Power Generation And Fishing?

[abkeenan]

I know that many guys here believe that fishing is much better when they are running water through the generators at the dam. That being said do you guys think that it is best WHILE they are running water or does it take a little time afterwards of them running water to get some current to start moving lake wide and then the fish to turn on? Forgive me if this is a dumb question but I tend to over think a lot of things and am always looking to learn or hear what more knowledgeable people have to say about things I don't know anything about..

-Brett

[Wayne SW/MO]

I've always thought it opened opportunities at specific spots. Anywhere that blocks the flow will create a feeding area for baitfish and hopefully the bigger fish will follow. It's not a whole lot different then a windy point.

[Quillback]

You would think it would make a difference on the White river arm. I admit I never look at generation, I just go early in the morning and fish.

[dtrs5kprs]

Trying to pay more attention to flow this year. Definitely makes a difference on offshore places (humps, ridges), major points on the main lake, brushpiles on those same places. Seems to be a bigger factor as you go towards the dam. Maybe that is because it gets going there first. About all I can add so far.

[Jason Essary]

Depending on the distance from the dam, I believe it takes some time to start and stop. Nothing I know for sure, just what I would think.

[rps]

Here at the other end of the lake, the generation that affects fishing comes from up river, and it definitely changes things.

[emjay]

If all variables were the same (temp, depth, etc) go fishing when they ARE generating and then when they are NOT... 8/10 its almost like night and day. Of course this is just my personal observations and I've come to not even go fishing if they are not generating.

[Jacob W]

Growing up on the Arkansas River has taught me a lot of things, even though its not table rock lake, current is everything when it comes to fishing, summer or winter, but summer especially it is critical to have some flow to catch fish, all species, but including bass...

[ryan]

The biggest thing I notice about current is how the fish set up. When they are pulling current the fish tend to set up in predictable places. They will usually bunch up and you can really work on them once you get the school fired up. When the water is off the fish get really spread out and I find that I usually just catch one or two per spot. Tablerock can be tricky in the sense that the fish move around so much and a lack of current really makes them roam.. If you would like to tell me where they go or why they suspend out in open water the way that they do I could stop scratching my head. It's weird because you can idle around the middle of the lake in 180 ft of open water see a fish on your graph and put drop shot in front of it and catch a Kentucky suspended 30 ft deep in the middle of no where. Table rock is humbling for me, you can catch a 20lb sack one day and then turn around and blank the next. (trust me I've done it). Bottom line is current really helps the fishing!