White River Walleye or Bust

[Bill Babler]

Becky gave me a reprieve at 11:00 this morning and I loaded the boat with 2 and only two rods and headed for Eagle Rock.  As you can tell by the title of the blog, this is not going to be pretty.

Quite a few rigs at the ramp, but really did not see many people on the water and was able to fish where ever I wanted.  I did not chose wisely.  Day kind of started on the rough side.  Dumped the tub in and immediately sat down to tie on a new McStick in Old Glory.  I really like this color early up the river for walleye.  I'm not the expert or have half the knowledge that RPS or any of the Holliday Island walleye crew have, but this time of the year I can usually get one or two tricked on a suspending stickbait.  Shucked the bait from the box and removed the center hook.  I wanted a little more weight and I have weighted hooks at the ready.  Installed the Death Trap, and bit the tag end of the 8 pound maxi off and tossed the bait over the side to stand up and get at it.  You can pretty much guess what happened here.  Of course I bit the main line off and the 9 dollar bait plus my weighted hook slowing at first then with more speed than a flying locomotive headed for the bottom.  Tomorrow at the ramp, I'm just going to wad up a 10 dollar bill and throw it in.  Should take care of things.

Not to be discouraged I quickly tied on a Megabass 110 plus in custom painted Tim Hughes colors and made sure my chompers bit the correct line.  I did not however throw it overboard.  Pulled onto the first location at 11:47 and started the flinging process.

3 hours and 9 locations later I was still wondering when my first bite was going to come.  I used to know how to fish a jerkbait, might have forgotten.  About this time I saw a very nice and very short piece of transition bank that had some surf pounding on it.  This location is about a 3 cast spot, but you do what you have to do.  Flung the megabass for the 100th. time and jerked it down.  Paused 20 seconds and touched it.  Thump!  Could it really be a bite?  My gosh it is and it is a very nice 16.5 inch White River K.  I'm more than happy.  What a beautiful fish, not a walleye, but I like her.  I'm going to try this again.  Whir goes the Lews Tournament Pro. and splash goes the megabass.  Jerk, jerk, pause.  Thump again.  It is a twin to the first.  Deep green and white with a huge belly full of eggs.  She is a beaut and I'm giddy.  I'm thinking now, OH Ya, I'm the man. I slung that puppy back out there and had a drive by on this cast.  I knew I missed one, but it never touched the bait, I just lost contact and my line slacked about 2 inches.  I think they move the bait in the water when they miss like that, and yes I can feel that.

 I would not believe it either if I were you.  True but scary.

 Fourth cast, bump, bump, twitch, twitch.  Thump, another K, just like the last two.  Everyone has been identical 16.5 inch and a solid 2.5 pounds.  I did not do a Mike Ike deal, but at this point, I'm pretty proud of myself.  You can tell here that it does not take much to make me happy.  10 more cast and nada.  I moved on.

Did not go far and fished 3 other locations, and had to go back.  First throw on my little slice of heaven and low and behold, I felt that wonderful tick.  Of course it is another K just like the first 3.  I'm starting to think at this point that I'm catching the same fish over and over, but that is not happening.  Next throw and bang again the same deal.  That is a solid limit of K's that would get you a very hardy handshake for your donation in any derby.  Few more cast and nothing.  I move on again and go down  to Rock Creek.  Fish a 1/2 dozen more locations with no bites and decide to head in.  Of course as I'm passing my windy Honey Hole I have to stop a 3rd. time.  First cast and thump again.  It did not fight the same, but it was a fish.  Low and behold a very nice crappie on the jerkbait.  Well, I like crappie almost as much as walleye so I'm just going to try that again.  Same time same station and another bite.  This time its a 14 inch walleye.  I'm pretty much a walleye catching machine.  Ooops that was it.

Sometimes you just have to laugh at yourself and enjoy what the providers gives you.  I would not change today for all the walleye in Table Rock lake, I had a ball.

 

 

[dtrs5kprs]

I used to fish club derbies with a guy who would do that with a bait every morning first thing. Usually a Stanley jig and #11 frog. Tie it on, bite it off, and toss it over. Some kind of superstitious sacrifice in his mind.

Having footballs enamored of your stickbait is not the worst way to spend a day.

[Bill Babler]

I'm not superstitious, I want my bait back.

[dan hufferd]

Well written! Sounds like a great time.

Just to throw it out there....I know a guy that could help you catch all those fish.

 

[*T*]

1 hour ago, Bill Babler said:

Becky gave me a reprieve at 11:00 this morning and I loaded the boat with 2 and only two rods and headed for Eagle Rock.  As you can tell by the title of the blog, this is not going to be pretty.

Quite a few rigs at the ramp, but really did not see many people on the water and was able to fish where ever I wanted.  I did not chose wisely.  Day kind of started on the rough side.  Dumped the tub in and immediately sat down to tie on a new McStick in Old Glory.  I really like this color early up the river for walleye.  I'm not the expert or have half the knowledge that RPS or any of the Holliday Island walleye crew have, but this time of the year I can usually get one or two tricked on a suspending stickbait.  Shucked the bait from the box and removed the center hook.  I wanted a little more weight and I have weighted hooks at the ready.  Installed the Death Trap, and bit the tag end of the 8 pound maxi off and tossed the bait over the side to stand up and get at it.  You can pretty much guess what happened here.  Of course I bit the main line off and the 9 dollar bait plus my weighted hook slowing at first then with more speed than a flying locomotive headed for the bottom.  Tomorrow at the ramp, I'm just going to wad up a 10 dollar bill and throw it in.  Should take care of things.

Not to be discouraged I quickly tied on a Megabass 110 plus in custom painted Tim Hughes colors and made sure my chompers bit the correct line.  I did not however throw it overboard.  Pulled onto the first location at 11:47 and started the flinging process.

3 hours and 9 locations later I was still wondering when my first bite was going to come.  I used to know how to fish a jerkbait, might have forgotten.  About this time I saw a very nice and very short piece of transition bank that had some surf pounding on it.  This location is about a 3 cast spot, but you do what you have to do.  Flung the megabass for the 100th. time and jerked it down.  Paused 20 seconds and touched it.  Thump!  Could it really be a bite?  My gosh it is and it is a very nice 16.5 inch White River K.  I'm more than happy.  What a beautiful fish, not a walleye, but I like her.  I'm going to try this again.  Whir goes the Lews Tournament Pro. and splash goes the megabass.  Jerk, jerk, pause.  Thump again.  It is a twin to the first.  Deep green and white with a huge belly full of eggs.  She is a beaut and I'm giddy.  I'm thinking now, OH Ya, I'm the man. I slung that puppy back out there and had a drive by on this cast.  I knew I missed one, but it never touched the bait, I just lost contact and my line slacked about 2 inches.  I think they move the bait in the water when they miss like that, and yes I can feel that.

 I would not believe it either if I were you.  True but scary.

 Fourth cast, bump, bump, twitch, twitch.  Thump, another K, just like the last two.  Everyone has been identical 16.5 inch and a solid 2.5 pounds.  I did not do a Mike Ike deal, but at this point, I'm pretty proud of myself.  You can tell here that it does not take much to make me happy.  10 more cast and nada.  I moved on.

Did not go far and fished 3 other locations, and had to go back.  First throw on my little slice of heaven and low and behold, I felt that wonderful tick.  Of course it is another K just like the first 3.  I'm starting to think at this point that I'm catching the same fish over and over, but that is not happening.  Next throw and bang again the same deal.  That is a solid limit of K's that would get you a very hardy handshake for your donation in any derby.  Few more cast and nothing.  I move on again and go down  to Rock Creek.  Fish a 1/2 dozen more locations with no bites and decide to head in.  Of course as I'm passing my windy Honey Hole I have to stop a 3rd. time.  First cast and thump again.  It did not fight the same, but it was a fish.  Low and behold a very nice crappie on the jerkbait.  Well, I like crappie almost as much as walleye so I'm just going to try that again.  Same time same station and another bite.  This time its a 14 inch walleye.  I'm pretty much a walleye catching machine.  Ooops that was it.

Sometimes you just have to laugh at yourself and enjoy what the providers gives you.  I would not change today for all the walleye in Table Rock lake, I had a ball.

 

 

Hi Bill, we've never met but you put these stories together with a very unique spin. Hope you have considered consolidating some of your comments into a log of some sort for preservation. I am sure that a compilation of some of your posts could make for a pretty amazing book of Ozark's fishing/lore. Thanks. 

[dtrs5kprs]

1 hour ago, Bill Babler said:

I'm not superstitious, I want my bait back.

Yep. A jig and pig used to be pretty cheap. A well loved stick is close to priceless.

Showing my age. Bunch of guys are probably googling Stanley Jig right now. Next I'll drop a phone cord reference.

[edyer]

Good read Bill. I've been visiting your lake almost every spring since 1980. The only walleye I have ever caught was on the deep diving Spro McStick 90 (I think that is the size)off one of the shallower points in Big Creek. It was a chunky 20 incher that made a nice meal. Up here in Michigan, I catch a lot of walleyes on jerk baits(mostly gold or perch patterns because of our yellow perch forage). A few years ago I started casting Rapala jigging Raps because that was a bait one of the guys that is somewhat oder than me was catching them on. He was catching most of his vertical jigging in deep water, 40-60 feet. Being that I'm a bass angler first, I used a technique that fit my style better. After I shared this with him,, he has added this to his repertoire now too.You cast ahead on the break, and pop it off the bottom like you might a jigging spoon(which is also a good walleye bait) and work the bait back to the boat. Sometimes they bite it on the initial fall, but sometimes almost vertically under the boat. The body of water that I have done the best onis a flooded reservoir that reminds me of Table Rock, but in a much smaller version. A plug knocker comes in handy because you get hung up a lot. Just thought I would throw this out there because I know a few guys have the Jiggin Raps for winter vertical jigging for bass. As always, I appreciate your reports Bill.

[Ham]

12 hours ago, Bill Babler said:

.  I wanted a little more weight and I have weighted hooks at the ready.  Installed the Death Trap, and bit the tag end of the 8 pound maxi off and tossed the bait over the side to stand up and get at it.  You can pretty much guess what happened here.  Of course I bit the main line off and the 9 dollar bait plus my weighted hook slowing at first then with more speed than a flying locomotive headed for the bottom.  Tomorrow at the ramp, I'm just going to wad up a 10 dollar bill and throw it in.  Should take care of things.

Funny how your memory works. There is a theory that nothing is forgotten we just cant access the information. Bill's story took me back to being an 8 year old and "tying on" a brand new Beetle Spin 1/8 oz White with a Red Blood Spot. I tossed it over the side and watched it sink out of sight. I didn't lie about it, but I didn't being my Dad's attention to what just happened either. Bummer.

Kinda surprised to hear you went McStik over the 110 in the first place, but both are good baits. I've had much better results with the McStik than the RC STX. BTW Bill, I'm loving the Jerk Bait Special.

[MOPanfisher]

Just for funzies I will add a lost lure story.  Brand New Rapala Minnow Rap when they first came out, Hot Tiger color.  Was walleye fishing on Pomme.  Wanted to try the new lure, tied it on and made an absolutely perfect cast, water was up in the bushes a little and it landed right between a couple bushes, I turned to my buddy and said something to the effect, of "Did you see that cast, I deserve a fish just for the quality of the cast", right about them there was a massive jerk on the line, I set the hook on slack.  WTH,  giant swirl when the had landed and I had NOTHING.  A big muskie had decided he liked it better than I did, never even got to fish with it.  Such is life.

[trythisonemv]

It crazy how we hold on to lures for a super long time catching seemingly endless amounts of fish and the one day the strangest series of events set in motion to rob us of our prized tackle. Then you purchase or make another and it doesn't seem to work quite as well as the original tattered discolored version. Great story telling Mr babler. Always enjoy your reads.