Sam

I've never tried crappie fishing in that part of the lake, it's strictly a "bass hole" for me. I think Powerline Cove got messed up when they built that big hotel and dock there. I haven't done any good there since they did that.

I haven't been to Pomme since gasoline went sky-high. 35 miles from my house to launch on Tablerock or Bull Shoals, versus 71 miles to the launch ramp at Pomme de Terre makes a big difference. I didn't go to Stockton this last year either, for the same reason. But Tablerock and Bull Shoals are mighty big lakes, so I don't feel too limited!

In the Fall I noticed another possible source of bait down there. Going eastbound on Hwy. 76 between Hwy. 65 and Forsyth, there's a gas station and store on the north side just before you cross Bull Creek. I think that's Walnut Shade. I noticed they had put up a new "Live Bait" sign, and figured that might be handy for future reference. That's all I know about it, and I don't know their hours or if they actually have bait in the wintertime.

That sounds like a good technique. I can't say I've ever tried it for bass, but it sure ought to put crappie in the boat! I've been busy catching crappie on TR, so I haven't tried my usual wintertime trips for smallmouth yet. This is exactly the time of year for that, and I'm going to have to get out there. For winter smallmouths, I usually put in at State Park near the dam. From there, we fish between Indian Point and the Hwy. 86 bridge, but mostly Powerline Cove, around the mid-channel islands out from State Park, and the coves straight across from the launch ramp. We use weedless 1/4 oz. jig heads with 3" grubs - clear or green with metal sparkles. In a 45 to 55 foot depth you can scope bass laying on the bottom. We drift around very slow with the wind, bumping the jig on the bottom. Bass are pretty dormant then - a strike is usually just a small sharp "tap", then you set the hook with everything you've got! In that area in January and February, and with that technique, our ratio of smallmouths to largemouths is about 50/50. We catch some big fish that way, too - some are 5 or 6 lbs. My partner caught a 24" smallmouth there a couple of years ago, and we had no scales so I don't know the weight. It sure would have looked nice mounted on a wall, but we didn't want to kill it so we turned it back. The largemouths and Kentuckies though, we eat those!

I went there yesterday, Wednesday. I mostly fished Long Creek about halfway between Cricket and Yocum. It was pretty slow most of the day, I only had three keeper crappie and one short one after five hour's fishing. Then, at 4 p.m., they started biting. I got a limit before dark. They were all from 10" to 12", except for one 15 1/2" female. I was lucky to get her, I hung up in a brushpile in 22 foot water, pulled it loose, it hung up again, pulled it loose again - then I had that big crappie on. I've noticed that before with really big crappie - they're bullies and they'll take the heaviest, brushiest cover they can find, forcing the smaller crappies to the outside of the pile. I know I caught that big one right in the middle of that brush. Another interesting thing about the big crappie. When I fileted the fish this morning, I noticed that her stomach was real full. I opened it up - and there was a six-and-a-half-inch shad rolled up into a ball inside. I didn't know a crappie could eat something that big, and she STILL bit on my lure. I think those "big mamas" take pretty good care of themselves. I caught several undersize crappie, and they were all in shallow water. All the keepers came from 20 to 28 feet around brush.

Walleye and trout stocking, that makes for an interesting conversation. In a way, I hate to see the whole MDC trout program. I think I understand it - like our society, fishing is becoming more "urbanized". Raising trout in hatcheries is uniquely suited for that kind of fishing. They can raise 'em in concrete tanks, release them in city lakes, and let the kids have a good time catching them. I read recently in a magazine that there are 20% fewer fishermen in the U.S. now than there were a generation ago. Fishing is a rural, outdoors hobby that runs contrary to the trend of more people living in big cities. It's not surprising that the fishing that remains will get more "urbanized" - the raising and releasing of hatchery trout. I don't want to criticize someone else's hobby, and I sure don't want to offend Lilley - considering everything good he does for fishing in this area, including creating this web site. But I just don't know what to think about things like the "tournament results" he posted on the Taneycomo page here. They used Powerbait, etc., and everybody caught a limit of FOUR little trout with the big fish being a pound-and-a-half, and that's a tournament? If people enjoy doing that, I'm glad. I have a hard time believing that all those people would go to the trouble of getting a boat wet to catch what I'd consider, uh, bait. When I see that, I'm afraid I'm seeing the future of "urbanized fishing" in this state. But I guess that's better than no fishing at all - and if it exposes people, especially kids, to the sport, well and good. As far as walleyes, I think they'll always be a secondary fish around here. They fascinate me because I fished for about 30 years before I ever caught my first walleye. They're great eating, and they're still something strange and new to me. I've gotten to the point that I actually make some trips now specifically targeting walleyes. I think they'll remain a specialty fish in Missouri - targeted by a few enthusiasts and caught occasionally as a sideline by the rest of us. I hope MDC will keep them going with good programs, because they're a great fish. But my mainstream targets are going to remain the old stand-bys - bass, crappie, white bass, and catfish.

After lots and lots of trips fishing for everything else in Tablerock over the years, I've never caught a keeper walleye there. There are probably some big ones, but if they were very well established I think I'd catch one once in awhile while fishing for other species. King's River may be an exception. I know some guys who fish for walleyes there in the spring, and catch them. Walleye fishing in the James River arm may get better in years to come. I heard MDC stocked a bunch of them there, and I know it's true because when crappie fishing there last spring I caught and released quite a few 9, 10, and 11 inchers. But for now, for walleyes, I'd stick to Bull Shoals, Stockton, or the King's River arm of Tablerock.

I had a discussion with my cousin about that the last time I saw him. When I was a teenager (1960's), my dad, uncle, cousin, and I rented a boat on Bull Shoals once. I remember that a restaurant sat on a hill high above the dock, because we came in for lunch and looked down on the dock and lake as we ate. I moved back to the Ozarks 15 years ago, and I know upper Bull Shoals pretty well now. I couldn't figure out where in the world that dock and restaurant were, because there's nothing like that now on the Missouri side. My cousin is a little older than me, and he says it was at Shadow Rock where Swan runs in - and that the dock and restaurant have been gone for years.

My partner and I finally made it to Cricket Creek today, Wednesday. The cold front may have turned things off a bit. We caught 8 keeper crappies in the morning, but about noon they quit biting. We could scope fish, but we sure couldn't get them to bite. We fought the wind all day, and that makes it tough. There were a few other boats out, and it seemed like it was slow for them too. I didn't see anyone else catch a fish, but spoke to one fellow who said he had two. Different days are different. It's supposed to warm up again over the weekend, so I'll try again. I can't complain though, we're having crappie filets for supper tomorrow - and that's pretty good for early January.

Seth - You've got me wondering. I thought I knew the names of most of the places on James above Bridgeport - Flat Creek, Ashercane Bottom, Long Camp, Charlie's Campground, Galena Park, Blunk Hole, Gentry Cave Hole, etc. But I don't know where Walnut Springs is. Could you tell me, please?

Since no one has posted here yet about Pomme de Terre, I might as well start it off. I like to go up there on the hottest days of summer. Lots of the side coves have flooded timber, and I've found that crappie like to lay on the shady side of each stick-up. I'll rig a small bobber and split-shot with a minnow about 4' below the bobber. Cast beyond each stick and reel it back to the shade of the stick. Those crappie are lazy on hot days - if your bait's a foot out in the sun they won't come to it, but if it's right by the tree trunk in the shade you'll catch one. All I know about muskies - I was using that method in a deep cove and bringing a crappie in on my ultralight, when something grabbed the crappie and took off across the cove with it. No bass in the world ever felt like that, it was like being hooked onto the back bumper of a speeding pickup truck. That lasted for about five seconds until the fish spooled me and broke off - and I felt lucky to get my pole back. So, I've actually been ahold of a muskie - but it felt like the muskie was ahold of me!

If you meant BELOW the dam (Powersite), I'd say you were talking about Beaver Creek or maybe Shadow Rock where Swan flows in - but there's no dock at Swan. If you really mean above Bull Shoals dam, that's a long ways away. On a lake that's about 55 miles long, a bluff and a couple of left turns don't give enough description for me to know a place. And I'm not familiar with a lot of the lower lake in Arkansas, anyway. But catching bass and bluegills on a fly rod and poppers sounds like a lot of fun, and I'm sure there's lots of places on Bull Shoals where it could be done.

rainbow - The information about tackle, above, is right. The season is from March 15 through the end of April. I'd put in at Bridgeport, most everyone does. Take Hwy. 160 south from Springfield and turn west on Hwy. 76 at Reeds Spring. Go nine miles to where Hwy. 76 crosses the James River Arm and that's it. Turn left into the driveway just before the bridge, and the launch ramp and lots of parking are right there. Early in the season they'll be snagging around the launch point, and as the weeks go on it's further upstream. You can go all the way to Galena in a good size boat, and the paddlefish are to be found on that whole stretch of river. I don't snag for paddlefish myself, but I fish for crappie and white bass every year amongst them. Every year I seem to snag a paddlefish or two on my crappie rig - and that's a short but intense experience. I never have got one in that way, of course. Paddlefish snagging seems like real hard work to me, and I don't care for the meat anyway. But lots of folks enjoy it. Good luck in trying it!

UPDATE: I just talked to two guys who also limited out on keeper crappie this afternoon. Same methods, also on Tablerock. The difference is that they were at Cape Fair on the James River arm. They said the surface water temp was 41. It hasn't been that cold yet this winter, and I suspect the same thing is happening in crappie areas all over the lake. That's good news!

I found a real good picture on the Internet. This shows the Cricket Creek Marina, looking north. In the upper left hand corner, you can just see the Long Creek Marina. I know every inch of that water, and have caught bass and crappie everywhere this photo shows. The photo comes from the Cricket Creek Marina web site, and I'm sure they wouldn't mind me posting it here. It's good advertising for them.

Mike - You're right, Tablerock can be TOO clear. In early spring I've seen it where you could tell if a penny was heads-or-tails on a 15 foot bottom. It's tough fishing when it's like that. It won't be a big problem in May, though. For years I mostly used Stren clear blue flourescent line for bass there. For night fishing with a black light I'd get up to 17 lb. test, but mostly 10, 12, or 14 lb. during the day depending on what I'm throwing. The heavier lines for Texas and Carolina rigs, the lighter ones for crankbaits, topwaters, and spinnerbaits. But for the past two years I've switched over to Fireline (except when I need a flourescent line at night with a black light). Fireline takes some getting used to - it has NO stretch and you can feel everything. You need to use a Palomar knot and carry fingernail clippers so you can cut it. Fireline has allowed me to go down to 8 lb. test, which has the diameter of 3 lb. monofilament. You can really cast that stuff. I don't know what the actual breaking strength of 8 lb. Fireline is, but it's sure more than 8 pounds. If I hang up, I can pull my boat against the wind with it - and it usually breaks off tree limbs or straightens out a hook before breaking the line. It's a great line, in my opinion.

I don't specialize in bass. I enjoy fishing for everything, including bass - so there are others here that could tell you better than I can. My impression is that top-water fishing kicks in better in June and July than in May. In May on Tablerock the post-spawn bass I catch are looking for shelter near the nesting areas, their tails are worn down from sweeping the nest, and right at that time I don't think they're active enough for topwater. I've had some good action on crankbaits at that time of year, and that's getting pretty close to topwater lures - so I don't really know. Most topwater bites, if any, are going to be very early in the morning or around dark in the evening. I know that much.

Captain - I don't know what happened to them, though I've been asking everyone including MDC biologists ever since it happened. All I've heard for sure is stories of how white bass have gone through boom and bust cycles in other lakes. In 2002, and especially by that fall, I'd never seen so many white bass as Upper Bull Shoals held. They were mostly 14-inchers and were sometimes so thick you'd scope them as a 10 foot bottom in deep water spread over several acres. Then in the spring of 2003 and since they were almost gone. It seems that if all those millions of fish had died at once, we'd have seen them floating - but no one ever did. I've read that any area of water is capable of holding a certain total weight of "biomass", and that's what it's going to hold. According to the fertility of the water, it will support the same weight of living things - whether they are sportfish, algae, mud turtles, or whatever. I'm afraid something basic has changed in Upper Bull Shoals, and I hope it's not a result of pollution. The weight of the "biomass" is there all right - but an awful lot of it is now taken up by shad and gar.

You'll have fun on that area of Tablerock in May. That's when I get into some of the best bass fishing of the year. It'll probably be in the post-spawn with the big fish just off the nest. Use a 5" Senko worm, pumpkin green color, rigged wacky style on a #4 Kahle circle hook, with a medium spinning outfit and 8 lb. test. Cast to each flooded tree trunk, letting it sink naturally all the way to the bottom. Watch your line as you let it out, and when it twitches a bass has picked it up. That circle hook will always catch them in the lip, so you can do as much catch-and-release as you want. If you like to fish for species other than bass, you're in luck there too. Slow troll a swimmin' minnow type jig on a lead jig head, 1/4 or 1/8 oz. Do that around the outside edge of the flooded trees, and you'll pick up some crappie and an occasional white bass or catfish. And as an unexpected side benefit - while fishing for crappie that way last May, I started picking up big goggleyes (rock bass) in the coves and in flats in about 15 feet of water. They're nesting at that time, and on several trips I got limits (15) of 12 to 14-inchers.

Lilley - I fish TR a lot for crappie in spring, summer, and fall. I've only tried it in the winter a few times, and not for a couple of years. I know this much. Crappie in the winter will be bunched up and suspended in the mouths of deep coves, right where the main lake starts. You can scope them, but they're hard to catch. A whole bunch of crappie will be in a ball only a few feet wide, and you've got to put your bait or lure right in front of their noses to get a bite. I've never had much luck with those conditions. - Sam

Hi, Mike - It's good to hear from you. How are the walleyes doing? No, I guess I'm a "fair weather fisherman". I haven't been out lately. I'm sure looking forward to Spring, though. - Sam

I've never seen Beaver Creek when it's not launchable, but I don't like the ramp when the water is low. That ramp is at such a shallow angle, your truck is 20 feet from the bank before the boat floats! I often launch by myself, and I sure don't like wading in the wintertime. I'll probably stick to K Dock. The water will be below the concrete of the launch ramp, but I've got 4WD so that's not a problem. The creek channel from the ramp out to deep water is 17 feet deep at normal lake level, so there's still 9 feet or so there now. Just take it real slow and watch your depth finder, and remember it takes a turn to the right near the end as you're going out.

Lilley - Thanks for starting this Forum. I've had some good fishing trips by following your tips in the past and want to thank you for that, too. A comment. It might be time to remove that bit in the Bull Shoals header about great white bass runs. I wish it was so. As you know, white bass have been all but extinct in Upper Bull Shoals since the Fall of 2002. For the first couple of years after the white bass crash, there seemed to be improved crappie fishing as a result. In 2005, though, it seemed to me that the void is mostly getting filled by enormous numbers of shad and gar. I did catch a couple of very short (5") white bass this summer though, so maybe there's hope of the good spring runs returning in future years. But for now, they're not happening.

My grandpa had the method on crawdads, as a by-product of our catfishing, back in the 1950's. He raised some backyard chickens, and when my folks and I came to visit, he'd cut a couple of heads off and we'd have a big chicken dinner on Sunday. He'd put the chicken heads and guts in a gunny sack along with a big rock and bury it in his garden. A week or so later he'd dig the sack up and we'd go fishing. You can imagine what that thing smelled like. He had to tie it to the back bumper of his '49 Plymouth, we sure couldn't have stood to have it in the trunk. We'd go to Beaver Creek, a ways upstream from Rome, Mo. He'd tie a rope onto the top of the rotten gunny sack and throw it in the current at the head of a "hole", where the current was coming into deep water. We'd go fish elsewhere on the creek for a couple of hours, then come back and cast catfish baits just downstream of the sack. We'd always catch a bunch of catfish - every one of them in that hole of water would be around that sack. When we got done fishing, he'd pull the sack out with the rope and there'd be big crawdads hanging all over the outside of it. We took those home, too. I have no idea if this is legal or not - but it works.