Bill Babler

Your right. I’m guessing it’s still frozen at 20’. I was just reaching in to tighten some bolts and I thought my hand and arm was going to sleep. We have a thermometer in the slip and it said 79.9 in the shade of the slip. I’m sure out in the sun the lake was warmer but it’s to cool for me. Wife dangled a toe in and jerked it out. I can remember our son and nieces playing with the hose with well water at 55 degree and not batting an eye lash. If your having fun your having fun.

I was working on our lift at Shell Knob today. Surface temps at 79 degree. Simply felt like Ice Water to me. I can’t see how these kids can stand that cold water. I guess once your out in the 91 degree air your fine, but it chilled me when I had to go in shoulder deep.

Been a while, but I caught 2 keeper walters on back to back casts swimming a Redfin thru a cedar top up the White. Probably 10 years ago. Both fish were 20”. Only time ever on a true top water. Lots on shallow subsurface baits Have seen many, many walleye suspended just under the floats of deep docks. I mean 3’ down over 60’ to 100’ of water. I guess it was 3 or so years ago we were catching short walleye drop shotting tree tops in 60 plus feet suspended just over the top of those deep trees. Caught dozens of them in the 10 to 15 inch range.

That is a very good point an a very good possibility. Mike mentioned he had heard of that device but didn’t know if anyone was using it If anyone has it, it would be KVD. Inquiring minds would like to know. Great post thanks for the info.

KVD should have had at least 1 then, maybe two as twice he put his jacket on and walked to the front to strap rods and didn’t rehook prior to firing up and taking off. His official missed both.

Nice. You are catching much better fish than I am. I’m catching the ones you have in the first few photos, not the ones in the last few photos. I just refuse to pick up the little guy, so I guess I’ll continue to struggle till spoon time.

I know they have to have their life jackets on when the big motor is running, but my question is do they have to have their kill switch hooked up. VanDam twice has failed to rehook his switch while running on plane. I don’t know the rules on this. And maybe he is using some kind of switch that doesn’t hook to his life jacket.

Been fishing quite a bit, and have pretty much lost that one day early top water deal. Shad are done spawning for the most part and schooling on the flats on top early. Sun and boat traffic are pushing them down and really for this time of year they are going DEEP. Some schools are on the bottom and others suspended as deep as 80’. Lots of Shad schools in the 40’/50’ depth range. I’m really struggling catching keepers. 3 or 4 a trip, but lots of shorts both LM and K’s. Seem I’m catching as many walleye as bass in the keeper size range. Kept the one a few days ago but have been turning all others loose. Best day was 7 keepers and 3 shorts. Nothing over 21 inches. Every walleye has been caught on the little Keitech, reeling or dragging. “strolling” it on the bottom in 14’ to 26’. You know the bite every time, it’s unmistakable. Almost like a bluegill with a shudder then it’s free then a thump. Never set the hook till you feel the weight of the fish after the thump or you ain’t gettin ‘em. Tons of fun fish on the flat gravel in the 16’ to 20’ range on most every gravel point. Usually 6 to ten or zero. You catch one you catch several, including the walleye. Shad does not have to be present as most have claws sticking out of their gullet Surface temps 72/77 from Camp Pt. Up river. Good Luck. Quick PS. Lots of whites chasing most mornings. Up and gone from Hobbs Hollow to Viney. Must have seen 20 or more pods the last 2 days. Carry On.

JD, that sounds like a Bucket List for us.

So cheap I kind of felt guilty, but we didn’t hit them very hard. Both the pork and the brisket was so tender and juicy it didn’t need sauce Those construction workers knew the waitress by name, they left a $30.00 tip. Each one of them had 3 plates.

Those were concrete guys having lunch. They were planning their afternoon pour. Sounded like a big job. Becky had read about this place in a guide book on well kept secrets for off the beaten path dining. It was super good. Seemed like most everything homemade. Kind of a struggle to get your grub as they were so busy, but worth it.

Becky and I hiked the FTT at Roaring river this morning, what a great day to hike. Trail is 4.5 mile loop and judged moderate as it has 2 half mile climbs. Becky does not like climbs, but I do, really stretches you out. Trail for the most part is shaded and really nice. Perfect day today with a lite breeze and 73 degrees. After the hike we went into Casville and had lunch at the Whitley Pharmacy. It was great with a loaded salad bar that included brisket, pulled pork and giant baked potatoes plus dessert all for $7.99 each. Place was quaint, but jammed to the gills. I skipped the dessert, and only had 1/2 a tator, but that was plenty. Kind of an iconic place. Going up to KC for the weekend but should be back early the first of the week to get after those top water fish again. This would have been a perfect morning, but we had other plans. Only 3 other rigs at the ramp when I pulled out yesterday so not bad at all. Good Luck

Surge Shad and a Speed Shad. For the life of me I could not get them to bite a prop bait

Sorry about no pic’s but just didn’t get around to it. Launched at the SK bridge at 5:30 and was the only rig in the lot. I had not been up the white the entire year and really today was my first true retirement trip, just to do what I wanted and really didn’t care if I even caught one. Thought that no catch was going to be the deal as a 0600 the skies opened up with a lightning show and total down pour. Sat in the Kids across America dock for 2.5 hours. Stopped raining and up I headed, really not expecting much after the big boomer display. First 2 locations were a zero on topwater and the little Keitech but I did get slammed on a 6 inch wild eye Shad swimmer. Rounded a bend and saw one bust in a cove mouth off a flat. 3 hours later I just got tired as it was incredibly unreal. At one point I had 13 topwater cast in a row with a fish. At times a dozen would follow in the one I had hooked. I got to playing with the live scope and the little Keitech. I would see a group suspended at 15 ft. And throw just past them and see them eat it as I reeled it into the school. It was just totally fascinating. The bottom in spots on the flat was also covered and you could drag a C. rig thru them and catch one or at least get a bite every throw. Have no idea how many I caught but did catch 3 keeper walleye on the little swimmer. This gave me an idea so on the way home I put the boat in 25’ on 3 flat points and caught 3 more walleye 1 on each point. 6 walleye with 5 keepers. I kept one 20” and Becky and I had it for dinner with a fish sandwich left over. Good buddy also has a great day up the Kings on a white Jackhammer with a white fluke trailer. He said he had 3 keeper eyes on the durn J. Hammer out of the bushes and lots of nice keeper LM. He released the Walters along with the bass. I did not have many keeper bass, I think 5 out of all those I caught. 2 LM and 3 jaws. None were picture worthy. All slim and spawned out. Fish after fish of 13” to 14 7/8th.” K’s. Just a flat great day after the rain delay. Headed to Roaring River to hike a 5 mile loop and have lunch someplace. This is kind of fun. Good Luck

I knew that was a mistake when I did that 🤔🤔🤔🤔

Pete mentioned last week in his report the 6th. Sense Wake Shad. Theses have been out a while and discussed here. I just want to reiterate how well they work. That along with a 90 to 105 series Berkeley Chopo are really fool proof topwater fish catchers. We all have folks coming down that don’t fish much this time of year and those baits a really fool proof. Throw it out reel it in and don’t jerk and you have it. I have these set up on Medheavy 7’2” spinning rods with a good 2500/3000 series reel with 30/40/50 braid and your guests have a really easy way to catch them. Also doing fantastic on a 3/8th. Underspin up the James on the not as clear water. Clear water forget the spinner and just use a small swimbait really slow thru the bait or on the bottom. With this last rise we have caught some out of the bushes. Don’t go down a bank trying it. Points, secondary points and steep cuts. Your just wasting your time fishing down a bank. Water temps from 64 to 68 but rising. Shad and carp on the bank. Also got a report from a friend and his wife they are hammering the kitty’s on jig lines using perch. Channels and f. Heads. Good Luck.

Great report and nice fish. Thanks much.

I’m trying to🤗 I still have a few trips in the books and some obligations to previous sponsors. I also have some guys here on the forum I’ve been putting off that I need to get out there, that I just love fishing with. It’s pretty tough right now with the gas. Just pull the boat to the ramp, fish and put it up and you have spent over $100.00. Last week I did have a couple of days of the best topwater I’ve had in years. Stayed up for over 3 hours 2 days in a row.

Launched off H Hwy this morning at 4:38. I was 3 rd. Only about 15 rigs when I got back to the ramp. Guided the lower James today 21 fish 6 keeps nothing big. All on a Ftball jig

Great day. I fished the swim beach a couple days ago along with the flats between there and Baxter. Caught them like crazy on the 2.8” Keitech with boat in 30’. Also caught quite a few Gog’s on a split shot. Spoke to a guy flipping bushes and he had zero catches. I sat out 100 yrds. Behind him and caught 4 keepers between his boat and mine. He saw me catching and came out. He was throwing a white chatter bait in the bushes and a jig. Had caught almost nothing for the last 3 days. Check out Pete’s report and he tells you EXACTLY what’s going on. I mean EXACTLY…. Good Luck

Spent the nite in Joplin Rained all day yesterday and came home just now thru Aurora. Came down 39 and passed over Flat Creek. It looked like the Missouri River, running at lest 7’ to 10’ high.

Devan. CC is not a good place for Gog’s. I’m going to say old 86 C. Ground to point 9 on the White River. I will tell you it has NOT been a good year for Goggle Eye and this has been discussed here on the forum at great length. On a brighter note I did get all over them a couple of days ago on the flat across from Big Creek, which is notably up stream from where I mentioned as a cut off. I think I had 9 and was not targeting them in the least. I was fishing a split-shot rig with a 4 inch Yamamoto slim senko for bass. They were huge and I tossed them all back. Full of eggs and I believe they were spawning on that flat. Perhaps the Gog’s are just running late as the water is still mid 60’s. They were in the 12’ to 18’ depth range mixed in with the spotted bass. On another note, yesterday we caught spotted bass that were spawning up the Janes 8’ to 15’. Full of eggs with red tails and extended business. We were on a flat that was just covered with them, so they are still actively at work. And if you can go anywhere THIS year and catch them you are the man, as THIS year they have been EXTREMELY scarce. Good Luck.

Picked up my truck Thursday at Lebanon and drove to SPFG in a pouring rain. There are some pot holes in 44 you could lose a simi in. That Hwy. is a total disaster. It,s grooved also, and I’m guessing from Joplin to St. Louis needs a billion dollars plus to repair. Im staying off it from now on.

7:45am. Coming down so hard here at SK I can’t see the front of my deck. Wind and some pea size hail too i guess it’s monsoon season

I’m at Lake O. And like Wrench said we could see it lightning and hear it clear up here 150 mikes away. Unreal. Becky is at Shell Knob and said she has never seen rain like that for that long. 2 and a half hours of waves of rain. Glad we got to watch it from up here.