Mid-may Bass Fishing

[XRAY]

Hi all, I'm pretty new to this forum, but I have been reading around on here quite a bit. Thank-you to Bill and Don and all the others who post detailed fishing reports, as I have learned alot about the area. I realize that these men make a living on the water so it is very kind of them to post helpful hints like that. I'm am heading up to Table Rock lake mid-may (15-19) to do some bass fishing hopefully. I am from Iowa, and thankfully I am traveling with a few experienced bass anglers that can help me out a bit.

Around where I fish, mostly on shore, i just use spinners and worms so my tackle lacks a bit. My question is what would be some must haves for TR? Some locals here, describe the water as very clear, and recommend natural colored baits. Is that accurate? I do have some general ideas on what to buy such as:

Crawfish/Shad colored crankbaits

Green Pumpkin Zoom Finesse/Trick Worms

Strike King Sexy Shad Crankbait

Watermelon and Green Pumpkin Tubes

Ect...

I do plan on visiting a couple local bait shops (any recommendations?) down there to see what they have to offer, but am I going in the right direction here? Also, any specific place that I should eat or things that we should do/see while were there?

Again, I am counting down the days and cannot wait to get out on the water. Thank you very much in advance!

Good Fishing!

[nathan RN]

Chompers baits are good

wiggle wart in V86-this is the only color i throw on T

robo worm

eakins jig

[Dutch]

Table Rock is way too big for a bait shop recommendation (bout 1000 miles of shorline) without knowing what arm and part of that arm you will be fishing. So just stop at Bass Pro in Springfield and buy yourself one of everything that they have and you will be all set to go.

[Bill Babler]

Mid-May is just about as good a time as you can choose. As Dutch said the lake is very diverse, but a very good bait shop in the Kimberling City area that for that matter, covers the entire lake, as it gets guide reports lake wide is Table Rock Bait and Tackle. If they don 't have it, you really won't need it.

My bag of goodies for your time frame would for sure include the fixin's for splitshot rigs with 1/4 oz. shot, bullet weights, or egg sinkers, or you can rig them carolina style or with a keeper. No 1 or 1/0 cheap eagle claw lazer hooks will do just fine, as if they wolf it down, just pull out the bait and let them keep the deep or gut hook. People have a hard time doing this with Owners, or expensive Gamai's.

Zoom Fish Dr. in green pumpkin, watermellon, watermellon red and junebug will work great. Zoom Baby Bushogs in watermellon red up the James will get you tickled. Chompers cenipedes in pbj and watermellon candy are also the bomb

Chompers 1/4 oz shakey head rigged with their pbj laminate is the absolute bomb for shakin and a bakin with the shakey head. You can also rig the watermellon candy cenipede.

Fish these baits off the flats and in spawning pockets.

Get out early and look for topwater activity and then use this to relate to your entire day. If I see fish working a flat at dawn, and you can use any of the multitudes of topwater noise makers, it really does not matter, then when the sun comes up they will for the most part relate to the bottom that time of year, so you can use that and ply the depths with the downstairs drag baits, already mentioned.

Grub swimming early of a morning, or thru schoolers is a plenty good way to get nipped, use a 1/4 oz jig head with a chompers 3 to 5 inch grub. We also like the BP XPS in Copper. Swim the bait or as locals call it scrub it along the bottom very slowly to active fish. Foul weather days are very good grub days, as SMJ's love the grub. Colores should include salt and pepper, grey or motor oil.

The more baits you bring the more apt, you are to mess-up. I would leave or not spend any money on the hard body cranks for Mid-May. Stay with the soft-plastics, and the topwater, and you will get bit.

Keep an eye on us and it will be pretty easy to see whats a goin on down here.

Good luck

[XRAY]

Mid-May is just about as good a time as you can choose. As Dutch said the lake is very diverse, but a very good bait shop in the Kimberling City area that for that matter, covers the entire lake, as it gets guide reports lake wide is Table Rock Bait and Tackle. If they don 't have it, you really won't need it.

My bag of goodies for your time frame would for sure include the fixin's for splitshot rigs with 1/4 oz. shot, bullet weights, or egg sinkers, or you can rig them carolina style or with a keeper. No 1 or 1/0 cheap eagle claw lazer hooks will do just fine, as if they wolf it down, just pull out the bait and let them keep the deep or gut hook. People have a hard time doing this with Owners, or expensive Gamai's.

Zoom Fish Dr. in green pumpkin, watermellon, watermellon red and junebug will work great. Zoom Baby Bushogs in watermellon red up the James will get you tickled. Chompers cenipedes in pbj and watermellon candy are also the bomb

Chompers 1/4 oz shakey head rigged with their pbj laminate is the absolute bomb for shakin and a bakin with the shakey head. You can also rig the watermellon candy cenipede.

Fish these baits off the flats and in spawning pockets.

Get out early and look for topwater activity and then use this to relate to your entire day. If I see fish working a flat at dawn, and you can use any of the multitudes of topwater noise makers, it really does not matter, then when the sun comes up they will for the most part relate to the bottom that time of year, so you can use that and ply the depths with the downstairs drag baits, already mentioned.

Grub swimming early of a morning, or thru schoolers is a plenty good way to get nipped, use a 1/4 oz jig head with a chompers 3 to 5 inch grub. We also like the BP XPS in Copper. Swim the bait or as locals call it scrub it along the bottom very slowly to active fish. Foul weather days are very good grub days, as SMJ's love the grub. Colores should include salt and pepper, grey or motor oil.

The more baits you bring the more apt, you are to mess-up. I would leave or not spend any money on the hard body cranks for Mid-May. Stay with the soft-plastics, and the topwater, and you will get bit.

Keep an eye on us and it will be pretty easy to see whats a goin on down here.

Good luck

Wow, Thank you very much for taking the time to write such an informative post! I really appreciate that! We are staying at A resortin Hollister Mo on TR. Thats all I know Got me awful excited for TR!

[dtrs5kprs]

Should be great about then. Only crank I would worry about would maybe be a square bill. There can be a DD22 type bite, but probably not that early with this year's weather.

Should be fins, spooks, rigs, maybe a football jig. Never go out without a smoke grub and a jig spoon tied on. Spoon can be blast on schoolies, esp if you hit some of the roaming whites that time of year. Something will always eat the smoke grub.

Make sure you pick up some doctors. That thing is unreal on a rig, and they can show a real preference for it over a centipede.

Make sure your line is appropriate. As a displaced Iowan (truly former after some of the political nonsense there of late-almost embarrassed to claim it), I had to learn clear water and light line lessons the hard way. Seaguar flouro or Maxima ultragreen in 6-10#, and some 15# for your topwaters. It's SO not Three Mile or the Mississippi R.

Mark at TRB&T is super for tackle and marine service issues, also usually some locals and guides in there that are helpful and at least entertaining. Also stop by and talk with Jerry Snider in the Kimberling shopping center if you get the chance.

Bill...is the PBJ Chompers a new color or the purple/brown laminate color from last year? Thanks.

[S&M]

Post deleted for the betterment of the members.

As well as my membership on this website.

[XRAY]

Should be great about then. Only crank I would worry about would maybe be a square bill. There can be a DD22 type bite, but probably not that early with this year's weather.

Should be fins, spooks, rigs, maybe a football jig. Never go out without a smoke grub and a jig spoon tied on. Spoon can be blast on schoolies, esp if you hit some of the roaming whites that time of year. Something will always eat the smoke grub.

Make sure you pick up some doctors. That thing is unreal on a rig, and they can show a real preference for it over a centipede.

Make sure your line is appropriate. As a displaced Iowan (truly former after some of the political nonsense there of late-almost embarrassed to claim it), I had to learn clear water and light line lessons the hard way. Seaguar flouro or Maxima ultragreen in 6-10#, and some 15# for your topwaters. It's SO not Three Mile or the Mississippi R.

Mark at TRB&T is super for tackle and marine service issues, also usually some locals and guides in there that are helpful and at least entertaining. Also stop by and talk with Jerry Snider in the Kimberling shopping center if you get the chance.

Bill...is the PBJ Chompers a new color or the purple/brown laminate color from last year? Thanks.

Thank for the tips I appreciate it...Three Mile? You from the Emmetsburg area? Got alot of family up there.

Do most guys C-rigor T-rig the Fish Doctors ?

[XRAY]

dtrs5kprs,

Good reply, I agree 100%.

Jerry Snider is a good man. He always gives me spot on information with regards to what the fish are bitting on. His tackle store stocks the tried and true lures that catch bass on Table Rock.

Whats the name of his tackle store?

[Dutch]

It is the only tackle shop in the strip mall in Kimberling City. Also staying in Hollister you won't be far from the Bass Pro Shop at the landing in Branson.