Omtt 3/2/13

[Fishin Hodge]

Tend to agree RS. I have been idling around quite a bit lately and found a couple of little things that I didn't feel I could fish well with the breeze, but am definately going to be checking them soon. But in probably four hours of looking I only found one or two places that appeared really right, and I looked over some good water. Checked the best looking place later and the fish were flat gone. Another mark for timing I guess.

I'm thinking electronics, location, and timing. That should be easy right......,

[Tfsh4bass]

Back in the day I was fishing a buddy deal in early Spring and I watched a couple guys (known dock flippers) idle up to a dock and drop the old syle underwater camera and then idled to the next one...finally on the 4th dock they turned around and started fishing. I told my partner I guess you don't waste time that way lol

[Fishin Hodge]

Whatever works I reckon.

[mixermarkb]

I also agree on electronics skills being a huge part of what the top guys are picking up on to pull away from the pack. If I wasn't married and on a budget, I'd book a Guide trip with Bill Babler just to learn how to use my HDS better.

[Jbrant]

Great topic. I don't get to fish Table Rock as much as I do LOZ - but its the same thing there. I can fish the same areas with the same baits and not put up anywhere close to what those guys are.

[Fat Boy]

I may be wrong but from what I have seen over the last two wks those A Rig fish are not that deep. Was suppose to fish OMTT but partner came down sick. I have fished hard the last 3 wks and my A Rig bite just got good, now if this yr is same as last yr the big bite is about over with warming wate temps and fish moveing in. You have to find the right kind of wood in the right place and fish hard, I've caught good fish in 3ft of water and as deep as 16ft of water don't know maybe I should fish it deeper but from what I've seen I won't.

[Bill Babler]

Boys, I will tell you now, electronics had absolutely nothing to do with it. Nothing. Period. These fish have been in these places since the lake was filled at this time of the year. These are staging fish. For years we caught what we caught using a jerkbait on these same spots. Then we started swimming a grub to them.

A few years ago we got on the float-n-fly and caught 25 pound plus bags this time of the year. The last couple of years it has been the A-Rig. It really works for these fish. Most times the fish are really not relating to the bottom, they are moved up in the water column suspended. Staged up ready to feed heavy before the spawn.

They are looking for shad in this open water. ie the white fly jig the stickbait, the grub and now the A-Rig with its multiple grubs, looking like a school of bait.

This time of the year Mark and Mike Fann are usually not big runners. I'm not going to go very far out on a limb to say all these fish came from Kimberling city 10 miles either way. There are litterly dozens of staging areas plus all the release fish here.

Anyone that puts his or her boat in the water can on any given day do this. I can remember huge bags in the 90's over 26 pounds and this is 5 fish coming in swimming a grub on these locations to suspended staging fish.

Terry, how big was that bag that R. Homlegran had on a stickbait in March. I think he weighed close to 30 on 5 fish. Cannot remember the number.

You get out this time of the year and good things can happen. I will tell you this. Yesterday my boat was in 40' to 100' and my fish were probably coming in the 15' to 20' range suspended. Nice if there was some timber present, but not required.

Good Luck

[Tfsh4bass]

Rick had 5 that weighed 28lbs in a Feb tournament back in 99...there were a lot of big bags before the fish kill but mostly 4lb+ averages winning tournaments and I don't remember many multiple 5lb averages even before the fish kill. My partner and I had a 30lb saick with 6 back in the day in one of the early season big buddy deals...we had a 9.62 kicker. I am never surprised by a team popping a big sack because it is usually the team that catches really good ones and then gets an 8-9lber. Table Rock and Bull are both very good right now but that Arig makes a difference and it triggers quality fish to bite that might not hit a stickbait or single swim bait...part of it and if it is legal it is legal. Bill do you think without the Arig there would have been 8 teams over 20lbs at the OMTT?

[ryan]

I am by no means an A-rig expert but the way you fish that bait allows you to do a couple of important things. One it allows you to target those big pre-spawn bass at any depth in the water column. And two you can still fish it effectively in gale force wind and inclimate weather by literally throwing it out there and slow rolling it back in. It's a big heavy bait that you can effectively present to fish in a multitude of ways and conditions. Pair that with guys that really know how to fish and bingo=big sacks. Plus Tablerock has really been cranking out some big fish the last several years. I fished Saturday and yes I got my butt kicked by the rig! (And better fisherman). :-)

[Bill Babler]

Terry, your memory is way better than mine. I cannot remember the year, but it was before the kill. Dan Langley and i had I think 21 pounds in a Big Redman with a 7.5 pound kicker and we did not get a check for Big or for stringer. Think that was 94. I think Beck got a check but he was up in low 20's Langley and I fished another one and I think it was on March 20th. Shell Knob that day got 30 inches of snow. We had 19 in that one with a 6 pounder and no check I think that was 96. McChutchen and Sonny had close to 30 I believe on that deal swimnming a grub, plus some other big March sacks. Those were all 5 fish limits. Used to always be 120 plus boats in those old derbys.

As to your question, the answer nowadays is NO. Only other way as I see it now and you got to have the perfect condition is the float-n-fly. You still would not have that many over 20 pounds but my biggest fish in the last 5 yrs, with many over 8 and one over 9 came on that crazy little thing. March and Early April