Bill Babler

Mine worked perfect. It did however break at the hinge as the fish was shaking its head

I ordered 2

Ab's gave me a custom painted Wake Shad a few years ago. It was one of the best topwater baits I have ever used, far exceeding a Spook. Came in only second to a top of the line Redfin. It broke in the mouth of a nice fish last week and I was butt hurt. I'm going to try one of those, thanks Quill. The Surge Shad is a very good bait, and I have tried to make the LC work, but it is not in the conversation. Pete Wenners told me last year that Strike King was going to make a new Wake Shad but it has not came along to my knowledge. I'm ordering right now.

Phil would have to look out the window, but I'd say probably already clearing to at least Cooper Creek, if they have been running units for the past couple of hours. Downtown past Roark Creek would be a different matter.

Thanks Phil, I thought you all might have edged us out as it was just blacker than coal over your way. Funny what a difference 15 miles can make. I got cancelled for today and tomorrow, but hope to get the Sunday group trip in, out of Lilleys. Fingers Crossed.

US Lake Levels at 1PM today were Bull Shoals 1.57 ft. below Flood Pool, Table Rock at 4.76 ft. below Flood Pool and Beaver at 2.36 ft. below Flood Pool. Beaver was up the most at almost a ft. in the last 12 hrs. Friend just texted me and said Taney is a total mud hole. It will clear up as soon as they start running water. I guess they just opened 3 generators so it should clear out pretty soon. Springfield was just flat hammered with some locations receiving 6+ inches but I believe it was on the North West side and that flows north into the Sac for the most part. Did here that the James is again really running so the James River Basin did get some. We kind of lucked out here in the Blue Eye, Branson area and did not get the amount that we were warned about. I only had 2 1/4 total. I think Branson and Taney Co. might have gotten slightly more. Might have dodged a major bullet, just going to see how all 3 lakes rise. James River at Gelena and Spfg. at 3 PM were up only 2 ft. but still rising, so that's probably not so bad.

Started early I can't see the end of my deck and that's 30' away

Get ready, on top of what we got starting at 2 AM, I had 1.25 inches here at Blue Eye they say Branson is gong to have a big rain event starting at Noon or there abouts Perhaps up to 1.5 inches more. Joplin just had a huge wind and lightning storm dousing them with a heavy 1.5 inches, and it continues to rain.

Nice report, glad you got the jaw on a fin. Kind of makes them angry.

Next April i'm going to take you goggle eye fishing around the dam KC area and get that Monkey off your back. Count on it.

Glad you got someone to take care of the dock. That is a very dangerous job especially when you get on our end of the age growth rate. Thanks for the report. Sounds right, but COE can change there plans quicker than a gal can change cloths.

Have been out everyday this week with clients "AT LAST' You don't or won't need a bucket full of baits for the next week and perhaps by weeks end you can throw in a drop shot but here is what you need to have tied on. Redfin/Surge Shad they are really eating these wake baits, and the best color for the fin has been Smoky Joe. Crank it just fast enough to make it wake and when they pound it don't jerk just pull back when you feel the weight of the fish. Whopper Plotter Size 110/90 in Loon cranked just fast enough to make it spudder. Spook/Chugbug/Yellow Magic. If there are whites chasing this is the best option although they will just hammer a fin. Not so much with the Pooper, and yes you can catch some on it but it is not the best one. 2.8/3.2 inch Keitech on a 1/4 oz head. Look and see where the fish are in the water column and fish to that depth. Little George tail spinner for whites and long casts for schooling fish. That's about it. Still some moss from KC to Shell Knob on the gravel, but you really do not have to put anything on the bottom, just put the boat in 15/20 and swim and topwater in front of the bushes. Look for chasing fish. Most of the guides are just riding at daylight looking for chasers. If you find them and 90% of the time now you will stay with them. They have been in the middle and mouths of the major spawning coves. Yesterday out of one big pocket I had a 5.7 LM a two 3.7 K's, and a 3.2 lb. K. Today my guests had multiple SM in the 3 plus range and one 5.78 walleye on a 3.2 inch Keitech. You can also fish the flooded bushes with a black buzz bait a white spinner bait or chatter bait/swim jig or frog and have success. Flipping has not been good. If your going to flip don't go down a bank flipping as your just wasting time. Pick out isolated bushes that are apart from other structure. To just go down a line of green it is a lot of fishing for but a few bites. It has been cloudy and the bite is staying good till about 10/11 after that go to lunch and either come back at dark or come back the next morning. Middle of the day on Holiday weekends is a bit sketchy. Good Luck

Yes I launched there the past two days, but it is extremely tricky. You park on the upper tier. They have kept the dock really easy to get on and pulled up. Today the Park Ranger wrote 2 tickets for truck/trailer parked right in front of the NO Parking Sign and right in the middle of the lot. Just totally STUPID of the 2 people that did this. Totally blocked the ramp and the upper tier parking lot. He said he simply could not understand that type of thinking and to tell the truth it was right up there with "Here's your sign Stupid." The camp ground opened today also, so I'm going to say there were will no parking starting on Friday. I would stay away. You can access H hwy. off of 39 going toward Shell Knob Lots of slots open today. Also Mill and Cow Creek ramps are good to go but both with limited parking. If your going to launch you had better get there early. I was at the ramp at 0500 and was number 4 in line and it will be worse this weekend. I would get to the ramp about 4:30/5:00 to secure a parking spot Going to be totally crazy and on another note there are a ton of BIG floaters to watch out for coming out of the Big and Little Indian and also Big Creek.

920 and rising this morning with 2 more days of scheduled rain it might get pretty sticky out there. Lots of rain in the White River Basin, plus lots of rain on the James River watershed. It was coming up so fast at Baxter yesterday you could almost see it moving.

All three great comments. I think Mike Webb has had about as many dings as i have I know he really got crunched this year. Bill Beck when he was alive and Rick Lisek both have had their rigs broken into at unattended ramps. Rick's in downtown Branson and Bill at Cooper Creek. Rick has also had his truck and trailer dented 1/2 dozen times. I guess its just the price of doing business at public ramps. A few years ago, I got hit a the downtown Branson ramp and had a guy waiting for me that had seen the person run into it and took down his lic and gave it to me. Said he waited at the ramp for an hour for my return. Don't know why he just did not leave me a note but I appreciated it. Guy that ran into it had no insurance and not enough money to buy a coke.

Totally think I saw it all yesterday on a new Phoenix. On the bow, Lowrance Ghost trolling motor with Panoptix and Perspective mount. Also attached was a Hummingbird Mega 360. Graphs on the bow Lowrance 16" Live, Garmin SV12" and Hummingbird Gen II Solix 12" The Garmin and the Bird were stacked, on a Precision Marine mount. The big 16 had its own mount. Heated seats padded and raised deck on a 21 Elite with a 250 4 stroke Merc. with a Hydraulic Jack Plate Boat had Poles and a Locker Bar and a complete interior LED add on Light package. On the Console 2 Garmin SV12 one with Side Scan and the other mapping and 2 D sonar. All this sitting on a Warrior Trailer.with light package. Easy, $110,000.00 plus. It was hooked up to what looked like a new Cadillac Escalade. Truck was Black and the Boat was Black and White with one set of red pins to match the red on the motor. That is well over a 200 Grrrrrrr package.

I really don't see much unusual there. In 20 plus years my truck, trailer or both has been run into 8 times at ramp parking lots and never once has anyone left me a note.

I guided today,. 7 to 1. We all got totally soaked and the fish did not bite worth a Poop. Ended a 6 hr. day with 6 keepers 4 shorts and some gogs. You can see the water going up, launched at Baxter and it was amazing how much farther it was up the ramp between 7 and 1. The carp are on the bank and there is a huge shad spawn going on up there too, but its hard to get to and I really did not see any fish smacking the shad.

Nice. is most all the moss gone a KC? Seems to be pretty much gone from Joe Bald up the White.

Like James I ran the 27 group for years with no problems, but with more electronics and bigger trolling motors I moved up the the group 31. Might be over kill but no problems are good problems. With all the new electronics I'm reading lots of guys going up to group 34 lithium just to support 4 twelve inch screens plus power poles, livewells, panoptix and mega 360 units. It is totally out of hand. Not hard at all to hit 30 grand and not even have a boat, motor or trailer in the mix.

It's raining sideways and 42 degree here and there are just bass boats running a frenzy out in front of the Lodge. I'm totally in shock as during some pretty nice weather there was very few out last week at times. Don't care what kind of tough weather gear you have, your not staying dry out there today in this wind especially running in a bass boat at 50 plus mph. I had to go put on another pot of coffee and warm up the chili just thinking about being out there.

Wife and I went down to Diamond to check it out and it was a TOTAL ZOO. Just about as many people and rigs as I have ever seen. Impossible to launch. I will tell you there was ZERO social distancing. Lake was totally full of swimmers, skiers and tubers along with picnics and just folks everywhere. Even saw some horse back riders at the Ledd Hill park launch and by the way it was a lot less crowded. Be safe out there.

Great fish. Your going to have to get some blue paint for that boat.

Buster Loving was out yesterday in the Baxter to point 10 area. Fishing long runnout flat gravel ridges in 15 to 25 feet dragging either a GP Fish Dr. or a GP centipede he just hammered the K's with a few smalljaws. Said he and his client had about 20 keepers and about 1/2 that many short fish. Some were spawned out but most with really heavy bellies. Lots of these fish were 17 plus inches. There is a ton of flats between Baxter and Point 10, on both sides. Look for the ridges on those flats in conjunction with the bigger spawning coves. Once you find them pull the boat into about a depth of 10 to 15 feet and start slowly strolling out the ridge, dragging either a tube, ned or a split shot do nothing bait. They will also eat a GPO jig in the 3/8 to 1/2 oz. size I'm either using a smally beaver or a small 2" Keitech creature bait as the trailer and just kind of dragging hopping it back.. If I'm fishing the tube or the ned, I'm fishing it on as much slack line as possible. I prefer the ned as they don't swallow it like they will the tube. Kind of twitch or bounce the bait and then pick up slack to the bait and they will be there. On the split shot just dragging the 1/4 to 3/8th. oz. weight will create the slack. If you lose the weight of the bait or the sinker, set the hook. I'm using 8lb. test maxima completely to the hook on the pegged split shot rig and a size 1/0 Arron Martin Gama Worm Hook. Buster said there were not do overs and they were not on every ridge so fish it and move on even if you catch several, keep moving and catching fresh fish. If your dragging this out a ridge drag to at least your boat in 35 ft. as you have to remember your bait is still probably only in 20 to 25 ft. If you start seeing fish, you can switch if you wish and swim a small swim bait of your choice to them. Let it fall to the bottom and then rather than reel, pull it back slowly picking up the slack as you do so keeping it in the same section of the water column as the fish you are seeing on the graph. Casting distance is really important as with a long cast you can keep the bait in the desired depth a much longer period of time. When fishing a swim bait one of the biggest problems for my clients are short casts. A short cast and a fast retrieve does not allow your bait to preform at the level it needs to for the maximum amount of time to cover as much water as possible. The longer your bait is in the same water column as the fish the better chance you have. If I have a lady in the back and cast for her she will just smoke her husband that is in the front of the boat, simply because he is not casting far enough to keep his bait down in 15 plus feet of water and most usually reeling way to fast. Especially if she is a 1/2 dozen fish up on him. Guys will start reeling it like a coffee grinder and it just gets worse from there. Ladies will do as you ask them 99.9% of the time if your not their husband. Guys will follow instructions about 1/2 the time. The best way to achieve distance in casting a spinning rod is not not look at the water. Look to the horizon or top of a tree line and use a 7' or plus rod spooled with no heaver than 6lb line regardless if it is carbon, mono or braid. Fish the rod two handed and launch the cast at the horizon holding the rod in place pointing it's tip directly at the bait till the bait hits the water. Pick up the loose slack and allow the bait to fall on a simi tight line till it either reaches the bottom or the desired depth you wish to present the lure. Swim or work it slowly back to the boat rinse and repeat. Tons of boats running in front of the Lodge this morning in the rain and cold. Vernon and I ain't that mad at em. Good Luck

I agree totally Jeff. On the Rock if you put them in the livewell this time of the year they have a very, very oily film they also release. I am presuming it is the oil from the shad they excrete into the livewell. It takes a hard scrubbing and some snow bol to get it out of the well. They are extremely dangerous on treble hooks as they continue to wiggle and as you said they are very spikey. If you can catch them on a swimbait its a much better deal. Not as exciting as seeing them bust that topwater, but they pull just as hard and are much safer to handle. Really fun fish to catch but keep on the outside of the boat, especially in late Spring and Summer.