table rock

[bass master]

what are the bass and the crappie biting on because im headin down to the rock this weekend and i hope to catch some fish. please post your info.

[LWW]

Last weekend the bite was real good around Shell Knob all the way up to Eagle Rock. First the topwater bite with a spook or red fin was pretty active on the shallow gravel flats and points where the bass were feeding on the baitfish near the banks. They moved out deep rather quickly, but first thing in the morning the shallow bite was more active. Sunday I found a bite that was on fire all over the lake. My dad started throwing a 3" storm swimmin shad (the new one that suspends and rattles and has the trebble hook dangling from the belly). His first bite of the day was a 6lb 10oz toad. Later he went to church and I stayed out throwing the swimming shad on all the gravel banks I'd been running the last few weekends. 20 fish later, I was convinced the swim bait was for real. I worked it mostly like a crankbait with a steady retrieve sometimes pausing or twitching it every now and then. I got bites from Largemouths, Spots, Smallmouth, and Crappie. It was super hot bite and a real pleasure to fish because I didn't have to concentrate so hard on picking up the bite from the bottom of the lake. Other than the swim bait, I found many bites slowly draging a watermelon candy finesse worm or a watermelon candy centipede split shot rig across the gravel keeping bottom contact at all times. If you can let your bait sit there for 5-15 seconds after you shake it or drag it a bit, the fish can't stand it and you'll feel the bite mostly in 10 -20 feet of water. I'd definatly try the swim bait if you get a chance, it's a great lookin bait.

Good fishin to all,

LWW

[Kicknbass]

What was the lake structure in the areas that you were catching fish? Depth, gravel Trees?

[LWW]

My basic pattern was to fish any visible gravel bank I could find as I boated around the lake. From there I would simply fish the flat structureless and coverless gravel banks that gently sloped out to deeper water (usually a 10-20ft depth range). I was always looking for the area were say a 10ft gravel flat dipped down to a 15ft gravel flat. Sometimes the depth change was only a foot or two but the fish seemed to relate to that depth change. I would also look for any gravel points and focused again on the ledges associated with the gravel. Not much structure or cover though. From what Bill is saying about the temperature change, this pattern may dwindle away fast. I'll still be looking for the fish to be schooling up baitfish on these flats early in the morning for a topwater bite. One other thing, I caught a nice smallmouth and when I got him in the boat he spit up a 3in crawdad that was black and had red specks on his tail and back. Looked just like a zoom speed craw. Might want to run a small crawdad bait along the gravel also.

[Phil Lilley]

Talked to Bill today- he emphasized DEEP- he caught some of his fish yesterday 40 feet deep. He said they did the same thing last year after spawn- went deep.

Read his report- good info.

[conman]

LWW,

I am curious I am looking at a picture of the Storm bait you were using http://www.extremelures.com/index.asp?Page...WPROD&ProdID=62 and wondering if the bait suspends and has no lip, how do you get it down to the desired depth? How deep does it go?

Thanks

[LWW]

Conman,

That is the excact bait I was using (Shad Pattern). Last Sunday was the first time I ever fished with it or with a swim bait for that matter, but your right it does not have a bill and does suspend when you stop cranking. It does narturally dive about 3-5 feet when simply slow crank it back to the boat. Sometimes I would give a few a quick jerks right off the bat that I felt lowered its starting depth which then gave me an extra foot or two once I started reeling. There was one spot just north of Big "M" Marina were there is a large flat gravel area with the regular 5-25 foot terrain but at the southern end of the flat the channel curved by and made a 35-70ft deep ledge. I'm not sure at what depth the fish were actually suspending but it felt like they were coming from pretty deep and drilling the bait. Point is they were picking up on it on the flats and even out in open water. I even picked off a few fish suspending around the bridge pilings on the Shell Knob bridge. Which by the way as I was waiting for the trailer to get to the ramp I caught a "little" fish and was fighting him back in, when the biggest fish I've ever seen came up and tried to take the bait right out of the little fish's mouth knocking him free and moving on. Wish I had more experience with it to tell you more, but I'd definatly recommend for you to experiment yourself. They do make some of the baits with weighted heads that will let you work the real deep stuff but I haven't gone there yet. Keep you posted if I do.

Here's the first fish the swim bait gave my dad (6lbs 10oz):

Good Luck!

LWW