First Try @ Table Rock

[Leitsout]

My father and I are headed down to do some trout fishing Mar. 29 - Ap. 2. While down there I thought we'd spend a day on Table Rock trying to catch a few of those black bass i've heard so much about. We are camping at the State Park so I planned on putting in at the ramp there and heading across the lake to Beardsley Branch. I figured we'd start off with a 3"-4" curly tail grub and possibly try a suspending jerk bait and see how that worked. This will be our first attempt at Table Rock black bass. I don't know if this is a good plan of attack or not, so any advice anyone in the forum may have to offer would be greatly appeciated. I certainly am not opposed to changing plans if it means catching fish.

Thanks

Brian

[petertherock]

Glad you chose Table Rock you can't go wrong! I miss the Rock, lived there for years up in Cape Fair. Now I'm out here in West Virginia, 30 miles from Pittsburgh on the Ohio River. As you might imagine fishing is quite different.

But for the years I lived on the Rock, and with my parents still living there, off of EE across from Indian Point and Coombs Ferry, I think I know the lake well enough to steer you right. So here goes:

First of all you'll be there before the typical spawn for bass, which is normally in the later part of April, first of May. The good news is you're going to be there as the fish are transitioning and loading up there bellies before the spawn. You have the baits right but how you use them and where you fish will be the key. Warning, the lake is extremely low right now, which doesn't hurt the fishing but could kill you without a good depth finder and topo map. I've seen a lot of props and lower units lost, and a few totalled boats, due to the lack of experience boating on the Rock, by first time comers. BE CAREFUL!

Typically the Northern major rivers and creek arms exposed longest to the afternoon sun are the first to warm up and produce the earliest best catch for generally all species on the Rock.(The Kings River Arm & Long Creek being the exception where they warm up quick and are good but they are Southern arms on the lake - just fish their afternoon sun exposed areas). But, these major river arms and creeks are like little lakes in themselves, as Table Rock is a very large lake overall. So when you go up into these river arms and creeks, narrow your choice of hotspots down by common sense fishing, channel swings, bluff ends, creek mouths and points that have one side as shallow and the other side breaking into deep water (the same way you narrowed down to fish these areas, narrow it down further.

As the water begins to warm up you can start fishing shallower looking for the long pea gravel points and cuts back in the coves, typically 60's degrees and up. Look for the Mid-Lake Area from Joe Bald to just below the dam to warm up the last. But don't over look this area for transitioning fish at the time you'll be there, especially the Rock's smallmouth population.

If you're not getting the bass bite, but you should. Try going after some of the nice crappie up in the Flat Creek and Virgin Bluff areas of Cape Fair. Run Up the James River a little further for some white bass action. You should be able to do well on these same species down in the Kings River Arm, also around Baxter-Lampe, and down in Long Creek.

You're really making your trip at normally a good time of the year on the Rock. Some people may say you're a little early, but you'll catch fish.

Pray for rain and warm weather between now and then!

petertherock

[petertherock]

I'm sorry made another typo: my folks live off of DD!

petertherock

[Don House]

Brian, welcome to my side of the lake.. I live in Beardsley Branch... Third dock past the no ski cove...

Anyway, the fish are in Beardsley Branch, stay in the middle of the creek and swim grubs, smoke color or sliver shad, I had three on grubs Sunday in two hours and three more on stickbaits anf spinnerbaits..

Water is really clear up here right now so the fish are schooling shad in the middle of the creek on calm days early in the morning.. On windy days I throw a spinnerbait into the hard wood trees and run then right back by close to the trees.. Also stickbaits work well right now on calm days, cloudy skies I throw a blue back, chrome side with a orange belly, Clear days, the same but with a black back.. You can catch them up here just may be slow at first but hang in there you will get bit.. And best of all when you do they will be nice large fish..

Good Fish

[petertherock]

Don,

Tell this boy about the great crappie fishing down your way too!

petertherock