Bill Babler

Aux. spillway. Can be really good out front of the bouys, still a little early. Go back in Little Indian Creek. Almost directly across from the launch ramp. It will split with a big cove going right, once your back there a ways. In the main creek right at the split there will be deep fish. I’m guessing right now, 35’ to 55’. Some on the bottom some up on the water column. Good Luck.

Becky and I bought a total of 6 acres at Cedar Falls subdivision at Shell Knob. We were going to build on 3.6 acres there but the neighbor decided to sell his house and 3 acres so we bought it. Just about the identical house we were going to build. It has 3 garage spaces but like every one it’s to short for a 22’ bass boat so Becky said I could build a man shed for the boat House was built in 2017 so we’re tickled as punch. Been moving stuff all week and the son came yesterday and we hauled 4 trailers loads of heavy furniture, so that jobs just about done Now we just have to organize and put away. Happy Thanksgiving All

James really nailed it. The caveat is as soon as this water stabilizes (mid 40’s lower 50’s) from Shell Knob to Holiday Island, is that area from Roaring River to Beaver Town really lights up. The deep channel swings up there are fantastic along with the bluff banks, and cuts. It kind of fishes like Bull Shoals. There are all kinds of stump rows and timber right on the old White River channel banks that hold bass all Winter. Football jig, swim bait and the dreaded A-rig can really be the ticket up there. At times you can also find congregated schools with a spoon, dimiki rig or an Ice Minnow. Lots of theses locations or swings are off shore, but not hard to find with current electronic or a lake map. There will also always be fish on the bank up there to some extent and after mid December it can be one of the best jerk bait sections on all of TR. Low pressure and as you said, it’s just beautiful up there. Good Luck

Yep, those guides would be totally in the wrong. On Taney for years guides would let clients catch and keep their personal limit. Against the law. I never let paying clients keep extra. Wasn’t pointing a finger, just saying at times the game laws have been hard for me to interpret. Good Luck.

You all are probably way ahead of me, and this might not even apply but I thought I’d bring it up for future information. First, great mess of fish. And this only applies to Missouri. Your possession limit of fish weather in your possession or given away still counts against your possession limit. Very poorly stated but weather you keep it or give it away after the second day of fishing you can only harvest and retain a duplicate single day limit of fish, even if it’s in another person’s possession. You caught them so they technically are counted as yours. Even if they are immediately consumed they are still over the possession limit The reason for the post, I was under the impression that I could give fish to a friend or neighbor and they would not count against my possession limit. I knew I could only harvest a limit per day but thought if I were to give them away it would not effect my possession limit. I was wrong. This kind of hit home with me when I found out the retention numbers on keeper crappie are so high. This related to Table Rock, so not sure how it effects Bull. None the less, congrats on the great limit of fish.

Ya there is a lot of work involved. I originally made stock using the thighs and legs. At the end of that process, 4 hours, I deboned the legs and thighs the splinter bones came right out. I then shredded the dark meat, and made the soup with about a pound of it. Smoked the remainder yesterday and we had enough for 10 big sandwiches for the farm crew. Next time I’ll make Turkey pot pie out of the shredded dark meat. Everyone likes the white meat tenderized and fried into nuggets.

Lots of camera pictures of bobcats and coyotes so I’m sure they will work on them this Winter. I’ll start trapping after Christmas to slow them down a mite

Turned one pound of thigh and leg meat into Turkey noodle soup. the other 2 pounds of dark meat are going into the smoker for sandwiches. Here is a load of young stuff from one of our cameras. Here are a few night time deer pictures. Not a lot moving in daylight. Going to be way hot this week, but I did see a big boy walking a burn terrace this morning. Probably 160 class. Better than what I have on camera. Just got my buck back from last year. He is very tall and really nice for a CMden County deerGood Luck

Here is another pic. from another camera on the property. All big Gobblers There are 11 in the group, I saw them when I went to get the camera card. All BIG. I froze the breast from yesterday and I’m making stock today from the thighs and legs. Going to put together a Turkey noodle soup.

At Camdenton we’re just covered up with Turkeys. Bow killed a Gobbler this evening out of a group of 7. I have trail pic’s. Of 23 pullets in one group and a count on the other side of the hiway of a group of 30 out in the hay field. We have a few turkeys.

Billet head most certainly hit the nail in the head. The predator population has simply exploded all across the country with the demise of the fur market. Yes domestic animals contribute, but exploding predator populations have really taken a toll on birds and small mammals. Just a few years ago I shot and trapped almost 100 raccoons on our deck at the lodge trying to get into our bird feeders. We have bobcats pulling down deer fawns on trail cameras. Coyotes chasing calves and deer. We are simply knee deep in predators, 99% due to the lack of harvest thru predator control. In the 60’s-70’s and 80’s we saw our highest fur markets. We also had huge wild quail and rabbit populations, due to the market’s contribution to the fur harvest. Ie, harvesting a renewable resource. Unfortunately we won’t see those days again.

My goodness how far are we removed from our surroundings. Watching an early morning talk show this morning, one of the cohost said he had seen deer in his back yard and was so worried with this cold spell coming on he had purchased straw to make them beds to stay warm. He was asking how to construct deer nests so they would stay warm in 20 degree weather. The entire staff was really worried about the wild animals. This idiot was as serious as a heart attack. He was ready for it to get back to 80 so they would stay warm. I think the simple answer is you can’t cure stupid.

It’s also hosted by Big Cerdar Lodge, so guessing and after speaking to guys practicing here for it I’m pretty sure.

Quill hit it really close. FFS and “GOOD” 2D will get you bit. Fish migrate with Shad into the big creek guts. Long Creek can be good, but close by are Beardsley, Clevenger Branch, Persimmon Hollow and Powerline Cove. Top locations for fish migrating into Winter patterns. Usually last Oct. first Nov. There can also be a very good shallow cranking bite with a RK Crawler, Wiggle Wart. You can target deep fish with a jigging spoon 1/2 to 3/4 ox. A drop shot, or a Dimiki rig. If you see some fish up in the water column or are very patient, like Quillback said a small swim bait on a 1/4 or 3/8 oz head at times Is the ticket. As has been mentioned, keep close tabs on Pete Wenners video reports and peek here. With the water levels we have this may be the best Winter deep bite we have had in several years. Good Luck

Hate to report this, but the skuttlebutt from some of the Toyota guys is that they are hammering them. Topwater and jig is what I’m hearing with the jig really being the deal. Some shallow and some on a big jig deep. Pattern seems to be top and little jig early and big jig deeper as the day moves along. Guess the results will tell the tail.

Y’all are invited to central Mo Come on up

Bought this 36”X 18” Oklahoma Joe Stick Burner in 1980. The food it turns out is simply remarkable and for me and mine just crazy. Started a 9 pound Pork butt at 4:30 this morning and put 5 hours of cherry, oak and hickory on it at 250 degree. Simple rub with brown sugar, molasses, garlic and salt and pepper. Foiled it at 160 degree and brought it to 190. Placed it in a cooler wrapped in towels and let it rest 3 hours. Total time of love 13 hours. I have never tasted a better bite than pulling the blade and fork shredding it. Wish you all could taste it juicy, sweet with a bite and smoky, just the way pork should be. I’m up at deer camp getting ready for bow hunting. I’m not going hungry at this point🤪😎

17.44 is a TOTAL MONSTER BAG in any event this time of the year. There would have been MLF teams not put together that kind of weight. Guys that won it up the Kings had a fish roll on a plopper and miss it. Threw a jig back at it and caught it and then stayed with the jig. 3.86 was their big, so a bunch of solid 3 pounders. This tournament is the longest running fishing event in Missouri and ran in a family fun day safety manner. Win, lose or draw, you win in fishing this event. It’s just plain fun. Hope some of you all consider it next year. It is a team derby for safety reasons, two fishermen in the boat, no solo anglers. At one point Phil and I caught 5 fish on 5 consecutive cast that all 5 measured 14 15/16th. Inches. Line burners that just would not touch. Crazy, but so fun. Didn’t matter as they wouldn’t have been close to 17 pounds. Those boys had a day. Good Luck

Beautiful day on the water with good buddy Phil Stone. We didn’t win but simply filled the boat with fish. Phil said it was the perfect guide trip, lots of bites and catches, just not the right ones. Jig, swimbait and spoon for us. Winners had 17.44 pounds and said they caught them all on a jig shallow up the Kings River. Said they tried top water and really didn’t have anything till 11 am. Derby had a 1.5 hour fog delay and that messed up the topwater to an extent, however you can throw it all day if you chose that path. Surface temps were 73 at the start and 76.5 at 4 pm. Calm blue bird and sunny. Lake was totally full of pleasure and wake boats, especially from Campbell Point to Viola on the Kings. Lots of 3’ to 4 footers rolling out there yesterday at the mouth of the Kings. They’re still out there guys on pretty weekends Great event with 55 boats so they made some money for the chamber. Steak Dinner was donated by Chris of Central Crossings Marine and Harter House. Becky and I won 2 gift certificates in the curtesy raffle drawing after dinner. She won $100.00 donated by Campbell Point Marina and I won $25.00 donated by Jug and Plug. No snide remarks on my winning ticket please. 🤪🤪🤪

Kicked my butt. I fish 6:30 till 2:30 and caught 5 total. 3 keepers. 2 keeps came flipping docks one nice jaw early on a Choppo and 2 shorts on a drop shot. Deep fish are at 30’ to 50’ and suspended will not even look at a drop shot. Run from it like a flushed covey of quail. Know of at least 2 guides that skunked with the exception of a catfish or 2 on crawlers yesterday High pressure at 30.86 clear blue and an East wind, in September/ Early October is a KILLER. Have absolutely no idea how we can catch 6 keepers during the Homer Sloan tournament this weekend. Any ideas are appreciated I’ve gone from Hero to Zero in the last 10 days Sorry for the terrible report Goid Luck

Fished from Shell knob to Big M today starting at 6:30 and fishing till 3:30 pm. Caught about 30 total fish with 3 squeaker keeps. Man it was tough. Fish ran from the drop shot like it was ugly. It was my best deal. I threw every color and size jig I had from 1 ft. To 50’ on every structure and never had a nip. Several on a small swimbait and several on a flutter spoon. Wish I knew how Quill’s buddy was hammering them on a jig. High sky and SE wind were hard on this ole boy.

Thanks for the report. Just enough to keep that smile going. Sounds like your bud had a great day.

A few things for me, trying to target bigger fish this past week is trying to stay away from the K’s. I’m really chasing LM. Caught this one on a Jewel Spin-X with a 2.8 inch Keitech trailer. Baits I’ve been using are really Shad imitating or a jig I’ve also had very good success at times with top water. Seems like a small window however. Going to hit it hard Wednesday thru Friday and see if I can find some prior to the Homer Sloan derby. I’ve got a good recipe if I can get them to bite. Good Luck

Way to get after them, that’s a nice afternoon

Really kind of strange in the white bass deal. I have not caught a single one and I am fishing Shad imitation baits. I will also say I’ve spent enough time now with the FFS that I can tell what I’m looking at as far as perch, bass, white bass, walleye and crappie. I’m seeing loads of crappie and catching them. Broke out the A-rig on Friday and simply could not keep them off it. Mike Baker videos has taught me a lot, along with actual looking at it for hours now. As far as the crappie it is without a doubt the deadliest tool out there. Not seeing any whites at all, which is surprising. If our water doesn’t raise and stays at this level or less, this is going to be one of the best Winters for deep fish we have had in years. Lots of humps and tops are going to be in that prime 50’ and under range. For now I’m done with the docks. I’ve whipped that horse to death both deep and shallow. There are loads of crappie however around docks. Not all, but enough if you have FFS to limit just about any time you go. The last week for the most part unintentionally I’ve caught a couple of dozen and they are all huge. Kept two I caught deep on a spoon and the two made 20 nice size pieces. We had them for dinner one night and fish sandwiches for lunch the next day. Have not even come close to catching a sub-legal.