Oops We Did It Again March 28Th. Current Fishing Report

[Bill Babler]

Kimberling City, Missouri 3-28-13 Whiteriver Outfitters Guide Service

Very seldom do you put back to back days together, and especially this year as we have not been able to get out two days in a row, but we did finaly make it.

Picked Don up at Aunts Creek at 7 this morning to a 47 degree air temp, fully 30 degrees warmer than yesterday. Surface temps today in the Mid-James River stayed pretty close to 47.5 to 48 degree. Water is a perfect color, for just about anything you want to do. About 8 ft. of visibility.

Don had been wanting to see how I fish a stickbait and my setup, but he also wanted to capture some so we went with the sticker and the Rig. Most locations we fished with the stickbait and then switched to a Pigsticker A-Rig for the final clean up.

Don boated 10 fish with 6 keepers up to that beautiful 8 pounder he is proudly hefting. His best 5 would be pushing 23, so we had a great day as far as weights, and a pretty average day as far as number of fish. This has really been a typical day for lots of tournament fishermen. 5 or 6 great big ones and then maybe a short or two, and not a ton of fish. That was us today.

But when you catch fish like this, what can you say.

Don's first fish on our first locations, was a very nice 17 inch K that he tricked on the megabass French Pearl. He followed it with the 8 pounder and the hits just kept on a commin.

We mostly fished bluffends and transitions, from bluff to chunk rock mixed with gravel. Helped if there was a big spawning pocket adjacent to the bluffend. Just nice transition stuff on the channel side and for sure some pole timber never hurts.

Nots lots of fish per location, but again with that type of quality it was just great. King's River is by far producing better numbers, but Mid-to Lower James ande the point 9 to point 5 mark are producing way better staging females.

Today Don ran the new Lews Super Duty. This reel was built for the A-Rig and handles Big Line, Big Baits and Big Fish in a very compact palm package. For sure without a doubt this type of equipment paired with a 7'6" Falcon Mike McC. Heavy Cover jig rod made a deadly combination for Table Rock Monster Bass.

Good Luck

[dtrs5kprs]

Get the extinguisher, Mr. Babler is smoking!

Looking at that super duty, but not sure what I would do with it the rest of the year. Also not sure, other than size, it would beat the curado 300 D series I am running now. Thoughts?

[*T*]

Whoa! And here I am sitting in the office. Hurts.

[Quillback]

Wow, all I can say is that is some impressive fishing!

[Bill Babler]

Get the extinguisher, Mr. Babler is smoking!

Looking at that super duty, but not sure what I would do with it the rest of the year. Also not sure, other than size, it would beat the curado 300 D series I am running now. Thoughts?

The 300D and now E by Shimano is considered by many to be the finest Alabama Rig Reel on the market. I for sure cannot dispute that. This is a 7 bearing reel that has an out of the box before line weight of 10.5 oz, so it is a big boy. It is also a pretty big reel to handle and for me is just a little to large for my hand. It is a large capasity arbor with a 15 pound drag system that will hold all the braid you can buy very easily. The impressive drag system allows you to handle the biggest fresh water fish no problem.

Lew's Super Duty 7.8 oz with 11 SS bearing that are made to the highest tolerences, just a step below the Steeze. 14 pound drag system with one of the best selling points a MCS breaking system. (Magnet) vs the VBS bushing that Shimano have in the curado. The reel just by looking at it your would swear it to be a 50 series. It is deep however with a lot of this below the rod. It holds in the palm of a smaller person with smaller hands or someone wearing gloves very easily, with no bulk what so ever. Cannot tell you how impressive this reel is. Price on the Super Duty is something most of us can invest for a speciality type piece of equipment at

$179.99 Price on the Shimano is a bit hefter at $249.99.

When not fishing a rig, I fish a lot of tandum and big swimbaits so both reels will function in this capasity. If you already got the Shimano, you have an excellent reel, if your in the market, you will be very hard pressed to exceed the top quality preformance and price point of the Lew's.

Long winded answer to a short question.

Good Luck

[Cblaine]

I'm also a fan of the Super Duty. It has a really low profile and is incredibly light weight. I made the mistake of letting a friend try it out a couple of weeks ago and it was all I could do to get it back from him. I have mine paired with a Falcon Amistad and am extremely pleased with the setup for throwing the A rig.

[Ranger Z22]

First of all I want to thank Bill for one of my best fishing days ever. We had a great time, and time just flew by.

Also, this is a showing of how good of a fisherman Bill is, he made sure I was always in position, when the fish were on the a rig, he did not fish the same bait he wanted me to have first crack at em. He has always made sure that I am getting the best bait to present to the fish, his fishing is secondary.

The equipment you are using with him is the best, rods, reels, and the boat is clean and ready to go.

In addition we had to old guys in the boat just having a grand ol time.

Bill Thanks very much.

Don H

z22

[wdberkley]

Looks like you're on 'em. Hope it holds true for another week and a half!!!!

[dtrs5kprs]

Cblaine & Bill...much appreciated on the reel info. I'm with you on the size of the shimano 300. For me it feels like fishing with a bowling ball. Might be o.k. if you played tackle for OU. Impressed enough with my other Lews reels that I was considering picking the super duty up and selling the 300.

[Bill Babler]

Looks like you're on 'em. Hope it holds true for another week and a half!!!!

Of course we caught those on the James after you have moved to Long Creek. Go figure.