Table Rock Lake Current Fishing Report July 31St. 2012

[Bill Babler]

This may be one of the most helpful reports that I have posted in some time, and I really hope it puts you all on some fish or for that matter, just clues you in abit.

Couple of different things starting on what I did on my guide trip this morning. Should help the upperend guys.

Picked up Jim and Jake at the Shell Knob Ramp at 0600 to a pretty cloudy sky this morning with water temps at 86.7 and clarity at gin. Lake level at 910 even money.

Did a bit of crusing to see if I could see any chasers as that is a great way to start weather they hit the topwater junk or not. It solves 1/2 the puzzle, in you have found the fish. Just have to make them nip something. Looked high and low on most of the rolloffs between Campbell Point and Big M, and nothing to speak of on flat gravel, humps or channel swings that was of interest. "Well, at least not to the fish." Not much of any surface activity.

Did see a couple of boils off the steeper ends up the White and so we fished these, at first for suspended fish.

Jake and Jim were Holt, Missouri catfisherman and liked the idea of dangling livebait to suspended fish. Said it was right in their wheelhouse. I rigged the boys up and sat back to survey the graph after dropping them to what I thought was the appropreate depth. Jim looked at me and said "where is your pole?" I said, " I try and not fish so much so you boys can catch them, you don't need to see me wind them in." Jim reeled his bait up and said, " You don't fish, we don't fish. We are here to have fun and expect you to have as much as us." I said,"I'll piddle some if it makes you happy."

I started jerking a 1/2 oz. Cabelas Spoon to the suspenders, and the boys started catching them here and there. When I tried to take a fish off or bait a hook, I got in trouble and after a while they started to tell me they were whippin my hiney, and I had better forget that spoon and fish with live bait like a real man.

Pulled into a bit shallower water on the same bluffends we were fishing. 27' to 42' and it started. I had the boys one crank off the bottom and I jerked the spoon bottom to about 10' off.

Cannot remember the time that my boat caught 8 keeper walleye in a single day, but we did it today. Small one at 19" big one at 24" All were released except one that I deep hooked on the spoon, and ripped out a gill.

I had 6 keeper walleye on the spoon and Jake had two on crawlers. At one point I had 4 keepers in 6 drops. Tried to put up the spoon, but as soon as I did, both boys reeled up. They were more than serious about me fishing. I guess today I was livin the DREAM.

When the smoke cleared at 10 AM, we had put 45 bass and 8 keeper walleye in the boat, with only one of them remaining, due to illness.

All our fish came from the mouth of the Kings River to the bluffend across from Big M. Not a single fish on any flat gravel, all on bluffends, all on the bottom. We did loose between 8 and a dozen dropshot rigs and I lost 4 spoons, in pole timber. We were in some pretty knarrley stuff out there. You could not drag it one inch, just straight up and straight down. Seemed to get lots of bites redropping the crawler, almost like the spoon bite. They would just slam it on the fall. Boys caught plenty on their first drops when it was headed to the bottom. As soon as they would close the bail, the fish was already there. Caught fish off 8 locations, and fished twice that.

On another note, I had a diver tell me today he dove the dam area this weekend. He has been diving the rock for the past 30 years, and dives all year, even in the Winter. Here are some of his thoughts;

How deep is the thermocline at the dam? 30 to 35 ft. Temps above that depth is 85+. At 35' to 42' temps at 56 degree. Now you know.

What is the water clarity? 20' from surface to thermocline. Below thermocline 50' to 70' gin clear. Bill said this is the clearest he has seen Table Rock since he started to dive in the late 70's. They were diving at 75' without a light, and he said he cannot ever remember doing that. It is bathtub clear.

Where are the fish? In the dam to point 5 area, pole timbered points, bluffends and steeper banks were holding lots of Kentucky's, Largemouth, and big Bluegill in the 17' to 35' range. Most all these fish were suspended and seperated, in the timber, but not relating to it. Just on the outside edges or hanging inbetween the poles.

What do you see below the thermocline? Not much. a few Largemouth hanging off the bluffends in 35' plus, and they were big ones, but only one here and there. Most fish suspended at the thermocline or at the bottom at the top of the thermocline.

Did you see much bait or small gills or crayfish? Not much, most fish were good size.

Hope some of this helps. I found it very interesting.

Had several good walleye pic's, but for some reason the site says file to big to load. Why is one pic at 1.62 MB and the next 5 at 2.41 MB? Sheech!!

Good Luck

[rps]

Very useful Bill, and thank you.

[Jerry Rapp]

wow! Great! And I don't even fish Table Rock anymore but sure can relate to this A1++++++++ report!

[Chunk Rock]

Wow!!! I feel i need to send you a check.....

[powerdive]

Thank you sincerely, Bill. For us walleye guys, that's one for the ages. Appreciate your forthrightness.

[Champ188]

Wow!!! I feel i need to send you a check.....

Postal service cuts have killed the mail service out Bill's way, Chunk. Send that check to me and I'll see that he gets it.

[Phil Lilley]

Wow!!! I feel i need to send you a check.....

Send it to me... Bill doesn't need it.

[Quillback]

Thanks for the great report, I haven't been up there for a few weeks, but this may motivate me to give it a shot.

[Cindyjo]

Thanks Bill. For me the fishing has been tough. Now I feel motivated again.

[Ozark Ranger]

Any luck in the Indian Creek?