About to Break Loose. 3-11-19

[Bill Babler]

Dick Collier and Bob Tindle both showed me a spot near Kennel Branch that has deep trees in it.  These are places that hold staging fish and they will rise in the water column as the water warms and patrol the tree tops.  Most all is pole timber.  Most are in the up to 70'  to 80' depth range that come up to within 10'  of the surface.  They are not in the channel, but on the edge, kind of on the down slope to the deepest part of the channel.  The channel breaks and behind the trees it flattens out to the 20 to 30 foot range.  It was a place that both Bob and Dick, along with Beck would throw a jerkbait in the spring and a flutter spoon and a top water in the Summer.  Just about a full rifle shot off the bank.

This is a place that Collier who was leading a BASS event here got beat out of the back of his boat by a Co-angler throwing a jerkbait.  Dick was also throwing one but the bites came in the back of the boat.  I think the Co. had over 20 pounds.  Beck also got toasted out of the back of the boat herein a big event with his Co. catching 20 lbs. also on a jerkbait.. 

That was back in the day of the Rogue and the Redfin so it was a while back.   It is one of those locations that if you have 3 guys in the boat the middle guy may catch them all or you might go there 15 times and never get a bite.   You just never know as it is open water and you are fan casting.  

Beck also had a little girl catch a 10.1 pounder here on a float n fly, not that long ago.

Bill and I have taken a group of dentist for years before  he died.  About 18 yrs. ago on a very hot early late April day. with the calmest slickest high sun you have ever seen, his group of 2 dentist caught 28 pounds best 5 on Redfins off that location.  I thought it was just to nasty and the water was cold, low 60's.  This was the first hot, warm day and they just toasted them.  Mary was waiting at the check-in. with a camera so I kind of knew something was up.  In those days we just had bag phones .  It is a derby with the dentist usually about a dozen to 15 boat teems.  We had 15lbs. of smallmouth on a split shot and I though I was going to win the day.  

To this day, that is the most beautiful set of 5 LM I have ever seen green/turquoise backs with vibrant black stripe and snow white football bellies.  Everyone of them looked brand new, liked they were all born yesterday as 5 pounders. 

They weighed in a 7 pound and change for big bass and 4 more at 5lbs. or an once  or two more each.   Really Bill just did not get excited about fish, but he was beaming from ear to ear.  Most always no matter how big or nice his were, he always said he liked yours better.

Give me a minute here.  No words can describe how much I miss my friend.

I went in there yesterday and followed it back and there was a line of shad  at least a 1/2 mile long that completely blacked me out from 15' to 60' solid.  I really don't know if I have ever seen this big of a school, must have been millions, and millions of 3.5 inch shad in it.   At times you could see them flashing and a few would come to the surface.  There were also plenty floating dead, and lots of gulls working there.

This location does not work 365, it may only work a dozen times a year, usually now till spawn and then at times early morning on top water.  I just don't know and really I have gotten burned so many times  that I don't fish it much.  I'll check it from time to time but there are times it will win any tournament that has ever been had on this lake.  The 5 plus years that Bill and I fished tournaments together, I don't think we ever fished it, but perhaps we should have.

Good Luck

[LukeD]

I might have missed it in one of your guys reports but any clue what its doing around Indian point and up Aunts area.

I will be down around Indian point area next weekend for 4 days

[Bill Babler]

At this point I'm going to say Indian Point from point 5 to point 2 will be better than good.  With surface temps coming up we are probably seeing the last of the dying shad.  Don't know about Aunts but it is getting to be that time of the year.  You can start with a swimbait or an underspin and it they want it slower, go to the jerk city.

Good Luck

 

[Greg nicks]

4 hours ago, Quillback said:

Those are some great fish!  All the shad must be down lake, I hardly see any up the White.

Very true. I was up the white all weekend and saw a handful of dying shad. Lower end and the dying shad were everywhere below the mouth of the James.

[Dock-in-it]

Bob Tyndall wrote a series of articles for Bassmaster magizine back in the 90's called seasonal patterns. Sping, summer, fall, winter. His fall or winter article describes how to catch the deep vertical fish especially on long gravel points. I hired him as a guide a few decades back for post spawn red fin and flutter spoon techniques. Before Dick Collier moved to Springfield, I enteracted with him on the lake several times. He has paid his dues looking for and catching deep fish. Dick may not even know if his equipment works in water less than 30 feet.

[Bill Babler]

Just from what I'm already hearing from today the major shad kill is from point 9 to point 6 with the largest kill from point 7 to Spring Branch.  I"m guessing after this weekend there will be no sign of it.

Surface temps are going to really jump.

Looks like a race track in front of the Lodge this morning.  Rain is not stopping these guys.

Long Creek is really stained but Phil Stone has had a fantastic Jerk Bait bite up there this past couple of weeks, so no "stone" as to speak will be left unturned.

 

[Bill Babler]

Both Bob and Dick would say you are sight fishing at depths of 30' and under.  Bob loved to fish at night, really reminded me of Bo.  When he was guiding you could always find his boat by a cloud of Blue Cigarette smoke hovering over it.   He loved to drag a jig.  Probably invented jig dragging strolling.

He told a good client of mine one day after catching a 10 pounder on a flutter spoon fishing in front of the client.  "Yep it was fun but you can't fish good enough to do it."  Larry laughed out loud and said "Bob, I know your right."

[Sore Thumbs]

Thanks for sharing that story. I loved it. I have been fishing for about 10 years on Beaver and I have yet to find a money spot like that. One of these days it will happen. 

[Jrod Shelton]

What Kind of rubber things are on your trebles?  (edit) **Nevermind I can see what it is now.

 

 

great report thanks for sharing,     yes, its gonna get busier

[wdberkley]

19 hours ago, Bill Babler said:

Table Rock Lake Kimberling City 3-11-19 Report

 

Launched at Cow this morning to a cloudy grey sunrise with surface temps at 42.7.  Boated down to White's Branch to see if I could catch any of these big A-rig fish that are showing up in the tournaments.  From Schooner Creek to Cow Creek the lake is full of dying shad and gulls.  Thousands of dying shad and enough gulls to scoop them up.  I will tell you, if you see this Run.  Don't even drop the trolling motor, cause they ain't havin it.  You have to get away from those shad to get bit.

 

I fished for 3 hours right in the middle of it and got ZERO BITES.

At 10 o'clock I came to my senses and got away from this buffet and it got good.  Surface temps were like a Rocket Ship today and were on the rise, big time.  Even with that the fish wanted it slower than slow.  They ate a stick bait on flat water and another deal.

 

I put a total of only 7 fish in the boat but they were all solid keeps and lost one around 8 lbs. at the boat.  As a matter a fact she hit the side of the boat twice but when your using a 15' 4 lb. leader and are by yourself its hard to capture those biggens.  After the crazyness I put her through she just decided to dive down and wrap me in a tree and be done with that foolishness.

 

Word on the lake today was the A-rig was just not working, it had to be slow.  Bottom Ok on the Ned, but not quality fish.  Jerkbait in the trees and the floater were on them and they were all good.

Surface them at 2 PM when I pulled was 48.1 at Cow Creek with gin clear water.  Visibility in that area is 15' on the white spoon test.

 

Just about to get good, these fish are starting to stage on channel swings and spawning cove mouths.

Good Luck

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Leave a few swimmin' around without sore jaws, will ya William?  We'll be down one month from today!