FISH

[Lunker Hunter]

What is the report on bass and crappie on the rock i was just wonderin any info would be helpful

[Phil Lilley]

Read the topic called "Fished today, from Kimberling to Shell Knob". It has all the bass info you need right now fishing Table Rock.

Crappie- someone else has to answer that one. Very little going on that I know of.

[SD bass hunter]

Hey I was wondering what this cold weather will do to the bass fishing on the rock.

[LWW]

Seems like I've heard they move back into the creeks and coves chasing the baitfish. Doesn't the Fall have similar fishing patterns as the Spring? I've heard they can be found much shallower and closer to the banks within 10 - 20'. When does the Fall stage begin? Are stageing and transition zones important once again?

LWW

[Bill Babler]

Boy's since the BASS derby, things have really tightened up. Reports from Busters guide service have been bleak at best with some fish on a tube in 30ft. on the bottom main lake.

Ozark Mountain Guide Service, Brutal with a few fish on crawlers deep.

White River Outfitters Guide Service, Extremely tough, with fish on the flats on a drop shot on specific guide holes, few and far between.

Tablerock Guide Service Everything almost locked up. Fish appear to move away from presented baits or drop shots.

Strikebass.com Fish on a white jigging spoon in 30 to 45 ft. off deep docks, long points and bluffends. Probably doing better than anyone right now but these are specific holes that Rick has found and he is very good with a spoon.

Mid-Lakes Guide Service, Fish are deep and very hard to catch, Fishing specific brush in 30 to 45 ft. with jig and dropshot.

The fish have not moved back into the creek arms yet, and the ones that are their are very spooky. All the deep water Branson and Kimberling guides report the fish to be extremely nervious and just about afraid of their own shadows.

The next two or three weeks, until the water cools may be the hardest weeks of the year on the rock. Try and find something else to do until mid- October. A good day catch is 4 to 12 fish with maby a keeper or two.

One night or one weekend of cool weather or just a moving weather pattern, won't really effect how these fish are acting. A huge rain of 3 plus inches may trigger some of the river fish to bite and color up that extremely clear river water a might.

We have a huge corporate guide trip this weekend out of the Baxter area with 7 guides working the area from probably Eagle Rock to Pt. 5 So I will let you know how it goes.

[Fishin' Freak]

Not the report I was wanting to hear. I will be out both Saturday and Sunday rain or shine. I will be running up the James most likely on Saturday--especially if it is raining. Sunday I plan to hit a few spot between Joe Bald and Campbell point. I will give a report following the weekend.

[champ187xr6]

Just got back last eve. I fished the Kings and it was tough at best. I don't know what kind of beating it took from the big boys but I had very little luck. Lots of pods of shad but not much activity with them. I wish I had a better report especially since I get some much good info from many others on this site. I will be back down there in a couple of weeks and will report again than. Bill you are right it is a very tough time of the year. Anyone fishing the Homer Sloan?

[Bill Babler]

Yes, some of the big boys fished the kings in practice and most all said it was full of shad, but no bass activity. IT was not heavely fished during the tournament as they are just not biting up there.

The only place worse was the Upper James and Long Creek. Good Luck

For the ammount of fishing prussure these shallow water pro's placed on our rivers, they completely sucked. They should have had nice bags of Largemouth. As in the week, before the best area shallow water fisherman that fished the James, Longcreek and the Kings said it was the worst shallow bite they had ever seen on the rivers.

I would not consider wasting my valuable fishing time in the river systems now, as your time on the water is just to valuable. There is fish in the main lake if you work at them, that will bite. You won't get rich, but you can catch some.

[SD bass hunter]

hey guys

went fishing today with limited success. Spent more time trying to get my electronics tuned in like the pros have them, then I did actually fishing. Man that was neat to see the pros electronics this morning on bassmasters. Luckily I had a nice gentleman show me around my electronics, otherwise I would have never been able to fiqure it out. Now I'm Just having interferance by my trolling motor. I think I know how to fix that though.

It was pretty windy today and kinda hard to drop shot. So I did very little of it.

Seemed like to me the fish were not hitting the spoon anymore.

I started to get a couple of bites on a football jig. And caught a couple on it. The fish I caught were on the windy, bluff banks. I was within casting distance of the bluff and just let it fall anlong side the trees. The fish would run out and grab it on the way down. It was a tough bite to feel since it was so windy.

Hopefully the fishing starts to pick up a little with some more, cool weather. Seems like the fish don't know what to do right now (more like I don't know what to do).

Hope you guys have better luck then I did.