Table Rock Over The Weekend 10/1-10/2

[bluebasser86]

We started off fast on Table Rock Saturday morning with me catching a short spot on my second cast with a grub and then a keeper largemouth about 10 minutes later on a wart.

http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n500/bluebasser86/101_1239.jpg

Chris caught a keeper largemouth on a shakeyhead and we caught a few more shorts of all 3 species before the sun got up. Once the sun got up and the wind died completely it got tough. I caught a short spot on a sammy (our only topwater fish all weekend) and a keeper largemouth on a shakeyhead. Chris stuck a good fish on a jig that got hung in a tree on the way up. The way he could lift it a little ways and it would stop you could tell it was on an old line. I tried and tried with my lure retriever to get it loose. Finally on a desperate attempt to just catch the line I caught something and pulled and felt a line pop. I lifted and swung in about 15 feet of line, an old jig, and Chris' keeper smallmouth that weighed 2lbs 9oz.

http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n500/bluebasser86/101_1240.jpg

It got really tough from there. We tried to run to Cedar cove when my boat went into alarm because the outboard was overheating. We limped to a point and could see nothing wrong. We weren't far from Big Cedar Lodge so we putted to the docks there but they don't work on boats. Thankfully one guy had the number to someone who does work on boats and he was nice enough to listen and answer our questions. He said it sounded like my thermastat was stuck and was an easy fix and not expensive. It took about an hour to get back to the ramp at idle speed but we finally got to Bass Pro in Branson and they took a look at it. It was the thermastat but they didn't have one and neither did the 5 or 6 other shops he called. Luckily BPS in Springfield did have one so we hit the road and got the part.

Back on the lake it continued to be tough but at least my motor was working. We scratched out a couple more shorts before hitting a bluff wall we'd caught a could keepers off of earlier. It was getting dark and cold but we could see pretty well with the light bluff wall and half moon. I flipped a jig next to a tree and turned to say something to Chris when a fish about yanked the rod out of my hands. After a pretty good tussle to keep it out of the cedars I swung my biggest smallmouth of the trip in, 3lbs 3oz.

http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n500/bluebasser86/101_1242.jpg

We ended day 1 with 15 fish, 7 of those being keepers.

Day 2 started terrible. 38 degrees and fog so thick we could hardly see the trolling motor. In the first 3 hours we caught 5 fish, no keepers. I was tired of picking the spots so Chris scrolled around the topo map on my depthfinder and found a spot he liked. Someone else liked it too and was already fishing it when we got there so we hit a different area close by. Soon after getting there some fish started busting shad. We caught a few short spots throwing grubs but nothing even close to keeping. I noticed a large standing tree out in the middle of the cove in about 40 feet of water so I dropped a spoon down next to it. It barely sank out of sight when my line jumped and I stopped the spool with my thumb and set the hook into our first keeper spot of the day. As I fought it up about 15 or 20 others chased it. I dropped a grub down with the first one still on and doubled on keeper spots.

http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n500/bluebasser86/101_1246.jpg

The school disappeared quickly so we ran back to the bluff we'd done well on the day before. I quickly caught another keeper spot on a jig.

http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n500/bluebasser86/101_1247.jpg

A couple more shorts and then I got thumped hard on a jig and stuck a good fish. She jumped like a smallmouth and fought really well before I lipped her. 20" 4lb 6oz largemouth was our biggest at Table Rock.

http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n500/bluebasser86/101_1249.jpg

I wish every fish that I caught on a jig ate it this good!

http://i1136.photobucket.com/albums/n500/bluebasser86/101_1248.jpg

We ended day 2 with 16 fish and 5 keepers. We caught fish on several different baits but a jig was by far our best bait for keepers and numbers.

[eshay]

Oustanding read and thank you for the information.

[dwiebenga]

Even with the set backs you made it a great weekend. Especially with the blue skies and little wind. Great report!

[magicwormman]

Great detailed report!!! Sounds like a pretty good trip to me. I know lots of guys doing worse. The bite has been tough for me too.

[Bill Babler]

Excellent report. You guys would probably have won any of the 3 derby's the rock had this last weekend. It was very slow. You outdid, 99% of the guides that fish here everyday and had the pic's to prove it. None of us are getting bit on a jig period. Great Job.

Question, I have lived here most of my adult life and Guided here for 20 Plus years. For the life of me I have never heard of Cedar Cove. If that a name you gave it or whats up with that. I asked 10 other guides where Cedar Cove was at the dam and no one had heard of it. Lots of Cedars in lots of Coves, but no one knew of a cove named Cedar. There is of course Cedar Creek up past Shell KNob, but that is not where I think you ment.

Great trip and fantastic Post.

[Gone Fishing]

Nice report. Alot of people would have called it a day on day one with the breakdown but you guys got back after it. Those were some nice fish and well deserved.

[abkeenan]

Im just guessing here but I would assume by "Cedar Cove" he may be refering to Big Cedar? Just as guess it appears he was fishing the dam area.

[bluebasser86]

Thanks a lot guys.

Bill-I guess the derbys explain why there was so many bass boats out there last weekend. I told Chris we did really well but he's used to catching 20 or more fish apiece at the little state lakes around here that get no pressure compared to the rock. I caught most of my fish on a 5/16oz Booyah Baby Boo jig on 14lb floro and Chris was catching all of his fish on either a 1/2oz football or 1/2 casting jig, both jigs that I make. The key for us was to have a trailer with little action and to fish very slowly. I tried a rage trailer, twin tail, speed craw, nothing on any of them. Chris was outfishing me from the back of the boat on a jig with a paca chunk or craw papi. I switched to a Zoom cross craw and craw papi and started getting bit. One particular bluff produced a vast majority of our keepers, had I been in a tourny I wouldn't have left that bluff. I don't know the names of most of the coves but my Hotmaps chip in finder/gps called it Cedar Cove. To make it very simple it's the cove that Big Cedar Lodge is in, but we didn't catch much there. I can PM you more info on our exact location and techniques if you'd like, it would be pretty easy to direct you to the exact location we were fishing.

[Bill Babler]

Blue, proud as punch for you boys, you all did great. Just wonder what cove you were refering to as Cedar Cove. You had better keep your hiddy hole to yourself, and let us other galoots just try and find it. Although I appreciate that very much, that is a very nice offer.

Great luck in the future and again thanks for the wonderful report and pic's.

Good Luck