find the fish. On high water flood years like this it is super sketchy as the fish tend to scatter and not school as much during daylight hours. Today we found fish from 10' to 40' but not loads of fish in any certain location, they were just scattered in the water column. Everything we found today was suspended, and on gravel, which is hard to see with the lake being this high. Fishing early the bite was fantastic on both topwater and using a small swim bait, keeping the boat mostly in 30'. Early and I mean early 0500 to 0700 there was a great topwater bite if you could find it. White bass blew up on us several times and could have been caught on the small 2.8 inch swim baits or the topwater, but we avoided them. Fun to catch but like turning loose a porky pine. The white bass this year have been blowing up most every morning lake wide, even in the dam area. Look in the mouth of the bigger coves to see them surfacing Depending on the child and his or her age, Table Rock for the most part is not a kid friendly lake unless they are patient and know about fishing, in that fishing is fishing and at times not catching. Some handle this way better than others with girls handling it about 50 times better than boys. There are some very good guides working the Indian Point Dam area. Hire one for a morning and see what they are doing. Tell them what you want to accomplish with the kids and tell them if they are on kid friendly fish you want to go, and if not you don't. If ones says maybe we can get them into fish, don't go with him, find another one and give him a call asking the same question. I'll tell you right now I am not on kid friendly fish as I'm not on drop shot fish. I can get bit from 5 to 7 by fish that a 12 year old can catch but at 7 or 8 the fish pull the plug and it gets wicked. Deal could change in 10 days when you get here, but right now it is somewhat big boy fishing. You want to take them and catch some really nice fish to eat book a trip out of Lilley's for trout. The trout are kid friendly and make lasting memories and they eat really well too if your in a mind for fish. Good Luck

When I left the house it was at Butler Missouri at about 4:30 headed South. I could just see some heat lightning flashes I thought. Looked at hourly forcast and it said it would not get here period. At. a quarter to 6 it just slammed us. There are trees down and Carol Electric was putting service back up in Blue Eye when I came thru at 11. It was terrible. My first year on the Water Patrol I was out in a tornado on Lake O. that blew down a BBQ and did massive damage to the homes up there. That was back in the 70's and that was probably the worst. I was afraid for my life that day. Yesterday I was afraid I would tear up my boat and I did get her bite slightly but man that wind was just terrible. From what I been hearing the white's were wild all over the lake in the wind blown coves after the storm. Didn't bother them, they saw a feast and took advantage of it.

Took 10 days to get the two I ordered. Used it this morning just prior and after the Hurricane and it is fantastic. Let me clarify that a bit. I must have caught a dozen white bass on it. It has probably been at least 15 years since I saw the number of whites that were in the Baxter area this morning. Just every wind blown pocket they were churning. Massive schools that would fill a good portion of the pocket and the shad, both gizzard and threadfin were simply packed into those wind blow coves. Caught 2 small K's on it and 4 small K's on a Surge Shad. The Surge Shad runs great, but it has a totally different wake than a fin, much tighter and faster. Had 4 keepers, 2 on a jig in front of the bushes, and that's nearly 20' deep and 2 swimming the 2.8" Keitech. On a sad note I put a dandy of a scratch on my boat on an unprotected dock I had to hide under. First scratch I have ever put on one so I guess it was time. I won't be able to look at it so I'll call Rick Lisek and have him fix it as soon as possible so I can sleep at night. Probably one of the worst wind storms I have ever been caught out in this morning. Man it was just flat terrible between Shell Knob and Baxter. Glad I had the big Phoenix to ride it out, then I went and put a gash in her. Good Luck

Plastic. Steve up at Sportsman Outfitters ie Lews told me yesterday that Strike King is coming out with a new and improved one using metal in the hinge.

The Bass Elite guys are the ones left over after they picked the top 80 fishermen in the world the the MLF Bass Pro Series. Some pretty good sticks there and I'm sure politics had a little to do with it.

Cooper would be fine however the walkway to the dock ramp might have some water on it that you would have to wade thru. Just guessing.

Yes, it is fine. I have launched there for quite a few days straight with the exception of a couple of days on Taney. Was over there this morning. Only 5 rigs. Dock is getting shallow as they drop the lake,. I'd say it will need pushing out tomorrow sometime. Let us know how you do.

Not to even mention Jordan Lee. College National Champion 2014 Back to Back Classic wins in 17 and 18. Just win baby, he is always a threat.

KVD came along at the right time and is and was just a Tenacious Bull Dog. Question was who is the best hand right now. and that's not Kevin however I do agree with you on him getting it done and probably not only age but having got it done and not needing to anymore kind of takes him out of the running Yes Snagged you are right. Your going to have to judge the accomplishment of these guys by titles as with anything, some of these young guys will eventually win more money, and that is not even looking at the business aspect if you throw that into total earnings.

Every Pro that's ego does not make them say them self will say Jacob Wheeler, right now, not even close I was in a big discussion with some of the tour guys and they all said Wheeler and on top of him being a super hand, he is just lucker then heck. Guy is so versatile it is unreal, does not matter what bait is in his hand he is deadly with it. One of the guys said he is a guy that can pull up on a smooth point in the middle of the day, make one cast and a school of 4 pounders will blow up around him Young, Good, Lucky. Wow.

A note I just picked up as far as Outboard Engine sales US, not Global Mercury 51% market share Yamaha 37% BRP 5% Honda, Suzuki 3% each Others 1% World Wide Outboard sales is Yamaha 63%

Evinrude jets had nitches, where our friend Jim Johnson has his Lodge in Alaska at King Salmon its all Etec jets. Down on the White River in Arkansas its all Merc jets and most other places in Alaska it is pretty much Merc. jet and Yamaha or Honda outboards. You will see a few Suzuki outboards but not many Merc straight outboards other than jets. You go to Florida or the Texas Coast and its 70% Verado. I think the nitches are mostly due to service centers where you can buy and get them worked on.

You noticed my last boat on the list. If they are to sustain Texas will have to keep them alive and it just seems to me Phoenix is just taking over down there. I watch a couple of those Texas Pro Fishing Circuits, I think there is maybe 3 or 4 that are on the 3 outdoor networks quite a bit and you see a few Skeeters, but by far the majority are Ranger and Phoenix and I don't think I have ever seen anything down there that was not powered by Black, outside of the few Skeeters you see.

Both Big Bite and Keitech. H. hwy ramp is on 39 hwy between Shell Knob and 86 hwy Carr Lane. Go down H for 6 miles and when it starts to go into the lake, take a right and follow that small Black top around to the launch. Got a feeling it will be packed in the morning far prior to sunrise.

Quite a bit of talk out there today and you can take it with a grain of salt, but word is that Evinrude was offered to Johnny Morris at a very good price, along with Alumacraft of the BRP boat lines and he refused it. It is 2 stroke technology, very good 2 stroke tech and probably better than Yamaha 4 stroke. Better on fuel and that is a shame on you to Yamaha for sure. I have no idea why Yamaha cannot fix their fuel consumption to at least be competitive but its seems they cannot. Johnny did not want or need another alum. boat line, let alone a pontoon line Really about the only new boats that currently were running Evinrudes was Ranger and Vexes plus the Alumacraft, Telwater and Manitou Pontoons and I think Johnny had his finger in no more Evinrudes on Rangers. BP is strictly Mercury on all their brands and I think he means for it to stay that way. 10's of millions in back end money. You want a Triton or a Ranger with something else you may be out of luck. As for Triton they are hanging on by a toenail and I'm guessing about as close to gone as the Foo Foo bird. Lots of their long time pro's are jumping ship like rats from a sinking vessel. We are really on the verge of Ranger, Nitro, Phoenix, Bass Cat and Skeeter and yes I know there are some upstarts, but those are the big boys and they are going to get their share off the top.