Barn

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Not seeing any PM's. To view PMs do I just click on my user name a look under Messenger? If so, I have (0). Thanks,

I will be staying at Big Cedar the week of 3/22. I have only fish Table Rock once 30 years ago when I was a kid one summer. What tactics, lures, colors and locations can you suggest for this time of year? I would really like to catch smallmouth since I rarely have an opportunity down in Texas. I am looking for some areas to try close to Big Cedar. I don't think I want to run all over the lake. I have fished Taneycomo for many, many years. However, this year I would like to try something different. Thanks,

The TFF is the best TX bass fishing site by far. Texas Fishing Forum - Bass Fishing The weather has been really cold and wet down here. The fish are a month behind where they usually are at this time. Fishing on Fork has been very slow to date. We are finally getting warmer sunny days this week. The fishing will probably explode by the time you get here. However, so will the crowds. Best bet will be red lipless crankbait fished around grass. Bigger fish will begin moving up or staging outside of spawning flats. You can try red/black chatterbait, jig or jerkbait if the water is clear. Senko/Fluke baits in some shade of watermelon always work well around the grass. Pink is a good color to try once the water temps get a little warmer. A split shot or mojo rigged ring fry can work very well too. If you do make the trip I would stick to the back of creeks/cove/pockets with a 14' boat. You will be able to get to many fish the "big" boats cannot reach. However, if the weather is good there will be hundreds of boats lined up to fish every popular spawning area on the lake. I usually don't even bother with fishing Fork during March because it can be a real zoo.

You will have a better chance of catching browns by fishing more like you would for bass that rainbows. They tend to hang around the bank and thick cover. Rapalas type baits do work well. But, I have caught a lot on Cleo's too and Roostertails usually in a orange or brown colors. Big dry flies or woolly buggers work well if you are fly fishing. I also agree you will want to go up to 6lb - 8lb or more if you are using lures. Once they start getting bigger so do their teeth. They are real good about breaking off light line. If you are wanting catch them using bait then good old fashion corn works well. Just make sure you are not above Fall Creek.

The water temp was running between 50 - 60 degrees all week. It would be cooler earlier in the morning or if they were running water. Usually it was running 53 - 58 which is when largemouth will start to get on beds.

I had a lot of success this past week using a red humpy fish along the bank of the trophy area. This pattern seem to produce all my bigger fish. I was broke off several times by some browns that would have been "overs". I finally had to go to at least 6 lb tippet.

I just got back from Branson. I was very disappointed in the Branson Landing. I was envisioning more a "river walk" or at least water front design. Talk about a total waste of location. I am not saying it's not nice, but just a poor design. I have the same thing just a block away from my office here in Plano, TX. Less the Bass Pro. The only thing facing the water are the loading docks of the shops. :-( Why even built it on the water? They could have put it anywhere beside on the lake. Do they really think that people are going to by those condo's? They don't seem to fit the "typical" Branson visitor's profile.

LOL. Actually the circus starts the week of the 25th when my family shows up.

The San Juan Shuffle...ILLEGAL

I have seen a few in the 25 - 30 lb range up in the trophy area. You can see them some times right when the start running water. They will be holing by the big boulders. You see them as you drift over. One Memorial Day about 5 or 6 years ago they were really moving around. It was a rainy overcast day. I spooked one out of a laydown just down from Lilley's. Then later on up near marker 18 I saw a big rainbow about 6 lbs. I thought a big woolybugger at her. Then all of a sudden about a 25 lb Brown can up from the bottom and followed it all the way back to the boat. She just looked at it and slowly swam off. I just sat there an hyperventilated afterwards.