Still Really Good

[Bill Babler]

Fished from Baxter to Campbell Point yesterday. They are not where I usually find them, and for the life of me I cannot get them to eat a jig. Maybe some can, but the fish I'm after, pretty much want a rig early and about 9 AM, want the dropshot.

Fish are up pretty close early in the 12 to 20 ft. range on this lake section, but as soon as you quit getting bit on that drag stuff, better start looking out deeper. 32 to 35 seems to be a very good number from Point 5 on the White, to point 10 on the James and Point 9 to point 22 on the White.

The best of the best are coming early on the watermellon candy ceniped dragging flat gravel. When the sun comes over them there mountains, move out to the rolloffs, and start looking at the deeper depths, on the bottom and suspended, out to about 45 ft. I'm going to let you figure out what color dropshot worm they want, but the best colors we have found are made by Chomper's.

Spoke to Buster this Morn, and he was just hammering the whites on the lowerend, from Beardsley, to Clevenger, to Longcreek, he said they were blowing everywhere. Lots of smaller fish, but also some thumpers. Perfect cloudy morning for it.

Beck and I fished up the White today, and I had a very nice day with lots of fish, but only about a dozen keeps, per guide boat. Clients fished crawlers, but I dropped a dropshot worm from time to time, and they thought it was food. Fish are stating to get a little beatup up the White and the bigger fish I have been catching are shrinking. Lots of young stuff. Not derby fish at all.

These White river fish if fished very hard will just leave the flats and go and suspend, or they will charge up to a bait and then leave it. Good rule of thumb, is to never fish the same locations, more often than maybe once every 5 days or so.

Even when I was living at Shell Knob, I would never fish locations, very often. You can really tell it up there. If the fish get small and the bites get few, on locations you know should be holding quality fish, they are just beat-up. Get off of them for a week, and they will go again.

[Jason Essary]

GREAT REPORT BILL. Thanks for all u do.