Please:need Help Catching Fish

[BassMaster#1]

Ok guys i'm desperte, Me and a couple buddies were fishing today and caught only 1 small mouth and 1 perch. We are going out tommorow but don't want to get skunked again as were leaving Sunday morning. I bought some spooks from reading on this website and was thinking I could catch something but haven't got any thing yet. I think we just need to figure out were to fish and how to fish.

were staying at indian ponint so could someone reccomend what time to head out and a few good coves to fish. We're use to fishing shallow water to so we have no idea how to catch fish on a shakey head. I bought 3/8 oz jig heads as well as 3/8oz jigs, is this to light. Do i just motor up to the points turn the trolling motor off and cast out to 30 or 20ft of water and drag the bait in? Also any help on were to fish for top water would be helpfull? Please help other wise we are taking dynamite out with us tomorrow. This lake is just to darn deep for me to figure out anything.

[abkeenan]

Sorry to hear about your lack of success. Some days on TR can just be brutal so dont feel bad. Usually you can catch fish just about all year long (April-Nov for me) on the shakey head with some sort of worm (Senko, YUM Dinger, Chompers straight tail, Zoom centipede/fish doctor). I havent been to TR in over a month so I don't have a feel on the pulse of the fishing right now but I would try points and secondary points putting my boat in about 35ft of water and throwing up towards the bank and working it on bottom (dragging and short hops) back to the boat rather slow. Fish usually hitting it on the drop or when you drag it through the 10-25ft of water zone. Look for some wind to be hitting the points and if there is timber even better. Hope this gets you more than 1 1/2 fish. Top water is usually best before the sun gets up over the tree line and if its cloudy then the bite can last longer.

-Brett

PS- If that doesnt work try a 2oz mojo weight with 20lb test and attach the forementioned dynamaite, light, drop into water and count down 10 seconds. That should land a few.

[motoman]

I think ab summed it up well. Myself, I'd get out of the coves a bit. Step out of your comfort zone. The Rock is a different animal, and quickly humbles many anglers. (including myself, to this day) If you're used to shallow water fishing, The Rock can be a VERY harsh mistress. Most shallow water guys aren't used to The Rocks clear water either. So make sure you have 8 pound fluorocarbon line on first (maybe even 6). Some guys get away with heavier line; I have not. Hold the boat in the 20-30 foot range, and cast to shore or parallel the shoreline. Fire out that shakey head, and make sure you feed it line. Don't trip the bail or crank the reel when it hits the water; it'll pendulum back and you'll lose critical distance, dragging it on the bottom. I've fished with many guys who cast it (in 20-30 feet of water), and as soon as the bait hits the surface, they trip the bail. Big mistake. That bait may never really make bottom contact until it's almost under the boat.

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Once that bait hits the water, feed it line. Until you're certain it's on the bottom. Then as slow as you can stand it, I like to sssslllllowwwly sweep the rod to the left or right, stop, take up slack; rinse, lather and repeat. When you're at the boat, just slowly reel it in, up off the bottom. You'd be surprised how many fish follow it, and don't pounce until they think its getting away.:-)

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Look for windblown chunk rock shorelines/points. And as for topwater, I strike out once the sun peeks over the hills. Unless it's foggy or heavy overcast/drizzly/rainy.

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As for what time to get out and fish, be on your spots to fish while it's still dark! (if you can get up that early!) When I'm recreational fishing, I'll come in sometimes at 10-11 a.m. (if the bite is tough), grab a bite to eat, catch some ZZzz's; then head back out about 3-4 p.m. and fish into the night. I don't like beating my head against the wall, and frothing the water if there's not a good bite going on.

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3/8 ounce jig heads are plenty heavy; maybe a pinch heavy; but don't sweat it. Work with what you've got. These Table Rock fish are savvy; I prefer 1/4 ounce; so the bait doesn't feel too heavy when they pick it up. Cause if those fish even sense something remotely wrong; they'll drop it like a hot potato.

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And try natural colors of smaller soft plastics in the 5" and under range

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Don't forget to read the most recent posts too.

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Hope this helps, and I apologize if it's a bit scatterbrained; I'm thinking out loud.

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Be sure to post back how you did; good luck!

[LWW]

Bassmaster#1,

Don't get frustrated, we've all been there! Sometimes this lake is as stingy as you can imagine, then other times you can't keep em out of your boat. I wish I could help you with some fishing spots around your area, but I don't know any.. I mainly fish out of Shell Knob and almost always head west down the white. But anyhow I was out last weekend, caught 42 by the end of the trip while finishing up each day by 10am to spend some time with the wife and son.

Pretty quickly I felt like I learned a thing or two. I had plans on throwing my super spook early like I always do, and ended up just getting worn out hauling water. For the most part they weren't even coming up to hit it, then when they did they would just lazily roll on it and never hook up. I got lucky the first morning and had a top water frenzy blow up on a point behind me which lasted for about 30 mins or so. Made my way over with the spook tied on thinking it was on, to no avail. Frustrated with watching the fish go crazy all around and not catching anything, I picked up my crankin stick and caught 6 spots before it was over. After watching the spook get laughed at, I knew something had to change. I cut the spook and looked in my box for a smaller profiled bait. I ended up with a bait my buddy gave me one day which happened to be a BassPro XPS I believe. The point was it was slimmer, shorter, and worked just a little different than the spook.

The next morning, I headed right back to the point the frenzy happened (point 23), pulled up caught 3 right away and said I'd seen that show and wasn't too interested in catching the little 12 inch spots I caught yesterday and started to find again. So after watching that entire point going crazy, I decided to just hop points. I stayed on the channel swing side so I was seeing more chunck rock and 45 deg banks behind the points, but by the end of the weekend I was having almost as much luck on the long gravel points and flats also. What was really fun was how I would pull up to a quiet point toss out that XPS, get hammered right away, and then it was on. After the first fish would hit, it turned them all on and eventually could last for quite a while. It almost seemed as when I would start the trolling motor that would get them going again. The craziest part of it all was on one point I caught 15 and I swear 85% of em were LM.

By the end of the weekend I felt my point hoping pattern was pretty strong, so on Sunday morning I told my dad he needed to come out with me and I'll put him on some fish. We pulled up to the same point I just mentioned and boated 6 fish on my first 6 casts and he had 4 pretty quick. We continued to run the white going no further than Big M stopping on points and hitting some gravel flats with boat docks on em that had surfacing around them and had some pretty good luck. The bite was strange though, early it was easy but later we would see them surface everywhere but couldn't for the life of us get them to hook up. At times I would cast out the spoon and cranker and still wouldn't get bit.

When the topwater bite slowed by 8-9ish, I would go to my ol' faithful the football head jig (1/2oz) and boated my best fish of the weekend.. I ended finding some nice LM on wood laydowns off the bank in a few feet of water. Caught this nice 4lb'r and respectable 2lb'r. Not a bad trip for someone who hasn't been able to fish like I used to due to the fact I have a 2yr old son now and the weekends aren't like they used to be. Now I've got a trip with Babler scheduled for November so I can really learn a thing or two!

Anyhow, not sure if that helps your trip but maybe it might key you into a fish or two...

Good luck, tight lines!

-Wes Wadkins

[BassMaster#1]

Hey Fellas, Thanks for the great tips. Now I don't have to use dynamite and we have a plan of attack tomorrow. Just trolling the shallows was our mistake. Tomorrow we will put the boat in 30' water and work the points. Thanks again fellas for all the help, hopefully we will do better in tomorrow. I'll let you know tomorrow evening how we do.

LWW

Thats a really nice fish, hope we get something like. My one buddy has never even caught a smallmouth.

[BassMaster#1]

Hey Fellas, Thanks for the great tips. Now I don't have to use dynamite and we have a plan of attack tomorrow. Just trolling the shallows was our mistake. Tomorrow we will put the boat in 30' water and work the points. Thanks again fellas for all the help, hopefully we will do better in tomorrow. I'll let you know tomorrow evening how we do.

LWW

Thats a really nice fish, hope we get something like. My one buddy has never even caught a smallmouth.

So here is my report for yesterday. Fishing was a whole lot better for us. Caught 8 keepers total with the biggest being a 2.5lb largemouth and a 2lb smallmouth. Manage to hook up with a smallmouth that would have went for 5.0lbs on a Norman dd22 bumping some trees about 14ft in an inlet of the main channel which got off at the boat, but I guess that will just be a fish story since I never got it in. I had dreams about that one all night last night. One was taking off a point on a topwater spook, but the rest was caught in the coves off crankbaits and flukes. Never could get the shaky heads to work but maybe we were just to inpatient. Thanks again guys for all the help and tips. Table Rock is just a total differnt lake then what i'm used to. This was my first time fishing table rock, but I guess I will have a little better idea next time I come back.

[Billfo]

Very respectable.. Glad you had success.. There are plenty of fish for everyone- even though everyone is catching my share.. LOL !!!

So here is my report for yesterday. Fishing was a whole lot better for us. Caught 8 keepers total with the biggest being a 2.5lb largemouth and a 2lb smallmouth. Manage to hook up with a smallmouth that would have went for 5.0lbs on a Norman dd22 bumping some trees about 14ft in an inlet of the main channel which got off at the boat, but I guess that will just be a fish story since I never got it in. I had dreams about that one all night last night. One was taking off a point on a topwater spook, but the rest was caught in the coves off crankbaits and flukes. Never could get the shaky heads to work but maybe we were just to inpatient. Thanks again guys for all the help and tips. Table Rock is just a total differnt lake then what i'm used to. This was my first time fishing table rock, but I guess I will have a little better idea next time I come back.

[moguy1973]

Knew you should have taken me Bassmaster...I would have shown you how to catch them...

[BassMaster#1]

Knew you should have taken me Bassmaster...I would have shown you how to catch them...

Yeah if I had that hat and shirt your wearing maybe I could have done better. Sammy wasn't working at all for me that day. I think I would have to say the spook is a little better.

[vacation]

Here is my latest DAM report (where I fish 99% of the time).

Saturday 830-10 am, one fish on a wiggle wart 10fow, behind dock near deep water...pig of a bass that came unbuttoned at the boat and that was all I caught.

Saturday 530-7pm, one keeper largemouth on a 45degree bank 15fow with wiggle wart. One 5lb bass on buzz bait 10fow back of cove near pole timber

Also, picked up 3 crappie under a large dock with green/yellow jig.

Hope this helps