Shell Knob with Steve.

[Bill Babler]

Shell Knob 8-29-21

 

Steven and I got on the water at about 6:20. Only 2 rigs at the ramp. 

Surface temps at 85/86 degree. Took us till 7 to find them, as I was looking to deep.  Water color 3' visibility and James River green. Really surprised with how dingy it was. Had not been on the pond in two months. 

All the fish we caught were shallow, under 20 feet and the LM were really skinny. Several top water fish that entertained us on a Table Rock color Surge Shad. Steven had a nice 15" jaw pounce on his and it jumped behind it and smashed the lure on the way down. Really cool. 

We used 3 baits. 1/2 oz. Dixie Jet, Berkley Surge Shad and a 3/4 oz. GPO Pig Sticker with a Nicholas craw. 

 

We had 8 shorts and 9 keepers 6 LM just like the one pictured above. Big Head and really skinny body. 

There are tons if both gizzards and thread fin shad so I don't understand them being poor like that.

K's  and Jaws were in good shape spitting craws all over the boat. 

We just took the one picture, fish really didn't need the stress, and some showed it as they came to the boat like on a leash. 

Quit around 9:30 and had breakfast at the floating restaurant at Big M.  Bite by then was over for us. 

Fished 7 locations. Caught fish on 4. Really nice morning for my first day back.

Ankle did really well. I start back guiding on Wednesday morning.  I did get super tired by 9:30 but I'll work my way back into fishing shape. 

Good Luck

 

[Lvn2Fish]

@Bill Bablerwe were up the James today . A couple of the creeks we fish had almost dirty water . Less than 2ft visibility . Main river was pretty clean probably 4ft . It’s so strange how the water color changes . I was in the same creeks 2 weeks ago and they were green and clean . Maybe algae ? Maybe rain up the tributary ? We hadn’t had rain in Nixa for three weeks . Fishing was slow for us , caught maybe 15 fish 5 keepers . Like you mentioned they were all long skinny largemouth . With exception of one three pound fish that had been on the feed . Same water temp also .  Our bite didn’t get started until after 9:30 . Didn’t get a bite in the morning, it was a weird day . Not a breath of wind and bluebirds sky’s this morning . I always have trouble on the rock in those conditions . 

[Quillback]

Nice trip, I talk to someone that fishes about everyday and it has been tough, I'd be real happy with a morning like yours.

So what exercises do you do to get into "guide shape".  😀 

[Bill Babler]

Mostly, getting off my big butt and getting outside. Now that I’m out of the brace I can do that.  If it not 90 plus degree. 

Lvn2Fish there were a lot of fish suspended early. We caught some on the Dixie Jet, just letting it fall on a tight string.   I’m guessing they were at 20/25 over 30/32. Shad were just above them. Our 1st. Top water fish came at 7:45. We had I think 5 on top. Steve had 4 and I had one.   We missed the usual amount too. We had 4 on the Jet. I caught all of them. Steve is to enamored with the top water. 

We then had our last 8 on the jig. I think we split that number, but he had 5 of the 6 keeper LM.  He had 6 keeps and I had 3. 

He helped his mom and I clean the garage yesterday so I let him have the front of the boat and he made it work.  Now I’ll have a durn hard time getting it back. 

We should have had close to 15 pounds of LM, but I bet we only had maybe stretching it 10.5 or 11 pounds. They were just huge head skin and bones. Everyone of them. 

Got to be a reason. 


 

[Champ188]

Surge Shad or Whopper Plopper, there's no comparison to the way those brown fish attack them. I had one blow up on mine so hard a couple of years back that he beached himself momentarily on the dock that I reeled my Plopper very close to. Probably a 3-pound jaw. 

[Alex Heitman]

Speaking of you ploppers, isn’t it time for that bite to start or am I late to the party 

[Bill Babler]

We didn't do it but I'm assuming there is a Pooper and a Flutter Spoon bite on the shady side of some of these docks. 

Water is way colored up enough for a shallow bite.   We did hit some 90 degree water at Big M. most however was 86 degree. 

Looks like 90 plus for the next couple of weeks. I'm ready for some High 70's.