Tablerock Lake Report

[Bill Babler]

Hey guys, been off a while chasing the big-en's in Alask'e.

Here is whats going on and what will be happening for the next week or so. Most info, is coming from guide reports from the big pay for play boys.

Kimberling City to Cricket Creek on the main lake. Most all bass being caught are Ky's with all coming in the 24 to 28 ft. range off any of the bridge pilings or on the bottom off the channel swings or the flats. Good catches are being reported on the bottom in 26 ft. on the ole standby pbj. football jig.

Bridge piers are producing nice fish in the same 26ft. range on live crawlers or purple or june bug drop shot worms. You don't have to just fish the piers, fish any of the shade under the bridges.

Baxter to Eagle rock, Great fishing on the flats in the same 26ft. range on either a shakey head worm in green pumpkin or the pbj jig. Top water action is occuring on the flats opposite Baxter Marina, Hobb's Hollow, Twin Rivers, Little Mill Creek, and Viney Creek early almost every morning. Depending on light conditions from 6;30 till about 8am. Any topwater will work, from a spook to a yellow magic or a fin.

When those fish go down a spoon or a drop shot will work if you have them pegged on your electronics.

Have done nothing on bluff's or ends, as most fish are on the flats chasing shad. Lots of whites are still blowing up at Baxter and Red Barn cove, along with Twin Rivers ie needles eye. Also on the flats before you get to big M Marina.

Table Rock boaters are late sleepers, so you can pretty much have your way until about 11 am. and then give it to the skiers. Evening fishing has been extremely poor. Mornings are best.

You should have no trouble catching Ky's if you follow these directions and the locations mentioned. Remember this however, when fishing a location, don't make a career out of one spot, even if you see alot of bait or fish on your graph. It seems you can catch a couple per shot and then you have to shove off. You can come back later and catch another couple but they have been under prussure for 6 months now and they will just not tolorate alot of attention per location. They are there, but they will just refuse to bite.

Good Luck, White River Outfitters Guide Service

[Bill Babler]

Bill Beck, Table rock lake Guide service reports today that fishing was extremely good from pt. 9 to Campbell Point fishing a pbj. Football jig in 24 to 30 feet on the flats where they break into the channel.

Notice how much he moved on his 4 hr. guide trip, from point 9 clear to Cam/pt. catch a couple and move along, they are biting.

[WebFreeman]

The Bassmasters will be here in a couple weeks. If you were fishing it, would you take a similar approach? I remember they had a tournament around this time last year. 1st place ran up the James and fished for LM and 2nd drop shotted the 86 bridge for Spots.

[Bill Babler]

I would not take the same approach if I were fishing a High Dollar tournament unless it was a several day event where total number of fish was a factor.

Now again, as it was before the fish kill, you really can't win a major tournament with Ky's. You need the Largemouth as kicker fish and heaver stringer weights.

We can most usually come up with 5 fish limits of Ky's in the 13 to 17lb. range and that just won't do it.

When you are fishing the James for the LM, However they are not guide fish they are tournament fish. A good days catch up the James from the people that are guiding the area is 8 to 12 fish in an 8 hr. period, if the guides fish.

Numbers are way more important on guide trips. 20 to 30 fish are not uncommon on guide trips on the main lake, but the fish will average under 2 lbs and up the James you are looking at weights you would like to average at 3plus lbs.

When Bill Beck won the Back to Back Heartlands this summer he caught very few fish. Its hard to get a client to work that hard and fish all day for 6 bites that may win a tournament. People want to get bit. Guide fish and tournament fish are very seldom, the same thing.

Using a drop shot and dropping on a flat, or dragging a football jig in 30 ft. of water is something people can do. Percesion casting and extreme patients is not something people do well.

Don't know if I answered your question or not but that is the main difference in Table Rock fishing.

[WebFreeman]

It does answer my question. I'll be interested to see how it turns out.

[Bill Babler]

The Touranment you are speaking of was The Busch Shootout.

1st. Brent Chapman James River, Crakin

2nd. Ed. Cowan James River, Crakin

3rd. Jerald Swindel Main Lake Bridges and Deep Trees, dropshot

4th. Zell Roland Main Lake Bridges and Dock Cables, topwater and dropshot

5th. Kevin Vandam White River and Long Creek, Spinnerbait and Crakin

6th. Jimmy Mize James River and Kings River, Crakin

This event was sponsored by BP and Busch Beer and all these fisherman had local guide boats as camera boats. This is how we got all the complete information on the tourament. As guides we talk to each other.

Plus there were a couple of comflicts that were published about the fisherman getting in each others way.

Most all these guys were wanting to fish the same exact water and were hitting the same stretches time and time again.

One of my best friends was on the camera boat for Chapman, and he fished the same bank both days and only fished a stretch that was a couple of hundred yards long. One log he must have fished at least 20 times in the 2 days.

I believe he had 4 keepers off the log in the period and lost a couple of more or missed a bite or two.

That's all I know.

[WebFreeman]

That is what I was talking about. I was thinking Swindle finished second. I'm not a big tournament guy, but I'm curious how they fish the waters I know. Swindle got into a w/ Zell Roland under the bridge. I think Swindle does that a lot. It's funny how they started w/ 12 fisherman and they got in each others way.

Is there professional courtesy when they're on the lake? Do you guides avoid they lake when they're around? Sorry for all the questions, but it's just really interesting to me.

[Bill Babler]

The old saying that 90% of the fish are in 10% of the water really holds true this time of the year. It is easy to want to fish the same spots on the rock.

Also there is the factor that these guys are only here for a limited time and they don't have time to prospect new water other than the stretches they know.

It was a suprise toruanment with only 1 day of practice. You have to stay were you know there are fish.

For the most part we could care less who or whom is here, our clients come first and I will fish any water I think my guests can catch fish in. Their $350.00 is just as important to them as a check is to the play for pay guys.

As I stated before, we are not for the most part fishing the same water, and I, and the other guides have lots of spots where we don't need bridges or single stretches of bank. We will fish the bridges if they are open, but it dosen't matter one way or the other.