Standing Timber?

[CJBasswacker]

Are the spots or any of the bass relating to any cover such as the standing timber?

I have read the reports of spots on a dropshot.I was just wondering if they are relating to any cover?Are they still relating to gravel bottom?How about the jig bite?

Thanks to anybody who has any input!CJ

[Don House]

CJ, you might find some fish hanging on pole timber but down deep, other guides might be on that type of bite, but my fish that I have been catching are relating to really deep water structure such as deep water dock cables, Bridge pillers, No Wake Bouys cables and deep water brush piles and deep water trees.

We are getting into that summer pattern where these fish and schools of fish will hold above alot of these types of structures and move around with the bait fish, try fishing some of these types listed above you will be surprized what you can find..

Good Fishing

[Bill Babler]

Boys, I know it's really, really hard to get through your heads that for most of the time these and I mean Table Rock lake spotted bass could care less about timber.

We have addressed this before. They are not ambush feeders. They are chasers! Largemouth will relate more to the timber, pole and cedars than the spots. This dosent't mean that you can't catch them on wood, because you certanly can. It is not however were volumes of Ky's hang on a normal basis.

Don, bless his heart spilled way to much guide info. on the locations of these fish. They love deep docks and they love cables around these docks. They will hang over pole timber, but I am speaking of locations where the timber is very deep and the tops of the trees just come into the,25 to 30ft. range. These places described above are gathering and resting points. Remember, they are shad chasers.

Main lake flat gravel humps, river channel swings and areas where flats drop into the channel are places that hold greater numbers of fish. Long flat points always harbor several Ky's as they are great places to watch for passing schools of shad.

Follow the pts. way out with your electronics and watch for fish that are not relating to the bottom, simply suspended.

This weekend at Shell Knob, there was a very good jig bite early. The water up there is really stained and we were catching them pretty good on a 5/16 Jewell Spider Jig with a Chomper twin tail trailer, in PBJ. Also had a good deep bite using the football head in the same jig pattern. 25 to 35 ft.

WE started with a very good topwater bite, I was fishing with my son and he always kicks my tail. He had a 5lb. black on a fin and my best was not near that. Topwater kicks in about 5am and is pretty much over at 7:30. There seems to be about an hour of transition, before the deep bite really takes off and then its good. When the sun forces these Ky's back to the bottom. If it stays a bit coudy, you can have a problem as the fish won't relate to the top or bottom. Again, hard for people to understand as they think the clouds should really help. Most times of the year they do. But not on summer patterns. They do make fishing more pleasant.

There is still some water in the bushes and we pitched and bladed them to death with no results. For some reason, the locations we are fishing the fish have simply not moved into those hidy holes. Way better outside the bushes early, out to about 20ft.

When the sun gets up move-em on out. Good Luck

[CJBasswacker]

Don and Bill,Thanks to both of you for your replies.Very interesting points I were not aware of about Kentuckys being chasers not ambushers.I appreciate both of your responses to my post.I will be coming down in 2 days.I am fishing with my father who lives in Branson but waits on me to fish.I will be returning in October and will be hiring 2 different guides for a half a day.

Thanks again! CJ