1-14-14 Tough Day

[Bill Babler]

Just sloshed her in off the duck pond and I will tell you after being off a few days, it was very tough for me out there.

Got several trips coming up and wanted to hit my deep fish and see if they remembered me. How quickly they have forgotten, as them and their buffet were gone. Did not see a single deep set of shad in the Shell Knob area that I have been fishing.

Got on the water at 7:30 to a bit of a tea color water and a surface temp of 42.4. Air temp at 35 degree. Went immediately looking for the deep bite and could just see a fish here and there and no bait. Caught 3 on a grub vertical and 1 on a spoon on 3 different locations.l

I picked up a stickbait about the time the wind stated and just did not have confidence in it and went to an A-Rig. Caught 5 pretty good fish on it with 4 very solid keeps, with two of those being Jaw's. While I was winding the Rig, I saw a nice fish under the boat at about 30'. As soon as I got the rig in close, I kind of let it flutter down to the fish and immediately saw him start to rise out of my cone. He slammed the Rig that was down about 20' and probably about 10 ft. off the side of the boat. A very nice SM.

Most of the fish I saw and caught all day were suspended at 30' over whatever. To make the A-Rig work, I had the boat in about 50 ft. and tried to bring the rig back in that 20 to 30 ft. depth range. Worked a little. I just felt with what I was seeing they were to deep for the sticker.

Fished till 11 and by then the waves were white capping hard and were splashing spray and that was about enough for me. Surface temp had dropped to 42 even money and air temps were at 41 degree.

Good Luck

[dtrs5kprs]

Sounds terrible .

Any shad kill visible, or is it still too warm?

[Bill Babler]

No dead shad. Did not see any gulls today but did see 2 eagles. Not disappointed as far as what I was able to catch, but they were not the guide fish I was looking for. Just no numbers and really scattered. Be pretty hard to guide on them. The deep ones I caught were singles and would have been impossible if I were not setting there with my nose on the graph, and was ready to pounce on them. Might be able to catch some A-Rig fish, but everyone of those came off a short bank that if just perfect and I don't know another spot like it.

Had the same guy out last year I'm taking later in the week the same time of the year and we stuck them pretty good on the. Rig, so maybe he will be up for that deal again.

[Champ188]

Not to revel in your struggles but sure as heck glad it isn't just me being stoopid.

[dtrs5kprs]

No dead shad. Did not see any gulls today but did see 2 eagles. Not disappointed as far as what I was able to catch, but they were not the guide fish I was looking for. Just no numbers and really scattered. Be pretty hard to guide on them. The deep ones I caught were singles and would have been impossible if I were not setting there with my nose on the graph, and was ready to pounce on them. Might be able to catch some A-Rig fish, but everyone of those came off a short bank that if just perfect and I don't know another spot like it.

Had the same guy out last year I'm taking later in the week the same time of the year and we stuck them pretty good on the. Rig, so maybe he will be up for that deal again.

Is it too dirty/cold/fish not positioned right for the floater?

[Hunter53]

Hey Bill; when you get a chance could you check your PM's.

[Hazbin]

The accolades are definitely on you Bill, I think I counted about 10 keepers!, heck of a good outing in my book. Sure wish I could afford those high dollar electronics you're sporting (HDS 7or 8). Your clients should be happy even with that type of outing. Good Work!!

[Bill Babler]

I had 9 bites today and had 4 keepers. I caught every bite I had and that is really difficult. People that do not have the fantastic opportunity that I am so fortunate to have would not have been able to make the adjustments that I did today nor catch all those bites. Most days I will miss some. I got fortunate today and caught them.

It was kind of a one man type of day. If I had been on a guide trip, it would have been way different. I sniped those fish on a grub. I saw others but the speed in which they appeared and disappeared was very fast and I just could not have gotten a client on them. I would have sucked big time today.

The fish I caught today were fish that most often will not usually be caught. Very hard to explain.

There are fish out there to be caught, but I would hate to be a amateur fishing out of the back of Mike Webb's or Bill Beck's boat in a derby right now. There are fish they can catch and fish the rest of us only hope to catch. Most often cause they just nabbed them.

Folks If you want to reach me and I apologize I just got back from vacation. Went to Santa Fe. and Taos New Mexico. email me at

www.whiteriverbb@msn.com Sometimes its hard for me going thru ozarksanglers.

Good Luck

[Bill Babler]

Forget the www. my email is whiteriverbb@msn.com

[fishingaddiction]

You made the best of a tough day. I fished the K city area last Sunday for a couple of hours, and found tons of shad from 30 to 70 feet over water anywhere from 90 to 130 feet deep. Location was in the first half of creeks. Caught a few but didn't see alot of fish above or below the shad nor could you see any feeding activity on the graph.