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Bill Babler
Bill Babler

By Bill Babler •

2-22-20 White River Table Rock Lake Current Report

White River Outfitters Guide Service Eagle Rock Report

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Had to go home so I could catch a fish.  Launched at Eagle Rock at 6:45 this morning and was not the first rig at the ramp.  Surface temp at 47.8 water color was James River green with about 4' visibility, some folks would say just perfect and it was pretty perfect for me.  Air temp was 22 degree when I started and both the reel and rod kept freezing for the first couple of hours.  Didn't seem to matter as the LM were up just where should be.

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Bluffends, points in front of big spawning pockets and timbered transitions leading in to those pockets.  Kind of like Dockit the other day, had a nice limit by 8:30 and these fish kept biting.  Had one bluffend point that I caught 11 with 10 keepers off of.  Most all fish with the exception of two keeps that were caught on a Pig Sticker with a Chompers twin tail were caught on the A-rig.  2.8 Keitech in Pro blue Red.

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Water was really slick and I tried the floater but no success.  Also tried a jerker when it started to ripple a bit but nothing except A-rig fish.

Bite started funny, as they would push it and it would also go slack.  I was having a hard time until they started eating it.  One of my shorts came as a double and while I tried to get that picture they both came off.  Wanted to take it in the water but good luck with that.  On one of the catches I had either 3 or 4 followers swimming below the caught fish, so for a change I was around them.

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Pretty sure they were all Bucks, just full of shad coming out both ends.  Best one today was 3.60.

Fished within 1/2 mile either side of the 86 bridge, and left them biting at 12:00 noon.  

Lots of boats and fishermen out, but nothing like the Dam/Kimberling area.  I just don't think those fish were nearly as beat up as they are on this end.   Every fish I caught was a LM and I had about 20 total.

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Surface temp at the ramp at noon was pushing 49 degree.

Good Luck

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edyer

This was a 6 pound 4 ounce smallmouth caught in the fall on Manistee Lake, one of the drowned river mouths that connect to Lake Michigan. This is an example of what Michigan smallmouths can grow to be. If I can figure out how to do it, I have a 6 pounder from Lake St. Clair also. Marcel Veenstra  also guides on Burt and Mullet Lakes in the Indian River area in the northern lower peninsula of Michigan. You don't catch as many bass here as you do on Lake Saint Clair, but you could catch a 6 or 7 pound fish on one of those lakes.

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edyer
16 hours ago, Deadstream said:

Glad you didn't tell everybody the best lakes in Michigan. I'd hate to know how many on my  favorite lake see the knife and the skillet. A LOT!

There are so many good lakes with Giant Smallmouths. I have seen 4 and 5 pounders being kept to be eaten on one of the lakes NE of Traverse City. We had a D & R Sports tournament on there and about 200 over 4 pounds were weighed in. Here is a 6 pounder from Lake St. Clair in early May caught on a Lucky Craft Slim Pointer in Table Rock Shad color. Water was still pretty cold that spring. Hit on a 5 second pause. 

 

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snagged in outlet 3
9 minutes ago, edyer said:

I have seen 4 and 5 pounders being kept to be eaten on one of the lakes NE of Traverse City.

I think the guy that caught one of the previous state records in MI was going to eat it but his neighbor made him check to see if broke the state record first. It was this guy and I saw an interview with him. 

 https://www.freep.com/story/sports/outdoors/2016/09/14/michigan-fishing-record-smallmouth-bass/90350918/

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