Fished today, from Kimberling to Shell Knob

[Bill Babler]

Would not suprise me in the least, if your assumption is correct.

If we continue to get cool nights and the days cool off a mite the Ky's will go from 1 ft. to 60 ft. over night and will be almost impossible to catch.

When these fish go off the Summer patern for a couple of weeks, it can be a nightmare in either late Sept. or early Oct. They just scatter and can be at any depth.

[Fishin' Freak]

Two of us fished Sat. a.m. (9/9) with little luck. We caught three short fish early and then not another the rest of the morning. We fished from Joe Bald to Campbell point on main lake humps and points. The slack water and bright sky made it tough. We did see some of the Heartland Elite guys out and talked to a couple of them. Some were having some luck while others were struggling. Seems to me that if you find any fish at all stay put because they seem to be somewhat concentrated. Is that what some of you others are finding?

[SD bass hunter]

sept 9th.

started at Kimberling city, I drove no more than 100 yards to a point, dropped my spoon and caught a nice 2.5lb spotted bass sitten in about 33 ft on my first cast. This was the first fish I have ever caught on a jiggin spoon. Caught a couple small fish off of docks in 25 ft but nothing worth while. Other than that my day was pretty slow. Table Rock is new to me as with all the other lakes around this area so any advice is appreciated.

[Bill Babler]

SD. Don't know if you were reading my posts on the Elite that went on this weekend, but there is enough information in the report, that you should be on fish.

If you are messing around docks where the front or lake side stalls arn't in at least 50 to 100 plus feet of water,and on points in the depth you were describing that is the reason your not catching fish.

Don't get me wrong, there are a few bank runners out there, but for the most part these fish are suspended over deep trees or on channel swings or humps.

The Largemouth and Smallies are out there too. There are a few smallmouth extremely shallow at around 20ft. but fishing shallow this weekend netted a big zero to the shallow guys. And by shallow I mean fishng the bottom in under 25 ft, along the shoreline. or around boat docks.

The Davis boys fished shallow all weekend along with Kelly Powers and Bobby Sullivan, and these boys are the best on the rock at shallow fishing. If you would have put all their fish together, they would not have won the tournament. Bill Beck, started out shallow, but quickly adjusted, and cashed a third place check with deep fish.

This is a great time to experiment. Get a good map and look for deep trees. You want to find trees that are in the 50 to 150 ft. range and the tops are in the 25 to 35 ft. range. Drop your drop shot worm or a spoon into or just above the trees and see how you do.

Rig your drop shot worm on a wide gap no.1 texas style or weedless and just let the drop shot lead click on the branches. Bites or soft, or the rig just stops falling. Slowly raise the rod tip as it bends and you can feel the prussure of the fish and lift. Do not snap or give a quick set,or you will miss fish and be hung up in the trees all day.

Take plenty of rigs as it is not unrealistic to be hung up at least 20 times a day, even if you are doing everything right. A spark plug with a swivel on it is a great knocker if you want to try and save your rigs.

Fish are also on the humps or channel swings, AWAY FROM THE BANK, and you can use a football jig or drop shot these fish in the same 30ft. depth range. Another pattern, is just trolling the flats with your trolling motor and looking for suspended fish or balls of shad, and immediatly dropping a spoon into and below the balls when you see them on your electronics.

Try new things on the rock when you fish and don't go near the bank. This time of year, for the most part, fish don't live there.

Where I and most of the guides have been fishing, along with the guys doing well in the tournament last weekend, you couldn't have hit the bank with a deer rifle.

Sill yet, I see guys going down the bank plugging the shorline and setting on the points within casting distance of the bank.

I'm just about to the point of giving up. Even in the Spring, a good shallow bite is usually about 15ft. Hope this helps.

[WebFreeman]

People see Jimmy Houston and Bill Dance catch fish all day, year-round on spinner baits and think it translates to every lake. I fished with a friend once who was whizzing a spinner bait to the bank. I turned around and threw to the middle of the cove and caught a fish. Some people just don't get it.

I haven't had a chance to put all your good advice to work yet, Bill, but the next time I get on the Rock, I feel like I'll have a chance.

Do you think the pressure from the Heartland Elite and the Bassmasters will have an effect of fish the rest of Sept?

[Bill Babler]

Great Point. Bill Dance, strictly fishes florida strip pits, and he is nothing more than a sales person for the bait of the day. He is catching fish and showing you how to work the bait so you will buy the bait, nothing more. Sure dosen't mean you can fish where you are.

Jimmy Houston is a great guy, I know him and have spoken to him many times. He fishes where he can catch fish on the bait he loves the best, a spinner bait.

He once told me a carolina rig and a drop shot makes hero's out of zero's and if the current bass and flw guys had to fish with what they had for baits in the old days they would just not be able to make it.

Thats why Jimmy dosen't fish tournaments anymore. I don't agree with him. Due to electronics, knowledge and tremendious fishing prussure the fish have had to either adapt of die, and for the most part they have adapted nicely.

There are also fish being found today that the good ole boys never knew were there, or frankly didn't care if they were.

As for the tournaments, I don't believe they will make a hoot, as most of these suspended fish will be on the move as soon as things cool off a mite.

I am looking for a great fall on the rock. Get over to the weigh-ins at Kimberling City this weekend and the knowledge you will pick-up on Table rock will help you to know end.

But remember 95 percent of the boys love to fish shallow, and this is a huge adaptation on the White River for them. Who knows the shallow bite may pick up, but with the weather forcast for heat to increase as the week goes on, I would guess it will be more to the same.

There may be a bluff end or deep cedar bite on the way on a blade, and that shoud be taken into consideration early in the mornings.

[WebFreeman]

No offense to Jimmy, but he was half the fisherman he thinks he is, he'd be able to catch fish on a carolina rig or a drop shot. Anybody can run a spinner bait past a stick up or a log. Just like the fish, some people adapt and some don't. Sounds like he didn't/can't/won't. I'll be real curious how this Bassmaster event turns out.

[SD bass hunter]

Hey thank Bill for the advice.

I have been reading the other posts, that is how I knew to try a spoon. the more and more I read the more I found out that I need to purchase a quality lake map and do a little homework. I plan to head to some of the beassmaster events this weekend. maybe I will see a few of you guys there. After that I might head out fishing and try the great advice that you guys have giving me. Thanks for everything

[LWW]

As always the information on this forum is priceless thanks to Bill, Lilley, and many others. Except sometimes it can also be frustrating if you don't really understand how to execute it.

Which leads me to my questions. I've been trying to put Bill's advice to work all summer, but realize I'm not clear on a few fundamental things.

First, I do have a Fishing Hot Spots Map and a solid electronic map for my Lowrance finder. But still I'm finding I have trouble putting myself on top of the "Main Lake Humps or Points". Can someone please clarify some of the characteristics I should recognize when I feel I have found a good Main Lake Hump or point on my fishfinder and how to recognize where to start fishing some of these vast structures?

2nd, I'm pretty new to drop shotting and keep finding it a struggle to keep my bait presented in the depth and location I know I want to be. With drop shotting is it common to drift around trying to fish at a particular depth, or is it a better strategy to anchor /tie up to focus on working specific structure?

I tend to think of drop shotting as a vertical presentation and in reality my line and bait want to stay vertical for about as long as I can stand to go to the mall with my girlfriend!

Any advice will be put to good use this weekend. I also am looking forward to seeing where and how these BASS guys go to work this week. Hope to see some of you guys at the weigh-ins.

LWW

[Bill Babler]

Great questions.

Drop shotting can sometimes be like kissing your sister, not alot of reward for the effort and not very pleasant while your doing it. It does have one resounding reward however, you can catch a 3lb. Ky for your effort.

When locating these mid-lake structures or just fishing long flat gravel points where they drop into the channel, I always use a marker to post my starting location. Even as well as I know the lake, the marker is an unbelieveable help in letting me know my exact boat position on the location.

I usually start on the top with the marker and work my way around the sides, and then out. Most times the fish will not be on the top of the hump or the points, but just off the sides where they break into deep water, or even suspended near the hump and relatiing to the top as far as depth, but not physically on the hump, but within a 100 yrds. or so at the same depth as the hump top or right now at about 26 to 35ft. "I need an editor"

Fish thru the summer pattern, will most likely suspend near the locations, and just not be on the bottom, but up a bit. That's where the good old dropshot comes in handy. Won't go into the rig as we have done that 100 times.

I drop and redrop alot. as the boat moves my bait out of my field of vision thru the locator, I will move. I don't need to see my bait at all times, but I don't like to drag it or let it get too far behind either. Good way to hang up.

When you get on these location, drop a marker and then, don't fish but move around till you see the fish and then drop on the fish. Fish the area that may be as small as your boat and then continue to move about the location. I treat humps and flat points, as I would a farm pond. You could probably fish the entire location from one spot, but if you move around it you can be more through.

The Humps and long points have fish holding structure on them as well as shore with depressions, trees and large rocks or man made structure. Check these spots out very slowly.

You cannot always just pull up on these spots and expect fish to bite. I have hit as many as 10 spots on a guide trip, before I have gotten a bite. I have also pulled right up and started catching em. You never know.

The Guides call it a milk run. Lots of stops and you are hoping for a little action on each stop, we are not filling our boats.

The fish most of the time are not just suspending but moving around these locations, or always on the move. Don't get locked in to one spot.

I'll be out there today and let you know what I come up with.

Good luck, and don't ever again relate fishing to shopping it is not appropreate under any circumstance.