ozarksfishin

Most of the time when they are on bottom, you can't see them. Just go over the points slowly and you will see the fish come up off the bottom. They see the shadow of the boat and come up to investigate (they think it is a school of shad I guess). They will usually come up to 20ft. or so, then drop your drop shot down just above them. You will see the fish streak up to get the worm and usually will see other fish on the graph show up as well.

I saw the same thing yesterday, I think the shad are in those trees for the cover and plankton bloom, and I have seen them going crazy like that in the past, usually there is a bass just under them and they are trying to get away. We just never see the bass come up and get them. I have seen shad that were pinned just under a boat dock and they were literally jumping out of the water and on to the boat dock, come to find out, there was a big school of whites below them. Needless to say, I had some fun for a little while with a jiggin spoon!! And yes it was an exhausting day!! The wind alone was enough to drive you crazy. Now you know why the bass get out in deep water in the summer, not as much fishing pressure because nobody can stand to be out in the middle of the lake to try to catch them!!

thanks Whackem, right now is the time to get out and learn that drop shot, they are really eating it good. Get out on those points in 25-30ft. and they are there!

Babler, you really had to be in the right areas yesterday. I had a limit in the boat by 10 AM on the grub, but then they just quit biting it. So I pulled out the shaky head and slowed down a bit. Caught 4 more keepers that I culled with. Ended the day with 5 going 14.17 and all of them were Kentucs. Sat. is what killed me, I couldn't get the good fish in the boat. Lost a couple and broke one off, those days always hurt. If it would have been a one day tourney yesterday, I would have been in the top 5. O well, thats how it goes!!

Dano, I think the restrictions are for inland bodies of water. They have different classes for the OUPV six pack, on mine they wanted me to list the bodies of water I would be guiding on. I think you have to take a more extensive test to guide offshore. Lilley is right, the Chapman's is by far the best for studying. And you can pass it Phil, Babler should remeber the questions on the test right Babs, LOL!!!!

The new ramp at Cow Creek is also open and has plenty of parking Bill. Sun. morning befor the Pro Am, me and Brad Butler were the only ones down there, we both helped each other launch our boats and were off and runnin in about 5 min. If you are using this ramp as an alternative to running over to Kimberling to fish a tourney, make sure you know the lake well enough to run in the dark!! Good fishin and thanks Bill!

Thanks Big Don!! Just hopes this bite carries over to this weekend in the Heartland. The trout saved the guide's butts for a while, but the bass are finally bitin! Holler at me tommorow Don, we will see if we can do the same as we did today. Guys, like I told Don today, I have fished Table Rock for 30+ years, and this is as good as I have ever seen it. This is the way Table Rock used to be in the 80's and early 90's. Good luck to all!

Sounds like you had another great day Don!! Thanks again for turning me on to the white jigs. Babler, I had a guide trip yesterday and we drifted from the island to the marina all day. We would usually catch a few at the island and just before 65 bridge. We were averaging 3-5 fish per drift, bout 30 all together. Be careful, there are a few hang ups just under the train bridge, have your clients reel in before you go under the bridge. Had to fire up the big motor a few times before they spooled my reels!! Again, the white jigs were working well. Good luck, and if either of you have any news from the Rock, let me know. I will be out there most of next week tryin to figure them out for the derby next weekend.

Crappie5, I have to agree with Don, fishing is tough right now on Table Rock. Those fish are not used to the color and high water. Me and Don had a two day guide trip Tues. and Wed. and when we showed up at the ramp at Scotty's, there were at least 8 or 10 guide's trucks at the boat ramp. So you know fishing is tough on the Rock! Speaking for myself, it is killing me not to be able to find some Crappie. I actually got on some before all the rain, and thought it was going to be another great year. O well, at least the trout are biting!! BTW, I have a question for Babs and Lilley, on the two days we were out, I caught two Smallmouth (one each day) drifting a white Scud up by the Dam. Is there alot of Smallies up that way? I didn't think there were. Good fishin, look for me up that way tommorow Babler, I have another guide trip.

Hey MObass, well let's see.... we started at about 8:30 and we caught that fish at about 3 in the afternoon, and we flipped the whole time. I need to visit the chiropractor to readjust my shoulders and back from all the flippin. I just hope with all the warm weather and wind, they will start moving up a little better. I have 3 more trips this week, it will be hard to top that one!! BTW, Babs where are you at, you can't be on Taney all this time, are you?

Caught it on a 5/16oz. Eakins jig (brown craw color) with a green pumpkin and red flake twin tail trailer (Luck E Strike) I think the trick is getting it in front of their noses for them to bite, and as you can see, the fish can be anywhere in that stuff!

Thanks Joe, took us all day to catch her, I just wish they would all start moving up like that. It's not often we get to flip bushes on Table Rock, especially around the Dam!

Had a guide trip today (3/24), and as metioned by Don, the fishin is tough right now. There are a few starting to show up in the shallow bushes, and when I say bushes, I mean in people's back yards!!! Saturday, I had two fish that came out of 2 1/2ft. of water and one weighed 5 1/2lbs., and today, one fish that weighed 7lbs. 12oz. Just put your head down and start flippin!! The lake has came down some since this weekend, but I am like Don and Babler, I am just worried about how it is going to affect the spawn. Like myself, Don has several Crappie trips booked in the next couple of weeks, and so far, I can't find them. Has anyone been able to find them yet? Babs get off of Taney and help us out LOL!! Below is a pic of Jack Swank with the 7lb. 12oz. Largemouth. If you look at her tail and belly, it is red and bloodied, I think it is from stirring up rocks looking for crawdads. The water temp was 53 when we caught her.

No hard feelings at all Babler, you bring to light some agreeable points. I just hope the next 6 1/2lb. Smallie caught on the Rock comes out of my boat!!! Thats all for now, fishing the Anglers in Action tourney in the morning.

Almost forgot, if Mike released that fish back into Table Rock, who is to say that the next guy who catches it wouldn't take it home to the freezer and mount it? Just food for thought, and again please Babbler be easy on me LOL!!!!

Not to start any heated debate on wether or not to keep any fish or to give them to Bass Pro, I can see good arguments for both sides. I still think putting a fish like that in a tank is better than taking her home and putting her in the freezer to mount someday. Just my 2 cents. (P.S. please be easy on me Babbler, LOL!) And yes Jeremy that is a 6lb. plus smallie, nice one! Anyway, Mike emailed me and sent this in reply: Phil thanks for putting the photo up.I cant see it for some reason but i heard it was up.Also if you could tell the people that the reason I put her in basspro is so my kids and grand kids can see him and everyone elses kids as well .What a life you will never end up in a skillet and you dont have to go far to eat.I put a 5.15 in 2 years ago and now it weighes 8.10.It is in the springfield store.Also we now have allmost 50 stores now so its not like we are just stocking springfield.These fish are seen all over the country by thousands of kids every day.Hopefully these fish they see will keep them dreeming about the big one they can catch and thats why i put one or two fish a year in our stores.Thanks MIKE WEBB

Ran into friend and fellow guide, Mike Webb at the ramp as we were coming in this afternoon, and he reported only catching two keepers, but one was this 6.42lb. Smallie!!! Mike caught the giant on a Bass Pro Shops XPS grub, he did say the depth, but he was in the Dam area. The Smallmouth are definetley on the move!! I put my son Kolby in the pic to use as scale just to show how big this fish is. After the pic, Mike was on his way to Springfield, and the fish will soon be in the tanks at Bass Pro in Springfield.

Got out a while today and finally the fish are starting to bite a little better. Caught 3 good size Smallmouth in 12-15ft. of water by swimming a grub. I really had to retrieve it SLOW back to the boat. I was fishing secondary coves in the major creeks around Long Creek and the Dam area. Found 48-49 degree water and was warming up fast! It wont be long now! Below is a pic of one of the Smallies.

The bass fishing on Table Rock seems to be picking up a little bit. Went out a couple of days last week and fished around Big Cedar cove and up into Long Creek. Water temps are still holding in the upper 40's and the fish still seem to be in a winter pattern. I did manage to catch some nice Kentuckys and a few Largemouth, but they are still in deep water. Most of my fish came on bluff banks near the tops of submerged trees in 25-35ft. of water, with the boat sitting in 45-65ft. of water. Best tactics for me have been swimming a smoke colored grub on a 1/4oz. jig head just over the tops of the trees. With the days starting to finally warm up, it wont be long before the Wiggle Wart bite will be on. The Crappie are also holding in the same trees and banks. On a guide trip last week, we caught 10 nice sized crappie out of one tree in 65ft. of water. It took some work to get them to bite, but they are there. Again, it wont be long, and they will start making their way to the banks as well.

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I have a question about the GPS coordinates on the mdc website. Phil, maybe you can answer this, or anyone else. The coordinates are not accurate. For example the stump off the point at old 86. If you go by the coordinates given, you will end up on the west side of the lake somewhere. I have looked at other coordinates and they are the same way. Maybe I am overlooking something or just not reading them right? Thanks for the help!

You can't go wrong with a brown and purple flash or PB&J colored jig with a twin tail trailer, white or mouse colored spinnerbait, and for those days when the fish are deep a spoon or drop shot. You can catch fish any time of the year on the jig and drop shot on Table Rock.

Your best bet is around the end of April or first part of May. This is usually when most of the fish are up shallow and can be caught fairly easy. Most of the bass are in pre-spawn or spawn mode and the crappie are in spawn-post spawn looking for a meal. This all depends on the weather, usually it is nice that time of year, then again, I have seen it snow in April! Good luck, hope this helps.

Coyote, the deep bite is better with the sun and no wind, it positions the fish in the deeper trees and makes them school up. If it is windy or cloudy, they will be more scattered, but you can still catch them, you just have to search around a little more. If you don't have any luck out deep, try some of the larger docks in the major coves and creeks, like Eric reported. That is where most of the Largemouth are right now. Hope this helps.

Haven't tried fishing for them yet, but with the number of shad around the bluffs, I would say vertical fishing some live minnows around the submerged trees along the bluff banks would do the trick. Should be in 30-40ft. of water right now. Don't be suprised when you catch some big Kentucky's too while you are fishing for crappie!!