Don House

Jim, since you are staying at Big Cedar, you might want to check out there boat rentals.. They have very nice bass boats for the cost.. The Biggest problem with your little 8'foot boat this time of year is the wind... In the spring months down here we get alot of wind from 10 - 30 MPH.. If you get out of the coves it could become a problem for you. So be careful please.. Next They are a bunch a great places to fish right in that area, I live very close by and spend alot of time in that area.. All of the major creek arms in that area will product great catches.. But this time of year you will have to work for them.. Stickbaits are a good start on calm days, along with a small jigs 1/8 ounce with a small craw in the same color pattern ( This weekend it took over 16 plus pounds just to get a check in a major local tournament and they paid 17 places!!). Fish the hard wood trees on the bluff ends and start to work your way back into the creeks about 1/2 way back. Fish all of the secondary points within thoses same creek arms really good. Windy days I would start with a crawdad color wiggle wart, fish these parallel to the banks in these same creeks arms. Spinnerbaits are starting to work also on these windy days, work thoses same hard wood trees. Colors for the Spinnerbaits, chart and white, with the same colored blades worked very well for me, also try a shad colored one with silver or gold willow blades. Hope this helps alittle, just keep on fishing and don't give up.. Good Fishing

Seth, what a blast huh!!! I'm sure we were close to each other it was packed up there!! Good Fishing

I think about a foot and climbing!!! The dock walkway at Cape Fair is under water by atleast 1.5 feet.. So if you go up there wear some water boots. Let it rain!!! Good Fishing

Bill, Yes we due Chauffeured Guide Service 1-417-225-2909 my cell or 1-800-869-2210.. Matter of fact I was right next Tony yesterday it was a blast we all limited out by 4:00pm. If you have never tried it you must rip into one of these guy's and hang on! Thanks Bill see you on the water

No we eat them, they are very good!!! Great big steaks, just like salmon... Give it a try!! Good Fishing

Brian, welcome to my side of the lake.. I live in Beardsley Branch... Third dock past the no ski cove... Anyway, the fish are in Beardsley Branch, stay in the middle of the creek and swim grubs, smoke color or sliver shad, I had three on grubs Sunday in two hours and three more on stickbaits anf spinnerbaits.. Water is really clear up here right now so the fish are schooling shad in the middle of the creek on calm days early in the morning.. On windy days I throw a spinnerbait into the hard wood trees and run then right back by close to the trees.. Also stickbaits work well right now on calm days, cloudy skies I throw a blue back, chrome side with a orange belly, Clear days, the same but with a black back.. You can catch them up here just may be slow at first but hang in there you will get bit.. And best of all when you do they will be nice large fish.. Good Fish

Hey, Guys.. Let's don't forget the long creek area around that time frame.. Last year in April we had many limits in the brushy creek area, and to boot they were much bigger fish then up the James.. Just go past the dam and under the 86 Hwy bridge and go straight past long creek marina to the right and you are in brushy creek. Start on the first point swim 1/8 ounce jigs in Blue and white, Yellow and White or Cotton Candy tubes you will get bit!! Good Fishing

To anyone new to the Lake Everyone is right, there are areas on this lake that are just dangerous.. James river is really Bad, I watched a guy beach his boat on a flat in less than 2 feet of water a jet boat had to pull him off.. James River - Virgin Bluff area right on and around the bend, there is a large tree row just inches under the water that goes all the way across the lake.. These will kill your day of fun and you!!! James River - Wooley and Piney Creek is 30 feet at the center of the creek, but there are trees right in the middle that are 29 feet.. So when you go into a creek just because it is 30 plus feet get down off of plane and go slow until you check out the whole area.. Any Place we used to be able to cut through to save time, you just can't right now.. Swing really really wide on points these points go out a very long way, you may be in the middle of the lake with less than 2 feet of water... BE SAFE, GO SLOW and BECAREFUL..... Good Fishing

Well everyone, what a day with the spoonbills!!! Everyone was catching fish, according to the MCD this was one of the largest catches in history on Table Rock Lake.. Time to get out there they are going crazy.. All of these fish were snagged around the Flat Creek area around 11:00am - 3:00pm am we had a total of 6 spoonbills.. Our two biggest where at 65 and 70 pounds!!!! Go Fishing and have some fun!!!

Ranger2Bass, Lilley is right you will be alittle early for the spawn... But you can still catch fish.. Water temps rights now up the rivers low to mid 50's and climbing.. The rain has been from the south so that is helping out alot.. It is possible with the warm winter, the spawn may be early this year, but only a few weeks, It will all depend on the weather over the next few weeks.. Some parts of the lake will warm much faster with the muddy water and those fish will be going on the beds. But it will be hard to see them.. Mid Lake is were you can really see the fish on the beds, but that water is still in the mid to high 40's. So it will be a week to week thing in mid to late April, keep checking back we will keep you informed.. By then I would hope for a really good swimming grub (3" Zoom Grub) bite to get started they will be feeding really good getting ready for the spawn.. So for now I've been catching some on the channel swings in deeper water up the James river arm, past Cape Fair, that is about a 10 mile boat drive up from Aunts creek.. I've been using small critterjigs and eakins jigs with a small craw in green pumpkin, or PB&J colors with matching craws.. These fish are in the trees and the laydowns in about 15 feet of water on the 45 degree chunk rock channel swing banks. Also I found a pretty good bite up there also on stickbaits on the flats when there is no sun, so the fish are there just hard to get to bite sometimes.. Hope that helps alittle Good Fishing

Count me in!!! I will be guideing alot up the james, look for a big red skeeter that is me!! Good Luck

Lilley, Rick is fine amd say's hello... Business is good and growing.. SMKO, they are little chunks not the maggots looking things, wally world has them... Talk to you later..

Well, good question... We have found that when the fish are on the flats they are chasing minnows, with the double rig setup, it looks just like a school of minnows swimming along and they blast it.. Most of the time they come on the top jig, because they are following this rig along and when you are reeling it up it is the first jig that moves up to the top of the water the fish thinks that it is going out of the water and they nail it.. Just like a bass would do with shad, they push them to the top of the surface and eat them.. Now if they are in the trees I will verical jig for them, I use my graphs to locate them to save me from loosing all of those jigs.. Here is another thing to try use the berkley power nibblets in white or orange they really work, put one or two on the hook of your jig and you will get alot more bites.. Well hope that makes some sense to you and that is my 2 cents worth of knowledge but it does work.. Good Fishing

CRAPPIE Long Creek Area: Crappies are moving in and out of the shallows on a daily basis. Most fish are coming from the 8 foot to 25 foot range. Try swimming twin jigs or vertical jigging the big trees in the channels and along the channel swings midway back in the creeks. The best color seems to be yellow and white or all white with sliver tips with small 1/16 or 1/32 once jigs. Cricket Creek and Yokum Creek are where most of the fish have been caught. James River Area: Crappies are holding on the flats up past Flat Creek and also in the channels from Bridgeport to the upper ends of the James River in water around the 10 to 16 feet range. Swimming jigs has produced the best in this area with small 1/16 once jigs or heavier in the wind, but we found you must use a double jig setup. Colors change everyday but yellow and white, blue and white, chrome and white seemed to be the best as of last week. Good limits are coming out of this area but are still on a day to day basis. White River Area: Reports show the same as the James but a little closer to the banks up past viola area. I will have a better report in this area next week as season gets in full swing. SPOONBILL James River: We are marking a lot of big spoonbill on our graphs around the Bridgeport area all the way up past Flat Creek area. So these big spoonbills are moving up and ready for the opening day next Wednesday. BASS Long Creek Area: Bass have been holding on the bluffs and channel swings through out the winter. While the water is still in the Mid 40"s there is a stick bait bite going on with some color's like blue back and chrome side with a orange belly worked the best with cloud's and black back chrome sides and a orange belly for clear day's. The fish I caught wanted a fast steady jerk the day I was up there last week, but most reports are a slow 30 second pause try both until you find what the fish want. Fish the stick baits in the deeper trees and bluff ends or channel swings midway back in the creeks or a try small brown / purple flash or green pumpkin and brown jig with a craw in the same areas or around brush piles. With the new rain this week hopefully fishing will pickup in this area. Kimberling City to DAM area: Fishing in this area is slow and tuff at best. The best bite I have found is on windy days with a swimming grub on the bluff ends and midway back in the creek channel bends. Use a 3/8 ounce jig with a 3” smoke or sliver flash grub with a very slow retrieve. Also it’s a good time to start using the spilt shot rigs and drag them along the bottom, most fish I have been marking are on the bottom or right off of it. Use a Zoom trick worm in watermelon with red flakes, watermelon with cotton candy flakes or watermelon pepper. Slow dragging of these types of baits will produce in time. Also try using spoons ½ ounce and ¾ ounce when you find schools of shad with slow easy jerks just below the shad or drop shot the same areas with small 4” ROBO worms in bluegill green or oxblood brown color. James River area: The James is a little bit warmer (low 50’s) than the rest of the river areas but is much shallower this water will warm up much faster. Look for windy flat banks with mixed small rock banks; also don’t forget the plain do nothing looking flat banks fish seems to be moving up on these to feeding on shad. Try stickbaits in the same color patterns as the rest with easy jerks and long 30 second pauses. Also try small jigs in brown / purple flash or green pumpkin and brown with a craw around pole timber and brush piles with a very slow. Warning this area is very low!!! There are a lot of big trees just under the water in the channels and in the bends of the river, go slow and watch for trees just barely exposed. White River, Baxter, Camel Point Area: No Report. Check back next week.

bass master, check out my report I will post one here also.. Had some really good luck up the Long Creek Branch last week with stickbaits.. Good Fishing

Crappie fishing is really good on a day to day basis. I would think the spawn will be alittle bit early this year due to the warm winter, But as SMKO said fishing is really good right now so the spawn will either not make much of a change or just make things alittle bit easier. Upper James area, the crappie are on the flats around Flat Creek or above in 12 - 16 feet of water. Slow swimming jigs seems to work the best. Long Creek area, Crappie one day are on the banks and in the brush piles and then the next they are in the deep bluff pole trees. Vertical jigging has worked the best for me. But alot of guys are also swimmimg jigs which seems to be working. Upper White River and King Area, I personnely have not been up there but, alot of folks are saying the same crappie are holding on the flats and in the pole trees. That area should turn on fast with the warmer water. Hope that Helps alittle Good Fishing

MOBASS, you are going to the right place... Millcreek is about the best ramp right now.. Good Luck wish you well Don House