Thursday Morning Upper End

[rps]

Fished the points at the mouths of the Roaring River and Panther Creek this morning. Had two fish on a chug bug, both from under log laydowns and coaxed to come out with little twitches. Caught 3 on chompers cinnamon/purple fleck. Bill didn't post his Wednesday report until after I went out so I didn't know the good color had changed. None of the above were any size.

I found fish trolling, but didn't land any with size. 26 feet down was the magic depth. One 16" walleye and three more bass. I did get rocked with good strikes twice. Both felt like good fish, but both were with me for only a few seconds. When you troll deep, a certain number of hook ups are cheek or gill locations. Same as with topwater. As a result, a certain number pull off. Today, it was the big fish pulling off.

BTW, it is officially hot out there.

[Bill Babler]

RP, I believe the river fish are still pretty good on the pbj, thats what Steven and I caught them on Sat. It just seems the fish in the Kimberling to the dam area are on the WMC a bit better. May be the number of guys jerking all the baits around, or maybe I'm nuts, and a jig is a jig.

I will tell you the water color is very different at the dam, from up the White. Maybe worth trying up there. Tetrick however has not been getting bit on the PBJ, while his clients have been catchin them on the Candy. I tried the same thing, and for SURE the candy was better at the dam.

Worth a try, you know we have to keep all these bait companies in business.

[rps]

I hope everyone realizes my tongue was firmly in cheek when I commented on the "good color." I tend to stick with variations of green, brown, and black for jigs and bottom plastics on clear lakes. I often change from watermelon/red to watermelon/black to pumpkin/something to smoke/blue all in one morning. I caught the few fish I caught on the brown. I didn't get a hit on the others. I just couldn't find the combination for anything other than scattered smallish fish.

As for the bait companies, I don't fear for them. With the number of jigs I break off on 8# and 10# line, someone is making a fortune.

[techo]

I agree with you about the jig companies. Jewel should be giving me a huge discount. I have a couple about forty feet up in a tree near point nine. My daughter cast a bit high. It was worth the laughs though. I think we lose two or more jigs every time out.

[Bill Babler]

RP, you and T. had me laughing so hard about the bait companies that I almost Split-a-Stitch. I gotta thinking about this Spring when all the clients wanted to fish the high water in the bushes. That one group that Sang all their War Eagle Spinner Bugs 40 ft. up in every oak tree in Big Creek. At one point during the day I fell on the front deck and laughed so hard I couldn't stand. I hope they knew I was not laughing at them, but with them. They both thought it was sort of funny also. That is until they had to replace those pricy suckers. Glad they weren't mine.

Another trip I had these guys and we were catching them really good about 20 ft. on a cenipede. They kept on bugging me about the "Bushes this and the Bushes That." "We want to try and catch some big ones in those bushes". We read on the Table Rock report that they were catchin the big-ens in the bushes. I said boy's you are flat slaying them out here. "Do you really want to do that?" "Oh yes we do."

I told them to throw the blade just past the bushes, run it by and if they wanted to just kill the blade even or just past the bush, and then start it up and fish it back to the boat. That might really get a vicious snap.

About an hour later, one of these Pro's said, I believe we would do better with the split-shot-rig. "I don't think they are in the Bushes." I thought for a second, and kind of let my tongue speak before the grey matter had time to activate.

I said, "It's for sure there not in the green leafy parts that are sticking out of the water, We have covered that very throughly." " Still don't know about the parts that are underwater there might just be one or two hiding there."

They really didn't think that was as funny as I did. During the entire hour with both men flinging, I can guarantee you there was not one presentation that would have caught a fish with a brain as big as a pencil lead. I for the life of me didn't see one presentation that I thought, "OH BOY WE HAVE A CHANCE." About the same time, the other ole boy said,"Were not really that good at fishing tight locations." I thought to myself, Why in the H E double Heck have we been in here for an hour, when you were catching quality fish on a rig. Never let a Client dictate what they want to do. It only gets you in trouble. Should have learned my lesson, from Trav, he told me that. My Mistake.

All of us this year have had clients that want to fish the bushes. For the most part, it can't be done. People that only fish 4 or 5 days a year, cannot make the presentations needed to catch ambushing bass in tight locations. Even those of us that fish everyday, get hung up. Next time you get hung up, time it to see how long it takes to untangle and then manuver your boat into position to fish proberly again. NOt counting if you are hung up in the front and your brother, throws out the back and hangs up there while you are getting the first hang loose.

5 minutes minium. Take this by 2 dozen hangs and you pretty much take care of a 4 hr. guide trip. This is why we stay away from the bushes.

RP, no offense taken, on your post. Always love to hear from the fishy side of the lake, keep her commin.