Spring Bass Fishing on Table Rock

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As March roars in like a lion, Table Rock lake is set to return to the fishing prominence it once held. 2003 winter tournaments as well as early 04 results have been excellent. Tourney bags of 22 to 24 lbs. are needed to win most buddy or pro-am events and it takes just a pretty good poke of fish to even cash a check

in most tourneys. Starting the week of March 1st. The BASS top 150 boys are in town in search of bass for mega-bucks. They will find the largemouth bass

population in good shape, with 3 good years of recruitment. Smallmouth and the spotted bass are in great shape as usual.

If your headed to the rock in March thru May, here is a tip or two that will get your string stretched as you fling hardware around the lake. As the bass start to move in transition from their winter deep haunts to spring spawning grounds several stops occur along the way. Warm sunny, breezy days will find bass moving into the creek arms working chunk rock banks in search of crayfish.. Wiggle Warts or wide wobbling crank baits fished in an erratic manner will trigger these seafood lovers to try a taste of your hard plastics. Jigs and Hula grubs fished in creepy crawler fashion in these same areas are also attractive to calorically challenged bass.

Main lake fish will start to relate to channel swing and transition banks. Timber is always nice but not a must. If a large flat spawning cove is in relation to the channel swing that is an excellent place to start looking. Fish the transition from where the channel hits the bank to where it leaves the bank. By transition I mean where bluff face goes to chunk and were chunk turns to gravel. Don’t be nervous if your boat is in 90 ft. of water, this is Table Rock. These fish will move up and just cruse the bank. If there is timber there, they will use the area between the timber and the bank as a hi-way. Fish from the bank thru the timber using a suspending stickbait. Colors range from bright white and chartreuse on sunny days to darker colors like purples, blacks, and golds on more over cast days. Swimming a C-tail grub in these same locations on a 1/4 oz jib head sometimes will catch huge stringers of fish.At this time of year never pass a cedar in these locations as the bass relate to these bushy hideholes.

Last week I had a great day on the rock just fishing the cedars. When fishing cedars don’t be impatient. Cast your stickbait past the tree and reel it down dangerously close if not even into the tree. Let it sit for up to 30 seconds and just twitch the bait in the tree. Watch the line closely as strikes will be light and you may only see your line twitch or move slightly. What a great way to catch a really big fish. My best five last week were over 25lbs.

As the water continues to warm the fish will become more active and start to move from the transitions to the spawning coves. Sinkos, flukes, sluggos and other soft plactic jerk bates will start to really catch these fish. Don’t forget our own Table Rock Chompers. These soft plastic twin tailed grubs fished either on a jig head or as a trailer on a jig are unbeatable. There crayfish appearance along with the scent are really a

hit with the Table Rock bass. Fish these grubs in craydaddy looking places in either a drag or a chopping motion. The wart is still going good at this time and so will A-Bombers or any of the high dollar lipped cranks, in crayfish colors.

Late April and May brings on the site fisherman and also the tried and true mojo rig, carolina rig or the split shotters. Site fisherman can use small tubes, 4 inch worms crayfish shaped soft plastics and sluggos to aggravate bedding fish. Pinks and whites are good colors at this time, as not only can the fish see them, but so can the angler. Top water spitters are also great in making these fish bite. Good dragging colors for the rigs tends to run in watermelon, green punkin and cotton candy. It is extremely hard to beat the zoom fish doctor.

When dragging, Cenepedes, and finesse worms run a close second but take my advise go to the Dr. When fishing the Dam area of Table Rock from late March thru May, if you don’t have a C-tail grub on a 1/4oz jig head swimming flat gravel you haven’t lived. Grub colors from cotton candy to green pumpkin are fantastic for the huge smallmouth that live there. Position your boat in the 20 ft. of water range and cast to the bank. Slowly retrieve the bait so it follows the couture of the bottom back to the boat. Hang on. You will catch fish.

If you haven’t fished the rock or fear deep clear lakes, this is the time to come to the beautiful Ozarks. Take my advice for the spring of 04 and come and fling the rock, there has never been a better time.