White's Everywhere

[Bill Babler]

After the MSWP derby and all the fish that were caught up the White River, I guided out of Eagle Rock today.

AS usual I'm in touch with the boys all day. There were litterly White Bass from one end of this pond to the other. There must be millions and millions of em, cause over the 110 mile stretch of this lake everyone I talked to was having to beat them off the line.

I was fishing the Beavertown area this AM, and from Devil's Dive Resort to the Arkansas line they were everywhere. If we had been trolling a shadrap, we could have caught 100's. These fish are 2 to 4 lbs. and just so aggresive it is unbelieveable.

We were throwing spooks and floating worms in the pole timber and the flats and just could not keep them off.

These fish were ripping drag, and my guys didn't want-em. Bass-0-holic's.

When they would get one on, they would give an experlitive, and say get us out of here,and away from these SOB's, so we can catch some quality fish.

I love to catch anything and just can't understand the bass mentality, of bass or bust. A LM or a K, can't even think of the fight these whites put up. Smallies are a different matter, as they will kick a whites butt.

We went clear to Shell Knob, and at every stop not only did we catch black's but always a white or two.

Beck said in front of Point 1 there were acres and acres of whites exploding.

He thought there were millions.

One of my guys threw in a pocket and hooked a really nice K and was bringing it in on a spook. When it got near the boat there were at least 100 whites swarming it trying to take the spook from it.

We could have caught them till our arms were sore, but the guys wanted nothing to do with them.

I kept two for dinner, as they didn't want em. I didn't know that Becky was having catfish. Delta Pride from Sam's Club. We cooked the whites with the delta pride. We still have some white fillets if anyone wants any. We ate all the delta pride.

These fish are an absolute mess, full of shad and eggs. My boat looks like someone gutted a deer in it, and I tried to avoid them.

Bass fishing was good, but we had to go too the shakey head to avoid the whites. Lots of nice smallies as has been the case for the last couple of weeks.

[Wayne SW/MO]

What do you attribute this too Bill?

[Bill Babler]

This has happened in the past. It seems that if there is a problem with the normal spawning pattern that about this time of year we start seeing acres and acres of white bass.

If we have a normal spring and the whites dump their eggs, we may see moderate ammounts in the Late Spring and Summer, but nothing of this magnitude.

I wish I knew. All reports are the same however. As soon as they hit the boat, eggs spew, and shad fecal matter dumps. I believe however that the thread fin shad are in such massive quanities that the whites have an infinite food supply and for the most part other than a couple of months a year are virtually untouched, unless someone sees them on the surface.

What I do know, is this is a fantastic sport fishery for those that wish to really have their sting stretched. For the normal fisherman amd not the specialist, this is the time to be on the water. I guess the specialist are having a good go of it too.

Enjoy these hard fighting fish. No telling how long they will continue to show themselves.

Major lake flats and river channel swings seems to be the places for the eruptions.

[dtrs5kprs]

Bill...that is great info. Other than the mess, I'm sure not too proud to enjoy some good shad crazed whites.

[Kicknbass]

catfish. Delta Pride from Sam's Club

Boy I don't understand this. As much fishing as you do, you purchase the farm raise channel catfish. Surely you have put a crappie or two in the freezer this spring.

[Bobby P.]

I am pretty familiar with the Long Creek arm but once I get out of there I am lost. Where is Beavertown and Devils Dive Resort?

I am heading down on Tuesday. We will fish from daylight to dark Wed-Sat. We have to get out of Dodge and get home for Mother's Day on Sunday. An 8 hour drive to Hastings, Nebraska. I am going out of our dock in little Beardsley and I will not venture much past the Indian Point area as that is as far as my 30 year experience goes. I think I am going to be using centipedes, fish doctors, grubs, pbj jewel jigs, chug bugs, jointed red fins/jointed thunder sticks(replaced for a premium on eBay), spooks, trick worms, chompers ultra tubes, baby brush hogs. Do you think I have it all covered? I am a bass pro poster boy.

What type of shad rap do you troll for whites? I love to catch whites! And I will troll. What is the best lure for surfacing whites? I am thinking about buying some of those kastmater spoons. Do they do well with the whties?

I have 4 days in May with the boys and 2 weeks in July to fish with the family. I try to make the best of it.

What a great web site. Thank you Bill and Lilley. I love to waste time at work and fantasize about being on the Rock. I know the dam area real well and I know exactly where Lilley was fishing Wednesday morning. Thanks for the work day daydream.

[Bill Babler]

Can't catch enough crappie for more than a mess at a time, and am not much of a fish freezer. We do however really like the farm raised kitty's. With the price of gas they are cheaper anyway, and I don't have to clean-em.

Any small crankbait shad size is great to troll, I am sure that others here would be better than I at tell you which. I just think anything that is about 3 inches long and looks like a shad. You want a depth range of no more than 10 feet.

The zara-puppy in clear is fantastic, or a small sammy or the little fin is great on top, but these fish will eat anything.

Check around Branson Belle, to point 5 and also in the mouth of clevenger.

Beavertown and Devils Dive Resort are up the White River about 70 water miles from Beardsley. Good Luck

[Bobby P.]

Thanks again Bill. Sorry, one more rookie question---What's a sammy?

[denjac]

Fished Thurs from around 11am - 5 pm around the dam area. Fished point 1 and caught 10 12 smallies between 12- 15 inches. Only thing we get get them to hit was a 1/16 white crappie jig and a 1/16 grub head with a smoke or pumpkinseed grub. We didnt catch any whites all day, wish we would have got into them! Fished that whole area from Indians to moonshine, all we caugth was smallies, no spots no whites. Nice day on the water, still wish we had gotten into the whites as Bill had mentioned. They are great for imatation crap meat, cut in long 1 inch stips, throw in a pot with your favorite shrimp boil and you cant tell the differance in crap meat! They even turn pink!

[mrcold]

Looks like you locals are going to have a Husker invasion on Tuesday. Thanks for this info, too. Although we're going to be mainly after the more popular bass, if they aren't willing to keep me entertained, I'll throw in the towel on the tournament and catch whites all day!