Bill Babler

Long Time Table Rock Lake Guide Buster Loving and his Co-Angler Partner Greg Dishman, Seign the Rock for a CPA Derby winning limit of 5 bass weighing 28.6 pounds. Earlier this season we have seen six fish limits up to 31 pounds, but this is perhaps the biggest 5 fish limit the Rock has seen in the modern bass fishing era. This unbelieveable stringer was anchored by a complete Monster 9.17 pound LM. That means the other 4 keeps were ONLY 5 POUNDERS. Reality really struck when it was announced it was the second big bass. If that is not a kick in and around the knee cap I have never heard of one. A 9.35 pounder was also weighed in with another over 9 pounds. I believe there were also 6 more over 8. I'm Giddy. Second place was a 5 fish limit of 25 pounds and then it went to 22 pounds. All the big bags came on the A-Rig. For the winning bag, Loving and Dishman fished a deep transition timbered bank leading into a spawning pocket. Buster reported they had between 20 and 22 keepers in a morning bite and culled 4 pound fish on a routine basis. In the Limit were 2 magnificent Jaws, both pushing the 5 pound mark. Scott Pauley Long time professional angler reported close to 50 keeper bass in the 3 days he fished the Rock. All coming off transitons leading into spawning pockets, All Scotts fish came on a Wart in under 10 ft. of water. Buster and his 9.17 pound Table Rock Lake LM Bass Way to go boys.

Been on Taney, for over a week right now and for the life of me I cannot figure out when to be over there. Generation Patterns are really making me put on my fishing cap. They are just wild and off the chart from zero to 4 running high. Time of the day has not mattered this last week, they can be running anything at anytime. When 4 is up and running hard it is extremely tough to get bit in the restricted zone. It had been hard also in the bait area until the last week, when some very nice fish were added off the ramp at Cooper and also downtown. Lake is just crammed full of fishermen in those areas, so don't expect this to last a long time. Lots of pontoons with multiple fishermen on each and folks just lining the banks below and above Cooper Creek. With this fantastic weather, and Spring Break, the fishermen are out. Had one of my best baitfishing days of the year yesterday in that area. 4 clients and 4 limits of very quality bows, all caught drifting gulp eggs in yellow and orange. When the surf is not up in the restricted zone, fishing green/copperhead Micro's under a float from Claybanks down is just deadly, if you get a hint of breeze. I'm using F. Carbon 2 lb. test on my tippets and they are just as easy to fish on a light spinning rod as they are a flyrod. Usually 4 to ft. depending on water depth under as light a float as possible. If the wind is not blowing it is more difficult. The water has way cleared up and you can see fish just swarming your fly. Day before yesterday we probably had 50 one afternoon on the Mixro's and I don't believe over a dozen pulled the extremely light strike indicator under. Just a bob or a riffle off the float to signify you had some business. I have not been able to get there yet, but I believe there is a fantastic dry fly opportunity right now on the new reef across from the old Fall Creek Boat Ramp. There is a huge tree that has floated into the middle of the new gravel runout and from a city block above the tree to about the same below it, there are hundreds of midging trout. They just ate our indicators off the lines the last few days. We were spin fishing the most part so could not use the dry. I would fish a tandem here using the dry as an indicator and a size 16 copper headed midge about 2 ft. below the dry. It will work. Those fish are working that area very hard. Good Luck

Ark sends renewals and reminders, so it is really kind of hard to forget. It is pretty easy however to make mistakes as we have all made the. A few years ago a friend and I were hunting elk in Colorado. We inadvertantly crossed a boundary into a closed area and my friend harvested a very nice elk. The same afternoon after packing his elk to the processing plant we were headed back into the same area and the Agent was there. He asked to see my permit and notified me I was about 30 yrds. across into the restricted zone. We went on and hunted a while and my friend said, "You know, I believe I harvested an illegal animal, and I think we need to notify someone." Long story short, He turned himself in. They took the elk and due to us being honest we were only charged with having possision of a bow in a closed area. $90.00 including cost. His Kill was harvested we figured less than 100 yrds. inside the unmarked boundary at least a mile from any hiway. Just a mistake on our part. BUT a MISTAKE. All the other curd about the line and the lure is brought on by these STUPID companies. It is pretty easy to get on the net and see who pays the most for using their products and if you are the least bit "Morally Challanged," it seems like even in fishing, money rules. Good Luck

Just a quick note from Tony Wedele of Rainbow Chasers Guide Service. Tony has a last minute opening for Spoonbill on opening day, due to cancellation. He can take up to 6 clients and has had excellent results the past 5 years. He is available for any size group. ie 6 or Under. Don't be afraid to call with just 2 fishermen. Don't usually run guide adds on this site, but for snagging, there are just not that many Federal Licensed Capt's that do it and it seems folks just don't know about how to get on the water to chase the "Fresh Water Halibut." This is more for your information. Tony has very good equipment or for those that have their own Big Game Gear, you are welcome to bring it. If you would like to get after fish up to 100 pounds, give Tony a Call at 417-294-7335 for prices and availability. Hopes this helps anyone that may want to go or try snagging Table Rock Lake Paddlefish. Good Luck

Bradford Pears are in full bloom along with the Plum. Thats it for now.

Both lanes wide open. May do some up coming repairs, but right now, business as usual

Whom ever the idiots were that butchered the fish on the ramp at Shell Knob, need to arrested for wanton-waste of wildlife. Don't know if you looked at the Carcasses but most of them only had one side cut off. My client today said if you saw that in Iowa, the culprit would be arrested and tossed in the jail house. Leaving all those half cleaned fish on a public launch facility is not any better in my opinion than taking your trash down and dumping it off the ramp. You would think people would have just a lick of scence.

Fantast5ic Fish.

Don Frank www.donstaxidermy.com Smithville Missouri. Probably the No. 1 Cold water taxidermist in the world. Current World Fish Carving Champion. Replica Expert Inovator and designer, on Warm Water species. You can read a newspaper thru his fins, It looks like they could get back into the water and swim. The State Record Brown Trout Mounted at Lilleys' Landing is Spectactular and that is an example of Don Frank Taxidermy. 816-532-3500

Had a very good day today with Brent Frazee of the Kansas City Star. He is their outdoor writer and has supported our area for over 30 yrs. Just a wonderful guy. He wanted to do a feature spread on the Alabama Rig "Of Course." So on a day that saw us starting at6:30 AM with a air temp of 67 degree and ending up at 2 PM with an air temp of 44 degrees, it was a challange at best. Did manage to trick 19 with 9 solid keeps, all on the rig. Biggin today at just under 4 pounds. Had one of the prettiest fish I have ever caught and Brent took some photo's of her. Just a fantastic Meanmouth. We got lucky today and got the Table Rock Slam, of Black Bass. Largemouth, Smalljaw, Meanmouth,and Kentucky. Really got lucky as the weather dictated we would pretty much struggle, but we just kept hanging on and would get one here and one there. Way better to be lucky than good. Most fish was a 5 fish location on a chunk rock channel swing in front of two spawning pockets. Caught 3 there yesterday while I was prospecting. Fished 22 locations in the 8 hrs. Just complete hot spots and still skunked on 12 of them, so I hit about 50%. The spread in the Sunday Outdoor section of the Star will Run March 11th. featuring the Alabama Rig. If we had not been doing a deal on the rig, I would have fished the jig, as it seemed the fish were tight to structure and also we had over a dozen follow it in and leave it at the last second. Lots and lots of short hits, and scales on the hooks.

Got on the water at 6:15 AM with a launch out of Baxter and headed up the White. Air Temp was a balmy 31 degree and the water surface temp was at 48 degree. Really a fantastic and beautiful morning. Did not get a bite untill 8:30 guess they were as cold as I was. Started fishing deep roll-offs where major cove point dumped into the guts or the main channel, just good old staging locations. Nothing. I could see fish and bait, but just could not get them to hit the Rig, or a sticker. Wish I would have had the floater as I did see lots of gull and shad on the surface. Decided to go into Big Creek, and immediatly caught 2 LM on a channel swing bank in there. Nothing to brag about but I was on the board. Moved out and immediatly caught 2 fish shallow on the rig, throwing a channel 45 degree chunk rock bank. Both were keeps and fat as toad K's That is my umteenth double on the silly thing Moved up the white about 9 AM above Campbell Point, and started catching them pretty regular. One of my favorite long runout points just happend to have this dandy 7.6 pound sow suspended at 20 over 90 ft., just thinking about moving back in the pocket. Water continued to warm and I continued to catch one here and there. Mostly fishing long points and bluffends. On the points had my boat about 40 throwing in and on the bluffends I was sitting over the abis. Trolling motor decided it wanted to play tough as I had lost a bolt in the lift, so cut the day short while I was still catching em. Out again tomorrow with Brent Frazee of the KC Star. Hope it works out as well as today. .

Yes. Usually takes me a while each day to determine that as I adjust to current water temps.

Buck Creek Mike, the suspending action of any bait is related to the water temperature. Most baits have a temp they will suspend on, say 50 degrees. If the surface temps are above and or below that the bait will react in accordance to the water temps. On warmer water most baits rise. On cooler water most sink, depending on the desired level of boyancy the manufactor sets the bait at. The suspending feature of a bait is but a miniscule part of the cost. Weighting systems that prepel the bait on the cast, specific actions of the bait the hooks and split rings used and most of all the colors and paint of the baits and the quality of the manufactoring process are more about the cost than the suspending features. A composite of all of these eliments as well as popularity, research and other factors are why they cost what they cost. I have to constantly adjust my baits for boyancy throughout the day or choise baits I know will work as I desire them in certain water temps. Even baits that are the same, will most times suspend at different levels or rise or sink if you don't adjust them. Taking the line out of the process, lets me get the baits like I want it. We have been fishing suspending stickbaits since the 60's here. I don't have a single bait that I fish out of the box. Every bait I have has been adjusted from a 8 dollar bait to a 30 dollar bait. I easily have over 200 stickbaits. Complete weighed and painted by Buster Loving to custom baits by Tim Hughes. A good friend and fantastic fisher buddy of mine has 150 megabass baits with lots of them custom painted and everyone has been tunned and reworked and reweighted. Long winded explaination.

The Carbon sinks the jerkbait on any surface water temp. I weight my baits and suspend them in corlation with the current water temps, to suspend and slightly fall. If you fish a suspending stickbait on carbon it will sink as the line sinks, pulling the bait down from the nose. To much and you are not in control. Also the Maxi is pretty thin diamenter and is very strong. Fishing 8 pound test it allows my bait to get where I want it to with the ability of get it loose if its hung and fight big fish with a bit of confidence. Just a personal preference deal. Is that Tiger not great. Becky and I found it in a shop in San Antonio Tx. The minute I saw it I had to have it. It is a puppet and Becky makes it dance during the games. It relieves her stress. The puppet really likes it when Denmon hits those 3 balls.

I'm using a Falcon Cara T7 jerkbait rod and using right now 8 pound maxi. When they starting getting really frisky I'll go to 10 pound.

I have tried for the last week to call the dam and cannot get anything but a busy signal, is it out or am I just unlucky? I have tried the repeated dial back trick and have called back to back to back at least 20 times and still busy. I have a noon trip today and have called multiple times and busy. Don't want Verizon to think I am a fish stalker. Thanks Bill

Those are Diachi Death traps with lead wire tied in. I use my fly tying vice to tie them in with black nylon thread. I have over 10 different sizes to choose from. I can take a hook on and off in 15 seconds and replace it with a heaver or lighter or sharper one. I know that is pretty Anal, but that way the weight really blends in. It is not got shiney dots on it or loose wire wrapped around a hook, it looks as clean as a pen. On the A-Rig im using gamey 1/8th. oz jig heads with a 2 or 3 O. Other pic's are just some of the types of locations I am fishing. Good Luck

Becky had a full house at the Lodge and I couldn't get away till 10 AM. Barometer at 30.12 and not a cloud in the sky makes it very tricky to say the least. Launched at Eagle Rock at 10:30 and had plenty of help on the lake with lots of Power Pole Boats. Don't believe they are from here, Ha! Threw the A-Rig till I melted off my arm, for at least 2 hrs. and nothing. Water temps at the ramp at 47.4 when I started. At 12:30 I put the darn thing down and picked up the jerkbait and on the first cast had a very nice 3 pound LM. Went back over the same locations I had thrown the Lure Hanger and caught 13 more on the Jerkbait and 1 very nice 4.5 LM on a Jig, after I had missed it on the jerker. Guess the A-Rig does not rule all. Beck reported the same in the Kimberling City area on the stickbait this morn. Most all wanting the slower presentation. When I pulled out at 3PM the surface temps had risen to 49.8. With warm temps scheduled for next week and if we get the purssure in control and have some overcast days, it will get real silly out there.

Fish, you had extreme high blue and a barameter at 30.11. Really don't care who was fishing yesterday, it was a bear. The fish on Taney did not bite and Buster only had 8 fish all day on Bull. Just terrible conditions.

One of the many great things about us being locals is really if we are just out there, it could matter less how many fish we catch. NO prussure at all. If we want to try things or fish water or depths of water that we normally don't fish, so be it. If I don't catch any today, I can always go tomorrow, and trick a few, on tried and ture locations with the presentations I know will work. I do my best learning when I am in a don't care mode and fishing goofy. Cannot tell you the number of locations I have put onto the GPS when I was just messing around.

J. you would think that would be the logical move, but me being a fisherman am very illogic. I might throw a wart some today or tomorrow. I just want to catch them the way I want to catch them. If I don't catch them, I don't catch them. "I think." Does that make sense? Now I'm confused. Yes indeed, I'm going to throw a jig and a wart the next couple of days. I'll let you know. Good Luck

That is a very nice looking bait. Tried to see who makes it but could not put it together. How much, what sizes do they come in and where can you get them.

Hit the water this morning out of Viney Creek at 9 AM and the wind was just terrible. Did manage 16 fish with 6 nice keeps, 1 LM and all the rest K's. Got blown off the water at 2 PM. Pretty hard to fish the locations I wanted with the wind and the A-Rig, so I threw a sticker about 3/4th. of the time. Caught 11 on it bite was very soft. Water temps as far up as Rock Creek at 47.8. Did manage a double of Keeper K's on the A-Rig. They were both chocked full of crayfish and the front deck of my boat got plastered.

Technique can work year around. Usually best from now thru May. Yes if you can just get that sinker ticking you have it. Very important is for sure to have a floating crankbait. You got one digging deep and you are going to pay the price, especially if it is a pricy one.

TrophyFisherR, My friend Buster runs 5 totally different baits and sizes so I don't think that matters. He just cleans out his box, and just flat catches the snot out of em. On our side of the boader, you can only use 3 hooked baits so what I have been doing is using 3, 3in. swimbaits and 2 swimming miniows in pearl, with the hooks cut off cheap 1/16 oz. jig heads. I usually put a drop of S. Glue on the minnows to hold them tighter to the small jig head. Those smaller baits can be configured to run on top. That puts the 3 hooked baits on the bottom. I am also running sometimes a willow leaf size 2 instead of the minnows. For a rod, there is a million out there. Some folks are throwing 8 or 9 footers. If you are a derby fisherman, check the regs. Most will only let you participate in the events on rods of 8' or less. If you want the Cream of the crop, without a doubt, look at the Falcon Mike McCulland Signature 7'6" collapsable heavy cover rod. The rod is light as a feather, with an extended split-grip. It will throw that heavy rig a mile and will have a perfect tip bend on retrieval. Even the softest strike is detected on the heavy gang bait and it will handle any fish or tree that eats it with no problem. Fantastic Rod. It is a mite pricy, but duel purpose if you throw 1 oz. jigs sometimes or big single swimbaits There was also a question back in the blog about fish eating the entire bait. Have not had a problem here from Point 9 to LongCreek of fish eating the bigger baits. I have had from Point 9 up the White River. Lots more K's. I have downsized up there and that has helped. While I'm fishing baits up to 6" here on the lowerend, 3 to 3 1/2 will do better above point 9. They will get the bait in the roof of the mouth usually right between the crushers. Also when hooking these fish, don't jerk or hook set them. Like fishing a grub, let them ride the bait and for the most part just wind them in. Works great is you have the stuff to do it, rather than jerk off their heads. Headed out the door to try it now.