DavidB

Great stories!!! Keep them coming! Can't wait 'til we make our annual trip from Louisiana to The Rock, in April. Toledo Bend has been unusually slow for January and February, but is beginning to bust loose. All of our guys envy you for being on such a beautiful lake, with smallmouth and those football spots.

Take a look at the underwater footage on the D-Bomb. It seems to stay upright, although they move it pretty fast in the video.

Have any of you tried the Live Target Baitball, as an alternative to the A-rig?

LSU Tigers!!! Beat the undefeated pretenders!

What conditions are you looking for that'll tell you the jerkbait bite is on?

Our group from Louisiana (Toledo Bend) has come to Table Rock in April for 35 years. We primarily fish Long Creek, from the Arkansas line to the dam area. We love Table rock and look forward to coming back again this coming April. Several of us are avid readers of this forum which, in my opinion, is the best of its kind. The discussion about fishing pressure has caught my attention. We have never felt crowded on Table Rock, although the wakes from the pleasure boats are a major annoyance. In our view, the pressure on Toledo Bend far exceeds that which we've seen on Table Rock. Major thanks to Bill for moderating this forum, and to all of you who contribute to it.

Thanks for the suggestions. We enjoyed our trip as always, despite the rain and the snot grass. We caught plenty of fish, although a notch down from last year. We always look forward to chasing the brown bass, and caught quite a few this year, up to 19”. We had to adjust, however, to escape the snot grass, and spent most of our time up Long Creek, South of the 86 bridge. Our crew caught some on spinnerbaits, but most on Speedcraws, Sweet Beavers (C-rig and TX rig), and 1/8-3/8 oz. jigs tipped with small tubes or Speedcraws. The numbers were really good up Long Creek, but we missed catching more smallmouth. We caught some really nice largemouth and spots however, and despite seeing some on nests, most were extremely fat, still laden with eggs. Should be great around this full moon! Best of luck to all of you the rest of the year! We’ll continue to follow along on this excellent forum, and look forward to next April!!!

I broke the off-on switch on my Motorguide X-5 today, and thought our annual trip to Table Rock was over. Thank goodness for this forum! I searched for marine service centers, and read Bill Babler’s post recommending Ulrich Marine. Called them, they had the part in stock, and they had it installed within 30 minutes after we dropped it off this afternoon. Kudos to Bill for the recommendation, and most of all, to Kyle, Scott and the entire staff at Ulrich, who were so kind and helpful! If anyone on the lake has a boat/motor issue, I highly recommend them. Now, if we can just figure out the fish in the dam, Long Creek area. We’re staying at Happy Hollow, on Persimmon Hollow, and are struggling. Last year was one of our best ever, but with the slime and the colder water, we’re still plugging away without a lot of success. We have three more days, so suggestions are welcome. This forum is the best!

Thanks for the information about the Duckett. Have you tried lighter baits with the 7’6”? A Wiggle Wart, Deep Little N, etc.? If so, how did it handle them?

I have 5 Duckett rods, but not one of their crankbait rods. I really like the ones that I have. Has anyone tried one of their rods with a parabolic action—either the 7’ M or the 7’6” MH?

Thanks to all. Good information! We’re really looking forward to chasing smallmouth when we come. It’s a rare opportunity that we enjoy once each year. Coming on the 21st, looks like we MAY be arriving at the right time.

Is there a tackle store in the Branson area that you would recommend?

😎. Love the back doctor suggestion, and if I throw a DD 22 very long, I might need one! Will probably be throwing a Deep Little N, a 5X and Bomber 6 and 7 As at Table Rock, but I’m hoping to find a good rod that will also handle the DD 22and 6 X this summer, on Toledo Bend. Strictly “spot duty” or I’ll have to look up that back doctor!

Thanks for the suggestion. I have a couple of older Falcon Lowriders, and they’re really good rods, if a little heavy. I’ll be at Table Rock the week of the 21st, and am hoping the Branson BPS will have something in stock. The ones I’ve visited rarely have a selection of Falcons in stock. Any other suggestions will be much appreciated!

I’m looking for a crankbait rod to throw baits up to a DD 22 or a 6 X. Preferably $150.00 or less. Recommendations?

Great report, Bill! I'm even more excited about our trip the last week of April. Our group of Louisiana anglers is even larger this year, and we're hoping for good weather and stable water levels. We've been coming for a week in April for over 35 years, and the fishing has steadily improved, for us. We caught mostly largemouth and spots, for several years, and were always impressed that the spots looked like footballs. Really healthy! The last few years, it seems that we catch mostly smallmouth, which is a real treat for us, since there are no true smallmouth in Louisiana. Thanks to all of you who contribute to this forum. It's by far the best that I follow, and I enjoy it throughout the year. Wish I could come more often. Table Rock is special!

We began fishing Table Rock in 1982; and unfortunately, for only one week a year. The first few years, we tried to power fish like we did on Toledo Bend. It was feast or famine, some great and some really frustrating. Our first trip, I boated a 7 lber for my buddy, caught on a spinnerbait near the mouth of Brushy Creek. Another buddy, in a separate boat, caught a 4 3/4 lb spot on a jig--prettiest bass I've ever seen. A couple of years later, I caught a 7 lber on an old Rebel Super R (red), in Clevenger. My buddy caught a 6 lber the next day, dropping a spinnerbait down a point at the mouth of Brushy. We caught several others, prior to '99, including a 6 1/2 on a Bomber Long A, in the back of Clevenger; but the last several years, we've seen the light from Bill, Dave and others, and have switched to more finesse fishing, and have really enjoyed it. Much better numbers, and much more consistent, if less size. Table Rock is such a beautiful lake, and catching smallmouth is a real trip that we can't duplicate in Louisiana. We envy those of you who experience The Rock year round!

Best wishes, Bill, from a follower in Louisiana. We spend a week on Table Rock each year in April, and have followed the forum, and your posts particularly, for several years. You've made our trips much more enjoyable, by sharing your success. I know you'll be watching when your Tigers invade Death Valley on October 1st. Wish you could be there to tailgate with us, and enjoy a little Jambalaya, Etouffe, and other Lousiana delights. We'll be sure to bring you another Cajun basket, when we come next April. Get well soon!

If you come to Toledo Bend, you might consider the period leading up to the full moon in March. The Hausen Bay/Six Mile areas produce a lot of the double digit fish. Each one is a huge creek system, and they are close together. You can stay in either one or both for your entire trip, and never run out of places to fish. Beyond that, they offer protection from high winds. You don't want to be on the main lake when it's really blowing. Nothing on Table Rock compares.

Thanks, guys, for the nice replies. I left out our two top anglers for this year's trip, and realized it after my initial post. Attached are two of their better fish. Almost all of theirs came on The Ned. Thanks Dave!!!

We made our 34th annual trip to Table Rock last week, and fished Long Creek to the dam. A special thanks to all of you who post on this forum, as we follow it through the year in eager anticipation of our next trip. Happy Hollow is our second home, and Ed and Linda always make us feel welcome and special. The fishing was great all week. Most of our fish were on The Ned, Zoom Speed Craws, and a Zoom Finesse shaky head. It's a treat, each year, to catch smallmouth, which seem to be far more plentiful than in earlier years. Our group also caught four walleye, this year, two keepers and two just under. The Rock is such a great fishery, and offers us opportunities that we don't have on our home lake of Toledo Bend, another great fishery. We caught a lot of fish, and probably 80% were smallmouth. We look forward to our 35th annual trip, next year, knowing that those of you who post so regularly will share the "secrets" that we'll put into play when we return.

We wrapped up our trip yesterday, and had another great week on Table Rock. We caught a lot of fish, and more smallmouth than ever. We caught fish from the bank to 25 ft., and our most consistent action was on The Ned. Thank you, Dave! It's always a kick for us to catch smallmouth on light tackle. We were amazed at how many of our fish hit The Ned on the fall. We look forward to becoming even more experienced with The Varmint next year! Thanks again for the information so many of you provide, through the year. We follow along regularly, and your contributions always make our trip better!

We're fishing Long Creek from the Arkansas line to North of the dam, as far as Point 5. We're staying at Happy Hollow>

It's great to be back on beautiful Table Rock. 9 of us arrived from Louisiana yesterday, for our annual trip. We really appreciate this forum, and all of the information that so many of you provide. I really believe that this is the best forum of its kind, and a big thank you to Bill. All of us had a really good day today. My partner and I caught 25+, and had 15 keepers, 13 of which were smallmouth. All on either a Carolina rigged speed craw, or The Ned. Another thanks to Dave for furnishing us with Ned Heads. We don't fish that style much on Toledo Bend, and it was really a kick to catch smallmouth on light tackle, on The Ned. Most of our fish on gravel or light rock, 8-12 feet deep, although some were caught "on the bank." All of our guys (4 boats) had good luck, and we look forward to the rest of the week. Table Rock is really special!!!

Great reports on the forum, the last few days. We're leaving Saturday, and will be fishing all of next week. I'm hoping we're hitting The Rock at the right time!