Tfsh4bass

Sorry yes Indian Point area...I fish by myself a lot and the IP ramp is easy for me being solo. This time of year I fish 2-3 days per week most weeks but never go to the same spot on consecutive days regardless of how good I catch them. From that ramp I can basically cover 86 to Cow without burning too much gas.

Very tough call because too much wind can be bad because it can bring cooler water into warmer pockets...at the same time wind can dirty up north pockets that warm up a little better later in the day. I like some wind but not a lot in the early spring. Table Rock is the absolute toughest for me when it is cloudy with no wind...I usually get the spinning rod out. I know a lot of people like Table Rock when it is cloudy and nasty but I actually prefer a mix of sun/clouds especially in the early spring because the bass seem to move up in the water column. Not sure where you fished but I would suggest back 1/3 of some main lake or creek short pockets with the jerkbait especially first thing in the morning and after 2.

Wed I could only catch them off the first docks in pockets...only caught 7 but had some really good ones including 2 around 5lbs and I had to let jerkbait sit for 20-30 seconds and had the boat in 30ish..caught fish off 4 different docks in 4 different pockets. Sat I fished the windblown pockets and caught them very shallow (boat in 15) off pea gravel and change banks back 1/3...they really bit and I had 17 keepers with a few really good ones but the bite ended around noon for me. Sun I couldn't get bit at all and only caught 4 but all were decent on small jig flipping docks...left around 1. I fished Indian area all 3 days but fished Little Indian Wed, Main Lake pockets Sat and Big Indian Sun.

That is why we all like to fish so much...everyday is a new day to figure out a puzzle. I fished 3 days last week and I swear they were on different stuff each day...2 of the 3 days were excellent though. The only thing consistent for me is I can't catch a fish by a tree to save my life

I would add shallow crank in the backs...I caught them pretty good the other day after changing from a blade because they just kept slapping at the blade. Change banks in the backs have been working for me lately.

I fished Norfork last Thursday from 7am until 10pm and had an incredible day especially when the clouds were around. Didn't catch any stripers or whites but caught a bunch of largemouth, smallmouth and spots on a variety of baits including spook, buzzbait, spinnerbait, shallow crank, deep crank and swimbait..then single spins after dark. As much fun as you can have fishing and caught almost everything off chunk rock in pockets...some on gravel but the chunk was the deal and it didn't matter how deep but mostly less than 15. Norfork is such a great lake and I enjoy every trip I make there...that 13-14" spawn was a good one but did manage to catch some really good ones also. Fished around the 62 bridge area but doubt it mattered much with the way they were biting.

A buddy and I fished some new water today around Indian from 10-3 and it was tough for us. The drop shot saved the day because we only caught 3 little guys on moving baits and hardly got bit. We ended up catching around 17 drop shotting numerous places from 12-3...mostly ditches in the 30-50 range and like Bill said we couldn't find the bottom fish at all. We maybe had a few squeakers but not any good ones...mostly 13-14" spots except 1 black.

Fished Sunday and didn't need to drop shot this time even though I messed with a few pods I came across...blade and swimbait fish pretty consistent from 12-6 and caught some good ones. Fished around Indian and mostly back end pocket fish but caught a few on secondary points.

I haven't been very much myself as work has had me very busy lately but I went yesterday for 6 hrs and caught them really good after making an adjustment. I started off throwing a blade and swimbait at some schoolers fishing the backs of creeks but they weren't in big packs so it was tough to get on them...caught 7 doing that in 3 hours and 3 of them were good ones but just tough to chase small packs around so I idled around some backs until I found some decent schools and just drop shot them. I hit a couple huge pods where I caught one just about every drop for 10-15 minutes then they would break up. I ran 5 different back ends doing that and couldn't tell you how many I caught and had some good ones...probably more fish than I have ever caught on a drop shot in one day because I usually don't throw it 22-27 was the key depth for me and just fish the areas where the trees make a natural pocket whether it is the back of a creek or ditch. I was using a shad pattern zoom meat head worm on 8lb test and caught LM, SM and K's.

I fished from 12 to 7 yesterday around KC and did OK just covering water on shallow flatter banks with blade and buzzbait...fish were very scattered and I didn't get a lot of bites but caught some pretty good ones including a 3.5lb SM and 2 - 3lb LM. After the sun came out I went out deeper and just fan cast a swimbait over some schoolers in the mouth of bays...caught several small spots doing that.

Fished Sunday around the Baxter area from 12-8pm and did pretty good. Caught a ton of small spots in the 25-30ft range on drop shot in the middle of pockets and bays...really weren't on anything just roaming around and when you got on a school it was every drop. Around 6 I moved up and burned a blade on transition banks and was surprised by the shad that were up there. Caught 8 doing that including some good keepers...made me think I should have fished a little shallower sooner but just happy it wasn't a hundred.

After reading Bill's great report I decided to visit Table Rock for the first time since June and had a pretty good day doing a variety of things around the Baxter area. Started off fishing timber on bluff ends with a spoon in the 25-40 range (a lot of fish in the 28-30 range) like Bill had reported and caught several spots including 2 fat keepers. Then picked up a drop shot (which I never do) and caught several more doing that including 4 fat keeper spots. Around 4 I decided to see if I could catch some burning a blade in the outside cedars and managed to catch 2 decent keepers doing that but only had 3 bites in 2 hours. Finished the day cranking points and caught several small ones but did catch a couple solid keepers. Nice to get back down there and thank you Bill for the report!

Usually comes down to bouncing off a rock that has a bass by it BUT with that said I have over 100 pre (mostly painted bills) and have never thrown any of the newer ones

Caught them decent on a bronzeye when the water was way up the last few years

Great reports abk!

I went to Lead Hill the other day for some night fishing and got down there around 2pm to check the lay of the land. I figured I would have to throw a football jig or rig which I did for a while until I looked over and saw a blow up on a flat. I ran over after I saw a couple others and proceeded to catch bass from 3:30pm to dark on a square bill off flats and flat pockets with the boat in 6-8 ft of water...up the rivers I expect it but not mid lake

With the way things have gotten on Table Rock I just avoid it all together from the middle of June until Sept...unless the lake is high and they can't launch. I fish Bull, Stockton, Truman, strip pits, rivers, small conservation lakes, etc. during that time every year because I don't care to deal with the craziness anymore.

I haven't been down there myself but based on the Friday night tournament weights it isn't easy but figure your best bet is big worms and jigs on bluff ends and points with timber on them...or go up around Bridgeport and throw a blade on flats. I went to Stockton last Saturday and caught them on a single spin all night in 3-6ft of water but those fish are crazy up there.

This...Table Rock is brutal when it is cloudy without a ripple on the water. I will take high blue bird with some wind any day of the week over those conditions.

Great report Champ and that is a dandy smallmouth! I was down there Thurs also from 11-6 and just fished the wind with spinnerbait and swimbait. Caught 19 with probably 8-9 keepers...most just keepers but did have a nice black close to 4lbs on a blade. Caught fish on points and short cuts getting the wind...didn't matter much on the type of bank and I covered a lot of water. The best part of the day was not seeing a handful of boat all day and being the only trailer at Mill Creek when I came in...love fishing during the week!

After going to Fork, Rayburn, Toledo Bend, Monticello, etc on some spring trips nothing really bothers me anymore. If someone cuts me off I usually just fire up and leave beacuse I figure I can find somewhere else to be without staring at a boat.

This is the key to me...I have never been big on line size on TR when it comes to reaction baits except for cranks but then I am more worried about the depth they dive. I have thrown my swimbaits and blades on 17lb mono (actually jumped up to 20lb when the water was up) for years and won't change. This spring I was throwing my square bill on 20lb fluro and the fish didn't seem to mind. Deep cranks I throw 8, 10 or 12 just depending on time or year and what I am throwing. Now if we are talking about jigs, worms, split shot, drop shot, etc. then I think it makes a difference because most of the time fish get a good look at those.

Great report SB and glad you had a great trip. The Rock is special and will have the smallie record soon. I wonder what the lake record smallmouth is.

Sorry I thought I had a question mark on my statement. I didn't think you counted hooks but I had a buddy get harrassed a bit by throwing a similar set up with a super spook while fishing down at Bull. I figure there is a lot of confusion with hooks vs lures because of the a-rig deal and I bet there will be some new laws down the road. I am waiting to see the 5 stickbait A-Rig set up.

I believe that set up is illegal is MO