Bill Babler

There is not a fishing boat one in our dock at Shell Knob. It has been there since the 1980's. At that time and really up to about the early 90's you could always just look down and see crappie, not a lot mind you but a school of 20 or so under that dock. I have never saw anyone fish that dock and the crappie are no longer there. Someone may have but I just think they eventually all died out and did not reproduce or moved on. One of my favorite ways to catch crappie is to walk the big docks. Used to be under the middle of the long docks all over Shell Knob. Not there any longer. Don't know that we will ever know the reason, but they gone.

That trout would look good nestled up to some mac and cheese piping hot right off the grill. He got no beez-ness being in there anyway. You have had a good Winter my friend, as has Merc and Champ.

Balsa gave you the key. Throwing them on lite line with a spinning rod. I have tried them, and have a few very old ones. Personally I have not had any greater success with them than I have fishing the thicker model on heaver gear. Those fish are up there during wart time to eat, and being 1/3rd. bigger on a reaction bait has not for me made the difference, even on the clear waters of the White River Chain. Follow Balsa advice and let us know how they do. Good Luck

Thank you for the very nice report. Glad you caught the deep ones and as I tell folks, using your eyes is as good a way as any. Seeing the birds over the feed was a great tip off you followed. That does not always work here but it did for you yesterday. Great deal I notice a lot of horizontal clutter on the screen shot. I was going to suggest maybe you have your sensitivity up to high, but sounds like you know your machine and how to read thru it. I am just lost with the bird units. On our Low, HD units as on all the others, I can see a single shad without any clutter on the screen. On a 100% scale right now and I have a very not transducer, I am running about 68 percent. I posted a bunch of screen shots last year, somewhere and you can see everything on a perfectly clean screen. Just wondered about the clutter. Thanks in advance for the info.

The black mark can also be found in the Winter on LM bass, lake wide. The only two species that I have seen with it are the crappie and the LM bass. I think we have tried to determine what it is before. It goes away as the water warm and the season changes. I'll ask the biologist what it is and get back with you.

Tell me when your commin over James, I'll buy a lottery ticket. You Ole Stink Weed. The way you all been catchin the bass you better run that deal till she dries up. Good Luck

As Buster Loving once said, "Reading and interpreting electronics on upper Bull Shoals is almost impossible. What you see and what you think you see are very seldom what you really see." Kind of a Yogi-isim, but true. I'm looking for channel swings and mud-flat breakoffs. Very, very seldom care what other clutter is on the graph and if you know me you know I live by seeing fish on the graph. Does not mean a single squat on upper Bull. Good Luck

For all of you that don't look at the Taneycomo or any trout forums and I have posted this a couple of weeks ago, I want to reiterate that in the last 25 yrs. of fishing Taneycomo, I have seldom seen the type of fishing we are having right now. Mind you this is not shad coming thru the dam, this is everyday fishing. Fishing the non-restricted zone below Fall Creek using Trout Magnets a 4 hr. trip is netting between 50 and 70 fish with most of these trout being just outstanding in the 12 to 16 inch range. The lake must be on an all time oxygen high cause when you hook these guys they just "Sky Rocket." Lake temps are about 50 degree and they have been running 2 to 3 gentle units making the drift and the flow perfect. If you are in the crappie or no bass blues, best get over there and get your fish catchin on. Lilleys' has all the gear and can get you started and set up. There is really no hazards now in the non-restricted zone on power generation, so get over there and catch them, they are biting and just a complete blast to catch. Restricted zone is also very, very good. Drifting a miracle fly, which is no more than an egg pattern on a very small jig head is outstanding. It does even on generation take some local knowledge up there but the fishing is just crazy. We had our best trout there catch and release today up to 18". Good Luck and give her a spin to catch some truly very nice fish right now.

For the most part and I know I'm going to catch it for saying so, but if I had 100 crappie lakes to pick from in the Midwest Table Rock would be at the extreme bottom. There are crappie here, but they can be in the durnest locations. Lots of times at this time of the year the crappie will not relate to any type of structure at all. They will be on the mud bottoms and mud flats up the river systems that are for the most part completely devoid of any type of structure. Also as the biologist will tell you Table Rock has one of the lowest densities of crappie of any lake in Missouri. Crappie fry must have a either proto or Zo, plankton that is just not in large supply here. I know I butchered that, but you get the drift. The deep dock deal is usually about as good as it gets this time of the year, in conjunction with the shallow mud bottom bite. YOu want to consistently catch crappie, that are much easier to find and in much grater numbers, better head to another pond. I took the Martin Brothers about 8 yrs. ago, and these guys are national crappie champion derby winners, multiple times. They told me they can catch crappie anywhere at anytime including thru the ice. Catching crappie is never a problem. WRONG. They did not skunk out, but said they would never be back and we fished trout the last two days, of a 5 day trip. Said they had never anywhere and they had fished from Florida to New York to California seen crappie harder to catch than Table Rock Lake. They had also never seen patterns here that catch crappie. It is also not abit unusual to catch 1 or 2 as a lot of times the crappie here do not school, they are loners. Just sayin, its not your dad, this pond is and can be a very tough crappie bite, even for those that make it a practice to catch them regardless. Good Luck

Good gracious it is just terrible out there today. Had a trout trip I put off for another day cause it would have been just to wicked for the gals I was suppose to take. Deal here is the lake out in front of the Lodge has just been full of bass boats all day in the misting raining 36 degree temperature day. Anyone know what in the name of the Bassmaster Classic is going on our here for there to be so many boats out chasing them. At one time I had 6 boats in view at the same time. There were several locations out front here that as soon as a boat would leave another would pull on. Just simply a bunch of traffic for the date and the day. Good Luck

Would bet you its Lard. Yumm. We had the nicest couple in here this week. This couple owns a 25,000 acre ranch in Brazil and also a cattle breeding and genetic center in Oklahoma. Long story short, is that they cannot understand how we in the US, cut the fat off our beef before cooking. They were in their early 40's and for sure in magnificent shape. The lady was one of the 10 most beautiful we have ever had here. Their beef is mostly produced from Neole cattle that are very heat tolerant and they are trying to design a beef cattle breed that will do well in the hot South American climate. The beef there is grass fed to finish. The problem is it does not have very good marbling thru the meat. The fat is on the exterior and it is considered a delicacy as they eat the charred fat surrounding the beef at times and give the meat to the dogs. They love fat. They are trying at the ranch in Oklahoma thru the use of Red Angus to incorporate more marbling in the meat and still retain the heat tolerance of the native cattle. Kind of funny, we here in the US are trying to get rid of the fat and they are wanting it not only on but in the beef. I'm with them.

YOur on a very good crappie bank right there. Glad you snuck that big walleye out of that mud runnout.

You don't have time to be looking at the forum, you have my baits to make. Merry Christmas

Was that his chose or Hillary's

As soon as that water drops below 50 which it is barley now. Most of the jerkers go to 8 pound. Yes most of us are using some additional weight. Either a series of suspend dots or for me, I use a modified middle hook that has lead and then is thread wrapped to blend in the material. The absolute best jerker now for walleye if you are willing to pony up is the megabass vision 110 plus. Color is another deal. Most of the ones Buster uses are custom painted by Tim Hughes. I use some of Tim's custom, but am pretty high on the pro-blue and the French pearl. Buster really likes some Chartruse in his baits and is a huge fan of black. Does not seem the brightness of the day matters on the bait selection, we have not put a pattern together to use on any specific day.

Nope the one on Sunshine is where we go. It is always really dark in there, and to tell you the truth I have only went to the restroom there a couple of times and it did not seem horrible for a bar. or really looked at anything beside my chair and table that have been clean. Green county dept. of health is pretty picky anywhere food is served so I am assuming the kitchens are up to snuff. Only thing I really know is the food is simply fantastic and cooked to perfect order every time we have eaten there. Presentation on the plate is flawless and the accoutrements are always fresh and crisp. Even the tomato slices as my wife points out are always very nice and ripe. Another thing that very few if any restaurants do is serve sweet onions at all times of the year and they seem to always have very sweet onions, not just the old dime a piece yellow onions that are hot as hell that you can get anywhere. Another plus is they brown their burger buns very nicely and the bun never collapses or gets soggy, even on a very rare hamburger, it stays just perfect. Fish Tales is much the same however their burger is much smaller and cost just as much as Cody's. Place is most always packed when we are there and everyone seems to know each other. Lots of locals. Was in Austin last year and really did not care for the Salt Lick. Was very disappointed. That place is just a zoo. Waited almost 2 hrs. in line and the brisket was as tough as a boot. We had sausage and pulled pork also and it was just fine, but with so many people which they said it is like that everyday. Brother-in-law just moved from Austin and said there are lots better places than the Lick, but it was an icon we just had to hit as my wife and I are foodies from the word cook.

Great day bo, were you seeing some shad in the mix?

Have never been a fan of the marathons. I think you did well.

The camera is ok for looking under your dock and some of the professional fishermen for years here used to use them to check docks prefishing for tournaments, until they were banned. It really is not a practical fish locating tool other than very certain areas, and then only to look at specific locations. Also if you are looking at any depth they are very hard to use. Dam area at Lake of the Ozarks and the White River Chain due to the water clarity make a big difference. If the water is the least bit cloudy they are next to worthless. My brother in law has one. You want to see how picky fish can be it is amazing. One day we were trying to feed bass and walleye under the dock at Shell Knob. We were dropping crayfish and huge Canadian night crawler to them. They were in 25 ft. of water on the bottom. IT was hard to see the craws as they would shoot off to the sides, but we were dropping crawlers that were at times landing on the walleye and they would just move away. At one point we had at least a dozen crawlers wiggling on the bottom in front of those fish and they just ignored them. Camera can be fun, but I would not buy a new one. I bet there are thousands for sale on the web that folks just don't use anymore. Really don't think my BIL ever uses his, but he won't sell anything. HE keep it on a shelf at the lake cabin.

The day I was there another boat kept kind of fishing around me. There we 2 guys in the boat. I was sitting on a location, just flat catching one white bass after the other. I guess the guys got tired of watching and came over. I was getting ready to leave anyway as I was not wanting the white bass, I was in search of the walters. I had been watching these guys and they would throw the jerkbait and as soon as it hit they were on it. Just durn near like working a spook. When they came over one of the said, " you are doing really well and we have been fishing this stretch of water all weekend and have only caught a few short LM, do you mind telling us what you are using?" One of these guys had on a pointer and the other looked like some type of thunderstick, relly could not tell exactly what it was. I asked them if they had been watching me fish the bait and they said no, they had been watching me catch fish. I showed them my bait and told them to back out and slow down. I also said you are welcome to this location, it is loaded with white bass. They said they loved white's and would give it a try. I bid them a fair-the-well and moved up the lake. When I returned headed back for the ramp, they were still sitting there and I stopped. They in 3 hrs. had caught 2 whites and that was it. They told me they just could not get it figured out. Here is the deal. I told them how to catch them. They did not listen and were simply incapable of doing what I instructed. First they were setting up on the flat. I told them 3 times to put their boat in 25' to 35' of water off the flat. Just impossible for 90% of people to do. They just cannot get away from the shallow bottom. It is a crying shame and it will get you skunked on Bull Shoals fishing this time of the year. Second. They were still just flat ripping the baits. Those baits were skimming the water that was 10' deep running no deeper than 5 ft. 3rd. they were casting about 30'. Not near far enough to get the bait where you need it. Buster pointed out at his program last year how important distance on your cast is. It lets you get the bait down and keep it in the strike zone for a longer period of time. It is not a little important is crucial. Kind of like trolling at the correct depth and speed, and knowing where your bait is in the water column while you are doing it. A very good 6 hr. trip on Bull Shoals right now if you are doing everything right is 3 crappie, 2 walleye, 4 bass and 3 whites. That is a total of fish. IF there are two of you fishing that is 6 fish each in 6 hrs. Do the math, that is 1 fish per man per hour. And as I stated you have to be doing it right. Yes, you may get lucky. I never do over there, I have to fish it perfect. Buster thus far has had a 9,11,13 pound walleye and lots of other shorts and keeps.

Plus 1

Was there last week with a big group and had probably one of the best plates of food I have ever set a lip on. We had 8 guys and every plate came out perfect with steaks and hamburgers cooked to perfect order. More food on the plate than you could eat. Service was excellent, price was great and the beer was ice cold. Tables we pulled together were clean as a pin. Did not give my white glove test to the restroom or the floor. Place was packed and it is a bar so probably not the absolute spic and span of a restaurant. I used to eat there about once a week or when ever we went to Sam's for the lodge. I have stopped that as the food is extra fattening and both of us have been trying to watch it since July. We have done very well, but we will still go to Cody's. My wife is one picky, picky little gal but I have never heard her voice one complaint. I have heard a lot of people say they will never go to Bryant's BBQ on Brooklyn in KCMO. Say it is filthy. What Eve. That is the most fantastic BBQ I have ever eaten and those old turn of the century ovens that probably have never been cleaned are the reason. They have quite a few new locations in KC and none of them hold a candle to the original, smoky and grimy or not.

Buster is using a Megabass+1 and a X-Rap. He only uses the RC Stick for Whites. I caught them really good over there last week using the plus1. Lots of white bass and 5 walleye with 2 keeps. He is catching more crappie than I am, and I'm guessing he is also fishing a swimming minnow quite abit. Seemed to me they wanted it a little faster this last week. Water temps were in the 49 degree range and once the bait got down to depth you could keep it working with only maybe a 15 to 30 second pause. You did have to get it down to the proper level however. Lots of these fish are on the mud roll-off channel breaks, suspended right off the break. If you have your boat in 25 to 30 ft. it seem as soon as it comes to the break, I'm saying 15 feet they will load on it. The walleye and crappie bites are nothing more than a whisper. The white bass and black bass however will just hammer it. Pretty easy to tell what you have on your string.

Fish tales has a much better burger and they cook it exactly to order. Ask for the Some like it hot burger it is out of sight. The sauce they put on that burger is great. Nothing can compare with Cody's in Springfield for a perfect burger, but Fish Tales is close.

Either place would be great. March 14th. sounds good. Is this a team deal you are thinking about? Eagle Rock has lots of grills and a lot more parking down at the old ramp by the swim beach. Much more private. That might get several other teams in the deal as far as changing the date. I would like to fish if I'm not guiding. If I am I'll be there for the weigh-in and to help in any way that I can. I might be able to talk Phil into being my buddy if it is, a buddy deal.