Randy Moore

Thanks for the update Bill. With all the nice weather we've been having I was wondering what baits might be working best and the right conditions to fish them in.

Thanks for suggestions - we tried the keitech today along with several other baits to fish somewhere between bottom and top with no success. Caught one 3.0 lb Smallmouth Bass on a jig with crawfish trailer in 8 feet of water. Surface temp was 57.6 degrees. . Only bite of the day.

Thanks for report. My wife and I went today and despite trying a variety of baits only caught 3 bass in the 10 to 12" range on ned's rigs. All the fish hit the bait on the fall rather than picking it up off the bottom. We were in fishing between point 9 and point 16. We saw very few fish chasing shad and had no top water action. I saw one big smallmouth come to the surface and grab something and return to deep water. Like you guys we were fishing depths in the 10 foot range. I truly thought it would be better fishing.

My wife and I headed to point 19 this morning only to find it occupied so continued down the lake to the next point. Unlike many, we cannot get on the lake early, since we have a mentally handicapped son that we need to take to school each day. So today, like most days, we weren't on the lake until 8:00. We didn't find a lot of fish today, but those we did find were quality including this fish that was caught on the very first cast of the day. This fish measured 17" and was caught in 17 feet of water using a Green Pumpkin Ned's Rig. All total we caught 6 bass in the morning with 3 over 15 inches. All caught on the same lure.

Great Report Bill - I always appreciate your insight and details. You are indeed one, if not the best, guide on Table Rock.

Great report Bill. Sue and I went out Sunday evening around 5:30 on the 26th and the lake was a mess with boaters, skiers, jet skis, pontoon boats, etc. We motored on idle for nearly 300 yards before we could get to smooth water to get on plane. We motored into a cove across from point 10 and caught 10 bass in a little over an hour. Despite the heavy traffic and ways the bass were still active and most hammered our baits. We are fishing mostly Ned's rigs in anywhere from 7 to 15 feet. We went out yesterday morning (the 28th) and caught 18 between point 9 and 16 mostly in coves and points. Several fish over 15" but most in the 12" - 14" range. We lost another 6 fish that were on but jumped and threw hooks. The fishing has been awesome. We are fishing areas in some cases we have never fished before and doing well. Enjoy this awesome bite while it last everyone.

Caught 19 bass and 1 walleye near Baxter with the majority on the Ned's Rig in Peanut Butter & Jelly. More Kentucky Bass than Smallmouth. About 6 bass exceeded 15 inches with the largest a smallmouth coming in at 18" and 2.5 lbs. Boat positioned in 15 to 21 feet of water. The walleye was 14 inches but it was the first I ever caught on a Ned's Rig. Caught 4 bass on a watermelon tube bait. Last Friday (the 26th) the preferred bait was the tube bait with the boat again positioned in the 15 foot range. Today was much more enjoyable on the water with far less boat traffic than Friday. Encountered a high amount of rude boaters on Friday which has become far more common that it should be. Best to luck to everyone this Spring.

what a catch - that's awesome Bill. Those crappie are as big as the Kentucky Bass I've been catching on watermelon tubes. I'm shocked to hear that hit a Keitech. Good Job.

nice fish - good call to brave the wind. We were out on Wednesday and found a few fish on the ned's rig on bluffs - with no wind we have caught some nice smallies on the flats on a variety of baits with a smoky grub on a jig head being the best.

Thanks for update Bill. I went out yesterday for a while and noticed a lot of dead shad (hundreds of sea gulls) near Hideaway Marina up the James. What is the current water temp? At what temp will the Kentucky's and Smallmouth start to go shallow to spawn?

My wife and I went out Monday morning though not quite as early. We say a fair amount of top water activity but it only lasts for 2 to 3 seconds at best. I got one fish to follow my top water bait and nudge it near the boat and one took it soon after I cast it but two jumps later he through the lure. All other attempts to land bass we're slow to say the least. They just don't seem all that interested in anything - live bait, jigs, spinner baits, etc. Hopefully conditions will improve as the water cools - whenever that happens. Thanks for the report.

We had friends visiting us this week from Chicago so tried crawlers. Thursday was in the James River arm from point 11 to 9. We couldn't fish regardless of the depth we fished. In 4 hours we only had a couple of wishy washy hits and one bass. Friday we went up the White River and did much better catching 15 in about 3 hours with a nice mix of Walleye, Largemouth Bass, Smallies and Spotted. We saw a lot of top water activity. Conditions should continue to improve as the water continues to cool Good Fishing all.

Sue and I struggled as well trying a variety of lures - finally caught 3 nice smallmouth in 20 min (all right at 15") on the ole reliable ned's rig around Noon. Key for us was a nice breeze and believe or not the sun popping out. The bite did not last long - 1 fish on PB&J and 2 on green pumpkin. We were in a cove between points 10 and 11 on the James. Surface temp was 82.4. We expected much better with a front looming but it was not to be. At least the fish we caught were nice. Boat was sitting in 18 to 20 feet - bait thrown between 10 and 15 feet. Surprised by quality of fish that shallow. Every fish hit hard or engulfed the rig shortly after it hit the water.

Thanks

Glad you were able to get away on vacation Bill. It's not something you do very often. Sorry about the bad weather but it's been a weird year just about everywhere. Nice report on Taney trout too. Thanks.

Nice fish - hard to beat quality bites on a surface bait - tough to lose nice fish at the boat but it happens to all of us sooner or later.

Thanks for the report. I'm hoping after the rain the fish will start to move in shallower, but it might be too soon for that. Glad you had a good trip. Can you show me what a grass jig looks like? I've thrown a jig with a plastic trailer and have been getting short bit a lot. Thanks.

good stuff as always Bill. Recently we had our 8 year old grand daughter (Emily) up from Texas. We took her fishing for Blue Gill using small segments of night crawlers in 20 to 30 foot of water. In many instances the Blue Gill were waiting at the surface for the bait. We caught an abundance of Blue Gill which made Emily happy. In addition to the Blue Gill, Emily caught a nice cat fish and a 2 1/2 lb largemouth. On the days when there was some movement of water due to a gentle breeze we caught more fish than when it was calm. We were amazed at the number of bass we caught on only a very small portion of a night crawler. Most recently (Friday 8/17) I tried a jig with a double tailed crawler and had several hits but fish were more or less toying with the bait and not taking it. I'm looking forward to less boat traffic and cooler temps which I hope arrive in Sept.

Outstanding report Bill - fishing has been a struggle this summer given the high water temps - I have to go deeper for sure and move more often. Thanks for the report and news of a great trip.

Thanks for the info and the link. Very useful information.

nice walleye - I have seen planar boards used on Lake Erie but never considered them on Table Rock. Are you using down riggers as well? Are you trolling with your big engine or your trolling motor. I'm trying to get an idea of the speed your running this rigs at. Thanks for a great report. I know there are Walleye here but had no idea you could catch so many at one time.

I don't get that at all - usually there is more than enough lake available for them to avoid coming by in some cases within casting distance and yet they do it again and again with no regard. It also frustrates me to no end that other boats don't get the right of way thing went we meet under power. Over and over again I have to slow down as I have no idea what the boat coming towards me intends to do to avoid an accident. It's really too bad boat operators aren't required to take some kind of boating course before being given the keys to a boat.

late reply but great report Bill - we have been using live night crawlers and catching 12 to 15 bass between 8:30 and 10:30 am. We are delayed getting to the water due to taking son Kevin to adult day care program each morning. About 1/3 of our fish are 2 to 2.5 pounds - all spotted. I have given up on the shallow bite for now given water temp. We are running into a lot of skiers, wake boarders, and jet skis which makes vertical fishing and staying in one spot an adventure as I'm sure you all can imagine.

nice trip for sure. How far north of Galena do you recommend starting a float trip? I've never done it but your results are very impressive. Thanks for sharing.

Thanks for the report. The recreational boats and jet skis seem to be coming out much earlier. Some wind would be nice to offset the high temps.