Table Rock Lake Fishing Report May 5Th. 2011

[Bill Babler]

Current Table Rock Lake Fishing Report

OzarkAnglers Table Rock Lake Forum

Have been out quite a bit as has most of the guides. Surface temps have risen to 58 to 60 degree. Best fishing water is the clearer water from Kimberling City to the Point 2 area of the dam. However, the lake is clearing fast. Water is blue/green and streaky in front of the lodge this morning. It was quite murky a few days ago.

Lots of fish being caught on the origional bank line, with one of the best SM bites I have seen in years. Fish with the water rising, have moved also into the first set of bushes or trees above the old bank line. Spinnerbaits, flukes, or sluggo's will catch them.

Best bets for numbers and size are either a splitshot using a watermellon candy cenipede, or by far the best right now is the Chompers Watermellon/Red flex tube. The Green Pumpkin tube is also hot. Fish these drag or hop baits on points adjacent to the spawning pockets, on secondaries in the pockets and work your way completely thru the pockets.

There is alot of timber that is not visible right now, and you will lose baits.

Topwater is also starting to take some fish in and above the bush line.

The Jaw bite is to the point of unbelieveable. Buster-Saniato-Beck-House- Paige and some of the other top guides are catching these fish at remarkable numbers and size. Full day trips are producing 30 to 50 SM with top fish in the 4 plus pound range.

Bigger fish are deeper and most of you are setting your boat on them. Most of us working the Tube are setting the boat in 35 to 42 ft. of water. Best fish are coming directly behind the boat. Rig is catching lots of fish, but by far the tube is producing bigger fish.

The Tube bite is really tricky, as they are eating it and swallowing it. Be prepaired for a very soft bite, and just a heavy weight on the line. Most often, there is no tap or tug at all, they just have it. It that tube is down to far, do not extract it. Just cut the line and if they are a keeper, put them in your well for 30 minutes with full oxygen. 90 percent of the time they will cough the tube up in the livewell, and you have it back. For short fish you just lost the bait.

Don't for one instant think that a deep hooked bass cannot be released. most will cough it up or pass it. They will take the tube head first and the hook in pointed in. they can cough it right up and out.

On my guide trip tuesday, we had 5 swallow the tube and 4 coughed them up in the well before they were released. Tim Paige had a very similar result the same day. In a 3 hr. trip, I had 27 jaws with 9 keeps.

Don't let the high water keep you home, the fish are biting, and that is the way it is suspose to be in May.

Good Luck

[champ187xr6]

Bill... Great report and even better pic.

[dtrs5kprs]

Thanks Bill, and good reminder on the deeply hooked fish. Are you having to fizz any of them at those depths? Also curious...are those deep fish post spawn or a mix? Concerned about how many nests we have lost, first to the rise, then the subsequent drop. Have fingers crossed for a good late spawn.

Maybe the pond will even stay over 60 degrees this time...

[skipjack]

I know this is the Rock and you really never know but, do you think the warm weather coming plus the lake level being somewhat stable will send these fish to the bank next week. Thats what I'm kinda thinking but it could be one of those years where the spawn happens 25 feet deep.

[smbasser]

Thanks for the report Bill, appreciate all the info like usual

[Hillbilly Deluxe]

Dang, Bill. Looks like I took my vacation a week too early. Thanks for coming on the radio show last week. Now if I can just sneak back down next week.........

bw

[Quillback]

Thanks for the report Bill, and thanks for that advice on fish that have swallowed the tube.