Bill Babler

Since the political fourm is not working, I want to get your opinions on what I just saw on the Today Show. As one of the host polled the outside crowd, asking what they looked forward to out of this new President. They asked a middle aged black lady and she said. I look forward to our overseas troops being brought home "Immediatly", and to seeing financial prospearity for all Americans. My question, is Can we bring all our troops home from around the globe? Immediatly? Can we have total atonomy and every American on easy street being prosperious, in terms of wealth? I don't understand why she thinks we can. Is it race, gender or age that makes me not believe this possible, or maybe common sense. Is this how the majority of Americans believe or is it hope? Can a president do what she believes he will do? This really blew me away hearing her state this in terms of facts. Just wondering what you all think.

Jeremy, the last 3 times on the upper end, we have probably had over 100 small Largemouth to the boat, or 30 or so a trip. No SMJ's and only 1, K. all LM. Are you doing the same, all LM? These are two year old fish, running between 8 and 11 inches. I believe they had the time of there life last year with all the cover and last years crop of 4 to 8 inchers, I bet are everywhere. If the derby weights have risen this year by 4 pounds per string, just think what it will be in about 3 to 5 years, with all these critter swimming around. Sounds good to me. I don't think that forage will be a problem, from what I am seeing in shad numbers.

Gentlemen, I respect everyone's opinion here. I think I have fished Bull, as long as most, not as long as some, but since 1972 on a pretty regular basis. When its slow, I fish elsewhere. When its going, I will fish it regularlly. Usually late Winter into Early Summer, and not even on a weekly basis, but just when I can get over there. About a 25 minute drive from the house. For the most part, Table Rock is just a better lake. Not for diversity, but for catching and releasing a sheer number of fish. ie the big three bass species. When I like to have a fish fry, and I mean fresh, I'm not into freezing limits of fish, for later consumption. Just what I want to eat fresh, I usually go over to Bull Shoals, or fish Taney for Trout. I only need a couple to make the wife happy. Bull Shoals never has nor in our lifetime ever will get the traffic of the Rock. Just not going to happen. To far off the beaten path, to few ramps, to few services, to little lodging, and for the most part, no information. The KC Star is craving info on Bull. Both Buck Creek and 125 have nothing. Yes they are down, and maybe have not turned on as quickly as we do, but when they give info, it is just an advertisment, and not true patterns,or how to catch a stinkin fish. I respect those of you that fish Bull, and only Bull. You are true diehards and love the area. The way Bull Shoals fishes, numbers of people should not be a problem for locals, that fish it on either a daily or weekly basis. 99.9 percent of the fish I catch on Table Rock or Bull Shoals are not within a Rocket Shot of the bank. People other than us, just don't fish that way. Humps, Channel Swings, Long flat Roll-offs with a tree or two on them, deep trees out from the bank are just not the way outsiders fish. They can troll, they can cast the bank and if they see it, they can fish a brushpile. If you are a local, and you fish like this, there is a entire nother world on Bull Shoals and Table Rock. I know for a fact this is not how you fish. Outsiders should not be a problem. I just flat hate it when I get a call telling me that I came to either Bull Shoals or Table Rock with the family last year, and we didn't catch anything. Can you please guide us to some fish. It's a shame that our lakes have to be like that. I want people to want to go with me, not have to go to just catch a fish or two. With the carry over of legal fish and the great spawn, the lakes should be ready to do well for the forseeable future. Lets share what we have. Not by telling someone the exact rock to cast by, but by telling them the kind of rocks they may be on. Not by a GPS location, but by a condition or a lake wide area that holds fish. The major question I get during a guide trip is why? People ask how do you know this or that, and why are the fish here instead of there. That is what we would love to convey on this forum, with out giving up exact locations, and numbers on those locations. 90 percent of the fish are in 10 percent of the water. 10 percent of the fishermen, catch 90 percent of the fish. The reason being is the 10 percent know where to look at the right time. In other words, 90 percent of these folks are not going to get in your way. Our guests to the area, might even get the locations right from time to time, but if the staging or holding fish in the area, are not biting, they easily give up. I don't catch a bucket load ever trip, quite the opposite, but I know where to look and am confident they will bite from time to time. I guide a little on Bull, but not often. I usually fish it for personal recreation. Bull can be to tough for everyday trips. Table Rock for the most part is a sure deal. In 15 years full time on the Rock, I have only skunked one time. and that was a July afternoon, 1 to 5, 4 hr. trip in 100 degree heat, with a couple of dudes that had way to much to drink. No excuse, I just didn't get-em, but not to bad of a record. If I were fishing Bull as much as the rock, I would have had lots of zeros to talk about. The day there were 40 plus rigs at the ramp, I was fishing the Beaver Creek area, and we saw 8 boats all day, so the traffic was not to bad. I have very seldom ever seen anyone fishing anything I ever wanted to fish on upper bull. As a matter of fact, the only time ever, is either at the pothole or beaver creek. Never main lake fishing. On Table Rock, it is an everyday occurance. But, thank the Lord, I have lots of spots, and they won't be on them all. This fourm will continue to give information about our area lakes and maybe help that 12 yr. old and his dad catch a couple for dinner, or make them tell folks," Yes, we went to Bull Shoals and my son and I made memories we will never forget." For most of us, thats how we got started. It should not end with us. The old fishing crowd just doen't come anymore. They have gotten old and there children have found other interest. What a shame. When ever I'm on Bull Shoals and see an eagle soaring or the magnificent timbered bluffs and vast open areas, I am always thinking. I hope someone comes to enjoy this, this is spectacular, what a gift we have. I love this area, and am willing to share.

There was a ball of shad that had just gone out of the frame. We dropped two spoons, and had bottom streakers to both spoons, as you can see. I had the front spoon, and Bill the Back. His fish hooked up, but mine went back to the bottom. Next time I will try and photograph the bite and the fight to the surface. It will take several photos, but it should be fun. Don't know why I haven't done it before.

Sorry, forgot you wanted to go after the crappie. Just remember, the clients get the fish. Might be a problem. I'm sure you would be great in catchin-em but seeing the clients trying to pry them out of your death grip makes me giggle. Check that, Belly Laugh. Love ya, just Kiddin, NOT. Another tip, Make sure anyone you get has a federal Lic. and Insurance. Can't have the insurance, without the federal Capt. tag. It is the law. Guiding without a lic. is $1,000.00 fine, plus a no lic. moritorium for 5 years. Your guide must also belong to a consordium that is dot drug screened on a revolving basis. We have a chapter here in Branson. This is very important.

Was going to write a Winter Bass Fishing article, but just never could get around to putting it all together. Instead just some ramblings about fishing from now till Spring. Sitting here in my big chair, with the tomcat on my lap, the outside temp, is reading 27 and the wind is bending the trees and making the wind chimes ring their cold tune. Three brave soles in sprinting bass boats have gone by Clevenger headed up Long Creek this morning. They must be a lot madder at the fish than I. My gosh, the upcomming opportunities are going to be really special this year. With huge carryovers of all pan fish, from a very restricted season last year, we should see one of the best Spring Seasons, we have had in years. For now, as we wait for the warm winds of Late March, here is what were up too. The River arms and we all know their names, are running quite a bit cooler than the main lake. Fishing up the rivers have been, and will continue to be good till they get great. Bill and I have been getting out about 3 days a week. I have also been on Bull Several time, and will probably hit it pretty hard this late Winter and Spring. Love to catch those big crappie and walleye. Jigs worked very slowly in transition locations, and bluffends are still producing in 15 to 30 ft. of water. The bite is more of a sponge type heavy drag on the line rather than a nip/nip. If you have one guy throwing a stickbait the guy in the back can drag a jig. You should not be suprised that the jig dragger will probably out catch the stick jerker. A couple of years ago, on a very nice late Winter day, my wife wanted to go. She loves to fish a rig and that is about all she will throw. She just likes to drag in around and watch the birds and stuff, noting to straining, like a bunch of casting. I got her going sitting on the back seat and proceeded to toss my custom made Hughes rogue. She kicked my Butt big time in 42 degree water, dragging her favorite the green pumpkin fish dr. Stickbaits are very good, on any wind if you can find a chop. Bass are also in the cedars and the stick is taking some very nice fish, in these locations. We had a couple out of cedars last week up to 7 pounds. There is still a touch of a wart bite, but it has all but stopped for me, we have put it up. Still did hear of a very nice set of fish being caught last week out of Shell Knob on a wart, thrown right up on windy banks. Same guys had a few on a blade in the same locations, just cranking fast enough to make the blades turning. Main lake and major coves and creeks are holding some very nice suspended fish. All the bass species, and some whiskered kitties as well. Spoon fish have been as shallow as 35 and as deep as 80. All depths inbetween are holding fish, and it seems the most aggressive are suspended in the 35 to 50 ft. range, in the mid-cove channels over greater depths. Dropshot, is by far beating the spoon. Chomper 4 inch purple/brown Lam. is doing extremely well on the deeper fish. Days in the 50's with sun and wind are very good days to throw the rogue. Cloudy days are better for the deeper fish. It seems from what we have been finding, the deep bite is a very early bite, and then tapers off. The bank bite remains from strong, to decent all day. If you really want to catch a bunch of fish right now, Crawlers or Shiners fished to the deep fish will out produce anything. Be careful with the fish, get them back down to depth pretty quickly when you release them. Take your time bringing them up, and then let them go, without any fanfair. Some good locatons for the deeper fish are Campers, Aunts Creek, Buttermilk, Big and Little Indian, Jaque branch, Jakes branch, Clevenger, Sportsmans, Kennel Branch, Mill Creek, Baxter, Big and Little Indian, Big Creek, Basin Hollow, Roaring River, Rock Creek Cedar Creek Owl Creek. And various humps and channel swings all over the main lake. Those spots should keep ya busy till April, along with the bank fishing. I might have accidently left out a few, but we fish, and catch deep fish, in everything that I listed. Here are a few photo's of what we have been up to for the last couple of weeks; [at t achment=4899:DSC_01200001.JPG][] Have a pic of a really nice 7 pounder on a stickbait, but we just could not get it to come up. Good luck out there.

I know Capt. Don, will take a trip as will Rick LaPoint, but I would check with both of them. Very seasonal. When they are biting extra well on either Bull Shoals or in Long Creek, Buster and I will take folks. If the bite is not really, really good, we won't go, it is hard to book people in advance and not be sure of the bite. The crappie on the White River Chain are very unpredictable. You just for the most part cannot go out to a dock, brushpile or cedar tree and catch a mess. Wish you could. By mess, I mean limits. 15 years ago in the Kings or Upper James, I could catch them pretty good from Feb. thru April. Still can sometimes, but it is always hit and miss. I guess what I am trying to say, is even if we catch them pretty good one day, the next day can be a toughie. You just have to want to go, and if you catch them great, and if you don't, you still had a great day on the water. Bass on the other-hand, we are going to be on most of the time. Trouble is, we don't eat those.C Good Luck Capt. Don House 417-270-7157 Buster Loving 417-335-0357 Rick is at Strikebass.com Good Luck

You guys are absolutly right on the Yellow Bass thing. And that is a pretty good theory on the Yellow Perch. My question, is why is there not a limit on the Yellow Bass? If this is a good tasting sought after fish, I would think there would be some regulations on it. Has anyone caught any of the Yellow Bass in Bull?

As far as we know, Phil and I were talking, We don't believe Game and Fish Stocked them, but don't really know how they got there. Also don't know the size or limit status. Biggest one Scott at K-dock has seen is one about a pound and a half. Pretty nice size. The two we caught last week were one small one, and 1 about a pound. With the various sizes we are seeing, it is a almost forsure bet, they are spawning. Found a little more info. They were originally stocked in Arkansas By USGS in 1920 by O'Malley. They were later Extirpated throughout Arkansas, and don't ask me how, for eating trout eggs. They were also stocked heavely into the Missouri River Can't find any regulations about them by Arkansas Game and fish. "UPDATE" The reason we are having a hard time finding out about them is Arkansas is calling them a Yellow Bass, rather than a Yellow Perch. NO LImits or Sizes. I think they consider them a egg predator and they are not indiginest to the area. Don't take my word for it, but I believe you can keep all you want.

Roll-offs are usually from a flat to the main channel. These locations can occur anywhere on the upper lake. As Jeremy said you can be riding a sand,gravel, or mud flat, with your boat in anywhere from 4 to 10 ft. and then have that "Table Top" Roll-off to 30 ft. These locations, may be in the middle of the lake, or anywhere on the upper end. Also lots of channels and humps present. IF you look for staging areas, and I'm probably going to get the business for being so defined on Bull, but if you look for these locations ajacent to major coves or cuts, they can be loaded with fish. IF you are adept with your electronics, or better yet, have fished the lake a while as most of us have, you can either see, or know about ditches that cut these flats. Maybe only a foot or two, is all you need. Follow the ditch to the main channel and where the ditch "roll-off" to the main channel, is a fantastic location. These areas can hold everything that swims in the lake. They are natural hiways to shallower feeding and spawning grounds. During cold fronts, they are also staging grounds for bait fish. Bait fish feeding up on these windy flats will migrate to the roll-offs and ditches when the temp drops, reguardless on how deep they are. On Bull, again as Jeremy said, don't let your electronics fool ya, into thinkiing everything you see is a fish. "OH Contrare". I'm for the most part fishing structure, ie ditches, roll-offs. What you see and what you can catch are two way different things. Buster says all he looks at is the depth on Bull, if you look at anything between the top and the bottom it will simply drive you crazy A flasher is everybit as good as a picture graph on that big pond. Yes the Yellow Perch is the northern version. Very gold or yellow body, with Horizonal brown or green stripes. Trout are always present from K-dock to the Dam, always have been. You can see them midging on the flats and I have caught them year around from K-dock up. Good Luck, Next week on warming temps, will start this all over again. I plan on spending a very large part of my Spring on Upper Bull

Aunts creek is fishing extremely well. Not only is there a jig bite, if fished very slowly, but also do not hesitate to look deep for either suspended or bottom dwelling K's. Look for shad schools and you can fish these vertically with either a dropshot, grub or spoon. Excellent catches are now being made in the creek. Quality electronics are the key for the deeper presentations.

Don't get to Bull as much as I would like, and really don't know why. For the most part this time of the year, you can pretty much have it to yourself. Not today. Launched at K-dock, at 7 AM and there were about 3 rigs ahead of us. At Noon, 47 rigs in the K-dock lot. Did not matter, the fish didn't care. We had one of those good ole goodin's. Beck, Tetrick and Yours truely had a wonderful day, fishing on upper Bull, ahead of this weather front. What I really like about the lake, is when you cast, you have no idea, what you will catch. Walleye, Stripper, Catfish, White Bass, Yellow Perch, Crappie, Blue Gill, trout or for gosh sakes who knows what. The only constant, is for the most part, you will catch something. 48 degree water temps greeted us and we fished everything from stickbaits to swimming minnows to jigs, to small swimbaits. All were successful. The crappie and whites are running very large this year, and I can only take it to be a product of the high water last year. While fishing for panfish, we had a really hard time keeping the LM bass off our junk. Probably easily caught 40 plus bass, trying to avoid them. Spoke to Tim Fleetwood at the resturant before the start of the day and he said the last 10 years it would take 14 pounds a day to win most events, and it is now taking 18 to 19 pounds, to win a derby. Quite a jump. Area's targeted in the upper end were channel swing rolloffs, between K-dock and Beaver Creek. Position your boat in 20 to 30 ft. on the swings and make your presentations, to the top of the flats. Half the fun is finding these locations. Use your electronics to find the rolloffs. If you can't find rolloffs on upper bull, you had just as well pull your boat on the trailer, and go home, they are that easy to find. With your boat sitting in the channel, cast to the tops, and allow the bait to sink to the bottom. Slow roll the presentation back to the boat, following the bottom contour. Pause the bait several time and allow it to sink to the bottom and you will catch fish. Won't give you numbers, on the day, but will say that the three of us have enough very quality panfish to share. Cleaned 5 species, and that is cleaning none of the big three bass species K's, LM, SMJ's. Now on one of the brighter notes, of an already sunshinny day, was the new folks at K-dock. What a pleasure to meet Scott and Julie,owners since last April. The dock was in the best shape I have ever seen it and the store chocked full of merchandise. The bubbly personalities of the new owners, guarantees my return along with every client I take to upper bull. They are going to offer breakfast buffets starting in March on the weekends and always have sandwich's and drinks available. This is type of place that we need, and it takes all our support for the great folks to keep her going. Stop in for either a howdy or a candy bar, and you will return. Truly something the area has needed for years. I cannot tell you how much I appreciate them being there. I know, for the most part we all keep our yapps shut about Bull Shoals, but I believe this may be a breakthrough year for the lake. We may see some of that old 60's type of stuff, and it has been a long time coming. Us old hardback locals should not be bitter, and share this wonderful old fishery with some new blood. Help our local marina's and bring BS, back to the prominence it once held, as one of the best fisheries in the US. I'm exicited about the lake, and I hope you all are too. Let's go a fishin!!

Champ, if you have this on tape, look pretty close. I don't believe there is any water as big as what they were showing him on, above the 86 bridge. He was on some pretty wide open spaces. There were bluffs in the back ground, and I was trying to figure them out, but they only gave him about 20 seconds of air time on each fish he caught. Remember 3 or 4 years ago, when David Fritz had that big bag off the hogback at Rock Creek, may have been up there. All I know is if you saw him up there, its good enough for me to say he lied about the location. That is to big a run to not stay up there and work it once you get there. AS far as Branson is concerned. Where did I mis-speak? It's entertainment community is geared for the most part to the generation, before my time, and I'm 53. Very few of our guests come to Branson for the shows. Probably 5 percent or less. SDC of course in not included. The point I was trying to make and Techo, was on the ball is that it seems to me that FLW has some old minor leagers, and some young guys that had good high school stats, but didn't have the grades for division one and are getting there start in Jr. College. ie the FLW. It also seems that the Bassmaster Pro's are very adept at public speaking and are very knowledgeable about telling the camera who, what, when, where, and how and why they are catching fish. I saw on an Elite broadcast a couple of years ago, and I may not have the pro correct, but I believe it was Jeff Crete, discribe his boat layout. It was fabulas, I change my boat the same day. Probably took two minutes for him to show, and tell why he had each piece of equipment in each location. He covered why he placed each rod in a specific spot in his boxes, to where and what was in each tackle pack and even how he placed leaders and spare line. He also covered the internal working of his boat. Just great stuff. Then to see the same thing on the FLW and see it as just a waste of time was just incredable. The Nimrod that did the boat layout, had a great opportunity working for Ranger boats, as 90% of these guys do to really sell that boat. All he said was Ranger has a good livewell system. Pretty Poor.

Wacked, I could not agree with you more. The coverage was worse than terrible, and really not worth watching. I will guarantee they showed more on every other distination, than they did on TR. It was horrible. What about the boat set-up segment??? That was probably the worst video I have ever seen period. Here is my trolling motor, here is my rodbox, here is my livewell. Hope this helps you all set up your bass boat. Just flat terrible. The only decent part was the 4 or 5 buzzbait fish and that was it. All the videos, were extreme closeup of the fishermen and they had about as much to say as my TomCat. I will never watch anything on the FLW again, it was so bad. Just a friggin commercial, with no content. In a 1 hour show, there was about 12 minutes max on the rock. Just flat worthless coverage,and a total waste of time. Their Pro, segments are horrible, and to tell you the truth, I don't really think alot of their fishermen. I believe the Elite boys would kick their tails right off the lake. Just seems like there is a huge step-up in the quality of not only the fishing coverage, but also the professionalism of the participants. FLW, is kind of like the Branson Music scene, its where all the old preformers go to wait for retirement, and those that are not good enough to be anywhere else. Let me tell you how I really feel!!!

Wacked, As far as the night light situation. Bob Tindle has fished more nights and probably caught more 7 pound and up fish, than everyone on this board put together. He uses 20 pound clear mono, he said, line brand does not matter at that well rope strength. and he mounts a black lite on the gunnel of his boat, on the shore side, to shine toward the bank and also has one in the bottom of the boat. We could see perfectly. Fished with him at Indian Point about 4 years ago. We fished from just before dark till just after daylight. Had 5 fish over 5 and probably about 2 dozen fish. Best 5 would have easy been 27 pounds. The lights were on all night and and we could see perfectly. Bob prefers big docks with lots of light on the docks for all its worth. We would just work down the edges of these docks and "Man, we had a great night." He said he wasn't real impressed, with the catch, but loved the evening. Said his best night for 5 fish on Table Rock was between 35 and 40 pounds. I can't remember these guys names, but they owned viola boat dock for years. They are brothers and start fishing nights in February. I know from my time in Shell Knob, that these brothers have had 5 fish strings of big sows that would weigh in the 35 to 40 pound range, out of the kings river. Can't tell you the number of 8 and 9 pounders I have seen pic's of. Not so much since the fish kill, however. There boat looks like a light house. and you could see light shining from their boat to the shore. They were very easy to identify from all the light. My brother-inlaw loves to night fish the rock, and he has lights on from start to finish, and really does well. I guess the point I am trying to make, is I don't think light is a factor, one way or the other. My brother-inlaw fishes nothing but lighted docks in the Kings River Shell Knob area. I have fished black and have fished everything inbetween, and I have really seen no difference in having lights on. I am for sure not an expert on night fishing, but I think the old addage of fishing where the fish are is probably the most important factor.

Take a quick peek at Table Rock Articles. Some great stuff there on Stickbaits. Also check out my Spring Fishing article, it also holds some good stickbait tips. Maybe more than any other place The White River Chain is stickbait heaven, and most of the guides here are masters at it. It is my number one favorite bait to fish. Probably even like it better than topwater. Maybe worth your wile to take one of our local jerkbait fiends on a 1/2 day guide lesson and get the handle on what we look for. Locations, being the key as much as anything. Bill Beck is excellent with the bait Buster really has no equal, His hand painted baits are vey good Tim Paige is very good Tim Sainato if you can get him is also very, very good with the suspending baits. Don't know how much Capt. Don fishes the stickbait. Do know he likes to look at the fish he is catching, so he might prefer the spoon. Most all the guides here fish them way more than we should and would love to show ya. Just a thought, not drumbing up business or anything. My goals for 2009 are to try and learn new locations. Even after 30 years of fishing this pond, I find some new spots every year.

Beck had a guide trip on Friday, and Chris Tetrick was out prefishing for one. Both of these boys knocked them out. Chiris fished the dam area and had a very nice stickbait and wiggle wart bite with fish to 4 pounds coming right off the bank. He also had I believe 6 nice keeper K's deep in a spoon. ON his saturday guide trip, before the rain he had several very nice keepers on the wart prior to the rain in the couple of hours he fished. Bill had about 50 spoon fish on Friday, with over 30 keepers. Although he fished 6 or 8 locations, his fish came only off two locations, and they were very deep. Not at liberty to give the exact depth, but they came off the bottom between 60 and 100 feet. He said they were just stacked on these two locations, and he was very lucky to have seen one peek up its head. The action was fast and furious, and he said he and his clients trippled at least 10 times. The fish were just buzzing the spoons. 1/2 oz white. Going to try and get out this week, as it is going to be really nice. Guided Taneycomo on Saturday with Buster and the jig fishing was off the chart in the restricted area. Lots of trout in the over 2 pound range on jigs.

S&M great tips on the units. Fisherman, Yes Carter is a major creek arm. The K's will suspend and occupy deep water in the creek. Also it really does not have to be anythng like Carter. There are 2 dozen coves from Big M to Shell Knob, that hold suspending fish. Not always there, but if you look enough places you can find them. A good tip is not to just look at the mouth, but all the way back. I usually go back to about 30 to 35 feet of water and work my way out. Sometimes these fish can be pretty tight to the bottom, and hard to see. Other times suspended. Also don't hesitate to check the main lake rolloffs and humps from Big M to Shell Knob, as there are tons of them. Viney is very good. I usually go back about to the last park ramp and then start zig-zagging my way out with the trolling motor and graph. 9 times out of I'll find them in Viney, this time of the year. It is a big creek, so be prepaired to spend an hour or two in there looking around.

Moose, that works ok, for a group of 4 or 5, like you usually have. Would not work for a single or two or three as the flyouts would double in price. Lowest price, to any of the rivers, is between $1,600 and $1,800 for the flight. If you are a single or a double, it gets pricy in a hurry. You just have to fly those planes full or you get bit really quick. That is where Jim has it going, with the boats, to Brooks, Idavain, and Margot. Jim just got pounded last year, trying to assist his clients. I would not have taken the beating he took. If you fly, you pay for it. I think he pretty much assumecd he would get a lodge rate or somewhat the same price as 07, and it was a disaster for him. Crystal Creek did a good job for him, but the flights out of King Salmon, took no prisnors. So unless you are taking a group of 4 or 5, your bush flights would be double, or maybe even more. As far, as a rental house, I believe Mike from Backcountry had it pretty close at $1,500 a week if you can find a place. Don't forget your King Salmon Car rental at a $100.00 bucks a day for a ford pinto, plus gas. Taxi, if you go on one of these trips, you go to really enjoy yourself. How many times are you going to get up there. Let someone else do the heavy lifting. Go catch quality fish and lots of them and leave the work and river running to those that do it for a living. You want to run a boat, clean fish, and work, come on over to the house and I'll let you run mine while I fish. Believe me, the do it yourself stuff creeps up on your and there is no end to the nickle and dime, only in Alaska, it is 50's and 100's, as you well know.

Your right, I goofed it's 816 prefix. Thanks

In KC, call Tom or Troy Knox at the Rod Shop. They make custom rods, from catfish to trout and are probably the best in the mid-west. 816-454-6740. Tell them who you are and give them my name, and they will get her done for you just like you want it. Ask them how many big fish they caught on the Naknek last year. Great guys, good luck BB

Merry Christmas and God Bless AK, only on the GN one time, floated from the lake to town. Carl and Steve with Ptarmigan hauled us all over that Bethel area. Had my own raft company. Wonderful wild rivers, and exciting floats with something new and great around every turn. The Kuskokwim rivers we were on had wonderful rainbow fishing for fantastic lepoard bows. Magnificent in color and covered with spots. Just not the huge Chromers that are in the top 5 miles of the Naknek, from the outlet thru Lake Camp down to the salmon counting station. There are 3 of us on this board, so glad to have you here. We are Missouri guides and lodge owners, on Taneycomo, a 23 mile Missouri stretch of the White River. If your living in the mid-west, or even here in Mo. Give me a PM, and we will all get together and tell some war stories. Looking forward to your knowledge and imput here. We all love Alaska That $8000.00 figure will scare the Bejeebers out of most of our posters, but it seems, to be a reality more than just guessing. Yesterday afternoon, while trying to sleep off my fat turkey belly, I got to looking at some of the flyout lodges, in Katmai and Bristol Bay. Pretty much $7,600 on the low end to the very highest I found of $9,300 for a week on the water. As long as folks are plunking down this type of dough, and the lodges are running 70 to 100 percent, it ain't gong to get any cheaper, why should it. Check out Enchanted Lake Lodge $8,735.00 a week. They have a waiting list. Read in Fish Alaska Magizine you will get put on a list. Usually takes a couple of years on the list to get a spot, Sometimes longer.

AK, Great to have you on board. Have guided Alaska since the early 90's guiding the Aniak, Arolik, Goodnews, Kanektok, Kisaralik, and Kwethluk, and Naknek. My clients always did well and we had great trips. Fished streamers for the salmon, swung and stripped leaches for bows. Caught bows on mice and drys, caught tons of bows on egg patterns, and beads dead drifted under an indicator. Grayling, and I mean big grayling and char were also on our pallet. After 10 years of guiding Alaska, thinking I was doing it as well as any with the results to prove it, I found out how little I knew. I was doing the same thing as every other hard working guide in Alaska, and I mean for the most part, that is doing well beyond the clients expetitions for the most part. For the last 3 years, our clients fishing world has changed. What we thought we knew, we never do anymore. We catch more 28 to 34 inch fish on the Naknek in a week, than I did in 10 years, before we learned what it takes to catch big, big rainbows. If we have fly fisherman that will use the equipment and the techniques we want them to, it is amazing, simply amazing what the Naknek will produce. Young, Old, Men, Women or for that matter, We had a 13 year old last year that had, and I will only say, a riduculas number of bows, in the 9 to 12 pound range. I will tell you this, one of the Naknek River Guides, posting on this site, I'm going to guess he had well over 50 bows over 10 pounds last year for his clients. He may let us know the number, I'm sure its stagering, and if he tells us, it will be less than what it really was. There is a way to catch them. Rapids Camp is in a great place, but you need to look up from there, and I mean way up. You are right about the dangers of the river, but it is childs play compaired to the Kisarlik, or some of the Kuskowim river drainages, that are class III and IV water. Most class 1 maybe a little class II at the rapids, or Shawbacks bend. I will tell you this with all humility, If a guide on the Naknek from August 15th. thru Oct.1st. is not catching lots of 10 pound plus bows, it may not be the clients fault. Even with all my experence in Alaska, 3 years ago, my clients would not have been catching this type of fish. I did not know how to catch the big ones. No one had told me, and I had not figured it out on my own. None of the other guides or lodges were catching that kind of fish everyday. Yes we did come up with a few during the season, but not ever in this world would I have believed what was available, if I just knew how to do it. To tell you the truth, I would have never figured it out. I'm from Missouri, ya got to show me. And show me he did, now we know. Again, Great to have you on board and dito on everything you said about the Bristol Bay flyout rivers. By the way, what do you figure would be a good price for a week at one of the Naknek River Lodges, Your opinion will really help us here. Thanks a bunch, look forward to your post on Alaska.

DD, take another look at single cabin rentals at Big Cedar for any month July thru Sept. Lowest price for the week is $2,796.00 for 5 days and 6 nights. Not including a sir-charge and tax. That is another 300 clams. About 3 grand a week for a cabin at BC during the summer. We are about $1,500 for a week at the lodge here, in our two bedroom suite. Indian Hills and he Villege are somewhere inbetween. We have folks staying with us now, that could not get in at BC, they are FULL. They wanted a 3 bedroom cabin, over the Christmas holidays. $750.00 a night. They have no openings, lets you know the economy may be in trouble, but some folks don't seem to be feeling it so much. I know we are suspose to be having a recession, but almost every lodge in alaska I've looked at, increased prices from 2008 for the upcoming season. One of our poster's said he thought there may be some deals out there to haggle on. Maybe????? With very few exceptions, what it is, is what it is, when it comes to alaska, and that is usually more than what it was suspose to be. Check out Bristol Bay Lodge, One of my best clients and his wife stayed 14 days last year and did about 4 packages they offer. They were with a group from St. Louis, of 8 couples. They did lodge fishing, a glacier tour, a tour to Mt. McKinnely a tent camp for Kings and a deep sea fishing day for halibut. Cost $17,000 per person, or about $40,000 for my friend and his wife for the two week Alaska Adventure. Here is the kicker; At the end of the trip they were asked if they wished to book for next year at the 2008 price, as the lodge on this package was going up 20% for 2009. 6 of the 8 couples rebooked. Gavin was pretty right on, the only difference were amminities, ie guide service and meal prepairation. And another big factor, expenses on the Keani and the anchorage area are really about the same as here at home. When you get out on Bristol Bay or in the Bush, things change in a hurry. Last year when I was in Anchorage, gas was a few cents a gal cheaper than here. We also went to Sams and Cosco, and the prices were the exact same as home. A 300 mile flight to KS or Naknek will bring reality home when you go to buy that 12 pack of mountain dew and that loaf of bread or can of beans. Guys, this is great, we really appreciate your participation.

Gents, this is what I'm looking for, very nice keep it coming. Keep this in mind, what does it cost to come to Branson for 5 days and 6 nights, staying at BC or the villege at Indian Point or Indian Hills Resort, or my place for that matter? Eating all meals out and taking full day guide trips for 5 days. This will kind of help you compare apples to apples as far as lodging and amminities for what we are thinking about. Put a pencil to that kind of a stay at home vacation, and you may be amazed at what you see. Any comments really help us. Keep her a commin Thanks Bill