Bill Babler

This time of the year can be really tough but seems like it is just terrible this year. Frankly, just about don't know what to do when I'm out there. We are going to have some extreme high pressure with the warming trend and bright clear blue cloudless skies so I'm guessing its going to remain extremely challenging. Sounds to me like you have been and are doing very well. Continued success, I might join you over there on Thursday and see if I can capture a fish or two, as it has been a while since I have seen anything other than a trout.

I have 3 bows, all with cases, one crossbow the Turbo GT shot less than 50 times with arrows and case $650.00 Mathews Heli-M 60# draw wt. 30" adjustable 29-31, again shot very little as I had shoulder surgery. Arrows and case $850.00 Purchased local from Anglers and Archery when Chuck sold bows. I paid $2,300.00 for the entire setup. Mathews MQ 32 29" draw 70# draw wt. Everything on the bow including string and sight is new. Arrows and case $350.00 Sell all 3 for $1,250.00 Which is less than the new price of any one of the three packages I will email pics if interested. 417-332-7016

For the past couple of months we have caught multiple rainbow's with Par markings, I mean lots of them in the 4 to 6 inch range. Caught 2 today on egg patterns in the restricted zone prior to the moss over. In September and I have been extremely busy my clients have caught and for the most part released well over a 1000, possibly closer to 1500 rainbows since bringing a brown to the boat. During that span of time we have used night crawlers, jerkbaits, scuds, egg patterns, jigs and of course the Berkley power worm along with the trout magnet which seems to have reinvented it's self. That is probably as long as I have ever fished without catching a single brown trout. I have seen several chasing rainbows but have not had a client hook one in over a month. For the months of August and September and I have fished here since 1972, we have caught and released more quality fish than probably any total single year during that 2 month period. In the last 2 months the fishing for both numbers and fantastic quality have simply amazed me, With the numbers of fishermen on the water the fishing has been simply to good to be true. That was up until today when the moss came.

I don't think I could catch 5 quality keeps if I had a week to do it. Personally I think you did great.

James you are so correct. Main thing is total disrespect for others and the its all about me attitude. Further more correct information on the Aunts Creek derby. 16.8 won it from the dam area, I think I had the rest about right. All second hand info however.

Not positive at all but rumor has it, in the one day Aunts Creek derby on Saturday 18.8 was the winning bag for a very mature husband and wife team. Said they caught them from KC to dam in pockets on a Choppo, Blade and a ned if one missed either of the power fishing baits. I believe second was 14 something and third was 12 something. and then a bunch of no limits. Again this was just dock talk and the winning weight might be off. Regardless, if you catch 14 plus in a day right now you have just simply hammered them. A good friend was fishing the Aunts creek deal and had been catching them in Long Creek. Said the waves were so bad getting back to Aunts he did not make the weigh in. Said he was totally beat to pieces. He has an older 18' boat and said at one point they were scared they might be in trouble. Said he had never seen it like that on the Rock in the 50 years he has fished here. Friday and Saturday on Taneycomo was the worst boat traffic I have ever seen on that pond and I have fished it since 1972. I came within a hairs breath of putting my 23' AllWeld on a trailer at 9 am due to the traffic and the extremely terrible and dangerous boat operation.

If you are in the correct outside lane you can see perfectly at that location, so i don't think I'm faulty on this. You can ask the guys that frequent that area, and Quill or RPS can tell you headed up steam if your on the bluff side in your lane speed is not a problem. I was on the state water patrol for 10 years and director of boat operation and water craft handling for the patrol at both the academy and refresher training. I was also the WSI for both the Missouri Water Patrol and the Missouri Hiway Patrol. I'm pretty confident but not cocky in what I'm saying on that "Particular Location." As I said if you have not been to that exact location on Table Rock and seen it personally you cannot possibly have a dog in the hunt. If your swimming from a boat or have a person in the water, you must display a orange flag. On Table Rock it is encouraged as any Corp's lake and is suggested that you only swim in designated marked areas, for your protection.

Every accident is not excessive speed. That is a totally blind hairpin corner if your traveling on the wrong side of the lake your risking an accident just like driving on the wrong side of the hiway.. As Phil pointed out rules of the road were not observed here. The ramp there is a ramp that can be used by anyone, and the Corps pointed this out when they closed Viney for a period. It is however mostly used by the Emerald Point subdivision and in reality about 1 boat per day is launched there even on a Summer weekend. With the location of the ramp near the blind corner it could be possible to hit a boat being launched however if you are that close there is pole timber just to the upstream side of the ramp and you would really have to cut the bluff close. You would however be in the correct lane staying to your right. In this accident the person cutting that corner from downstream going up made the mistake, and it is that simple. Stay on your side of the lake and that is not going to happen. I have been around that blind corner perhaps thousands of times and always stay in my own lane, it is entirely common sense and the speed I go around there is not a factor unless your driving on the wrong side of the pond.

Yesterday was meaner out there than a Rattle Snake. We had 24 fish with one keeper. Lots on top water but they were rats. Tried whats been working and we caught fish but man they were bitty bugs. Still have not decided where we will go this morning but I think it will be painful. Caught them all yesterday on either top water or a jig. There are two big derby's here today and maybe they will show a pattern. Anglers in Action and Joe Bass i believe, watch the results and see if anyone of them spill the beans. I'm going to.

For those of you that have never been to this location, please keep quiet. Two row boats could collide here in the right situation and it takes almost nothing for one boat to ride up over the other boat. If your hull is 1 inch higher than the other object momentum is going to take the means of less resistance at most any speed and cause you to lift over the other object, instead of breaking thru it. This is the case weather the object be a dock another boat a log floating in the water or your trailer at the ramp. Slick hulled boats are either gliding over the top or airborne, just a matter of physics. Son Steven and I were there at 9:30 and the MSHP was working the scene. This is a hairpin turn by the Emerald Beach ramp just below Viney Creek. One of the drivers was cutting the hair pin on the WRONG SIDE OF THE ROAD. The lake is wide enough there to not be a problem, however you can cut the hairpin if you are headed up stream and it looked like this is what happened. You cannot see around that corner as it is a bluff bank. Conditions on the lake at the time were wonderful. No fog, full visibility and beautiful. Really no boat traffic at all yesterday in the upper white. Someone screwed up. Be just like you or I deciding to get in the truck and go around every inside blind corner or curve on the wrong side of the road.instead of staying in the outside or our own lane. Terrible shame.

White Buzz bait or a white whopper plopper 90 series, seems to be the ticket right now along with a dixie jet if you see fish chasing. Fish the baits right on the bank, best to parallel if possible. If the bait gets 10'from the bank recast it and keep it close. No bank is to steep or to flat, they are where you find them. Have a small jig ready 3/8th. to 1/2 oz. for any misses on the topwater and quickly cast the jig back to the spot of the miss. Color on the jig and trailer doesn't seem to matter. There are some drop shot "Live Bait Fish" 24' to 35' on main lake and creek arm gravel. They are not fond of soft plastic but will bite any live bait in limited numbers per area. If you don't see shad or fish, don't waste time on the drop shot. These fish are getting ready as Bo. said to get out of Dodge. Good Luck

He closed shop to pursue other opportunities. Just hate it. I have a lot luckly

Plus 1 on what they said.

Wasn't me, wish it had been.

That's not my boat, that's a boat from the FlW on Lake Erie. Lake Erie is what it felt like out there this morning. Boat damage crossing Lake Erie this past week in the Super Tournament. Nitro. Zero damage Bass Cat. Zero damage Phoenix Zero damage Skeeter cracked cap Ranger. Main Console torn out, Passenger seat broken free and lost, Driver seat broken out when driver was in it, Nose cap broken and trolling motor flipped back into the boat. One of the local Ranger Pro's told me today that it has taken Johnny but a few years to totally destroy what it took Forrest Wood a lifetime to build.

If I get back out on the Rock prior to October I though I was on Erie this morning at point 9, on a Monday morning. They were in front of me behind me and around over and under me making 4 footers by 7:45 this morning. Worst day i have on TR. EVER. I felt like this guy from Lake Erie.

Yea, I thought you meant you won it with a 4 fish limit of 15.57. Whom ever did, that is still a fine 4 fish limit.

Congrats that's a big 4 fish.limit.

Cooper Creek access ramp was totally covered with 10's of thousands of them dead on the ramp. The trout I cleaned yesterday were bulging with scuds and had their mouths and gills simply full of them when you would catch one. Also totally full of midges and casings.

Here is another deal. Alton Jones Jr. and I just love this guy, he is another one of the up and coming studs of the sport and can catch them a foot deep or 35' deep. Kid is unreal and going to be better than his dad. When he says he does not have a Phoenix deal, he is right to a point. Every component on any of these boats are a different deal. He of course can get a Mercury deal ranging from free to a $4,500 rebate and of course totally free maintenance. No cost for batteries and that is huge and the electronic/ trolling motor deals I stated above. His Phoenix boat deal would be at least a dealer cost deal this year on the boat and trailer standing alone. As far as Phoenix they don't pay but I think 2 or 3 guys to run their boats and they don't get much. They do however give the top guys a manufacture cost on the boat and trailer but you are responsible for all the other components and on the boat you can either get a memo deal or a pay up front deal that is even better. All these guys today have to sell their boats. In 2021 on a $90.000 totally set up boat most of these guys are in it for about 1/2 that or what ever the retail is they are at 1/2 or a bit less and unlike the old days they own it. No turn ins anymore.

Lets rain in the horses on the cost of these electronics. Here is a pretty good breakdown. Hummingbird.Guide/ VIP - which would be any of the pro-circuit FLW, TOYOTA series, MLF, and quite a few BFL is 55% off retail and Hummingbird is great, as they ask for nothing in return except using their products. They pay very few guys to use their products but of course the top guys are getting them free for advertising. Without a doubt class from top to bottom and just a pleasure to work with. Lowrance - Guide Program 50% off retail that would cover the above guys They do want you to work for them some, and they do pay quite a few top pro's to use their equipment, in addition to free equipment. Lots and lots of guides and tournament guys are getting even better than 50%, but they want your time. KInd of tough to deal with. Garmin This is a Sticky Wicket. Guide/ Pro discounts 35% off retail and most of the guys on any tour and all the guides are no more than this level, if that. They are hard to deal with and getting harder by the minute as they can't build it as fast as they are selling it. 45% off retail discount, if you have friend or family working for Garmin but in very limited supply. It's best to have a friend at Garmin. They are being really tough on their Pro's and some of them that were on a 65% discount level are getting dropped back I don't believe in 2021 they are paying anyone at any level a dime to use their products and I'm going to say not over a 1/2 dozen are getting a full product ride. They do give some of the Pro's transducers and wiring components but their main electronics are not free. So when some of these guys are saying they are not getting anything, that is not quite correct and to the pro's retail is also not correct as their are parameters in place for them and guides. Now you know the rest of the story.

I might be totally wrong but i believe the engine has to be on to add hours. I was also told by a Mercury Master Tech, to never let my Merc idle while i go and put my truck and trailer up off the launch ramp, as it will add hours like crazy. Say you launch and visit for a minute or two by the time your ready to roll that is probably going to be 10 minutes of idle time added to your meter. Everyone wants to steal a used boat by claiming the number of hours effect the price. For every 5 or 6 times you launch you put an additional hour on the meter you are killing yourself and that motor does not need to warm up 10 minutes. Mercury says their old big block 2 strokes should easy go 1,500 hours and their new 4 strokes should handle 6000 hours no problem. if both are maintained correctly. Yamaha is saying 15,000 hrs. on their big block 4's is not unexpected. Yet boat buyers throw a fit if you have 300 hrs. on a 5 yr. old boat. Just Ridiculas. Pretty much why we are seeing 8 yrs. of warranty, as the motor companies know we are not going to use that many hours and they are built to do way better than their time of warranty

At the current rate their dash panels are going out you better hope they won't be available in one year let alone 5. Mike carries a complete spare dash electronic system as do most of the Ranger Pro's as when they go out you are dead in the water. This has been an ongoing problem since BP bought the company

All 19' boats are very rough compared to a 21 footer, that is not apples to apples. Skeeter has made a fantastic fishing platform for years. They have had a couple of goof ups along the way but they are still in business, and I believe will be since they are owned by Yamaha as that is the number 1 outboard motor company in the world. It allows Yamaha to put performance packages together to highlight their high end motors. Legend was a fantastic boat, better performance by far than any Skeeter better ride, better ergonomics and fish-ability. The reason they are no more is there was a bit of a strife in ownership as the partners split the sheets right before Johnny bought the line. Johnny saw a window to eliminate a competitor that produced about 350 units a year and took it. At that time with the purchase of Ranger, Triton and Stratos he now pretty much had a strong choke hold on high performance hulls. All of these lines had some redundancy and logistically were hard to manage, so some had to go, and that was Stratos and Legend. Next to go will be Triton and they are on the chopping block right now. Now that Earl Bentz is back in business with the Caymas, that is kind of a cross between a Triton and a Skeeter it is pretty much time for the end or Triton as the old line Bentz clients will want to try his new boat. I have known Earl since the early 90's and cannot believe he has put his name on that boat. It is poorly fit and finished and a complete tub, I don't give it one chance in a July snow storm of staying alive unless it improves 100 percent. But that being said, Earl will for sure have a following that will take business away from Bass Pro Shops Triton Boat. In your search if possible and the budget allows purchase a solid 20/21 ft. boat that is still being built and that can be repowered if need be at a later date. That seems to be what all the engine companies are using for advertisement now is to repower your old boat and give it a face lift with a new engine. Good Luck

As I pointed out in the post, it is humbling as the amount of fish that turn down live bait is staggering Even with all the technology the fish still have to bite and after you have these advances you will see how many just will not bite. What I really like is being on fish and moving the Livescope and seeing more schools of fish or watching the fish you are on move. You can track and follow them or find others that you would have never known were there. Don't know if you all watched the BPT on Sturgeon Bay but one of the major comments was how much the fish moved. It's the same on the Rock, the fish are in constant movement and you can follow the school with the Livescope. In speaking with the guides on Truman Lake they say the open water crappie that they are spider rigging for are in constant movement and they can follow the schools with their Garmin gear. One guide told me the number of crappie that don't relate to structure is about 10 times as many as the ones that do. Watch Mike Baker videos on Lake O. of trolling for open water crappie and it will open your mind. Watch Mike Baker catch open water crappie using Panoptix Livescope and you will be simply amazed. It's a fantastic tool but it just that. You still have to catch them and they still have to bite.