arsenal1477

If you don’t mind me asking, what swim bait is that? I do a lot of creek fishing and that color could be solid.

Thought about him while we were out. Spent 10pm-3am Thurs night out. Best fishing I’ve seen in a long time and could hardly feel my hands…face…feet.

Interesting trip this year to say the least. To start, the resort we have been staying at for 37 years sold and we had to find a place last minute to fish that had a boat rental. Once set and down at the lake we had to battle some crazy fronts along with bass that just were not sure what to do. We eventually found a few nights of stability in the chaos and were rewarded with some females making a trip to the shallows. If this weather can stabilize somewhat that lake is going to catch fire real quick. All bass were released where caught after a few shots with the camera. Caught on your traditional Spring attire: grubs, rock crawlers, spinner baits, salt craws. Good luck out there.

Beautiful fish. By the size of its mouth still a relatively young fish too. That's an encouraging sign.

That smallmouth looks like its going to explode. Wow.

Thanks for looking out Bush, that’s the one that is closing. Dick and Vickie are pretty much family to us. Excellent people. They were able to help us find a resort.

Thank you every one for reaching out and the recommendations. I figured it would be a stretch to find a resort that rented bass boats, but I thought it worth the try. While I would love to own one myself my schedule only allows me to get on a body of water maybe a few weekends a year so owning a boat would be almost an automatic loss. From late spring through early fall I’m typically found in a creek or stream somewhere. Champ, thanks for the plug on Bill, but we have been fishing Table Rock going on 40 years now so finding/catching is not really a concern at this point. We typically average 8-12 keepers per day on our trips and that’s without using GPS or a fish finder of some sort. If anything we still rely on the old Army Corps of Engineer Topos when planning out a day. It just may be time to start a new tradition at a different lake. Thanks again all and my best.

Good evening all- I was hoping to get recommendations on resorts, specifically ones that rent bass boats? My dad and I have been coming down to Table Rock for 40 years together and we have stayed at only one place, to which they have finally decided to sell(deservingly so). These owners are like family to us and while it’s a shock we couldn’t be more proud. That being said, we need a place relatively quick as I have a tournament the first weekend of April and we were looking to stay for 10 days the week after. Any recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

Wow, what a loss of a great human being and fisherman. Of the few times I have had the pleasure to speak with Bo he was always courteous, respectful and an open book trying to give information, not hide it. I truly believe that it gave him great joy to see those that he talked fishing with do well and enjoy their time on the water. My prayers go out to his family and friends. Tight lines, Bo and god speed. 🍻

My goodness. What do you think she went? 4?

My dad and I came down last week-end for a quick tourney. Did not fair well. Fished the right stuff in the wrong locations so we did not get bit nearly enough as the other boats. We did, however, manage to find a few solid fish in the 10-15ft range that looked like they were ready to explode, with one giving us 1st round big bass. With the warm weather on the horizon do not be surprised to start seeing beds by the end of next week or even a few spawning. I lost track of how many Kentuckies we caught that were in the 2-2.5lb range and measured 14". Absolutely FAT. We will be back for our big trip 4/23-4/30 and I get the feeling the lake will be on fire. Until then...

I concur on the G-Loomis, but for me I prefer the E6X 852S JWR(Jig and Worm Spinning). The 7'1'' in Med-Fast is INCREDIBLE. The first 6"-9" of the tip is soft and the rest has the backbone of a Med-Heavy. I predominately throw 1/8th Ball Head on 2.8" Keitechs, but I have thrown up to the 5" and see negligible difference in sensitivity/cast-ability and man do they cast true. On the lighter jig head I almost always use 8lb Berkley Sensation. For me it has performed very well and has been my go to line down there for 15yrs+. Incredibly sensitive tip and a good price for a G-Loomis. I think they are around $215.

Excellent. I can promise you that when he reaches my age he will appreciate the fact that you started him at that age on this impoundment. My dad and I talk about it often, how grateful I am that he started me down this path. Now we have reached the point in the last 10 years that he can just sit back, relax and let me run the trolling motor, guiding the trips. Anymore these days the student has become the teacher and the smile on his face when we go out is all I need. You are doing right by your son and I can guarantee he appreciates it.

Little late to post this, but my dad and I just wrapped up our 35th annual father/son trip. As always it was a blast. The lake is fishing incredible at the moment and they can be caught on darn near anything, on any bank or off a bit, anywhere on the lake, day and night. Our fishing was 50/50 up the James just past Thompson down through Big/Little Aunts and further up the White into Baxter. The wind on some days was a bit gale force, but a little patience and persistence can be rewarding. Most of our fish were on Keitechs, Ned Rigs and Flukes. At night we were tossing Spinnerbaits and salt craws. Want to have a little fun, especially with a little one at night? Pull up to the side of a dock end that has a bright light shining over the water and cast parallel to the doc end with a Keitech. Let it drop 5ft-10ft, reel back as slow as you can and hold on. Whites, Crappie and Bass seemed to pile up on every doc with that scenario and would rip the rod from your hand. Managed to catch a 2.6lb Crappie that measured 17” long, 14” around doing this along with some whites pushing 2.5lb-3lbs. Finished the trip with 60+ keepers, at least that many lost and hundreds of fish caught. Caught a few SM pushing 4lb, same amount of LM and some football spots. Here are a few: