Bimmer

Absolutely! It's such a beautiful and seemingly diverse lake. Fellows will most likely see more action from us when time is short such as a "quickie" outing after the wife gets home from work during the summer but I am not attending any classes this summer at MSU so I will have time to myself to venture out and hit Table Rock early and learn as much as I can. I don't know a lot of people in the area so maybe the opportunity will come along to buddie up with some of you either in my boat or yours and get myself educated all proper like. I like to think I'm a pretty likable guy and pretty easy going with just about everyone. I guess the thing to do is make a little announcement here on the board as to when I/We plan to head down just see who is hanging out where. Tips UP and lines TIGHT! ~David

Excellent nobutt56! This will help me immensely. The confirming tackle and execution tactics for the different types of rock structures is big plus. Very much appreciated friend! More excellent tactics. Thank you dtrs5kprs! I know wind can be good when the option is there for bugs to be blown out of the trees and into the water. I don't know what the wind speed was yesterday in the late morning but it was clipping pretty doggone good. A lot of spray was coming up and over the bow so that leads me to believe that's not quite the velocity of wind you were deeming as good fishing wind. Thanks Lunker Lane! I plan on going to Fin & Feather tomorrow as they're only a few minutes away. I've had some experience with map reading after taking a pretty extensive course in geology a could of semesters ago. I may be in my mid-50's, but I'm just finishing my third straight year at Missouri State. By the end of May I'll have enough credits to qualify as a junior. I was majoring to be an icthyologist and work for the state or federal government in the hatcheries but a back injury two years ago nipped that in the bud. Last year we put in for the first time a boat that was actually our first boat but we never took it out on the water again. It had floor rot we didn't know about and later we found a small hole in the hull. We launched there at the KC Inn and the ramp was ridiculously steep. Too much for my little Ford Ranger, even with a 4.0L engine and that boat was only a 14'. We also found that the dock there is private. At least the place we went to yesterday had a reasonable grade down to the water and free and easy courtesy dock there. Thanks for all the great tips guys! Hope I get the opportunity to run into some of you either at the tackle store or on the lakes!

It's all good friend. We found a ramp that collected $5 for the day and asking $50 for a year. It was located on the north shore in Kimberling kind of tucked behond the Harter House and just east of "What's Up Dock Marina". As far as baits to use, I've compiled a list from a previous thread here: Never used any of these or know what they look like but I'm sure I could find out as I only live about 5 minutes from Fin and Feather here in Springfield. Wiggle Warts PBJ Flash Football jigs w/green craw trailers Smithwick & BPS rouge baits - no clue what this is. Grubs - Ok, I've used grubs on jigs fishing for Wallies. I ran a few different Rapala's today but the water we were in was consistently very deep. Defintely going to wait until this wind we've been getting lately tapers off though. ~David

72 views and not one reply.....Hmmmmm... wasn't like I was asking for someones' secret hole. It's all godd though. A learning process. It'll take awhile but we'll learn the terrain, the water, the conditions and maybe a little of the fish. We found a few launching places. Now, it's time to learn the gear needed. I have NO clue. I'm used to fishing for salmon in the PUget Sound region of Seattle or lake trout in the Pacific Northwest lakes.

Sorry to hear about your outing. My wife and I took the maiden voyage in our newly acquired boat out of Kimberling. Unfortunately, we didn't get on the water until around 9 and as you said it wasn't long before we too were being blown over the water like ragweed. No bites for us. We're just learning to fish in this region so no expectations and yet we had fun. You COULD have been doing WORSE things!

We're taking the boat out for the first time out of Kimberling City tomorrow morning. what can I expect to find as far as ramp go? Do you pay? Or are they free? How do you tell which ones are private? I saw one location on a point that is due west right across from a place called "What's Up Dock Marina" Any suggetions and tips are graciously appreciated! ~David

Thank you friend, I just called the Marina and they confirmed the $35/year permit. In order to get one she said you have to bring the boat so they can look it over and you also must bring the motor title as well. Also, FYI, at the present time all boats have to be off the lake by 7:15PM. she said that time will extend as it stays lighter longer.

Hi Folks! I just bought an older 16' Starcraft with a 35HP Merc, trolling motor and fish finder. Is the ONLY place I can launch the boat at the marina? I'm reading that someone at the marina needs to inspect the boat first and approve for a sticker to fish on the lake? Since tomorrow is going to be nice and the weekend questionable, I thought I'd take the wife and step-daughter out for an afternoon/evening of fishing. I've not fished much in this area after having come from around Devils Lake ND and Seattle, Washington before that. I have no clue as to what gear to buy. As for types of fish, we like bass, crappie and walleye just fine. I guess it all depends on what's biting currently. Temps are milder than they were a few weeks ago but I don't know if the water temp is affected yet. Should we be bouncing the bottom with minnow-tipped jigs or is artificial the way to go? Is one end of the lake better than the other? This is all totally new to us so a few pointers would be greatly appreciated! Thanks friends and hope to meet some of you in the new future on the lake! ~David

Thanks Doug for taking the time to do the write-up. A big congratulations to Shane Long and the top performers.

Thanks Dave! Those sound like some good options, a few of which I had gleaned from perusing the forum. I plan to visit Fin & Feather Tackle Shop on the way out of town. Getfished, that also is some excellent advise and one I would definitely give someone else who is "in the same boat" (PUN). There's only one flaw. I'm sure when I was born that the good doctor had to pry the fishing rod from my hand before he could spank me and I know myself well enough that there's just no way I'm going to be out on the lake and not get my line wet. But again, because that IS just good advise I will refrain as best I can for as long as I can to get acquainted with the boat and the water. My dad took me out in his boat often as a child but it was to mostly ski but I do remember a lot of handling and saftey tips from him. Wallin, I had not even considered the flashlight and considering the time of evening we're like going to be leaving that also is an excellent idea! Thanks so much guys! I'll let you know how it goes. ~David

Taking the maiden cruise in a little 14" fiberglass GlassMaster boat we just picked up today. It's got a 50hp Merc as well as an electric trolling motor. Since it's Sunday, we're out of church at noon, football game ends at 3pm so we'll be lucky to get on the water by 4:30 coming from Springfield. I figure the closest/safest spot to launch is Indian Point via Reed Springs. Are we hitting the lake at a bad time? What is the evening bite like? As for gear, we're new to the Ozarks and all I really have a surplus of is 1/8oz and 1/4oz jigs. We're used to fishing from the shore so we mainly use powerbait. But having a boat changes a lot of things. I'm going to have to invest is bass gear again for sure but for tomorrow the wife and I just want to test the boat and catch some keepers for dinner. Could be Walleye, Bass, Crappie, Trout....not too picky here. We just love to fish. So that's bout it. If I'm going to invest in gear to fish Table Rock, can you folks give some direction? We'd really appreciate it!

Hello again fellas! Well my blood is getting itchy as I'm expecting to have my first boat here within the next several days. It's a used GlassMaster 14' fiberglass. It's got a 50hp Merc which means I can't use it anywhere here in the local Springfield lakes. It also comes with an electric trolling motor. So, boy do I have questions! Not being a native here, I know VERY little about the gear. Are either Taney or Table Rock good lakes to boat on for a novice? Does it matter? Any regional etiquette tips I should know? I'd like to troll for nice bows. Are there other good fish available for trolling? Recommended locations would be appreciated. I also like bass and walleye as well. Having never fished these bigger lakes, are obstacles an issue? If so, in what areas should I steer clear of? Coming from the north, what's the best places to put in at for both lakes? Yeah, I know. A lot of questions. But I want to have fun, be safe and be respectful of others on the lake. Hope this wasn't too much all at once but I think I covered the important ones. As always, thanks folks!

That's good to know! Maybe some black electrical tape to change the 5 to a 3.....lol..ok...all kidding aside. That really sucks unless of course I raise the Evinrude out of the water and just propel with the trolling motor but that's not going to get me much access to the lake. We DID go look at the boat yesterday. The hose wasn't delivering fuel so he had gone to get a new hose that goes from the tank to the motor but any place that would have one was closed. He said he'd make sure that issue got resolved and bring the boat to Springfield from Birch Tree early next week. Overall, it looked in good shape from what little I know about boats. The underside had no scrapes. The transome didn't look stressed or cracked. The motor didn't look like the cover had been removed thousands of times since he 70's, meaning the paint all looked good and not chipped or cracked. Prop had some minor, what I would call dings. but not bad either. The battery was brand new as is the trolling motor. Don't know if the depth finder works. He's never used it. I need to find 3 life-jackets. It has an extinguisher. I've been searching the web to find a snap-on canopy to cover the cabin area so we have some protection from the sun, but no luck yet. I think before I go much further, I should move this to another and more appropriate thred section...

All really great information fellas and thank you all very much! As an update, the VA has decided to award me a non-service related pension for my disablity and they've given me some retro-pay so the wife and I are going to use it to buy a small boat this weekend. I'd prefer a 16-18 foot all-purpose boat but we found a small 14-ft Glastron with a 50hp Evinrude motor, a new trolling motor, and a trailer for around $1100 that the owner has assured me is in tip-top shape after just having had a mechanic go over it. The owner is 80yrs old and just doesn't use it much anymore so we're going to SE Missouri Saturday to look and it and probably bring it home. Next comes the learning curve. I've NEVER owned a boat. My dad still has his ski boat but that's a bigger 18' with a 351 Cleveland in it and I never much payed attention to him tending to it as I wasn't even a teenager then. So there'll be a lot to get informed about maintenance-wise as well as getting it insured and licensed. Anyways, I'll keep you posted on that and if it falls through, there are others here locally I know. I guess I'm leaning towards a smaller boat due to the fact that I don't want to over-tax my truck by pulling a boat that is too big for it. I've already had to replace the rear-end bearings because the previous owner had used it to pull a boat and the differential was full of water which ruined the bearings. I'm guessing he got the truck too deep in the water when he lauched the boat at some point. Will get back to you all after the weekend!

Please include Pastor Joe of Holy Rock Church here in Springfield in your daily prayers. After keeping the church open 143 consecutive evenings for corporate prayer, he has fallen into a a stress-related depression. The enemy knows he is beaten and that it is only a matter of time before he is out of business. Because of this, he is attacking some of God's most active and mighty prayer warriors. Joe is one of them. Please pray. Thank you!

Note: This is only an excerpt of a short story that I wrote a couple of months ago for a writing class. It may just very well turn into the final chapter of a novel. I hope you all enjoy it and I certainly welcome any comments and suggestions! The traffic had thinned considerably as Preston drove deeper into the woods. Suddenly, from out of nowhere Preston found himself bearing down on something in the road. He down-shifted into second gear, eased his foot to the brake and came to an abrupt halt just a few feet from a large elk. Parental instinct caused him to stretch out his right arm across the passenger seat, protecting his son from being hurdled forward. He looked over at Skyler and said, “You okay, son?” Skyler looked up at his father with sleepy blue eyes and said, “Yeah, Dad, I’m okay.” The denizen of the woods wandered off the road and back into the pitch blackness. “Are we there yet Dad?” Skyler inquired. “About another hour son,” his father told him. Skyler slid up in his seat so he could see out the window better, as his father slid a CD into the player. The lyrics came on softly. Skyler recognized it was the voice of Sarah McLachlan; I will remember you, will you remember me? Don’t let your life pass you by Weep not for the memories Remember the good times that we had?” After a few moments, still looking out the window Skyler said, “Dad?” “Yes, son,” his father replied. “Why did Austin have to die?” Skyler asked. The question pierced Preston like a dagger before the sentence was even finished. His father replied, “I miss him very much too, son. But we have to remember that dying is something that God tends to keep a mystery. For now, we need to be content that it brings more meaning to our own life when someone dies. That’s why we should choose carefully how we live our own life and honor those we love who have passed, by living our life to the fullest. Remember also, son, that he died for something he believed in, and that was protecting the other soldiers in his unit from harm. Your brother is a hero. There is no greater sacrifice than the man who lays down his life for that of another.” Skyler pondered this and he looked up at his father and said, “I hope to be just like him dad.” His father looked away from the road for a moment and looked into his son’s eyes and said, “I love you son, and I will always be proud of you.” Skyler wasn’t sleepy anymore and they spent the rest of the drive to the lake just talking and even took turns recounting all the campfire songs they knew. By early next morning, Skyler and his father were stepping into the small boat with their fishing tackle and fishing poles. The water on the lake was lending itself to a slight breeze and it sparkled in the sun as if someone had thrown jacks made of diamonds across the surface. Preston quietly rowed the tiny boat to a cove some hundred and fifty yards to the east. When they reached a spot about thirty feet from shore, his father tied the boat off on a stump that was protruding from the surface of the water. Skyler carefully manipulated the art of crafting a worm onto a hook. He cast his rod in the direction of an outcrop of water lilies. As the line began to sing out of the reel, the bail suddenly closed on him. The line snapped and the remaining line, hook and sinker most likely soared into the next county. “I hate it when that happens,” his father said. They both giggled and Skyler rigged up another line. Another worm on the hook, and he carefully cast in the same direction as before and this time the sinker went plop, in the water just at the precise edge of the outcrop of water lilies. He waited until the line had stopped running along the surface of the water. The sinker had hit bottom. No sooner had he clicked the bail shut and started to take in some slack that the line quickly became a tight-wire and his rod was pulling desperately to fly from his hands. “Set the hook, son!” his father exclaimed. But before he got the words out, Skyler had already set the hook with a quick jerk of the rod and was reeling while keeping the tip of the rod pointing up, as his father had once taught him. As Skyler reeled, his father reached for the net to keep at the ready until he needed it. The deep burgundy rod bent nearly in half, the place where the line met the water was plowing the surface of the lake as if an invisible ice skater was carving circles and long crisp lines in directions all around the boat. After a few minutes of reeling and relenting line, Skyler was making progress getting the fish closer to the boat. He could see momentary flashes of silver as the fish was exhausting everything in its bag of tricks to escape. Just a few more turns of the handle on the reel and the fish began breaking the surface. Its tail flapping, in desperation to elude the inevitable, sent sparkling splashes of water into the air. Skyler managed to get the fish up close enough for his father to retrieve it from the water. In one quick swoop, the net came out of the water and into the boat. Once inside, his father held the fish up and the glistening body gleamed in the sunlight. The long and yet thickly sleek body was a beautiful silver with an array of tiny black spots and the most beautiful thin purple line that ran from the gills to the tail. Its mouth gaping at the air as if actually breathing, the gorgeous rainbow trout displayed all the magnificence of its wonderfully created colors. The eyes were huge and appeared as gold platters serving as a backdrop to Prussian blue orbs staring up into the sky in submission. “Let’s get a picture, son!” his father exclaimed. Skyler dislodged the hook with a pair of needle-nose pliers and struggled to hold the fish with both hands and not let it wriggle away. The fish was easily thirty inches long and all of twelve pounds. Several pictures later and his father asked, “What would you like to do with him, son?” Skyler replied, “Let’s put him back Dad.” “You sure?” asked his father. Skyler said, “Yeah, Dad, he probably has a brother out there somewhere.”

Taney is a big lake and while I don't expect people to share their favorite spots, let me ask this. What are the areas to stay away from due to poor productivity? Thanks friend!

Actually JD, that's an very good idea. I've always wanted to learn to fly fish and although I know there is a finesse to it, I'm sure I could learn over time.

Thanks very much for the info. I can see where the overly hot weather would probably be factor right now even. Hopefully in a month of two, things will pick up. Thanks Nathan!

I don't know if there are trout in Fellows or not. I do know that there are cats and muskie. Muskie I've never fished for, but my understanding is they're not a candidate for fishing from shore. Perch and Walleye are good. Finally of course I know there are bass there but that requires usually artificial bait and the ablity to move around in a boat as does the muskie. I may be wrong about some of this but these are my speculations.

Well as you can see, I'm still basically a newcomer here. I have to be honest with you though, my fishing experience here in SW Missouri is horrible at best. My wife and I love to fish but I'm originally from Seattle and she's mostly fished the gulf near Corpus Christie. We tried a few places last year. Rockaway Beach and then down by Branson Landing with no success. This year, we JUST got our licenses last Friday and went to Fellows since it's really close to us and close to the dock at the dam end, it was dead. Nothing biting at mid-morning. Not to be totally outdone we decided to see if we could find Stockton Lake. Nice lake, nice drive but again, not knowing where to go we struck out again. We were at a spot where we could look straight across the lake and see the dam. Maybe it's the method too. I'm used to fishing off the bottom with a worm and some powerbait to raise it off the bottom. I use a #6 hook on about a 20" leader with a swivel and 1/4 oz slip egg lead weight. We both tried bobbers also but just a few blue gill. We don't mind driving a little ways to find good fishing from shore. I am disabled with a back injury that is still in litigation so I cannot work. I do attend MSU full time but my classes are in the late afternoon so I have pretty good access during the week. As soon as my work comp gets settled we're going to buy a little used boat, 16 or 18 feet that we can utilize to get us to better fishing. If any of you have ANY suggestions on methods, best times to fish, gear or just need a fishin' partner, hit me up. We're both very easy going and in our 50's. We're both devout Christians but don't worry, we won't preach your ears off. We're not bible-thumpers that way, just very dedicated in our personal lives. Thanks folks for reading my post and hope to meet some of you in the future. Until then let your reels sing and may your creels be full!

As you can tell I'm a newbie here and so before I go on if I'm posting in the wrong area please accept my apologies, rib me a little if you must and then direct me in the proper direction.... My Lady and I are still looking for some biting action and since we don't own a boat we're having to resort to the bank action. We're both pretty new to Missouri and have not have good luck on Taneycomo at the Landing the past couple of weeks. Would like to maybe try the Table Rock State Park tomorrow morning using whatever is legal. We looked down there last week and the water looked nice. A few fly'ers here and there as well as a few boaters but it was midday so wasn't expecting to see much action. Before we left Springfield we stopped in at the Fin & Feather at the suggestion of a friend and apparently the fish like to congregate there due to the shad so my first inclination would be to simulate the shad in some fashion. Am I getting warm? Only thing is now I'm beginning to wonder if the heavy rainfall we had a few days ago might have brought the water up too high. Well, now that I've rattled a bit I'm up for gettin' a little education here. Happy Fishing all! Thanks for putting together a FANtastic site! Tip UP!!! ~David

LOL!! Not so FAST!! I've been a Seahawks fan since their first day as a team back in 74 if my memory serves me correctly. For several decades they were barely a team in contention and they still struggle but I've never been a fairweather fan for any team. Currently the Mariners are a perfect example of that. I love both sports and both teams and it's going to take a couple of seasons under my belt to get aquainted with the players of all the local teams. Being in the NFC I can't possibly follow the Rams. I did have the pleasure of seeing them beat the Rams in a game last season that no one seemed to want to win. Let's just hope next season is better for both teams and we get some respectable games to watch. For right now baseball is just getting under way and I'm real excited about that. I have no experience in AA ball but since they seem to have a pretty good team right here I'm sure I'm going to be going to a lot of games just because I love the game. I also just started going to MSU this spring but I've not yet really had a chance to gauge their sports programs yet. At any rate thanks fellas for the warm welcome! Fishing is just another passion I love to do and enjoy learning and talking about so I think I've found a good crew of folks to get acquainted with. FISH ON!!