St. Patty's Day

[Bill Babler]

Started this AM out of Viola and worked a stickbait, grub and Wart from there to just above Sweetwater. Total for us was only 9 fish, but had 7 keepers up to a very nice 4.5 pound LM, on the wart. About 10:30 they completely shut down, and it was raining like all get out, so we went to lunch and relaunched at Viney Creek. Went ahead and ran up the river to just across from Devils Dive and fished our way back to Viney. 9 more bass with 2 nice LM keeps and 1 19 inch walter. "Released."

Really don't know if we did good or not by reading other posts. We sure didn't catch a hundred. Seems like folks caught them much better yesterday than we did today. Best 5 however for what it is worth, were probably at 16 pounds.

No pattern what so ever. Gravel flats, channel swings, transitions, bluffends, wind blow chunk rock, colored water up the Kings River. I thought it was freezing cold and very tough. Water in the Kings was 47.8 In the White River at Twin River and up toward Big M at 44.5 at Viney at 46 and way up the White River above Eagle Rock at 48.9.

I was told yesterday on the Kings above Sweetwater it was 51. It was not that warm today.

Be out again tomorrow, and hope to gosh it warms up some. I need to see just a bit of a rise in surface temp.

[denjac]

Sounds like the keeper ratio is getting better. Going up to Stockton tomorrow and give that a whirl. Sunshine and temps over 60. Sw winds. Be nice not to freeze. Then snow Saturday. Crazy weather.

[Jason Essary]

Bill, james was 49 today. Real real slow, gave up when the rain came in. good luck, hope the temp comes up myself.

[snakem]

Bill, james was 49 today. Real real slow, gave up when the rain came in. good luck, hope the temp comes up myself.

Bill after last night and reading your post today,I stayed high and dry went to marine repair this am. Just my luck my 767 would not down load the new up date,So now there sending it off to the factory at no charge sh sh sh.hope to get it back real soon.sounds like a good day for u

Snakem Out.

[KCRIVERRAT]

Bill, why don't you head up to the dirty water this time of year? Or do you? And when you talked about the Twin Rivers area around the Kings, is that around the island or just south of it on the Kings? Or west on the White? I know you can catch deep water fish on the Rock and wait for the big girls in your area... I'm more of a stream guy, but... I fished the Campbell Point to the White/ Kings confluence from '92 to '09. I love the Rock.

I know you do to.

[Bill Babler]

Rat, I am really a deep clear water fisherman. I usually don't like stained water. I want them to see my bait a mile off, and come and get it. There is no dirty water in any of Table Rock/s river systems as we speak. All is mostly clear. The only off colored water is a Tea Stain in the Kings and Long Creek. Phil Stone says its turn over water, and I don't doubt him. It is very hard to fish multiple clients in stain water, as for the most part it is a reaction bite, and the guy in front is the one that is gona get bit. You have to really consider this before you do anything, as far as guiding. Every person has to have the same opportunity to catch fish.

Twin river is the conflux of the White and the Kings.

Good Luck

[champ187xr6]

Bill..You should not have been pinched with all those green fish and the 4.5 is a little pot of gold on this Irish day.As always thanks for the report.

[KCRIVERRAT]

Thanks Bill. My In-laws are now in Cassville. Moved from the Knob after 20 years. Sold his boat, still got mine. Looks like I've gotta figure out the Eagle Rock area. Fished that area some, but nothing like I'd mentioned. Good luck with all your ventures...

KC

[Forsythian]

I put in at Hickory Hollow yesterday and fished from there to the 86 bridge. Nothing like fishing in a 45 degree rain to make you question your sanity. Caught 6 shorts from 9 to about noon. No wiggle wart love, all bass were caught on a grub.

Gave up on that and started fishing for white bass instead. Ended up with a mess, but really had to work for them. I fished a pearl slider on wind-blown mud flats. Just about had to drag it on the bottom to get bit.

[ozarksfishin]

Yes it is hard to catch fish in turn over water. We found it up in Cricket yesterday (along with the grass carp). Get outta that stuff and find the shad and you will find the fish! This should be a good spring, seems like there are a lot of fish in pre spawn mode and just waitin for a warming trend to bust loose. Cricket and Long Creek have so many white bass on the flats that they will black out your graph (Don posted some side imaging pics of them too). I have seen this done with shad before but never white bass.