bownarrow1

Thanks for the great tips. Good luck to anyone going fishing this weekend and have a safe Labor Day!!

http://hpata.com/results/proam.cfm?tournamentid=285

Fishin Freak, I went to Butler Co, and Friends Univ. I am brand new to lake fishing, as I got my first boat a month ago, so I'm just getting started. After spending a week on Table Rock, I've been to Melvern Lake last week, and am headed to Wilson this weekend......weather permitting. Did you fish Wilson or Cedar Bluff when you were at Hays? Matt

techo, Wow, I had to google 'Scotty Gomez'. Not much of a hockey fan. Obviously, I'm not really from Alaska, but I have lived in Big 12 country my whole life and understand the hatred between Mizzou and KU fans. Actually, I'm neither a KU or KSU fan, though I do route for both, and the whole big 12 in general. I went to a small college in Kansas, so I'm not NEARLY as passionate come Saturday afternoons, compared to many. I used Alaska, just to get as far away from the Big 12 as possible, as I'm reminded daily of the sincere love/hate of other Big 12 teams from friends and co-workers and was just hoping for some friendly advice on the bronzebacks! Anyone out there with tips on fall fishing?? Thanks.

Did I say Kansas? I meant I was from Oklahoma......wait, I meant Texas. Crap, neither one of those is any better. Ok, the honest truth, I am an eskimo living just north of Bethel Alaska and would like to try my luck on some NORTHERN smallies! Is that better? Go Seawolves!

Just curious if anyone would mind sharing some summer/fall transition techniques for the smallmouth. I won't be fishing Table Rock, but will be fishing 2 similar lakes in Kansas.......both clear and deep with similar points of gravel, chunk rock, etc.... I have very limited experience with smallies, and have a few very basic questions: 1. Will they move into the creeks and coves as fall approaches? 2. Is there a temperature where you would switch from say......deep jig or drop shot, to something else more shallow? 3. Other than tubes/jigs/dropshot, any other techniques you would recommend? i.e...crawdad colored crankbait? Sorry to cloud up a table rock forum with a question from Kansas.......but there just aren't many forums for Kansas fishing. Thanks in advance! matt

Chris, I haven't had the chance to get out on the water since returning home. However, it worked great the following day after Bill tweaked it. Thanks for your help. matt

I would like to publicly thank Mr. Babler as well as the other contributors to this forum. I had the pleasure of fishing with Bill Monday 8/17 for the morning. It wasn't as important to me to catch fish as it was to learn from someone HOW to fish a lake like Table Rock,.....i.e, what types of points to look for, how to rig and fish a drop-shot, etc.. Also, as a new 1st time bass boat owner, I was really looking forward to fishing with someone who knew how to handle his boat and electronics. I live 6 hours away and will only fish Table Rock once a year, twice if I'm lucky. I really meant I didn't care if we caught any fish. However, by 9:00am we had boated almost 100 white bass, several kentuckys, and a walleye. I had been given a lesson in boat positioning, using your electronics with a spoon, and several things to look for when fishing particular points. By 9:30 we left the whites to go drop shot a hump. I learned more in the next 30 minutes with Bill than I had learned in countless articles I've read. We caught 2 more nice kentuckys. Next, we moved to a flat off of a point and drug a football jig across the bottom where we caught a couple more and had several bites. At this point my 4 hours was almost up so we headed back to my dock. This is where I became amazed at Bill's professionalism and generosity. Not only did Bill clean 30+ white bass for me and my family without letting me help once, he went out with me in my new boat. He adjusted my electronics precisely and gave me several tips about how to operate, park, and position my boat. He even called a lowrance expert to make sure he was adjusting it correctly......not to mention the phone call he made to help me find a place to service a broken rod locker. At this point, he had given me almost 6 hours of his time, and he charged me for 4. I can't express enough how much I appreciate the way Bill Babler treated me. I left with an education you can't get on t.v. or any bass fishing magazine. I've never seen professionalism and generosity like what was shown to me on Monday. I would also like to thank Chris(?) with the bass cat. I believe he helped us with the white bass tip. And that goes for everyone on this site. After reading all your fishing reports, then spending a week on the Rock, it is amazing how open and honest the reports you give really are. From someone who lives far away and fishes here infrequently, I really appreciate the tips and advice you all provide for free. Bill, if ever need a reference, you've got one here. Thanks for an awesome site and an awesome job at what you do. Sincerely, Matt Voth 316-217-6058 Cheney, KS