March 26Th. Table Rock Lake Bass Fishing Report

[Bill Babler]

Good Golly and Jeepers Creeper, the Rock has gone to Heck in a Handbasket.

Guided my beloved Shell Knob this morning with great guy Dan, staying a Big Creek Resort. Dumped the tub in the swamp at 6:30 and pretty much should have kept it on the trailer.

Water in the Big Creek to Baxter Area, slightly dingy with floating debris in the way of leaves and very small pesky debris.

Surface temp at 62 degree and lake level at 918.6.

Lake surface was as flat as a cast iron griddle and the flags hung as limp as a. Well they were pretty limp and there was not a speck of breeze.

I'm sure Dan thought I was a mad man cause I ran and hunted chasers and breeze most of the morning. Started in a timbered pocket after seeing a boil or two. I had 3 on a fin with 1 nice keeper and Dan had 3 on a fin. They self released before we could get a mitt on them, so don't know about size.

Threw a grub and only caught one short here after they gave the fin up, and then we went to a split shot. Caught a nice keeper K in the same pocket.

Blew out of Big Creek and saw a ripple of wind on a 45 degree bank. Wheeled the buggy on to the slight choppy bank and we both started flinging the cage. I caught a 14.5 inch K here and the little breeze there was blew out.

Moved up toward Shell Knob, and hit pretty muddy water, just past Basin Hollow. Pulled into Mill Creek and caught another K on the Split shot and off we went again checking some cuts back toward Big Creek. Dan caught a short K on the split shot in one of the cuts.

Moved clear up to Baxter and took a number to fish. There was a pay station you had to leave money and get a number to fish any of the banks in the Baxter Indian creek area. Just jammed with wrapped boats.

Reguradless Dan picked up 1 Goggle Eye, my first of the year, and a Meanmouth and a nice Keeper Jaw, all swimming the grub. Moved into the creek, and I caught a short on a grub and then fishing a very nice bluffend caught a big fat K that was just short, but it fought like a tiger. Probably more like a JayHawk as it put up a fight. "Gosh that hurt to say."

That was pretty much our morning, but from I hear tell from the boys, it might have been steller. I thought it was hard but really enjoyed Dan's company. Hope he enjoys the rest of his week.

Good Luck out there.

[buckcreekmike]

_{I liked the Jayhawk comment, but I understand how you feel about it. I'm headed down tomorrow, and from the sounds of things I will have my work cut out for me (even though I wouldn't call it work, but I do like to catch, not just enjoy being on the water BS). I wonder if the big time pros will make it even harder to where a nobody like me will be even to find a spot to even attempt to coax one out. I'm sure as hell going to give it a shot. I heard there were 25 tourneys two weekends ago on LOZ, and I still squeaked a few out, so you never know.}

[jmes]

I'm going down there tomorrow and friday to do some pre-fishin before the AIA"s this weekend,hopefully I'll get on some

fish that the FLW guys don't know about and maybe have a good showing this weekend

[flipper]

GOOD LUCK!! parking spots even @ a premium! absolutely ridiculous. just my 2 cents worth but I think this is WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!

[Bill Babler]

Flip, I feel your pain. This time of the year we are just flat gona get it. You know, it seems to me that the best time to fish Table Rock is when they are not biting.

This derby deal has flat gotten out of hand on this pond.

Billy B. told me today he was cut of so many times yesterday he was ready to put it on the trailer. The spaceage equipment we have today has put this swamp in reach of everyone from any launching location on the lake. Gas at 4 bucks a gal. "Means Nothing."

My son likes to fish but is not a derby guy. He gets 4 wks. vacation a year, and is 28 years old. He makes in the neighborhood of $150,000.00 a year. There are 400 engineers in his office making about the same money and more and 4000 more of the same in KC.

If they want to buy a $70,000.00 boat or spend $250.00 a day for gas, do you think they care? That is where and how we live now. There have been hard times for some, but the professional fields such as engineers, medical and some upper end sales people are still doing well and have been.

It is hard for us to realize that there are millions of Americans under 40 living in 1/2 and up Million dollar homes with the financial ability to fish for a month a year and not think a thing about it. Some are completely debt free. We are seeing it now.

Sorry to say, but I think we will have to get used to it.

[johnm]

Agreed on that. Being 28 myself and serious about bass fishing with the exception of tournaments. A lot of peers I know are living a similar lifestyle on daddys dime. There's a lot to be said for earning your own and being proud of what you've got. And not living on credit cards.

[Bill Babler]

Thanks Johnm You know this old America we live in is so different for so many people. Most of us work hard for our money and try the best we can just to keep it headed up hill. It is hard for us to see others that maybe, with a bit more education and being in the right place at the right time have and I grant you with hard work moved a step above the rest.

We all see the struggles on the news, but being in the business I'm in, I see the good. There are lots of fine folks and I mean lots that only count money as a way to keep score on how they are doing. There are others that make so much they don't need to keep score.

Used to we thought they were Doctors or Lawyers. Now you just don't know. One of our Alaska friend a young man sold an internet idea he thought of and has houses worth hundreds of thousands in multiple states. He is under 40. All paid for in cash.

We used to think, that guy is 50 Plus and he has worked hard and has some money. Now we see people under 30 with that kind of savings and income to increase it.

The Professional job market in America is a place with the right education you can be pretty much self sufficent in your 20's.

Just hope they are all not Bass Fishermen.

[abkeenan]

GOOD LUCK!! parking spots even @ a premium! absolutely ridiculous. just my 2 cents worth but I think this is WRONG!!!!!!!!!!!

It was dumb last weekend. Had to park off to the side of the ramp at 86 park due to so many boats.....NEVER have had to do that before or even seen it. I am thinking of looking for a new impoundment to fish. The amount of tournaments and the # of boats in those tournaments has just gotten completely out of hand. The all mighty dollar will always prevail so I don't see tournaments and their money being cut back anytime soon. Just a travesty in my opinion. There is no room for the weekend fun fisherman anymore, all about the big boys and their wrapped boats and blinged out trailers. Anyone know of a deep clear impoundment that was damed up and flooded in the midwest over the last 20 years with nice timber in it that doesn't have boats on it like a swarm of gnats?

[steveearle]

Bill-- Usually truly enjoy your posts, and maybe I have it wrong, but aren't the guiding and lodging industry kept healthy by folks with good paying jobs, disposable income, vacation time and many times payed for by profitable corporations. If we had no well-off people that liked to bass fish, wouldn't certain businesses shrivel up and die? We want enough fisherman to fill the year's schedule, but not enough to beat us to our favorite fishing hole or disturb, what is perceived as, our own personal playground?? I'm kind of confused.

[roadrunner]

Blue gill,

I couldn't agree more with your post. I was thinking the exact same thing! Just because you make a lot of money doesn't mean you don't

work your tail off to get it. It also doesn't mean I don't deserve to fish Table Rock whenever I want and as much as I want. Thank god for all of

these young people working hard and making their fair share, without these people the guiding and hotel industry around table rock would

be gone! And lastly $150,000 a year is really not that much after our government takes its share!