Table Rock

[Bill Babler]

Spoke to 8 guides today fishing from Long Creek to Shell Knob.

All pretty much reported the same thing, except one. Most thought they had good days with anywhere from a dozen fish to about 20 fish, most averaging 4 or 5 keepers.

One guy told me it was as easy as it gets. His clients had 45 fish, on a drop shot. Don't know, but if they did they are twice as good as the rest.

I fish somewhere every day and am usually very intune with what the fish are doing, but I just have not seen that kind of bite. Maby it is starting and the rest if us have just not found it.

At least 4 other guides that have fished the lake for 30 plus years fished the same water and didn't come near these totals, or for that matter, even close.

I know it only takes 1 good spot, on the drop to really produce, but we have just not caught fish as deep as what I was told, especially in those numbers.

God bless him for such a great day, and I hope he really got a great tip for his efforts.

That kind of report makes us all want to work harder and makes me feel that I am really missing something that I should know.

I'll work the Shell Knob area tomorrow and see if I can come up with any numbers close to it. I guarantee you, I will tell you what it is straight up, good or bad.

[Fishrman]

Hey Bill

What is the chance that a guide such as yourself would go in another boat and help set up a graph so that it works properly when trying to spoon or drop shot or just find shad. Thought it would be a good question to ask, have not seen it asked here before.

Thanks

[tablerockguide]

May not be twice as good. Maybe twice as lucky. The Humminbird finds them, the drop shot catches them. 25-30 ft deep suspended

[Bill Babler]

If you have a hummingbird, I'm sure Rick would be glad to set ya up. If its a Lowrance give Mike Webb, a call, he mostly takes care of the rest of us.

After he tuned my unit, I could see a BB drop from topside to 70 ft. I have not messed with it. The BB dropping looked like a flag pole as it fell to the bottom.

Decent day out of Shell Knob, after the stormy start. We waited till 1PM and dropped shotted and wormed in the 26 ft. range on the bottom and came up with 22 total with about a dozen keeps, that were just barley that, 15 inchers. Real skinny and spawned out, looking for gurb.

That was 3 clients, and it was funny, as two caught 7 apiece and one caught 8.

Wish I could do that everytime as it is usually 1 guy catching the lot, of em.

Of course Shell Knob fish don't count, cause anyone can catch them up there.

[Andrew Schaefer]

sometimes its the spot on the spot type of fishing thats gets some people a bunch more fish than everyone else, but I think it has something to do with pure chance too. I do a lot of ice fishing and sometimes for whatever reason one guy in a shack will be cathing twice or three times as many fish as the guy fishing in the hole two feet next to him using the same setup. I think thats what the old timer fishermen call "holding your mouth the right way"

[tablerockguide]

Actually Andrew, Capt. Don located these fish with his 997csi Humminbird Side imaging feature. Using it to locate suspended fish on docks and trees. Then turning around and fishing dropshots in the same area. The nice thing about this feature is you don't have to go right over the fish to know they are there. All you have to be is within 200 ft of the fish. We set our units to scan 100ft out each side of the boat. Makes it easier to find the fish that are suspended. The verticle fishing them with the 957c you can see the dropshot fall to the fish. Locating these bigger groups of fish is key to higher numbers.

[Bill Babler]

I have got to take a look at one of those units, they sound like the bomb.

New technolegy is wonderful. I'm due for a new rig this year, and I am diffenatly going to take a look at these units.

Funny thing however, he told me he caught those fish right on the bottom on the usual flat points we always fish in the Kimberling area, Gobblers and others.

None suspended, all off the bottom.

That Trickster, hidding all his seceret stuff. That ok, you can't always tell all.

Sounds like one way or the other, his clients did catch them, and thats what its all about, God Bless him.

Appreciate the post Rick.

[tablerockguide]

Nothing gets by Ol'Billy. Sure he caught some fish on the bottom too. Sometimes all the information is true. Out of 45 maybe 10 on the bottom. Still caught them on the bottom. Wow,I sound like a politician.

[Martin]

I found one of those "magic tree's" yesterday. Trolling small cranks on leadcore mainly looking for Whites. Went over a tree topping out at 28 feet below the surface. Got 7 big fat Kentucky's, 3 shorts and one nice White.

Water was right at 110 feet deep. lol..... really.

It definately helps to locate those special spots.

[CMAC]

"Magic Tree" I love that, what a deal!!! Just think how many of those spots really exist, just ask Capt. Rick.