Bill Babler

Sore thumbs, Champ hit her pretty hard here, with some excellent advice. A couple of things on these gravel roll-offs is the location they are to the spawning pockets and for that matter, there is a lot of spawning mostly by K's on these exact gravel locations up the White River. I will usually as Champ said, target these locations into early April. This is prime grub swimming territory, for both staging pre-spawn fish and foraging post spawners. lots of times these fish suspend in these exact locations, or say the flats start their roll-off at the 20' depth range and drop into the channel, which up there may be 60' A fantastic location, is just off the break still at the 20' depth range, but just suspended over the channel break. Table Rock bass do not need structure, if they have depth. The majority of these suspenders will be K's, but it is not uncommon to catch all 3 species of Black Bass in this type of a location. I will also catch walleye at times suspended off these flats up the White. Early most times we find these fish relating to either the river channel or the bluff end type of structure with deep water near by. When we start seeing them move onto these long gravel locations, and we start picking up K's here, we know if is just about to "Break Loose." Going back to what we do know, this is more a timing thing, with the ammounts of daylight hrs. being the main factor in play. Lake levels, and surface temps are also important, but hrs. of daytime are much more critical. It is getting very close to those hrs. now, and the fish are changing locations, and moving into a late Winter Spring staging type of pattern. It won't be long now. Good Luck

Now all you boys need to do is convince them of that. Or better yet, maybe they can take over the fishing duties and you all can keep being the partial bread winners.

I have fished taney since 73 and have only caught 4 smallmouth all 4 were from 2008 to date and all of them were above Branson. I have caught a few but very few smallies while canoeing upper Bull Creek. To catch one on taney is a very rare thing.

I see blacktop on the road. My garage is ice/snowed in, but as soon as it melts abit, I'll be back out there. Wednesday I hope as I have a full schedule this weekend. I simply cannot take clients on the water if I'm not on it everyday. I can manage at times with the trout cause they occupy the same types of locations on a consistent basis, but on the bass fishing this time of the year, this is more than a full time job just keeping up with their movements on a day to day basis. Money for guide clients is as hard to come by is it is for me and even more important is the time they get to spend on the water. I want to have every scrap of knowledge and current on water information at my disposal before they put their trust and hard earned dollars in my hands. It is just about to break loose.

Hoped you would chime in on this, remembered you posted about some on your crappie bucket deal. I would hate to try and come in the next week and pin my vacation on white bass fishing in the river. Would probably stay at Lilleys and trout fish, and maybe make a one dayer over there and see if it was going, near the end of next week. Good Luck

Dave, thanks so much for the care package. Cannot wait to get Nedding. Yes, the White River is really not what people would expect. Totally different than the Kings, Longcreek or the James River. Mostly stays gen clear except for algie bloom in the late Spring and Summer, and really to a mini-degree fishes like the big lake although it is narrow like a river. Fantastic walleye and spotted bass habitat with the long sloping gravel and chunk rock points and flats dumping into the river channel. If you fish it like a river or a stained water way you will be disappointed. I just love it. I learn something new every time I fish it.

From what Champ keeps telling me it is tougher than an Oxen Sirloin over there. That pond gets to 50 degree and its is ON.

March 3rd. 2014 Table Rock Lake Fishing Report White River Outfitters Congrats again to Alex on a wonderful tournament on Saturday, finishing 7th. out of 100 boats. Modified a pattern to his benefit and adapted and caught them. Great Job. I put in a Eagle Rock on Saturday at 7 AM to just a beautiful 40 degree morning. Surface temps at the ER ramp were 41 degree. Headed up stream to fish some cuts and transitions and just keep out of the way of the derby boys. 1st. cast of the morning netted me this nice 6 pounder on the Rig. Threw it into the bluff cut a 1/2 dozen more times and nothing. Picked up the FB and tossed it to the right hand point of the cut and thumped a very nice 3 pound LM. Fished 3 other locations up the White River catching 2 more small keeper LM on the jig. At 8:09 the first derby boat came around the bend headed above the Arkansas Line. I presume he had run straight to me. He had it pegged so I'm guessing at 65 MPH that is a full hour run, to just above Devils Dive. Fished for 2 1/2 hrs. without a bite till around 10:30 Am and was just about to put it on the trailer, when I remembered that my client from Thursday had told me he was catching a few on Gravel. I pulled onto a long pea gravel point and put the boat in 35 ft. and threw the A-Rig into about 12' bout 1/2 way back it just got hammered. Caught 5 K's off this run-out and 4 were keeps. Had a double on at one point and was trying to grab the phone camera to get a pic and one jerked free. Shucks, would have made a good water picture. There were tournament boats swarming all over, but none and I mean none were fishing gravel flats. 99% were following each other down the bluffs. Might explain the 45 boats in the derby that either Skunked or just caught a scrawny buck bass or 2. I had spoken to Alex last week and advised him if he did not know the White it is not a good place to try and learn on Derby day or a single practice day. I'm glad he did not come up there, cause a bunch of those boys were more than disappointed. This is an oxymoron, but the river fishes big and clear. If you have not fished it, it will bite your Donkey. It does not fish like a river, it fishes like a mini-deep water lake, and it did again on Saturday. Pulled onto the next flat above Big M and did the same deal. This time however they were all LM and I caught 4 solid keepers here. Hit 3 more locations below Big M and caught 2 more short LM and decided to call it a day. Boat on the trailer at 1:30. Good Luck

Alex, you have permission to not answer any of the above questions. Congrats on a wonderful tournament. You have told us more than enough and its great to see one of our own do well. On the Fann brothers. Both Mike and Mark, know this lake as well as anyone that has ever fished it. They are tournament fishermen to the power of 10X. Any tournament they fish they are odds on money to either win or be in the top 10. Their specialty is early and late season, with early being right in their wheel house. Both of the boys throw a sitckbait with the best that ever threw it and they also were fantastic grub swimmers. When fishing a team deal, one always swims a grub and the other throws a sticker. Now with 5 grubs in play, as Bill Beck told me this morning, it is not fair, as they got that deal down. Most often they fish from Point 8 to the Little Indians on the Lower White River. They can fish anywhere they chose as they are just as good going out of Cape Fair or Shell Knob. I however have never seen them up the White River above the Kings River Split, but they could catch them on you also up there. These guys are who the term "Locals" was invented for. They fish hard and really are probably the best team fishermen that this lake has ever seen. I love to fish against them as it really lets you know where you stand. They don't fish many pro-am's, but some. When they split up they are just as dangerous. Good Luck

Great tips. Every line brand that I use comes direct from the factory with the bands already on the spool. They are really nice.

Wrench, it seems we have this topic about 5 times a year. Thanks for your contributions then and now and the next time. Folks. this is not a sleep loss thing to worry about. Use the 87 octane and add the once or two of ring free or the Mercury product quick kleen per tank. If you are going to store it or not use it for a month or two at a time, completely fill your tank with fuel to prevent condensation and put in a fuel stabilizing product. Buddy of mine that just read this thread is running my 08 merc and he just uses 87 with no additives and that motor is still running perfect with any failure. He does use it almost everyday, when Lake O is not frozen. It has been running fine for 7 years on 87 Octane I got the motor in the fall of 07 new off the presses. Absolutely no need to pay 1/2 a buck to a buck more per gallon ever time you fill that tank on the injected engines. Good Luck

My mechanic told me that every system on the 2 and 4 stroke Mercury engines are designed to burn and run without any problem or warranty issue with ethanol blends in 87 octane. Anything other than that and you are the one creating the problem. I was told exactly the same thing when I was running Yamaha. I usually sell my boats after the 2nd. or the 3 yr. of use and I have never had a fuel related problem. I mostly sell them to good friends that keep them another 2 or 3 yrs. and none of them have had problems. IF you feel you need to buy 91 or 93 octane by all means spend the money, I'm gong to keep mine in my pocket to buy more gas. Good Luck

Why in the world would you want it?

Throwing the bait is not a problem with my equipment. Winding it in with the rotating and swimming baits is. I find it almost identical to winding in a DD22 all day and making several hundred cast with the deep diver.

Don't quote me on this but I think they already have 125 boats. From what I heard, today was totally impossible to catch a fish. I heard Beck had 3 squeekers and it was very tough for Pete and others. I'm going for a bit in the morning before my trout guide trip to see how horrible it is.

Take your mom and let her hang into one of those bad boys. Good Luck

There 18" or their short. Close enough don't count. Quill is right on the bite, although the K's I caught on Friday did hit the bait way harder than the larger LM. Good job.

Are you going to use the Grandkids as baits on the A-Rig?

Plug, Champ and I were talking about that yesterday. I cannot throw it without it hurting me. At the end of the day, my left shoulder has "Hot Needles going thru it." It is a full body workout, and maybe that is a good thing. They completely hammer them on Lake O with the A-Rig.

Table Rock Lake Fishing Report 2-24-14 current fishing report White River Outfitters Guide Service Had call after call this week for both the CPA and upcoming BFL, so I pretty much told everything I knew, which was not a whole bunch. Met my client Friday morning at the Viola ramp and he was having some very back stomach cramps and just could not go, so I decided to see what I could stir up. Started with the floater in the Kings and had to break Ice to get out of there. Nothing on the float-n-fly. Decided to throw a stickbait as it was early and Pete said from his report that he was getting bit up the White River early on a stickbait. Threw it about 2 hrs. on some of my best sticker stuff up there and Nada. Little breeze was kicking up and the sun hitting one of my favorite transition banks so I tossed a football jig abit and caught 2 nice LM downstream from the Shell Knob Bridge. Thought it was looking up so I threw it another hour with nothing. Had to suck up my pride and start throwing the A-Rig. It was 11:30 and I pulled on a bank up the white I had been catching them on. In the next hour and a half, I caught 9 really nice keepers on it no shorts. This got me thinking that since I did not have a trip I would maybe enter the CPA derby. Hated to fish full bore for 2 full days, but If I could catch them I would. Ran to Harrison and back in record speed and was throwing a B00-Rig by 3:15 threw it till 5:30 without a single bite on the same stuff I had been throwing the A-Rig. Pretty down, I repacked up the A-Rig and caught a keeper on the second cast. Threw it 5 more times and caught a nother keeper. Put everything up and headed home thinking how much I sucked not to be able to catch anything except on the Rig. Total for the day was 13 fish, all keepers with 11 of them on the Rig and the two early fish on the FB-Jig. Talked to Tim Sainato and told him my locations and what I had been catching them on. He had 4 the fish day I think and a couple the second day, all on a jig. He did however catch 4 keeper walleye the first day and 3 keeper walleye the second day on that same FB-Jig. Go figure. Kudo's to those folks that were able to catch them this weekend, it was just a bugger out there. Good Luck

Great win for a super nice guy in Howell. Can you even imagine catching 29 pounds the last day of the Classic anywhere but Florida, California or Texas? That brings up the question, what is the biggest bag ever weighed in on the final day. Got to be this one.

Yeah, if I remember it used to be hooked inside the mouth and then it went to hooked in the head, and now I believe it is the same as all the state game and fish laws that is legally hooked and not Intentionally snagged. I think that you can qualify for a world record as long as it is not intentional. A lot of this came by fishing stickbaits that are 3 hooked. Very seldom do you not only catch the fish by the mouth but it is also multi hooked on the outside of the mouth or head. Not uncommon for the mouth hook to drop out and still have the fish lip or head hooked. I think it is a very fair rule. That fish gets up and whollers all over your 3 hooked bait, gosh only knows where he or she gets hooked.

If you have never done it, I will tell you now it is not fun. Just about the same as throwing an A-Rig and working a DD22 all day. We do it on Fork, and I usually quit after an hour.

Come on Ron, you got to be joshing. It was frozen at the 86 bridge yesterday at 0630. When I put in a Viola at 06:45 it was 35 degree. Lake had a light freeze clear across about Kings Harbor. I was able to be the first boat to crash thru it. Surface temp at Campbell Point was 38 degree, yesterday and temperature at Viney Creek was 41 degree. I pulled off the water at 5 PM and the temp at Shell Knob at that time was 39 degree and the temperature at the ramp at Viola was 37. White river I'm guessing at Eagle Rock would have been low 40's in the afternoon.

"Pick a lock." Sworn to secrecy.