Omtt

[Fat Boy]

Anyone have a idea what it took to win the OMTT today.

[Tom Spence]

Not sure who it was but I heard 24 pounds took it. Heard it took 17 to get a check.

[bjovan]

A wack fest I heard. 24 plus to win and a bunch of 20 plus bags. I can not wait for Friday.

[Bill Babler]

Before y'all get to hopped up on those derby weights, I'll let you know that those were mostly, if not all bed fish. Know of at least 4 boats in the top ten that only 1 of the partners fished. The other guy just held the boat by the corner of a dock post or hung onto a tree, while the fisherman jerked the bedding bass.

When the guy in the front catches the bass, the guy holding the boat so as not to use the trolling motor to spook the bass nets it, and then they move to another bed behind another dock.

Gosh that's fun, I would just love to do that all day.

Real lake fishing report, is tougher than a Leather Boot.

Combined day of 9 guides I talked to today was a total of 10 keepers and about twice that many short fish.

The bite has gotten extremely tough, with the Boy's chasing the Girl's. Yes, you can run the clear water and catch males protecting the nests, if that's your cup of fish chowder.

Not mine.

Realtime report is a very nice blade bite, but mostly from point 22 to Roaring River. Decent jig bite for bigger fish, and a shaky head bite for dink, males.

Some topwater starting to show, but the best guide bite is by Buster Loving the last couple of days, with about 10 very nice keepers on the stickbait. and a couple on a spook.

Do not let these derby weight fool you, its not that easy. To protect the innocent, I will mention no names, but bed fishing is money fishing, its for sure not fun fishing, especially if you are the partner holding the boat all day. I know for a fact two of these guys, never got a rod out of the locker all day. Just held the boat and netted fish.

[rps]

Bill:

Sad.

rps

[Fat Boy]

The team that won the only time you see them fish or at least the younger is when there on the beds

[Champ188]

Not a bed fisherman myself except to play around with the fish on a fun trip once or twice a year, and those fish are immediately released back onto their nests. But as long as bed fishing is legal and money is on the line, people are gonna do it. Seems we're insinuating here that the guys who won OMTT did something wrong. I don't see it that way.

[skeeter]

First of all I think it's outstanding that a guy with Bill's reputation and ability to influence fishermen by use of this board and spending time with clients is expressing the previous opinion of what I term "bed jerkers".

Secondly, sorry, but I didn't get the "insinuation" that tournament fishermen were doing anything wrong "LEGALLY". I definitely, and hope others did too, get the accurate insinuation that "ETHICALLY" they were doing a lot wrong !!! Of course when there is money on the line most will do anything and to hell with Ethics.........

[Champ188]

It was not Bill's comments as much as the other that "the only time you see them fish" is when the fish are bedding. Larry Herndon spends his own gas money to drive all over our region, wherever Central Pro-Am is fishing, and gets out of bed in the wee hours to give a Sunday morning devotional before tournament takeoff. He does not even fish the tournaments but never misses an opportunity to share his faith on Sunday mornings, regardless of the tournament location. To me, that speaks volumes about the man.

[steveearle]

You guys know that most of the fish you are catching using other methods (not looking at them) are most likely on beds as well, right? You can always take mid-April thru mid-May off if you are really concerned.....or April 1 thru June 1 to make sure their are no early spawners or fry guarders....Studies have shown time and time again that fishing during the spawning season and little or zero affect on the population or the fishing quality, especially on a lake like TRock. Now, if you dont like sight fishing or think it is not fun, then that is fine....as far as talking "ethics" you better re-think your argument. Most people that are negative about sight fishing are usually frustrated by not being proficient, have an unnecessary guilty concsience, or are making assumptions that are just ignorant of the facts.....

....those shaky head, C-rig, and jig fish are most likely spawners.