Quick Report

[Bill Babler]

Camera and Computer are still Jamed, so no pic's. Started out yesterday at 5:40 out of Indian Hills Resort with a couple of Saint Louey'ens.

We threw the 3/8th. oz football on most of the major long chunk rock points from Point 17 to Point 21. Had some very nice SM and one just flat PIG K.

Not alot of fish on any one location, catch one,two or three and you had best move on.

9AM the bite was over. Looked high and low for deep fish for the next hour and a half, and could spot a single or so, but these were small and not worth the time to mess with.

Ended with 6 solid keepers, with the big K and one very nice 3 pound jaw thrown in. Even the shorts on the jig were very nice Jaw's, with most 13 to just being shy of 15.

Jewels Watermellon Candy was our best jig color, I slapped a Yamamoto, WMC twin tail on it and it seemed to be the deal.

Most of the guys fishing the dam area are really working hard for "Not Fish," but bites. There has been a White Bass bite early and then this end pretty much goes to heck in a hand basket. Spoke to both Sainato and Loving along with Paige, and they say it is a pretty big chore just to get bit. Singles and a few coming from deep docks and deep trees, or just suspended off the main lake points. Sainato told me yesterday he was catching a few just gong out the points and seeing them suspended. He was in 120 ft. and the fish were in 45. He said you will catch everyone you see, but you don't see very many.

This is a great way to learn to use your electronics, just looking for these deep suspended fish. If you are by yourself, you can catch them.. IT is hard to guide on them. It is almost like bed fishing in the aspect, it is a one person game.

When I quit yeserday morning at Baxter, surface temp was 90.7.

It is now less that 35 days till Phil and I head for Alaska. I am counting them off.

[T-RockJaws]

Thanks for the report Bill, it is nice to find out that is a little slow even for some of the best!

[Flippin]

Bill, as always another good report; thx. How deep was you catching them on the chunk rock bank?

[Bill Babler]

Bill, as always another good report; thx. How deep was you catching them on the chunk rock bank?

Flippin, that is a great question, and I any going to have to apologize here. The bite is so tough for the most of us, I am going to have to let you all figure that out on your own.

I intentionally didn't post the depth.

As you know 99.9 percent of the time, what I know is what you know. There are so many guys out there right now, that we are having to take a number to just get on a point.

As soon as you find the depth, keep it to yourself. I will guarantee you that every point we caught fish on Yesterday had already been fished that morning. That is a pretty good hint.

Good Luck

[Flippin]

That is fine Bill. Sorry to put you in an akward position. You have been forthcoming in your fishing info, so you deserve a mulligan.

[Bill Babler]

On a very good morning, I would have thought, the the bite for me was extrenely tough. Hit the water out of Baxter at 5:15 yesterday morning with good friend and client John Dickerson and son Andrew.

All we could scratch up was 13 bass 1 gill and 1 walleye, with only 1 keeper. Everything on the jig.

Very little boat or fishing traffic yesterday, we pretty much had it to ourselves.

I am going to say we lost at least as many as we caught."Me Included." These fish are just not putting the jig away. You have to feed it to them and then just tighten completely down and BLAST THEM.

Every fish is going to jump reguardless of where your rod tips is. Stick it two feet underwater, I don't care, you will not keep them down. When these fish jump, pull the fish to you, do not under any circumstances let it jump on a slack line, or it will spit that football right back in your face.

Have been fishing 8 pound maxi on the spinning outfits and 10 on the casters. I am moving up to 12 on the caster, and putting braid on the spinners, to try and get a better hook set. I am really tired of seeing 3 pound fish getting off. "Going to let them go anyway, but like to kiss them, and take their picture."

[Phil Lilley]

Would you ever use our 4 lb line - 1/8th oz jigs - trout rigs on these bass? Seems like they'd be more sensitive than big bass rods.

[Bill Babler]

Don't think I could get that small gear down deep enough, and it is very Rough and Narly down there. Believe it would break on every cast. I'm sure they would eat that sculpin jig, but the places I'm catching them, you need "Well Rope" to get in and out of.

I believe for some reason most of us are having a very hard time getting the hook set on these bass. Beck says they are just not putting it away. Don't seem to really want to eat it for some reason. Have not had a single one have it back in the craw, between the crunchers. Catching lots of them by the bottom lip and the side of the jaw. Have had several fish in the last week, hooked on the outside of the mouth, either in the eye, or by the gill plate. How goofy is that? I believe we are feeling them bite it. They then spit it out and we swing on them, catching them on the outside of the head.

You know when they are on it, it will either be in the top lip, or better yet, in the roof of their mouth. That is not happening for the most part right now.

The only saving grace, is that they are at least biting it.

[Jason Essary]

Bill, been having the same problem. Cant hook half of them, and the ones we do throw it half the time. Percentage of keeps that get in the net is slim. I have switched to a standard hook jig instead of the popular wide gap hooks and have seemingly stopped most of the jump offs. Have you ever noticed a difference in the two on throw offs?

As with you, most all are on the edge of the jaw every time. One exception was the 6lb channel caught couple weeks ago. It tried to swallow it before I could get the set.