Bill Babler

Ethan with a Super nice Taney Brown Trout male with Kype in full spawning colors. Click on the pic for a totally beautiful male brown in full color. On Taney everyday this past week with results that were beyond good, especially for the Summer heat. If you can fish, Great. If you can't fish much it does not matter, your still going to get bit. Have not fished above Dave's flat or below Lilley's, all in between, mostly averaging about 50 fish per day with most in the 14 plus inch class, with lots and lots bigger, and very few smaller. By playing the flow you can continue to have success throughout the morning. I'm starting at either 5:30 or 6 am. Till 8 am you cannot make a mistake. Stickbaits, Power Bait, Crawlers, jigs, PW, all are working. When the sun hits the ball game changes, as does the flow but the bite can continue if you adapt. Seems like at about 8 the flow really slow down, and at this time if you go to live bait your not in trouble. The Power worm, power bait or sitckbaits will almost go dead. You can go to a TJ full micro in pink or any small pink jig under 100 oz and you will still be fine, with that or a crawler. I have not been out there as much latter in the morning past 10 am but the guides that are taking multiple trips are telling me at 11 am or so when the flow increases the bites are totally insane on a crawler or down around monkey on PB. If you watch it and only keep the quality fish you can clean 4 fish that easily weight close to 5 pounds after they are gilled and gutted. Over a pound and a quarter average and that is fantastic, at any time of the year, let alone dead of Summer. Lots of brown trout currently on the move above Lilley's. They seem to be hanging in any of the bends or deeper pockets and by that I mean just depth changes, as really there is not a lot of deep water right now. Big fish are also coming in as just about every trip we are catching both rainbows and browns in the 20" to 22" class. If you get a chance even though its hot outside right now so is the bite. Come on down. Good Luck This post has been promoted to an article

30 MPH max at night.

Guys I need to get this out of my garage. If someone would make me a decent offer I will take it. It is ashame for this new motor to just sit here.

I saw that also Jeff. YEP, if you come in September or October you will be into a nice leaf color change with a chance for some isolated snow fall😃 Not really Murdok, just joking. September here is hot and I mean temperature. Leaves are usually early to mid November for the best colors. Last year our prettiest day here at the Lodge and Becky keeps track for the leaf peepers was November 16. Last week of October those Jaws will start munching, but not where you might think They are still in that 20 Foot plus range inhaling 3/4 oz football jigs. Come back and give it a try.

I'd trade you my two best Redfins for that Little Brunette.😃 You are one lucky man right now. Wouldn't want to be in your shoes in 10 years. You'll have to keep the shotgun loaded.

Good client and friend Howard Ebmenier has a 1998 Lund Pro Sport with a Shorelander Trailer he would like to sell. This boat is a one owner and located in the Little Indian at Baxter It has a Motor Guide 12V trolling motor and the boat is in beautiful shape for a 1998. It has always been covered and is on a lift in his dock. It has a 90 Evinrude and the engine is blown, so it would need to be repaired or replaced but this boat is just beautiful. You would have to make a decision on the engine,. I would just slap a new Yamahammer or Merc on it. Kurt at Baxter Marina has all the info. and can show the boat. That is pretty much what I know. He wants $4,500 for the package. You can reach Kurt at 417-779-4244

If your after a small jaw try the following pts. The trick will be for you to keep your boat deep enough and you will have trouble with this. Emerald Pt. The is on the N. Side of Clevenger Island going East right in front of High Dive. There are two islands, drag a jig 1/2 oz. or a C-rig out that ridge. Start at 20' and drag out to 50' Emerald Pt. itself, with the condo's. Fish in front of the condos out and keep the boat in 35'. Jake's point, immediately to the North same deal. Old 86 camp ground point, across the lake . Drag the point out East and then it bears North. If our boat is under 30' you will not get bit. Lots of places on that ridge also. Flat point just South of the Branson Belle, drag it out toward the Island, again keeping the boat in 20 plus. Try this for your Small Jaw and if you are not successful we will try and get you on a deep K bite. On another note this lake has a huge population of Gizzard Shad and they are simply lake wide right now. They are surfacing in the morning and hanging deep after first light. They surface jump and swim with nothing bothering them, so it may be these you are seeing on the surface and on your electronics. They will get as big, and I mean 1.5 pound class so if you are not used to seeing them they will fool you. Good Luck

Looks like the small jaws kept you all pretty busy. Nice report and good to see the gals swinging the big stick.

No its been lower several years ago, you could pretty much walk across below Cooper Creek to College of the Ozarks . I forget the date or year. I checked this morning "Sunday at 9 am" and it was 706.2 That's for sure a prop eater.

In the Eagle Rock area without driving anywhere try the following: Go out to the 86 bridge and drop crawlers to the bottom along the piers. If its over 35 feet raise it up in 5' increments till you get bit. You can also fish the hump that is right at the buoy just South of the bridge Go to the bottom and come up one crank usually lots of spotted bass there and I have caught dozens of walleye off of it. You can also go to the buoy directly across from the mouth of Roaring river. Fish along the edge of the flat for bluegill under 10' and fish out in the deeper water where it drops to 20 plus feet or so for spotted bass. Easy Peazy and you should get him some bites. Both locations have gills, walleye, catfish, and spotted bass. You can always catch a few on those locations and at times EARLY you can get rich. If you want till mid-day this time of year no matter where you go its tough. I try to start on the Rock in July and August no later than 6am and be done by no later than 9 am. Good Luck

Thanks Fish, great report.

I have fished everyday this week prior to today. Fishing for extremely quality fish has been just about as good as I have seen. These fish are fat and full with most fish having midges and scuds spilling out their mouth when you catch them. Both Rick Lisek and myself have been using olive green 1/2 micro jigs over the pink worm until the water starts Due to depth we have been fishing them, even on the bluff banks at no more than 6" deep. Best bite is prior to the sun hitting the water. Last 3 days my first fish has been 5:36, 5:38 and 5:39 early in the am. Bite continues strong until about 8:00. Clients have been catching quite a few browns on the micro's on the bluff across from Lilleys and you really know when you have one as the drag starts spinning using 6X for a leader. When they crank the water, and that has been in the 9-10 am frame, either switch to live bait from Trout Hollow down or go down below Cooper and throw a pink worm under a float. It is fantastic, but you have to get it down. 9' leader is good but 11' is better. I'm using a heaver head on my power worm that is a size 10 and about a 64th. oz. You can also add weight, but I usually just go to the bigger jig head and go with 4X as with that much tippet it is a bit stronger and easier to handle. Yesterday above trout hollow the water was 1.5 ft. deep between there and short creek and I cannot tell you the number of boats I heard and saw hit. Yes your draft may not be as deep as 1.5ft. but at plow speed or start up it is way more than that. Why folks think they need to slow down to plow speed is beyond me. Either blow thru there or slow idle, to keep it off the bottom. With the low water in the mornings be respectful of others as there is just not the room out there that there is normally. We had people yesterday not even looking and had to reel in countless times to avoid getting our lines ran over. If you see folks throwing a bank, just go behind them instead of running in front. We had one guy yesterday come in front of us and hit the bluff bank. He really hit hard. I just shook my head the lake was clear 100 yrd. behind us, but he still pulls between us and the bank. Also there have been Kayak's out in the dark with no lights, so you need to watch for that. If its foggy they sit very low and are hard to see. Get out early and enjoy this fantastic Summer fishing.

Great Job. You have been on this type of bite for several years, always great to hear you are on them again each year. Almost sounds like a Kings River bite to me. Good Luck

Spot on Sam

Have no idea where that was taken or if it was photo shopped but that is NOT the ROCK. Looks like Mex-he-co

Yep, that looks pretty good however cut about 2/3 of that rubber skirt off your jig.. Looks like a orange tip cedar tree going thru the water. 😃 Got another report from up there today that they just hammered the Pig Sticker 1/2 oz. GPO with a Smallie Beaver with orange tail. That beaver is sort of brown with orange flecks thru the entire body. They are really keying on orange up there in that James River Green water. 99.9% of those surfacing fish are Gizzard Shad. Most are 8 to 12 inches long and they just come to the surface for the fun of living life. There are also tons of carp and gar surfacing with plenty of spoonbill jumps. Bass do not come out of the water for the most part when they are feeding on the surface. Mostly you can tell them by swirls and activity as if you have cupped your hand and sprayed water like you were splashing someone. Guy I talked to today said he never seen a single bass surface and he fished from Aunts to Cape and started at 5:15. He had 12 keepers and 26 fish, all on the jig. Did have one at 3.5 but that was his best and it was a Jaw. Good Luck

When I was a kid at our Marina on Lake of the Ozarks we sold crappie minnows 5 dozen for a $1.25 or 30 cents a dozen. Folks use to fuss up a storm at the high price Good and I don't mean Walmart crawlers are a quarter each. Cost of Havin fun has gone way up.

That is one beautiful Jaw BP, thanks for sharing her with us.

Exactly 4 minutes by water from Aunts Creek to Hideaway, so if your staying in Kimberling that Y HWY, as Jade said is way to long a curvy to save 4 minutes of boat time. You can access anything in the James from Aunts Creek to Cape Fair in minutes. The back ramp is perfect right now and really is not being used much early. I'm assuming bass boat. In a smaller boat it will take longer. I used 40 MPH as a reference.

Jamie, welcome. You are staying in a very nice area to catch your first Small Jaw. With the water up throw a Ned Rig or a small jig 3/8th to 1/2 oz in front of the bushes with your boat in 20 plus feet and drag it out. Look to fish as much flat gravel as you can as the fish, especially the Jaws like gravel. Green Pumpkin, watermellon, or peanut butter jelly are great Table Rock colors. Rumor has it that a carolina rig bite is stating and its a good way to find fishing depth. Use a Zoom Fish Dr. or Centipede and drag it from in front of the bushes out to about 30' We use a splitshot rig here or a Mojo jig, which is just a light line finess C-rig. 1/4 oz. weight about 3 ft. above the hook, usually 8 lb. test line and a size one or 1/0 hook. The walleye are a totally different game. Yes there are plenty at the dam, but it is truly a treat to catch one down here. Most walleye start at point 9 and go up the White River. Target these with a dropshot or bottom bounder on the gravel runnouts in 15' to 30' Live Crawlers seem to be the best deal for the Eye's. They were hitting a small swimbait, but have really backed off, for best results use live bait. Good LUck

Dutch just leave the topwater on the deck unless you see some chasers, as it is a super waste of time for me the last two days. Start with that jig right in front of the bushes and fish it out to about 15-18 ft. Longer gravel points have been the best, shad are everywhere up there mostly gizzards. Might pay however if your frisky to throw a blade from daylight to 6:30 or so, but that jig is the deal. I'm using a Pig Stickier Quick 5 1/2 oz. GPO with a Smallie Beaver trailer and adding just a bit more orange to the tips. Good Luck and let us know.

50 fish per day right now is simply tremendous success, especially on soft plastic, live scope or no. You all were on the right deal on the right points as they are just not on every point you fish. The guides that fish here 365 are having no where near that 50 number per day and most are fishing live bait so congrats and just an amazing couple of days of fishing.,

I have never heard as much crying from the guides fishing the dam. Yes we cry most of the time but I believe this year is the worst. Most guys are saying 6 to 8 fish in a morning is what to expect with a whopper of a day catching maybe 12 to 15. There are some fish at every depth between right on the bank and 65 ft. Some on the bottom and lots suspend in open water and some in trees, they are just scattered horrible. Almost seems like September and I"m also thinking the moving water. Up the White can also be tricky with lots of suspended fish, mostly in the trees and off the bluffends. James River has a fantastic jig bite right now, putting the boat in about 30 on the flat gravel and making a long cast to just in front of the bushes. I believe the fish are still on the old bank line. There are some up in the bushes but the majority out. Gizzard and threadfin shad are in the James by the millions and are everywhere you stop. Fish we caught today however were just filled to over flowing with crayfish. On another note, yesterday on the White was slow and every fish we caught had a hook hole. Today we had a really great day on the James and at least 3/4 of those fish had been caught and released. We probably had at least a dozen keepers with a LM at 4 pounds and lots of 18 in K's Good Luck

I guided today out of Hideaway and fished up to School House. Yes, there is some floating stuff. Hard to see at sunrise. Not a problem but I did wear my life vest. Fishing was super good. There is a fantastic jig bite on the James and I would think with that perfect James River water color that a blade would be a handy tool