Bill Babler

I was hoping you were going to tell me where you guys are catching all these Big Jaw's I keep reading about. These cell phone deals are just a mess. There are different phones and programs all over the place. Our contract ran out with Alltel the 26th. and when they changed something for a reprogram, Becky's Phone stopped working and they said her phone would not work on the new network. Now mine went out, and we are totally without cell service. She ordered us the verizon package from CelularDeals.com. THis was a week ago, and we are still out of service. Went to the new Alltel/Verizon office on 248, and there are really no deals, you just pay the bucks, if you want the service. I have really tried hard to find a bigger bite, as I have had sometime during the past couple of weeks either on open days or after guide trips, and will get on a pattern and have it just fall on its face. Denjac, had a pattern, and had been keeping it to himself, in hopes of helping me. Beck, Denjac, Myself, and about 4 others of us were using it and catching very quality fish up to 7 pounds, and then it just flat died. Nothing at all if you fish it lake wide all day. From talking to Beck, who has fished that pattern before in August, he says its not unusual for it to come on and then totally dry up to the extent you will not get bit. Usually when the water goes from 80 plus to the mid-70's and that is what happened. Said it will come on again later in the year. bb

Thru the fishing and the guide trips this last week, I have had in the back of my mind fishing the Heartland Derby this weekend, but I just cannot find the right kind of bite that would make me plunk down that kind of money. Keep reading about the boys, getting bit early on the banks, in the dam area by quality Jaws, up to 3.5, but have not found it or for that matter, any of the guys I run with are not finding it. We have put hours in at trying to get a shallow bite and a few squeekers are whats coming up. Deep bite, however is just about as good as I have seen it. Trees, deep docks, gravel rolloffs, long points and bluffends, are all holding very nice K's from keeper size to just lots of fun fish. If I work it I have timed myself and It takes me about 2.5 hrs. to catch a limit of K's. One day I caught 3 limits and I cannot get over 12.5 to 13 pounds for the best 5. That won't do it, as someone will come up with a couple of nice kicker blacks, or figure out something. I could get lucky, and spoon a biggin out of a deep tree, but I'm not on them right now. Great on guide fish, probably as good as you will see, outside of the early grub and drag bite, but very short on any biggins, for me. Our Alltel Phones are being changed over to Verizon, so I am without cell phone. You can either get me at the Lodge or email. Said I should be back up and running in the next couple of days, so thats why my cell is not working. Thanks Bb

Crappie, I can see the bottle of water, but I think you may have been grossly over paid with a full Snikers bar. Should have declined it, or just taken 1 small bite.

Lots of good info that RPS posted. His locations around the Knob are very good ones. I hit them everytime I am in the area. My spoon of choice right now for either the Whites of the Bass is either like RP said a Lazer EYe, or maybe better yet a Real Image by Cabelas. 1/2 and 3/8 oz. I tend to fish a lot of deep trees and a lot of dock cables, and I use 15 lb. FC up to 20 pound test. I use a swivel about a foot up from the spoon a sampo style will keep 99 percent of the twists out of your rig. Sometime toss to the Whites or just vertical jig it for any of the bass, depending on depth. Start low and raise the rod to 12 oclock and then follow the spoon back down on a simi-slack line, but being in constant contact as the bait falls back to detect the strike. If you are looking for the whites, the Big Creek area, jut past Campbell Point has been very good, EArly, I don't know about evenings. Also fish the spoon in a flutter, as RP described on those type of locations he also described. Fish are all over the dropshot, if that is the way you like to fish. You will do very well. Look at depths in the Knob area of 23 to 28 ft. Some Spinnerbait or even Square Bill fish are being caught on the right kind of days. Overcast wind and a bit nasty. With the rise in the lake you can also still flip some of the bushes from the Knob, either direction. Let me tell you this however, when they start to draw water and the lake levels start receeding as they are now, those shallow water bush fish, don't like it one bit. They think they will be stranded on the bank, and get out of there pronto. For a great weekend at Shell Knob, look for the drop shotters, in that 20 to 30 ft. range. Either suspended over the trees, on the bottom or around the deep docks. Good Luck

Met Bart from Springfield and his two boys today and setout of Mill Creek Ramp at 6:30 in the AM. Ran up to Point 9 looking for the Whites, and they didn't show. A big Zero there, and that was the last zero, we were going to take on this Wonderful day in the Ozarks. Fished over 6 hrs. under the most enjoyable conditions, I can ever remeber, with perhaps my best set of 3 clients of the year. You just get a feeling about people, I told my wife this was going to be one of those great days, and it sure didn't disapoint. The K's were everywhere we went, not tons, mind you, but good quanities and very nice quality. With the White Puffy Clouds overheard and a gentle breeze, we caught fish on the next 9 locations, without a miss. Best 5 for the group, in the 13.5 to 14 pound range, just really nice K's. Dropped shotted crawlers and spooned in 26 to 36 and you could see them come for the bait. Really good stuff. Bart's boys start school tomorrow, and this is the way to send them back to the grind, with a super day of fishing on beautiful Table Rock lake. This is why I do what I do. My heart is in a very good place right now. Good Luck

I like the way you think.

It is a very nice boat. Lots of room with the single console and the extremely wide casting deck. Do not like the huge center box, that when opened takes up over 1/2 the front deck. No where for anyone to stand if you need to get out a bait, and just to far to have to climb in and get something. There are also no bait trays or places to put small items or for that matter, even small boxes, just a cavern, where your gear shifts all over the place. Maybe could have been thought out a little better. I know some guys with the Champs, are having some custom work done in the huge center box, to make it more workable. I will also need to buy an additional rod rack system for the starboard side. These are the easiest racks I have ever seen to work with. Very nice. Ride and big water preformance is not in the same catagory as the bigger 201 Stratos, or nearly as dry. I have to watch it, on wind or crossing waves at a 45 degree angle, or I or my passengers will get a splash. Not bad at all, but something I am not used to. Of course my new boat is 19'8" and my Stratos is 21 ft. You would think only a foot difference what would that matter? It is night and day. The ride of the 210 Champ, or the 201 Stratos, is so far superior to the 200 or 203, Champion or the 195, or the 200 Stratos, that you cannot even compair the two. Really the Alan Stinson Hull on the Stratos, is in a league by it's self. Long answer to a short question, I like it and really like the ProXS. It is just a tool, and I'm not in love with it, anything that will make my job more enjoyable or easier I will like. Oh! another thing, and maybe the most important thing I don't like is placing the trolling motor foot control in the well. I feel I am working all day with my foot in a bucket, and if it is wavy it is very hard to stand with one foot lower than the other. I will never get this again, and much prefer it sitting on the deck. Beck makes champion, completely glass over the well and carpet it to the front before he will take the boat. I will on my next one, if I get another Champ.

First thing first, good to see Capt. Don back on the forum. I will tell you I was very close to joining him. I have posted my position time and time again, on how I fish and why I do what I do, and still another person, takes a shot at me. Phil took care of it with a very nice reply, and I have let myself calm down. Went on a 2 hr. tour yesterday morning out of Lilleys' looking for Whites, in the dam area, along with 8 other guide boats, waiting for them to move in a location, that they have been on every morning for the last 3 weeks. NADA!!!! When you only have 2 hrs. to catchem, and you have waited for surfacing whites for 1/2 of that, you might be in trouble. The dropshot and the crawler bite has also gotten extremely tough in the dam area. We are getting to that part of the season that these fish have just been pounded and pounded. They will run at it and then just melt off. The little girl in the front of my boat was watching the graph, and I had her saying "Here they come." Bad part we were also saying there they go. Strange morning, in about an hour, after the white bass debackle, we had 1, 3 pound channel, 1 keeper walleye, about 2.5, 2 trophy gills, 1 small white, 1 small LM, 1 small SMJ, and 1 small K. All we needed for the Grand Slam, was a Carp and a Spoonbill. I was very happy to have each and everyone of them. Lots of giggles and a good time in a couple of short hours yesterday morning. Talked Becky into going out for a while in the afternoon. Went up to the Knob, and had lunch at the Port Grill at Campbell Point. Very good, try their rings, they are fantastic. Spooned for 3 hrs. in the Ocean of huge Boats and waves, and had 6 bass and 1 keeper walleye, all returned to the Ocean. 3 of the bass were quality keeper K's, and most all these fish came from bluffends in about 24 ft. Most of the boys reported the high prussure and clear blue the last few, have really made them work. Good Luck

1 short, three 18 inchers, and one 4 pounder. Kept the big one and let the other 4 go. I have a certain location, that I am catching them on everytime I fish it. It is also holding some nice bass. Of course yesterday, all we had there were the walleye and a short bass or two. Every walleye I caught yesterday was full of gizzard shad, up to 7 inches. They spit them all over the water, and had shad in there gullets, and hanging out of there stickery mouths.

This seems to be the schedule on the Whites. Not up at daylight. About 7AM till usually 9AM. If cloudy, this extends your day. I have tried 2 evening and Beck has tried 1 and a flat nothing. Where they all go and why they don't feed in the low light of the evening like every other white bass in the world, I don't know. 7 to 9 in the AM is the best. May change. Here are some very quality locations. Big and Little Indian in the Baxter Area. Out in front of Indian Hills Resort. The water was boiling with them yesterday. Point 18 Just past Baxter. Thousands of Whites. White Oak Holler, Just before Big Creek. The entire huge cove was full yesterday. They would at time be in all areas of the water column, from surface to 50 ft. For larger Whites, go toward the dam In the dam area, in front of the dam Jaques branch Clevenger Branch Beardsley Branch Just look for the congreation of boats and watch the water. Hope this helps

Started today with a very good fisherman at the 6AM whistle, and worked the Baxter area looking for LM and some quality Spots or Jaw's. Not much doing on my end, just could not get them to go. Bluffends, long runouts, chunky points, gravel rolloffs, deep docks, I could get love at none of these locations. Real shame, as it was one of those days that when you have a very and I mean very quality fisherman they just won't bite. Whites, Did I say Whites? Probably could have filled the boat, but we were looking for LM. Did catch 6 on the spoon, 5 walleye, and about 15 bass, but only one small Keep. Could have probably caught more K's, early but just wanted a bigger bag, and paid in full for our desire, with a big stinko. Steve, we will do it again and come up with better results. From what I understand talking to the boys this evening, we were not alone. Just an extremely tough day on the Rock.

You dudes don't post this kind of stuff, I'm old and cranky, and cantankerious, and want to keep it that way. Many thanks, to both Matt and Champ. Matt, it was my pleasure, meeting you and your lovely family, best luck in the future and good luck with that fantastic boat. bb

Point 7 to Point 10 and Point 9 to Point 22 has been the hangouts for some of us guide types for the last few days. Not counting the whites, if you can stay away from them, the bass fishing has been just wonderful.. Could and probably will fall apart on me for this, but have been catching some very nice quality fish, both LM and K's in this area. Fish seem to be up close early, and if it stays hazy and cloudy, they continue to stay pretty close. Been on the 3/8th. oz Chomper football in either PBJ or Green Pumpkin, with a Cinnamon Yamamoto twin tail as the butt section. I personally am not catching many Jaw's, and really can't figure that out, on this pattern, as we all know they love the crawdaddy's. Usually these hazy days, with lots of wind and surf, crashing the banks, as it is now is good medicine for the SMJ's. I am for the most part however, fishing a little steeper stuff, and they are probably where they always are on the flat gravel. As the sun gets hot, and it is getting hot. I am going to either bluffends or long gravel rolloffs, and using either a 1/2 oz lazer eye or any white or chartruse spoon I have. They seem for me to be better on the spoon than the shot. If I can't see them, I'm dropping to the bottom and bouncing it up about 6 ft. and watching. Today a pretty good trick was to find and fire them up with the spoon, and then drop the 4 inch Plum Chomper drop shot worm. Worked more than once. I'm on the Rock all week, and will try and keep you somewhat posted on my inability to catch fish. It will for sure give you a pattern not to try. Good Luck

QB, all of the above. At times the presentation, can be straight up and down and at others, I will toss the spoon, and let it fall toward the bottom. When I do this, even though the spoon is on simi-slack line, I am still in contact with it and watch it very closly. If it stops during the fall, it is for sure a good thing. On the up and down stuff, sometimes we either just lower it and hold it, but most times, I watch it as it falls, on my graph If I see fish moving for it, it is a great help. If it hits the desired depth, I will then usuall raise my rod from a level position, to a 11 oclock position, and then let the spoon fall back, closly following it down with the rod. I don 't let it drop on a completely slack line, I sometimes jig it back as it falls. I like to maintain contact most of the time. I really don't think there is a wrong way to fish it. If I see schoolers most times, I will just cast and reel it right thru them. If they have sounded I will use the first method to try and get a nip. Hope this helps.

Hit the water, and the water didn't hit me back like it does here at the house. It's 5;30 and I can count over 40 boats rockin and a rollin here on the rock. That includes water fleas, and several big ole biggins, making huge waves. Started at Tucker at 5:30 yesterday evening going to look for whites. It takes me 25 minutes to get there from our place. 3 rigs in the parking lot. Did not see a boat till I also got to Kdock. One little pod of schoolers just below Kdock that stayed up all of 1 minute and that was all I saw. Didn't let me get close and sounded and would not bite. Fished my way back hitting long point runouts, just really waiting and looking for whites. Several guys trolling and a couple of pontooners, but nary a jet ski, or anyone towing anything. Let along any 40 ft. Carvers, or Sea Rays. Threw a flutter spoon, almost consistantly and suprising, had 6 nice keeper K's. Stayed out to dark, working my way back to Tucker, and then even went below away just past State Line Cove and around Horseshoe bend. Had a couple of points I caught good fish on a week or so ago, but if you can believe it, they had boats on them. Saw 2 Eagles, 1 mink and 3 racoons, along with several deer and an ospry. Guess I should have been watching the water a mite closer and maybe I would have seen some whites. Nice 4 hours of solitude.

Hit the water, and the water didn't hit me back like it does here at the house. It's 5;30 and I can count over 40 boats rockin and a rollin here on the rock. That includes water fleas, and several big ole biggins, making huge waves. Started at Tucker at 5:30 yesterday evening going to look for whites. It takes me 25 minutes to get there from our place. 3 rigs in the parking lot. Did not see a boat till I also got to Kdock. One little pod of schoolers just below Kdock that stayed up all of 1 minute and that was all I saw. Didn't let me get close and sounded and would not bite. Fished my way back hitting long point runouts, just really waiting and looking for whites. Several guys trolling and a couple of pontooners, but nary a jet ski, or anyone towing anything. Let along any 40 ft. Carvers, or Sea Rays. Threw a flutter spoon, almost consistantly and suprising, had 6 nice keeper K's. Stayed out to dark, working my way back to Tucker, and then even went below away just past State Line Cove and around Horseshoe bend. Had a couple of points I caught good fish on a week or so ago, but if you can believe it, they had boats on them. Saw 2 Eagles, 1 mink and 3 racoons, along with several deer and an ospry. Guess I should have been watching the water a mite closer and maybe I would have seen some whites. Nice 4 hours of solitude.

I think this Thread has probably gone about as far as it can, probably to far. My participation as the Moderator is a very sketchy one in the fact that everyone is more than intitled to their opinion here, and as long as no vulgarity is used, I have my hands tied. I have the button to delete, but I will PM you and ask you to do it before either Phil or I take action. There has been no sense in me stating or arguing my position here, as you all already know what it is. I am a little to busy to debate this, and frankly in the 30 plus years here, guiding and fishing, I have only had a problem with other fishermen a couple of times. Most have been very recient, and for the life of me, I don't know why this is starting now. Phone calls from derby fishermen wanting information, has been going on since the 70's, it just get boring at times. Lets shut this down here. If our regulars leave it, and I hope they will, this is a done deal. Thanks Bill

C4, I believe the patterns are going to remain the same, until thermocline breakup Should be good next week on the Rock. Also for a very nice report on Taney, go to Phil's new site www.lilleyslanding.com and look at our combined reports for taney, dated the 10th. You can use any type of spoon for the flutter tenique. I have seen lots of spoons, claiming right on the package to be flutter spoons. I am currently using a Cabelas real image, and a BP XPS, or Lazer eye. The Cabelas is the deal, as they are on sale right now for a buck .99 and come in some fantastic colors. Shad, Peral, and the best Chartruse shad. Really don't mind throwing them around the trees at that price. The BP stuff is about 4 bucks a pop, so I am a little more careful with it. Be sure to check out the Assist hooks you can add, these are a tremendious help in hooking and keeping fish stuck on a spoon. White bass are really becomming the deal here. Not Grand Lake yet, but for sure some good fishin for bass in the 1.2 pound range, and if your going to eat-em that is about as good as they are ever gonna be. A month or two ago, they were tiny. Man those things are just growing at a massive rate, and are just everywhere, early in the morning. My clients are then catching them like crazy, with crawlers while trying to catch K's.

With cooler temps in the forcast, and lots and lots of schools strarting I look for the next two weeks before the labor day weekend to be way different than what we have seen here the last month or two. I believe the fishing for most species, will be very good. Dam Area: Look shallow early in the morning. Cloudy or windy conditions, will position some very nice SMJ's up close right in front of the bushes, or even in them as the lake has risen with the input of water from Beaver. Is there a better bait than a Jewell Jig for getting snaps out of these Jaw's? It's only competitor is the watermellon candy cenipede. I believe we will also start seeing some surface activity from the K's as the boat traffic slows down. It will allow the bait to remain on the surface longer and the K's will follow the shad to the surface. Jigging spoons and dropshots have been and will continue to be very strong on the Kan-Tucks. Note here is the shad are very small so thing 1/2 oz or smaller on your spoons. Don gave you all a very good tip a week ago, mentioning chartruse on the spoons. I have been using a chartruse shad in 1/2 oz. made by Real Image that is a complete killer "Cabelas" Also a white Lazer Eye "Bass Pro" I don't think the fish will shallow up a whole lot yet, but I think they will move up and down in the water column a little more and not be so locked in at the 32 to 35 range. I'm thinking in the dam area, that the 26 to 28 ft. range is a gonna get real popular. Mid Lake: Point 7 to Point 19 on the White should start seeing some very good white bass action. With these temps coming in the fish will be working all the flats and deep channel swings pushing bait to the surface. On cloudy days it will continue throughout the day. Bluffends should be holding quality LM on a jig in under 30 ft and the K's will start to move a little. Look in ranges of 22 to 26 on the bottom and then suspended as the sun gets up. Should be some fish both LM and SMJ's early in front, and also in the bushes. Caught several very nice LM last week in under 6 ft. right in front of the bushes midday. James River Fish will be both on the bottom, looking shallow for LM and also suspended under the shad on a spoon. It is always this time of the year when that deep crankbait bite really starts to kick in up the James Look on the gravel flats that for the most part are covered with shad and heave the deep diver into 12 to 15 ft. and bring it out to mid 20's for good chances at some big LM. Fish the football early and late in the same locations. Fish a flutter spoon also in these same locations, placing the boat in 30 ft. and making a cast into 15 to 20ft. Allow the spoon to sink on a tight line and pump it several times on its swing back to the boat. They usually grab it on the initial fall. Just a tick, and you can catch anything from cats to walleye with tenique. MIght also be time if there is some wind early to be thinking about that blade. White bass should also be working from 3 fingers clear on up to point 15. White River Point 19 to Eagle Rock Look for white bass blowing most every morning including the Kings River. LM will also be on the move on the timbered points and can be targeted early on topwaters. K's are still on the bluffends and flats, and should start to tighten up into some larger groups, before they just split up and go everywhere when we loose the thermocline. Look for drag and jig fish early as shallow as right on the bank and then drag out to the mid to low 20's with your favorite slinky-slimy drag junk. On windy days swimming the grub is a very good way to get a nip. Shallow presentations can also at this time include the spinnerbait on cloudy windy days and pitching a shaky head or jig very shallow for LM and K's in and around the bushes. As the sun comes up just start moving deeper with the bottom killers. I look for fishing to get really good, before it go's to Heck in a hand basket as it usually does in later Sept. and early Oct. when we loose our thermocline and they go everywhere. Good luck out there.

Both of those videos are fantastic. I just love that rod and reel going in the lake. Might have happened to me a time or two. I have absolutely no problem with ColdWater's views of either guides or professional fishermen or women, they are his and he is entitled to em. I'm just glad everyone doesn't feel that way. Make no mistake about this however, I don't go fishing, I take clients fishing. It's not my job, to fish. It is my job to see that my clients have fun and are completely safe while doing it. I strive to be better at my job everyday. I learn something from everyone that enters my boat, and I truely appreciate every client that gives me the opportunity to spend a morning on the water with them. Every once in a while like a couple of times this last week, I do get to fish. Big thanks to Dave on Monday, and Scott on Thursday for letting me be your buddy on your fishing day. I do however have reservations about giving fishing locatons and information that others have paid their hard earned money for to those that just ask for it. The locations that other guides have or those locations that I use did not come free, they as any of yours are hard earned and most often cost not only money, but time in finding them. Contrary to popular belief, and if your a follower of the forum, you will also see that Locations in some cases do replenish, but in lots of cases do not. This is not conjunture on my part it is knowledge. It is also state of the art sonar. I know whats down there. I very seldom ever fish a location more than 1 day per week. I strive to constantly keep my guests on fish that are not camera shy and have not been under constant prussure. It is my job to not wait for the fish to bite, but to create bites for my clients, and by keeping them on as low prussure of fish as possible, most times I can achieve this. If you have problems with the way the guides operate, I'm extremely sorry, and if sometime we act like this is a job, "We'll maybe it is". if you do it right.

"When I fall down, I almost always land in the boat" RP, wish I could say the same. Taney is really cold, especially this time a year when the air temps are hot. Been in there aplenty, and let me tell you it is not a laughing matter. "Well, not for me anyway".