Anybody Fishing On The Rock Yet?

[edyer]

The lack of fishing reports is making me a little bit more than anxious. I'm driving down from Michigan next weekend and I'm trying to determine if the lake will be fishable when I arrive on April 5. Is Aunt's Creek park under water? Is the boat launch open? I have heard the water still looks like coffee with cream. Any clear water yet anywhere? Did you get any rain today? Any tournament action today?

[rps]

The rain last night and today was not hard up here at the upper end of the lake. It looked harder on the radar maps over on the north side of the lake and downstream toward the dam. Th water color up here is very fishable. As large as the lake is, some part is bound to be good when when you get here. If not, you can always fish Taney.

Good luck.

[markg]

You have reason to be nervous. We came from Illinois and ot in the water today. We put in a Cricket Creek. Mark at Cricket Creek has done his best to make the marina accessable but it is tricky. We had two boats and there were 3 other rigs parked there. There is very limited parking but you can take the trailer off and park it down the road. We left in the rain, in between cells, and then got hammered on the water. Came back in about an hour and a half, and one bite.

Water temp was 55 degree. It was muddy near the marina but cleared up just south of here. Nobody is optimistic down here. I figured I would se a lot of destruction and debri but haven't. I guess most of the large debri has cleared or is now just below the surface from being water logged.

We went up to Cape Fair but didn't go out. It is still high up there and parking areas flooded. Guy we talked to said the water was close to the bottom of the Kimberling brige and you would have to be careful going under it. We seen a couple boats out up by the Cape Fair bridge.

Seen 4-5 boats out on Taney yesterday and couple today after the rain.

I would tend to believe what information you do get about the ramps & parks. It doesn't appear that it is going to change much or very fast.

[Phil Lilley]

Babler said no one he knows have found where the bass are yet.

[edyer]

The rain last night and today was not hard up here at the upper end of the lake. It looked harder on the radar maps over on the north side of the lake and downstream toward the dam. Th water color up here is very fishable. As large as the lake is, some part is bound to be good when when you get here. If not, you can always fish Taney.

Good luck.

We have six guys coming down and between the three boats, we will probably find fish somewhere. We have been fishing Table Rock since 1980 and by the end of our week, we usually find some fish willing to bite. We have never fished Taney. We have 185 Rangers with 150 hp. Can we safely navigate these waters? What type of techniques would we have to use? Where would we put in at? I watched Bill and Phil's videos fishing for trout and the white bass. I would be up for some of that action. Shouldn't we be able to find whitebass on Table Rock as well?

[rps]

There are a number of posts saying what ramps are open at present. Ramps only say part of the equation. As I have written elsewhere, Holiday Island has a very serviceable ramp at present with plenty of parking. However, the marina is not open because the water is above the walkways highest reach. The next Marina downlake, Eagle Rock, was in the same situation as of Friday. Yet both will open if the water drops another 18 to 24 inches. That is only three days at current discharge rates, provided we don't get another 6 inches of rain in the next 4 days.

As I wrote that paragraph, it started raining again. :-(

Gear - look at the archived articles and focus on early spring. Jigs in crawdad colors, jerk baits in clown, white, and table rock shad, wiggle warts in brown and green. The weather and rising falling water levels have the fish confused, but when they start, and I think it will be soon, those are the baits they will bite.

Don't cancel your trip, but prepare yourselves to put in and take out the boats every day so you can charge and fuel them. Expect that you won't want to run long distances on the water as I wouldn't run wide open right now - too many logs. On the other hand I would consider it safe to plane. With my boat in the marina I can't reach, I haven't been out so I can't tell you where the whites and walleye are, but I know they are between here and the 62 bridge and that is only six miles or so.

Hope that little bit helps.

[Gary Lange]

As old Buck Perry used to say the fish are shallow, deep, or somewhere in between. He always made it sound so simple but for some reason we still can't find them.

[rps]

Buck Perry. There's a memory.

I pored over his book, as well as Lunkers Love Nightcrawlers, in the 70's, and my fishing approach and techniques today are more based upon those two books than any other source.

I can't imagine trying to fish TR without a working knowledge of fish holding structure and the importance of a spot on a spot.

Speaking of which, if I could reach my boat and could go fishing for whites and walleyes, my first stop would be where Blue Sping flows into the White, just below Houseman. The channel brushes up against the area and it is a classic spot on a spot. Hope someone goes and takes advantage of it this week.

[Don House]

We have six guys coming down and between the three boats, we will probably find fish somewhere. We have been fishing Table Rock since 1980 and by the end of our week, we usually find some fish willing to bite. We have never fished Taney. We have 185 Rangers with 150 hp. Can we safely navigate these waters? What type of techniques would we have to use? Where would we put in at? I watched Bill and Phil's videos fishing for trout and the white bass. I would be up for some of that action. Shouldn't we be able to find whitebass on Table Rock as well?

edyer, Taneycomo is very easy to fish, yes your rangers can do it very well. The best place to put in at right now is at scotty'

s dock by downtown Branson and Bass Pro. Are you guys Bass fisherman or just out to find anything that bites?? I have been that water everyday this week and have found, trout, bass, crappie and have heard of others catching a few whites also.. It can be alot of fun, but you have to work for certain types of fish. Trout is well the easiest right now, light line under 6 pound small jigs with little bits of night crawlers or Berkely power bait in very bright colors. Tight line it and wait for the bite. Bass well that is another story they are there I found some nice ones on Thursday and Friday.

As far as Table Rock Goes I have still been going out and trying just about every other day and it is still very hard right now, 8 hour days of fishing spots that I know there are fish at and only one to two bites total. And with even more rain coming I would look at Taneycomo really hard to get some action. If not well just keep plugging away at it, you might find something. All I know is that just about every guide on Table Rock is over at Taneycomo, that should tell you something!!

Good luck to you and your six guys coming down, hope you find some fish of all types..

Capt. Don

[edyer]

edyer, Taneycomo is very easy to fish, yes your rangers can do it very well. The best place to put in at right now is at scotty'

s dock by downtown Branson and Bass Pro. Are you guys Bass fisherman or just out to find anything that bites?? I have been that water everyday this week and have found, trout, bass, crappie and have heard of others catching a few whites also.. It can be alot of fun, but you have to work for certain types of fish. Trout is well the easiest right now, light line under 6 pound small jigs with little bits of night crawlers or Berkely power bait in very bright colors. Tight line it and wait for the bite. Bass well that is another story they are there I found some nice ones on Thursday and Friday.

As far as Table Rock Goes I have still been going out and trying just about every other day and it is still very hard right now, 8 hour days of fishing spots that I know there are fish at and only one to two bites total. And with even more rain coming I would look at Taneycomo really hard to get some action. If not well just keep plugging away at it, you might find something. All I know is that just about every guide on Table Rock is over at Taneycomo, that should tell you something!!

Good luck to you and your six guys coming down, hope you find some fish of all types..

Capt. Don

Thanks Capt. Do. We will be fishing Table Rock Saturday and Sunday, but maybe we will try Taney if the bass aren't doing anything by then.A couple of our guys are going to be there Thursday and Friday to try and sort some areas out at least.