Bit of a Lake Report

[Smithvillesteve]

If its being reported that there is way too much pressure on the bass at TR why do we allow all these tournaments to continue? Seems just asanine to me. Why wouldnt they start limiting the numbers? Why wouldnt they want to protect that valuable resource? 

[Bill Babler]

MONEY!!!! Millions and millions of dollars. 

[Bill Babler]

Becky and I have been hiking and walking a lot since January. I’ve gone from 205 to 176 pounds. Also been on a very low carb diet and limiting sweets. 

BP has gone from 140 over 90 to 122 over 76 so exercise and diet really help. 

Since we moved to Shell Knob we have been walking the old park at Big Bay. About a 1.5 Mile  asphalt road thru the old camp ground. 

Point being several trails empty into the lake and I’m seeing just thousands of bass fry at any location that the trail hits the water.
Looks like a monster hatch. 

We have also been hiking at Pilots Knob this is a 2.5 mile moderate hike with 3 pretty steep climbs. Trail is located  on 39 Hwy. N. of Carr Lane about 2 miles on your East.

Very expansive with fantastic rock formations and lots of nature.  No water to cross.   We saw 11 box turtles day before yesterday. We have also seen pig tracks, and black fur we believe to be bear. Not sure but have no other idea what it might be. 

Have only seen 3 sets of other hikers so it is a great hike for those interested  

We are going to explore some hikes in the Mark Twain National Forest but most you have to either cross or wade water  Becky doesn’t like to get her tootsie wet

If anyone would like to hike Pilot Knob with us give me a call we would love to have you  We have been going early and I get to go first and get all the spider webs in my face🤪

Good Luck

 

 

[Ron Burgundy]

5 hours ago, Bill Babler said:

Might have had another durn good recruitment year with the Kings and James being very hard to fish due to the high muddy water. 

I think they like lots of water going over their redds and it kept anglers from catching many females. 

Goes back to what Anderson, said keep 1, keep 2, eat them fresh, but don’t try and fill a freezer. 

The procession limit is really outdated and antiquated. Procession and daily should be the same according to Bill. 


 

Actually the floods didn’t hit soon enough to protect the slaughter and doesn’t matter for upper tr the water stays clear so they are still caught even in high water events ….I’m in the 1% that cares about the great resource we have here in the Ozarks with the walleye…at least Beaver and BS gets stocked with walleye. 

[Bill Babler]

Thru current sampling both MDC and ANR I believe have thought the natural recruitment was enough to keep the fishery vibrant. 

These guys got it going so I’m not going to dispute their scientific findings quite yet as the numbers seem very strong for keeper, short and trophy walleye and I’m calling trophy 6 lbs. and up. 

Last year bass fishing my clients caught more  short walleye than I’ve ever seen, and very few of that number were caught on live bait. 

 

[Quillback]

Here's an email I received from District 1 supervisor John Stein (AGFC) last spring regarding walleye stocking in TR.  And to what Bill says, I bet I have caught 15 or so short walleye on TR this spring, but only one keeper.  

It has been several years since we stocked Walleye in the Kings or White rivers and the few times that we have, it was surplus Walleye.  These populations are doing very well naturally.  The biologist from Missouri has sampled the James River arm of Table Rock and came up to help us on the Kings and White rivers.  The numbers of Walleye that run into these rivers is incredible.  We collected 251 Walleye per hour a couple of nights ago on the Upper White River out of the Highway 45 Bridge (Beaver Lake Twin Bridges Access).  On the Kings River, we have collected over 350 per hour and see some trophy fish.  Our sampling method (electrofishing) does not collect every fish.  We only get a small sample of the Walleye that are there (if we collect 75 in 10 minutes, we are probably missing another 75).  We cannot net fast enough to collect all the fish.  

 

We have seen similar numbers in the White below Beaver Lake.  Also, we have observed fish that were 14 lbs.  These high catch rates are corresponding with the increased popularity of the Walleye fishery in the spring.  Stocking at this point is not needed in these river arms and Walleye are doing very well on their own.  Thanks for the question and if you have any others, please let me know.

[DADAKOTA]

If the Rock fish are overpressured maybe get rid of the livescopes and those deeper fish will get way less pressure.

[waterpossum]

I for one think too many tournaments is primarily responsible for the poor quality of fish. I think I counted one time 89 in April alone. As Bill said, that won't change because of the money involved 

[aarchdale@coresleep.com]

I love my crappie and i have my creel limit, so im on the bass headspace now. That being said i agree i think they need to lower the limit.  I also love my livescope but it is hurting our crappie. 

I got into Scuba 10 years or so ago and i didnt do much on Table Rock because with the boat traffic and most people dont know what a dive flag means, so My brother basically taught me on Bull. But he said back in the day the flatheads around Kimberling were so thick.  People need to utilize this, to me a flathead taste every bit as good as a crappie.  Trotlines can be a pain for a bass fisher but when i see one and it labeled and visible i respect that and move on.  

So many cats in TR that dont get fished for,  I think i sad this in a different report but a few weeks ago but i hooked a little bass on a crank and i was just barely wiggling and then it just stopped like it hit a log. I popped it a few times and then i realized it was a fish, i never saw it but it went from 5ft out to 20 and i have never had a  rod bent over so far but it came off. Pretty sure it was a big cat that tried to eat the little bass. 

[Quillback]

Tons of bluegills in the lake too.  I'll take gill fillets over anything when it comes to fried fish.