Sunday--Baxter to Campbell Pt.

[Fishin' Freak]

Got out Sunday for 5 hours and caught good numbers but no real size. Had 15 fish with only 2 keepers and lost a nice one, all KY's. I caught most of my fish dragging the Doctor or slim senko but also had some luck swimming a grub. I somehow lost my good fish on the grub. The whole key for me was the wind and it didn't really start blowing till 10:30. Find pea gravel pts and secondary pts. leading to and in major creeks and coves and you will find fish. I kept the boat in 20 to 25 feet of water and caught most my fish between 10 and 15 feet. I am going to try and get out again one evening this week. Good luck to all and lets hear how the rest of you did. I am sure Babler caught fish today!!!!

[Bill Babler]

Fog really locked us in at the start. Meet Chris Tetrick at the Baxter Ramp at 7 am and the two guide boats were going nowhere cause of the fog.

Both boats fished that general area for at least two hours, cause we just couldn't move.

Did susprising good on the extreme flat water, dragging the Dr. Our fish were in the 6 to 10 ft. range, with boat in 15 to 20.

Unlike Frekie, we had some pigs. 5 or 6 really heavy K's in the upper 3's, early, on the flat water.

Buddy, I think you were just fishing used water, and it seems there are no do overs. The best bite is the first bite, and then the little,ens get it. Sorry

Wind started to blow and Chris Called and said finely we are going to really get them swimming a grub.

I went two hours without a bite after the much loved wind started. Gosh I am stupid and wish I knew what made these fish bite. Everyday its something different. It sounds like excuses, but fact of the matter is, I just flat don't know.

Around 1 PM, after lunch, it started. Chris, Beck, and Pete Wenners, had all been calling all morning, saying where are they, I had been doing the same, and then I saw a couple of chasers. Just a flick, in the middle of a wind blown cove. I hammered her back there and we caught 2, 3.5 pound blacks and a fantastic K.

It is so funny, while we were catching those chasers, my phone rings and its Beck, fishing the dam and he says "Just got a 5 lb. smallie". and then Oh!! back seat guy has one on. It's starting. and he hangs up to net the fish.

It seemed to start all over and was just great from that point till when we pulled off at 3;00.

Ended up with 23 fish with 15 solid keepers, with a 23 inch spawned out smallie and several K's pushing 4lb. along with the nice black chasers. Best 5 would have been pushing 19 pounds.

By the way, those 3 chasers were in the middle of a pocket and the water depth where they were feeding on top was 96 ft. I was paying attention too my surrounding and just by watching, we caught 11 pounds of bass in a 2 minute period. Thats the Rock.

Pour Dennis, did the samething on Fri.

Sent Phil some pic's to resize and he will post them when he can.

[Mike B]

Okay guys, I am sorry to be so stupid, but what the heck is a Doctor? I don't fish TR all that much, much more used to fishing dirty water up at Truman where I grew up. Remember the first time I put in at the Rock and couldn't believe I could see the bottom 20 feet deep. Whole different ball game for me.

Thanks

[DougFunnie13]

Sounds like you guys did pretty dang good on Sunday. I fished with my dad for about 6 hours up the white by point 23 and 24 and tried everything we could think of and ended up with absolutly nothing. Not even a bite. Tried grubs, spinners, spooks early, x-rap, wiggle wart (not sure what a doctor is either) and tried the main lake, pea gravel point, secondary point.

I gotta say I love reading your guys' reports and really appreciate the info you guys give us novice anglers. I was so excited after reading your report on Thursday and then just couldn't find them on Sunday. Guess I don't do a very good job of taking your info and applying it to the lake...its so big and seems like they could be anywhere. "Gosh I am stupid and wish I knew what made these fish bite" pretty much sums up my thoughts everytime I fish TR! Must say my confidence is pretty low after trying all day and ending with nothing.

But I am going back this weekend to try it again. any suggestions?

[dwiebenga]

Well, I was curious about the "Dr." aswell. So I did som research as any good student would do.

Zoom Fish Doctor---small 4" worm fished texas rig or carolina rig. Bass Pro sells it for about $3.50 for a 20 pack.

So now we are all in the know. Good fishing to you all!!

Bill, did you spend any time around Basin Hallow or Mill Creek. I will be in that area this coming weekend. Any report would be helpful. Thank you

[Fishin' Freak]

Dwiebenga is right, the Doctor is the Zoom Fish Doctor. I fish it on a split shot rig. I put a #4 split shot about 18 inches up and drag it on the bottom similar to dragging a carolina rig. Standard colors (green pumpkin, gp red ect) work the best for me. I did try draggig a slim senko on the rig yesterday and had some luck on it as well. I am sure Bill could give you guys more input on the rig for sure.

[Bill Babler]

Can't Expond on the way FF described it, and the way he fishes it. That is the standard.

Guides affectionatly call it a turd worm, or a green bean. It is very small and very thin. GP,Watm,and CC, and Watm C. are the colors we all adore. I will some years, use 100 packs. Some of the other boys will approach that 200 pack range, as they will fish it 12 months. At times the cenipede, will beat it, but not often.

Lots of the boys are using it on a 1/4 oz. shakey head for smallie's and it is great for gog's. You can use it twice, turning it end for end, but they are really soft, and if you throw it a couple of times and it slides down the hook, it is time to chuck it and put on a fresh one.

If a bass swallows it, and they will in a heart beat, make sure you pull off the worm before you cut the line and just leave your hook in the bass. If you leave the worm, on the hook it impeads their throat and makes it hard to get real food by. If you pull it and cut the hook off they don't seem to know the difference.

Most of us fish it on a no.1 worm hook. I did not say 1.0. I am dragging 8# maxi. Green. 7' Falcon Med-Light,with a syemetry. 1500, or a systain 2000.

Have not fished the knob, or Basin or Mill since Thursday, but I will guarantee you they are a snappin on the Zoom fish doctor. Got bit everywhere I went up there last week, and the locals are catch and releasing 30, or more a day.

As far as the swim baits, I am fishing them on the long points and am using an Ospry 3.5 inch. Or, a Casitac Shad in 5 inch. Note... You will not get a lot of bites, but they are always good ones. If you just want to have fun and catch fish, don't throw this as it is a big fish bait only. I am throwing it some on guide trips, and my folks are catching lots of fish behind me. If I were swimming the grub or fishing the Dr. I would be catching fish they might catch. This way, I can still play abit and not hurt anything, and every once in a while catch a golly wopper.

As far as the soft jerkbaits sluggo's or floating worms, if you can work a spook, you can work these baits, as the technique is very similar.

Topwater bite is fixin to explode in the next two weeks, keep those splashie baits handy.

FF, did you get a turkey?? Wish I could go, but I am just covered up.

[Bill Babler]

Doug, missed your post earlier. Was looking at what FF had to say.

If you tried all those different baits in that ammount of time you are going ape. I rarely use that much stuff in a month.

That area is like real estate, Location, Location.

A friend of mine fished Big Creek and no other section of the Lake for 1 year, just to learn the creek.

Be patient and use what we have been talking about and only that. SLOW DOWN

I am putting my boat in 25 feet of water off the flats or main lake FLAT points and swimming that grub, as slow as the reel handle will turn. When I think I am going slow enough, I'll slow down further. Try and follow the contour of the bottom to the boat. If you can see your grub, without reeling it straight up at the boat, you are going too fast!!!!

I am draging the same locations only a little shallower, as painfully slow as I can drag, Pull the bait with the rod and pick up the slack with the reel, let it set a couple of seconds and do it again.

If you don't catch-em, book one of the boys, and doors, will open up.

A half day guide trip is $250.00 and you will learn 10 times that in location and science.

I have fished all over this country, and TR is without a doubt, one of, if not the toughest. We have the best guides in the world and they will expand your area of thought like you won't believe. Bill Beck, Buster, Tim Paige. Pete Wenners, Chris Tetrick, Mike Webb, Eric Prey, Rick LaPoint are all great.

And I have missed a bunch. Good Luck

[Fishin' Freak]

Bill, I didn't get a chance to hunt Sat. due to a death in the family. I plan to get out some this weekend for sure, as well as do some fishing. Man I love this time of year. To bad we have to work to make a living. Whoever started that idea???

Some have reported a bit of a topwater bite already. Anything going in the evenings? I would assume that it is somewhat similar to the morning topwater bite?? I am going to get out an evening or two in the next week after work.

[DougFunnie13]

Thanks a bunch Bill, your post was VERY helpful. I think one of my problems was definately going to fast. When fishing the grub I was guilty of seeing it before it got to the boat. I can't wait for the weekend to get here so I can give it a try again. Do you fish the doctor in the same areas as the grubs?

We seem to do alright when they are biting on the topwater, but if they aren't then we struggle. Now I must say that in my opinion there is nothing better than seeing a bass come up and hit a spook, so therefore we probably fish topwater more than anything else. But I have thought about getting a guide to learn more about fishing the Rock. Thought it might be a good christmas/birthday/fathers day gift. Is the $250 for the half day per person? My parents have a place on the lake, so would they come to our dock to pick us up?

Thanks again for all your info Bill. Really do appreciate it.