Table Rock Trip

[bonsaibp]

I'm coming to TR next week from CA to fish from the 20th -25th and will be staying in Kimberling City. Does anybody have any suggestions for baits, techniques or areas?

[T-RockJaws]

Look for secondary pea gravel points and drag a fish doctor or shaky head. After dark, switch to a dark colored jig with some kind of craw trailer in the same type areas. Good luck!!!

[dtrs5kprs]

Look for secondary pea gravel points and drag a fish doctor or shaky head. After dark, switch to a dark colored jig with some kind of craw trailer in the same type areas. Good luck!!!

Right on to the above. Hard to beat a little green worm on 6 or 8# fluoro. If the lake continues to warm there should also be a senko bite, then flukes and topwater before too long...spooks and redfins. Dragging a smoke grub on windy gravel is always good as well.

Slow as the movement seems to be, I am hoping to find some staging fish in deeper wood (20-30') off the spawn banks and spawn coves. Hit some big brownies in those places early last spring on C-rigs, football jigs, shakeys.

[bonsaibp]

Thanks guys. What's a fish doctor?

[gitnby]

Thanks guys. What's a fish doctor?

"It's a thing with fins that swims in the water,and please don't call me Doctor"

http://www.basspro.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/Product_10151_-1_10001_7512____SearchResults

Green Pumpkin is probably my favorite for Table Rock.

I rig it on a #1 or #2 Gamakatsu round bend hook with a small split shot or other type of sinker from 12"-18" up.

Light line, 6 or 8 is best.

You can just drag it slowly, shake it a bit now and then.

Hits can be pretty light, or smallies will sometimes just pick it up and run with it.

Have caught more fish with it than any other bait over the years.

[dtrs5kprs]

Thanks guys. What's a fish doctor?

Can also c-rig, t-rig, shakey, and a pretty good dead sticking wacky worm for bed fish. Oh, and it drop shots too.

I usually run it on 8# fluoro with 1/8 to 1/4 mojo weights and an EWG or G-lock 1 to 2/0. The 2/0 helps with the brownies described by Gitnby. They will just take off hard with it, don't leave it in the water and the rod on the deck.

Centipedes work too, but that darn doctor seems to get more bites.

[bonsaibp]

Thanks I'll check them out. I plan on using some California baits that the fish there probably haven't seen to much of. I'll let you all know how they work out .

[CaptainJoe]

Thanks I'll check them out. I plan on using some California baits that the fish there probably haven't seen to much of. I'll let you all know how they work out .

Being a former Simi Valley resident, don't spend too much time throwing the trout imitators and big swimbaits. They have not worked for me. Table Rock fish do not have trout as their main forage like CA lakes and the fish are Northern not Florida bass. The Robo Worms (Aarons Magic) work, but the zipper worms have not. I have Moorpark clients (former friends) coming out on Thursday for a two-day trip on Friday and Saturday.

Good luck!

[Bill Babler]

Joe, you are right as rain on that Zipper, they just will not have it. Fish everywhere else just love it. I think it is just to big a profile for the majority of our Jaws and K's. I believe that is why they just love that little 1/2 pencil the Fish Dr.

Joe again is right. If you think just cause its from the West Coast these fish have not seen it, you better check that at the door. These Clear Water Table Rockers, Didn't just fall off the Hatchery Truck, they know how to play the game.

Swim that 4 inch Ctail, drag a very lite rig, and get after them on the long runnouts on top early and you will be fine.

Good Luck

[stock jockey]

I just finished spending 4 days on the 'rock'. It is the most beautiful lake I have ever fished. It is also one of the most difficult. I agree with what all said above, however I will tell you what worked for me and my partner this weekend.

Thursday:

Arived at 3pm and fished in Aunts Creek for about 1 hour before We spent the rest of the time getting my hummingbird 1197 tuned in to the lake.

It was high sunny skies. We threw a 5" single tail hula grub on a 3/8 ounce round football jig (painted white). Caught 3 fish in that hour. (A 3# small mouth and 2 spots that were about 12").

Friday:

Tried the same and we only caught about 6 fish and one was a 16" spot. It was also high sunny skies.

Saturday:

Had cloud cover all day and we decided to change things up. I had been told by 3 different people that top water was not working yet. Was told that if you use it to go slow, slow, slow.

We threw zara spooks and did great. We caught about 20+ fish but only had 2 keepers. had many of the fish just knocking the lure with there head.

Today: only fished for about 4 hours and after about 3 hours I switched over to a 6 inch 3 jointed swimbait that looked like a shad. fisherman's series from cabelas. I switched over because we had 2 strikes on the fast part of the retrieve close to the boat. This bait was the ticket. I wish that I would have discovered this pattern on Friday. I actually caught a 8" bass on a 6" lure. They definitely liked the very fast movement of the swim bait. Had 4 keepers today.

All in all we had a great 4 days on one of the most amazing lakes in America. Caught about 40 fish total. Hope someday I catch the 'big one'.

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We fished from Kimberling City bridge to Aunts Creek. Mostly Aunts creek. Lots of boats were there but had the best luck there also.

Release all fish unharmed.

I have to say there were alot of people fishing the beds.