Bill Babler

Report after report is in. Lake O seems to be about as good as it can be for quality crappie fishing. Strap on a chartruse or white jig and setin. Docks with any structure or not are holding fish in the 1 to 6 ft. range. Main lake structure is the same. 3 Table Rock Lake guides ventured to Lake O yesterday and said it was just "Silly" Bill Beck told me they caught 30 crappie with over 20 keepers off one laydown at the mouth of the glaze, and caught over 300 total crappie yesterday on Slab Slayers. I was up Bass Fishing last week and my buddy who lives on the lake, he said watch this. He threw a tube down 4 docks and caught crappie under the floats of all 4. They were toads. Spoke to a couple of guys last week at Greenview, and they said they have never seen the like. It is riduculas. He said he has no brush on his dock at all. He said you could drop a jig down about 6 ft. and just slowing walk around the dock and in the boat stall and it would take about 15 minutes to catch a limit of keepers. I'll be back.

With the bass fishing being somewhat of a challange, I have heard very good reports of crappie fishing on the Rock. Very Big crappie are being caught in the James and King's River. These fish are shallow from 1 to 6 ft. on either bluffs or very steep chunk boulder size rock. White 1/8th oz. jigs have been the best producers. Crappie on Lake of the Ozarks are just on fire. If you have a day or two to get away it seems right now is better than the Spring Spawn. Bill Beck, Rick Lisek, and Steve Dickey went to Lake O yesterday and caught and released 300 crappie. I was up there last week bass fishing and the guy I was fishing with, asked if I wanted to catch crappie. I said I really didn't care to but he said watch this. He swam a small 1/16 oz tube down 4 docks in a row and caught one every cast. Everyone he caught was 11 plus inches, just toads. Said he has lived at the Lake for 50 years and has never seen this type of action, on keeper crappie. Spring or Fall. Sounds like a road trip.

Appreciate the fishing reports from Tfish, and the fish pic's. It is always a "Sticky Wicket" to try and take pic's when you are by yourself. I anymore just won't do it, to hard to make them look like anything. When you are posting pic's of fish they are always subject to each persons personal prespective. I remember when I first started guiding, I was also Archery Deer hunt guiding. I took some of my mounts to the sports shows, and got nothing but negitive reaction. Everyone had killed or missed a bigger deer. Most of my stuff was junk, and I heard it constantly. I had mounts of 140 inch class deer, and everyone had a bigger one. Truth in fact is that only 2 percent of the deer hunters in the US have killed a whitetail buck with 150 inches of horn. I learned to have a very thick skin. I was putting it out there for everyone to see, and what I thought was good was just not impressing anyone. Lesson learned. Fishing has been tough for most of us, one decent day is usually followed by 4 hard days. Tfish, has been on his shallow water pattern all Summer and has done well. I have tried to duplicate it along with others and have just not found his success. Weather it be specific baits, locations, or presentations, he has ruled the Rock for the past 6 months, and I thank and appreciate him sharing his adventures with us. It however is kind of like my deer mounts. When you put it out there, everyone looks at it with his or her own eyes.

Pays to have friends in the fishing business. After a visit on Saturday evening with James and Donna, I had my plan for my Sunday trip out of the Kings River. Battled the fog and started out of Royal Point at 7:30 in the AM, with George and Art. Lots of hangups early on the wart and blade and no fish. Water was slick, but thought the overcast would be enough. Switched to a Pigsticker brown/purple football with a Gulp/Alive Camo/Craw and got the action started. Fish were shallow, in the 10 to 22 ft. range, on the jig. Main lake Kings River points, and not gravel, they wanted some rock on them. I have tried the Gulp/Alive before for deep fish using the pearl alwife. Just hated the stuff as it is a friggin mess. The tubs of Gulp that the 4in craws were in is just as messy, but it seemed to really be the deal. I dipped our Yamamoto, Chomper and Yum jig and craws in it, and they seemed to hold onto it a lot better. They have been picking up the jig and putting it down really bad. I think this helped. This crap is a disaster is you spill that tub of slime in your boat. Beck tried it and had a tub, dump in his boat box and said it was a complete disaster to clean up. I'll keep using it till I spill it. "Again." On another note, how in the hell do you keep those Gulp/Craws from turning as hard as a rock between locations. For cripes sakes it was only mid 70's yesterday and the craw would turn to stone if out of the water for over 10 minutes. Jig fish stopped on me around 10 AM and went to the deep spots with the little purple worm. Ended the day and it was a good one with 35 fish with 12 nice keeps. Deep fish were locked in at 45 to 51 feet. Beck caught them deeper on a spoon at 60', he had 40 fish with 20 keeps, some being those big ole grey K's in the 3 plus range.

Guys it is still a little early and the water is way to warm for the whites to start. Did hear that Rick LaPoint found them and toasted them one day, but reports are that was a very special day. Yes there may be a smatttering of surface chasers, but for me I want them zoned in and locked on the bottom in the 45 to 60 ft. range, on the channel humps and main lake swings. Last year it really started early at just after Thanksgiving, and extended until February surface temps were in the low 50's range. Most years it is around Christmsas. Yesterday when I finished my bass trip out of Shell Knob, surface temp was 71.7. I have seen some quick blowups, and I'm sure there are some being caught in the right situation, but locked on the bottom for me is when the fun begins, and that is just not here yet.

Very nice fish. Congrats to Olin. Had a very similar morning with a super nice 24 incher on the same Ginger micro, and about 30 very nice fish, with a lot on the upper end of 14 inches. Afternoon for us was as you say a game of chasing the wind. If you could get into the chop, "Game On." On flat water, not so much. Yesterday was excellent at the dam on 4 generators early with 20 bows to the boat drifting scuds over 16 inches with 2 at 20+. Fronted the scuds with an egg fly and took several on the egg, but majority of fish on a size 12 grey scud. Afternoon in the strong North wind was to say the least a challange.

Champ is right, and I just forgot about Sweetwater. Both a great place for the Bassessss and also a super place for crappie. Also that area is very wind free and fisherman friendly. Great location.

With the blending of the upper thermocline right now, it is possible for those rascules to be anywhere, from on the bank to 60ft. We worked our tails off today early and really struggled on the flat slick water. Soon as it was time to go in the wind started and we started wacking nice keepers on a jig and a blade. Just have to go with the conditions. Fish may not bite early and may only bite when the correct conditions hit. Had one of the best clients I have ever had in the boat today, not a ton of fish but some really nice quality on our keepers. We could have weighed in a nice 14 to 15 pound bag. I don't care who you are right now, in 4 hrs. that is a nice sack of fish. If we would have had all day we might have caught a kicker once the wind blew in big time.

Sorry I missed this post. A couple of really good places to launch with your gear, would be for one Viney Creek out up the White River. You can stay in Viney all day and just around there. Another without a doubt is the Baxter Launch faculity. There is still very few locations better than the Baxter Swim beach.

Good luck on the lift. Hope you are not leaving those electronics and gear in your beautiful boat. Coming into the Fall season with less lake traffic, you are taking a huge risk if you are with what looks like very quality gear. When I was on the State Waterpatrol, we arrest a guy one time on Lake O. for stealing gear out of boats. His response, was that anyone that left fishing gear in a boat on a dock, probably didn't want it anyway. Same thing with the SS Prop. Voice of Experence.

Guided that area yesterday, and it was good. Yesterday was not a spinnerbait day, with high blue and no breeze. Water up there is mighty clear. Had about 30 fish with 10 to 15 keeps, 2 LM on a fin on the shady front corners of channel swing deep docks early. Most fish eiher came on a dropshot or a jig. Most on the dropshot. 45 to 60 ft. on either the midlake humps up there or the flat gravel rolloffs where the flats dump into the channel. Had several very nice K's suupended just off the rolloffs, saw them on the electronics and dropped to them, and they charged it. 45 feet deep over 60ft. Using eiher a Yamamoto purple/brown 4in. cuttail or a Chomper purple/brown 5 in laminated. Also a several nice fish on a 1/2 oz white spoon, same area. Jig fish were on a PigSticker 5/8th. purple/brown with a Chompers Watermellon Candy twin tail. Did run into some trouble up there with bluegills out on those flats to 50ft. deep. They were spitting up 1/2 in green crawfish. Lots of gills on the flats, they were knocking heck out of the spoon, and just would not leave the jig alone. They thumped and thumped on it. We had to put it down, they were driving us crazy. Fish are really not ganged up on any of those deep spots, probably fished at least 15 locations in 6 hrs. Hope this helps.

Thanks Phil Just what we suspected. Placing debris on long flat points and gravel, that had previously had none. Jeremy there is your answer, not replacing lost structure where it had been, but creating a complete new enviornment. I know threadfin shad just love to hang out in stump fields. They have observed blackbass species on the areas they have added sturcture too. How vague is that. How many and how many were there before the adding of the structure? I would love to see species specific counts on the surveys. Just for a minute say we as local fishermen are right, and it breaks the feeding, seasonal patterns and recruitment of the SM that are present on these locations, then what? Do you just say OOP'S we made a mistake. Has not Table Rock had enough of this. Especially since Table Rock must live completely on native recruitment with no additional stocking. I just cannot understand messing with the strongest part of this fishery in what is with out a doubt, considered to be the "Mother of the smallmouth area on this lake." I'll end this here for me. You all know how I feel about this lake and the wonderful resourse we have here. The smallmouth bass in Table Rock are precious to us all.

Jeremy, I appreciate your's and all thoughts on this. Please read my post throughly. They are placing structure where there has NEVER BEEEN STRUCTURE. Why are we trying to bring LM into traditional SM locations. Are they trying to relocate the SM populations? There are thousands of acres of structure on this lake just like they are creating, that do not hold SM. Why in Be-Geebers mess with areas that are holding them. These gravel flats in the dam area have been such since the lake was flooded. They have never had either pole timber or any other type of structure on them. My question, is just Why are they targeting these long points and flats that are already holding Smallmouth, that are extremely accessable. On your other point of making it better for the fish than the fisherman, please look at what the goal of the project was ment to be. To congreate more fish and make it easier for fishermen to fish for larger concentrations of fish is specific loations. This project was not all about the fish, it was also accessability and concentration. If they wish to rebuild LM and Crappie habitat, I am on board, just not on the flat gravel SM Banks, where it has never been.

Here is my question. Reguardless of what the debris is, Why? Why recreate an enviornment that already exists that is not holding fish, on a location that holds high volumes of fish? I understood this project to be to congerate larger numbers of fish on singular locations. If you already have extreme high numbers of fish on said location, that are very easy accessable, what are you gaining by adding a debris field to the location? You have completely altered an existing locations that mother nature had created that the fish have gravitated to, away from the very same location you are trying to create. Guys, this is just my thoughts. I realize that MDC, will not post here and I have not spoken to them about the success they have had thus far on this project. I have no problem with the work they are doing in the areas of the lake to congreate crappie or LM bass, but on traditional SM banks, that are holding large volumes of the SM on this lake, I am not on board. IF the SM wanted that type of structure it is already available. They don't. They are living where they are for a reason, why mess with it?

Unlike a lot of you, I, abit long in the tooth can remember when Table Rock Lake turned into a Smallmouth Pond. It really got good and going in the 70's, building to what it is today. You know, the Jaw's today are exactly where they were from the beginning. The Dam Area. Yes, they have expanded nicely, my biggest Jaw, over 6 pounds, came from a flat gravel point across from Big M. But, if you want to catch the Jaw of a lifetime, the LongCreek Bridge to Point 9 are the best bet. AS I set here this morning I am a bit perplexed, watching the MDC barge dump loads of debris on one of the best flat gravel Smallmouth banks on Table Rock Lake. This Fall, they have started targeting some of the best flat gravel and stairstep Smallmouth Banks we have. These locations were holding Jaws, and they have from the beginning. Why? Because the fish liked "EXACTLY WHAT WAS THERE TO BEGIN WITH." There are locations all over Table Rock exactly like the ones that MDC are trying to artifically create that do not hold Smallmouth. There are areas in the dam area exactly like they are trying to create that do not hold SM. Why are they recreating non-holding locations on populated holding areas? Our SM are somewhat transiant, but one factor is always in common for the most part. They just love open flat gravel. From Kimberling City thru LongCreek, the wind blown flat gravel points and flats hold SM. Move your boat in the more snarled up stuff and you will catch more LM and K's. Why are they trying to fix a fishery that is not broken? On another note, how do you fish these Debris Fields? A jig is impossible, tried some the other day, even bending my hook flat and was caught up constantly. Rig, is a no go, cannot pull a hook free carolina rig thru the bottom debris. Tried a texas rigged worm with a hook bent completely down and the weight no matter how small I used was always caught. Also tried a tube, and that was a no go. Maybe a deep cranker, a topwater of a jerkbait. From the beginning of the SM era on the rock, we have targeted them by swimming a grub, or dragging something from shallow to deep. Usually from 5 ft. to 40 ft. Now, that is not possible because of all the debris. Don't know if we will have an answer to this in my lifetime, but for now a lot of us are really very sorry to see these traditional SM holding banks destroyed.

Sam, we have been fishing that area hard for K's the last 10 days, and I have seen no Whites. Good to hear however. I have not been out there in the evenings. Point 9 and Railroad Cove are always good places to look for them this time of the year. I am guessing as soon as the water gets in the low 60's to mid-50's they will get going. Been a pretty good topwater bite for Bass the last 3 weeks. For me it starts at 6:30 and is pretty much over by 7:30. I can then catch a few suspended on a dropshot. For some reason they think my 1/2 oz spoon stinks! Good Luck

Had been watching the weather for several weeks now waiting for the right day to power fish the dam area for Jaw's. As Phil reported a couple of weeks ago, before the high prussure front we were starting to get a very good blade bite in the dam area for some very quality jaws. It for me vanished about two weeks ago, but I had high hopes for today, with the clouds and wind. Did not really happen. About a dozen fish to the boat with only two keeps, one a very nice K on a jig. The others respectable but not by any means toads. Could not get the blade bite. All our fish, dragging a jig deep. PBJ 3/8th. Chomper jig with a watermellon candy Yama trailer. Tried others, but they wanted this best. There are some very nice fish available with the dropshot, in the 31 to 43 ft. range. I knew this, as the day before with Beck on a Party trip with 6 guides we had caught and released over 100 K's in the morning trips. Sounds like a big number, but that's 12 fishermen and it adds up to about 8 each. Guides did not fish. I did have one client that caught 12 with 8 keeps, and that is by far the best I have done since I been home. Kimberling City area. Watermellon Candy dropshot worm or a PBJ chompers 4 in. worm, off the main lake flats and you will catch fish. We were after Jaws today and it was us that Bent, not the fish. This dam area SM bite will break pretty fast, and those seafood lovers will start leaning heavy on the FB Jig. Just did not happen for us today.

Tried 3 different little George's, Terminator inline spinners and small kastmasters to the chasers. NOT INTERESTED. They are chasing basketball size schools of shad, that are crappie minnow size. Have also tried swimming minnows, with no interest. Suprising enough, they will on occ. take a big Redfin or spook about 1% of the time. Still a work in progress. You can however drop down with a dropshot and catch a bunch of them if you want to concede to it.

Would never solicite any of the publications for advertisment. They are nothing but a pain in the rear. All the major mags call for fishing info, from time to time. That call came last Winter when we were catching all the big Whites. Since the article I have received about 30 calls, not a one wanting a fishing trip, but all wanting locations and information on how to catch the fish. Have had two calls as late as 11 PM. I just tell them to go to Ozarkanglers and check out the forum for current info. and say thanks for the call.

Gary, this assortment is pretty much what I use Dropshot 4 inch chomper watermellon candy early morning 4 inch purple/brown laminate 4 inch sand high sunshine 4 inch plumb sunshine Go to worm is either the purple/brown chompers or the purple/brown Yamamoto Big Worms Texas Rig Watermellon Candy Green Pumpkin Tequela Sunrise Red Black Drag and Shakyhead worms Watermellon Candy Green Pumpkin June Bug Chompers Shakeyhed Brown/Purple Lam. Early in the year, say Last of March thru Early May, the Junebug is a SM Killer. The least little bit of sunshine makes this worm just jump at the fish. Similar in flash to the Watermellon Candy, but a bit darker body. I believe it is just enough different to get an extra bite or two a day. Of course I use it in the Fish Dr. Form. Lots of my friends and posters here still use watermellonseed. For me the Watermellon Candy kind of surpassed it. The seed is a bit more suttle, and still a great worm. I use the color in a 4 inch grub, but have not got it in a worm. I love the action of the Yamamoto stuff, but have reached the end of the line with them, as trailers or worms. Just to much salt and to soft. I just cannot afford to use $12 to $15 in soft plastics per day. You basically get 1 or two bites per item and it is destroyed. Yum has really came on line with some very high quality soft plastics, and Chompers for the money is extremely hard to beat. If Chompers would cutdown the size of their twin tail trailers and make them just a bit longer to be the same as the Yamamoto trailers, but use their own soft plastic formula , I believe there would be no question at all. That is about all I use.

Stump, you are right. There is kind of an old, new thing the bass pros, are doing, it is called float and fly. They are using a long rod with a float and a jig from a foot to 5 ft under the float. It will work for these chasers. White or grey 1/8th to 1/4 oz marabou jigs work with it. I did not find them on top this morning. Only a couple. I think the weather drove them down. Had 18 fish this morning with 2 very nice keepers all on a Chompers lam. Pruple/brown. 26 to 31 ft. on the humps around Baxter.

RPS that looks great, but it is 4X bigger than the shad right now. These fish are chasing shad about the size of a dime or a nickle. The shad are running in basketball size groups, and it is kind of like a kid in a candy store without money. I believe edwin tried it yesterday, along with his Sammy. Good lookin bait. It is similar to the spittin image I'm going to try today. I will bet they will hit the front runner however. It is about the size of a quarter.

Launched at Viney this morning at 7:15. Topwater was on fire between Emerald Point and the Kings River. Fished with long time client and friends Garry and Kelly Miller, from Belton. Could see fish chasing from a 1/2 mile, really looked like whites, but they are bass. Kind of fickle, as they are chasing nickle size shad. Caught about 30, with 6 good keepers this morning using the dropshot, spook jr. and a yellow magic. Had a hundred refusals. Usually I can throw a rostertail or a small jerk bait when they are missing the topwater and have them eat it, but they were really fussy, on the calm water before the wind. Without a doubt the yellow magic chugger was the best. They would not even swirl on a fin. Any suggestions would be great. Maybe a small trap? The roostertail is usually the deal. Would not even look at the 1/2 oz spoon. I'm headed down to the shed right now to servey my tackle and see if I can figure it out. It is kind of funny however, I'm crying about 30 fish with 6 keepers mostly topwater. It is just when there are 50 swirls around you, I think a guy should be able to catch them all. I think I need to come back to reality. I really feel great about the day. T. I tried to get Garry to throw over my head, but like you, he was chicken.

One blown coil on cy. number 3. They replaced all 6 coils, as merc had a recall on the coils. 08,09,10. and a new set of plugs. Ulrich Marine, jumped right on it. They are a great friend of the local fishermen. Not going to say, but it is a darn good thing It was still under warranty. It would have been in the upper 3 figures. If these things break, it is a huge expense. If you are running a outboard motor without warranty, I will prey you are walking with the big guy upstairs, as it is a disaster when they break. Scott, yours are under a warranty recall also. Might think about a set if you have not had it done. That boat of yours is as nice a boat as I have ever seen. Good Luck