Bill Babler

Great information. I have fished the Ned from time to time this past two weeks in the same area, with not as good a result. Its funny how baits produce differently for different fishermen. I have had much better success with a GP 5/8th. jig with a big Yamamoto craw trailer. Most all the dam area fish are coming in that 20' to 25' range for me although I have been fishing shallower with the Ned and just not getting it done. I think where you are fishing is the key to that area. The fish are just not everywhere and once you find them you can catch multiple fish off one location. If you move its not a good deal. As my ole pap used to tell me," never leave fish to find fish." We all do. Thanks for the post and keep on catchin them.

To the Corps of Engineers docks are without a doubt the biggest pain in the posterior that they have to deal with, bar none. That's why to prevent lots of the fussing, they have now stated that there is no constant power pool and Table Rock can fluctuate as they see fit. This was by and large the fault of every Tom, Dick and Harry that owns a dock complaining about fluctuating level. Table Rock Lake is not nor is any Corps of Engineers lake concerned with docks, and they should not be, and yes, I am a dock owner. Dock owners are pretty much like inmates trying to rule the jail house. Give them the slightest inch and they want a mile. Yes lets make a 3 mile cove no wake and off limits to wake boats so they can pound the main river channel to pieces. Cannot do that. Lets put out a no wake bouy near the center of the cove and not directly in front of our dock and see if that helps. OOPS then the wake boats don't know what side to run on and the dock owners are mad again. Lets leave all our stuff on the dock or in the boat and then when someone steals it lets fuss to high heaven complaining about how bad things have become. Just imagine if there were no docks on the Rock what would we have to complain about. All pristine landscape wildlife along the shoreline no lawn chairs, trash cans, or dock sheds floating in the water after a wind storm. No theft from boat docks, no letting the dock out and pulling it in, and no huge wakes destroying it. Yes, again I am a dock owner. It gets broke, I fix it or pay to have it done. simple as that. It is a not my given right to own one, I am able to chose to do so, with the risk that it may be damaged. And believe you me it has been. Not jumping on the OP, but complaining about docks on a Corp lake is just going to do no good. Complain to much and you will see who the Corps thinks the most of, us or the wake boats. Believe me you will not like the final judgement if your a dock owner. Good Luck

I'm with Bites on this one. Sewage is not the problem. Table Rock is still just about as devoid of that as any lake in the country. The regulations here are some of the strictest there are. Most every subdivision, even the older ones have sewer systems, and unlike lake of the Ozarks where it is a huge problem there are very few septic and lateral fields here. The ones are very new age, and there are just about no leach fields, most are evaporation fields. This water has been high a long time. We are still near 922, that is just not enough movement.

No they do not have a restaurant. There is one at Big M but I have no idea how much longer this season they will be open. Probably thru the holiday.

Randy, are you headed back to school this week? From what I am hearing from my clients, some started even last week, with the majority starting either today or the first of next week. Man that seems early to me. Summer should be a time family's can spend time together, and it seems it is really compressed, especially if they do any school related Summer activities.

Yep. On the new bay boat I'm running the Gen III touch and on the Phoenix I'm using HDS 8's

They will do you a very good job at Ulrich. Another option, is Marine Repair Center in Springfield. About 5 yrs. ago I was guiding in Alaska and when I got home a pack rat had absolutely eaten every wire out of my 50 thousand dollar boat. I mean in that 5 weeks he had all but cleared out the entire wiring group. It took them one day at Marine Repair to completely rewire the boat with better and heaver wiring than it had previously had. I had always had just a bit of electrical interference in my electronics. After it was rewired it was as clear as a glass of water. Amazing part was the total bill was under $300 bucks parts included to do the entire job. While Ulrich is my go to repair dealership, MRC is for sure at the top of the list for wiring, trolling motor and anything electronics related. Good LUck

5 bites you are right on everything you posted. First on the upper end, they just seem to relate to the bottom way more lets say from even point 22 up. Yes you can find them on some deep trees and some suspended, but for the most part these fish are bottom dwellers, until Winter, and even then they will move into the guts and deep channel and still relate to the bottom. I'm not finding them relating to the shad when they are suspended, just more an isolated fish or two and as we talked about when you catch one they come zipping over from everywhere. I think they are in pretty loose schools, but they sure get excited when one is hooked and come to investigate. I wonder how many isolated trees have been found with side imaging? I doubt that anymore have been found than seeing the lake for 30 yrs. and fishing durn near every location on it. If you have been over an area 1000 times looking at it at high and low water and graphing it, I don't think we are going to see anymore with the side scan. If your new in the area, man that would be a plus. And yes for sure if you can see on side imaging a tree that is loaded with fish. I never got that good. I could see the tree, but not the fish. until I looked at it with my sonar. I am never after or let me say very seldom after 5 quality bites. I am more after 40 bites of any kind. This is my 26th. year in the business and folks just want to get bit. I had a guy a couple of weeks ago say he wanted to catch a 5 pounder. He was ready to mount the first 1.75 jaw he caught thinking it was a trophy fish. Folks just want to get a bite. 99.9% could care less if its a 12" or a 24". My guy yesterday took a picture of every K he caught. He had been to Brazil last year and caught 18 pound peacock bass and he was just as happing porking a 15" K on a jig. For most of us, its about the bite. Thank goodness for me. Good Luck

Seems like you will see a fish or two, and then if you catch one they seem to come from everywhere. There are trees in the locations I'm fishing, but with the water high like this the tops are 40' and the fish are in the 15' to 25' range, really not relating to any of the trees, just suspending there. Really like last year at this time. I was catching loads of suspending fish at the cove mouths. Pretty much something you had better have faith in or you won't last long at it. I had side imaging on my last two boats and thought it was the biggest waste of money I had ever spent. I worked on it for days at a time and never liked it. Did not order it on this boat and have not missed it one bit. I'm pretty good at reading a sonar screen and pretty much go with what I know works. Looking and chasing shadows from the side imaging just was not my deal. I know others love it, but it was not for me.

Hit Moonshine with Kevin Nichole's at 5:45. Took me about 3 minutes into our first location to know that I was going to have a Really, really good day. Reason, is this guy could fish and I mean big time. He was from the California Delta and he fishes and fishes. He basically is a guides dream client. Water temps 87.8 color was a musty green with visibility to I'm guessing 5' On the second location, I made an error in judgement on the first one as soon as I shut off the boat 4 other boats stopped so close I could have casted into them. I immediately picked up and moved out of Dodge. We were as I previously mentioned going to fish a jig. Kevin on his first cast at the second location bowed up and said "Bill, I'm sorry, I let this fish eat this bait." Dude's and Dudett's he was telling me this 3 seconds after the hook set fishing with a rod and reel he had never touched and a bottom and area he had never fished let alone he had never caught a jaw. Short story he cranked in a really nice near black in color 3 pound jaw that had the bait completely past its crushers. I was able to get my finger in there and turn the bait without a drop of blood, and it swam off with somewhat of a smile, but not as big as the one I had on my face from hearing how much this young man knew about his craft. I mean this guy had caught 15 pound Florida's and he was just jumping happy with that Jaw. His first. I'm not going to tell you we went crazy today with Big fish like Alex did the other day, but we caught them really good, on the jig. Had all 4 of our black bass species and a butt load of keepers. Nothing over the nice 3 pounder, but a couple of nice LM at 2.75 each and enough K's and Jaws to keep a smile on both of our faces. Did not catch a single dink today, if you were in a derby you would have been measuring everything. I fished 3 locations in 4 hrs. If you thought it was a bite, you better hit them. We both jumped off several and we both had them drop baits we should have stuck them on. I threw the varmint some for a change-up but Kevin was hammering them and I had to put it down without a bite, as he was razzing the heck out of me for throwing it when they were trying to tear the jig out of his paws. Good day at the dam and just a super guy to share it with. Good Luck, and as someone on another thread mentioned, you do not want to be in a bass boat after 10 AM in this area if you can avoid it.

Most of the local stores have the Dixie Jet if not you can have them in 3 days from Bass Wishes out of Lebanon. I have not thrown in much the last few days, but they would have bitten it at Shell Knob off the cove mouths. Just could not throw it with the clients. Yes they were suspended over nothing and relating to nothing. That is not uncommon at all. If you will look back at last year this time I was catching them on the jet and also on a spin bait same deal. This is still Table Rock Lake. Our fish for the most part live in the lake period. Not here or there, they live in the lake. If you always have to have something to fish that you think fish are relating to, you are missing just about 1/2 the fish in this pond. This is by far the hardest thing I have to convince my clients of. The fish in 99% of folks opinion have to be by this dock, or by this tree, or by this rock. My question is why do they have to be there? They can swim faster than a shad a perch or for sure a crawdad, why can't they just go hunt them down. If they are not hunting, why would they have to be on the bottom. They don't lay down and go to sleep, they are always in an upright position finning. Why can't after they chase a group of shad just sit out in 25' water at the mouth of the cove they just pushed the shad from? By gosh they do. Good Luck

Thanks Ryan, very comprehensive report of your outing. You'll get em next time.

Thanks I'm out of Moonshine Beach in the morning. I'll give you a follow up tomorrow. I have heard of some very good walleye catches in the dam area this past week on a jigging spoon, in the 30' to 40' range. Seems the better fish may be a bit deeper from point 5 to Long Creek than most are looking. We are going to throw a jig, so I may suck it up too.

With the reports of a fractured thermocline and I for sure agree with it, and it was alluded to by Bo a couple of weeks ago, the fish can be from 1' to 50' depending on bait and for sure the oxygen levels. With Table Rock still in the 923' plus range here now in what is coming the middle of August, I'm not sure with the amount of moving water we will establish a shallow hard thermocline. I worked really hard at finding fish Yesterday and really did not locate them till a couple of hours had passed by. I was looking on gravel and just finding nothing but very small bass and loads of gills. I moved and started looking at the river channel, deep trees and just suspended fish in the major cove mouths and I found them. Grouped up and suspended in the 15' to 25' range, most over depth. They had been so tight on gravel and also on the bottom for me for the past month, it seemed like they moved over night. The fish I was catching on the gravel were now not relating to anything much to tell you the truth, other than depth. Most just sitting there suspended, but the good part they were willing to bite and got fired up easily when one was caught they would just go crazy swarming him. Great graph pictures of worming bass at its best. Good Luck

Thanks Buddy, well said. This is a pretty tight net community. with 99% of our membership here to help and share. People know what is acceptable here and what is nothing but instigation. No further response to this tread is necessary.

Thanks Larry, that is a great post. I have never went wrong shopping at the Fin. If your trying to stay under $80 however I'm afraid I would not have a dog in this fight. Carry on.

Got on the pond at 6 AM for a early morning Knob trip. Worried about all the lightning, but it went North and East of us. Surface temps at the ramp were 89+ degree and by the way it is open with plenty of parking now by the 39 bridge, and they also have the dock pulled up in shape. Water to my thinking is extremely off color. It is a Green Pumpkin/Brown sediment filled water with visibility of under 5 ft. Lots of dead shoreline vegetation and it kind of smells. Really don't know how frisky I would be about swimming in it. On to the fishing. We had a great day, and the fish fought very hard. I had a young couple that did not fish much so we mostly drop/shot live bait. Most of our fish came in the 15' to 25' range, all suspended over depth. We did see much to my chagrin quite a few floaters, again mostly gizzard shad, but a very fair number of spotted bass also. Also seen some that had not quite expired finning on the surface, middle of the lake. These appeared extremely thin but had no extended eyes or abdomen. Just appeared sick. With what we have going on here, be kind to them. Good Luck

Got a Text from Shane Bush, our Biologist and he is aware of the dead shad. He also stated he is not aware of the crappie or bass, but will do more research. If you have any pictures of dead game or pan fish, please post them. He attributes the death at this point to Extremely Hot Lake water, up to 93 degree in some lake areas, and he also states the thermocline is very broken due to the influx and movement of the lake. I'm also thinking there may be an oxygen problem with the broken thermocline. "I'm, being the key word here." The fish I am seeing, and I will preface this with I have not been on the Rock for the past few days, were adult Gizzard shad, some of the biggest I have ever seen in Table Rock. From our family resort up on Lake of the Ozarks, we used to see Shad of this size and age and we always called them Hickory Shad as I'm sure some of the mature fisherman on that lake still do. Lets not get our panties in a bunch quite yet, Shane and his crew are aware of it and I will try my best to keep you updated with correct and current information as it becomes available. Good Luck

Had lunch today in Omaha Arkansas. There were three guys at the table next to me saying Bull Shoals is just full of HUGE Dead Gizzard Shad. Lots of them pushing 20" One said about every cove he fished this last weekend were packed with rafts of them. One of the other guys was saying he has also been seeing them floating all over Table Rock. I jumped in and asked if any of them had seen any dead bass and all said nope, just the huge Gizzard Shad.

Please post a pic of the dead bass. Guides in the Baxter area today said the lake was full of dead Gizzard Shad up to 2 pounds. None saw the Bass Tks

From Big M to Baxter Last week there were perhaps hundreds of floaters. I dipped or looked at dozens. All were Gizzard Shad. Some approaching 2 pounds. Of all of them that I looked at I never saw a single bass or a single crappie. Not saying folks did not, but I put either my net or eyeball on a very close inspection of the floating fish.

Kind of interesting on the Sockeye Run. Last year at this time Copper River Sockeye was $18 a pound. This year Sockeye is $6 a pound. Which is way cheaper than steak. Keep on livin the dream, great reports.

Spawning is done. That is why they are out on these long runnouts. They spawned in the coves and then they move out and stage up after the spawn to put on the feed bag, just like the bass fish. On Table Rock, they will at times really group to size, so if your on the biggins, stay with them.

Dude, I don't think Chris Tetrick is guiding on Lake of the Ozarks. Please correct me if I'm wrong.

When Table Rock gets hot, so do the big Bluegill. Most often you can find these fish on any of the long runnout points. They also like the timbered runnouts, but the trees are getting fewer and fewer as they deteriorate. Water temps above 86 degree really position these fish, sometimes right at the thermocline, and is the reason that us Bass type fishermen are having a war with them. Yesterday surface temps ranged from 89 to 92 degree depending on the time of day and your lake location. They just love to tear the pinchers off a plastic craw and driver the jig fishermen this time of the year to the Gentlemen Jack bottle. Of which I am partaking of as we speak. Start at 15' and work your way out keeping a close eye on your electronics for suspended fish. If you see one up and you are fishing the bottom, reel up to him. You will also see them in very tight clouds, with the WWWWW formations zigging in and zagging out of them. Be aware that there is a lot to look at on the screen right now with lots of bait in the water. When you get good enough to pick the big bluegill out the threadfin and gizzard shad you need to pat yourself on the back as you are mastering the world of underwater Lookie Lou. Good Luck