Indian Point Area In Late March

[AdamDale]

First of all hi everybody I'm new to the forum.

Two of my friends and I will be making our first trip to Table Rock over our spring break (23rd-29th I think, I don't remember the exact dates) . We have reservations at Bar M Resort which is in the Indian Point area. I am a multi-species angler with a preference for smallies, I know water temp and weather patterns will have a huge effect on whats going on with the fish. I was just looking for a heads up on what would normally be going good on that area of the lake that time of year. Any tips or pointers are welcomed.

Thank you in advance.

[wdberkley]

Watch this board leading up to your trip, there is a wealth of information shared here by the locals and numerous guides that should provide you with enough to put together a decent trip.

If this is your first time, speaking as someone who's done it (and continues to do it) it would not be a bad idea to spend at least a half a day out with a guide. A lake this big offers so many options it can be overwhelming, especially for a first timer. A couple bucks spent with one of the local guides will not only give you some additional insight into what and where, but more importantly what NOT and where NOT to be fishing.

[abkeenan]

X 2 on what WDBerkley said. During that time I have had it feast and famine. Have had weather during that time be 60 and perfect and just slayed them and have also had it 38 with wind gusts up to 30MPH and it was just miserable. That's Missouri and the Rock for ya...never know what you are gonna get in the early spring time. But for the most part jerk baits, jigs, wiggle warts, "scrubbing a grub" and the A-Rig all are players during that time. Pretty much what they are catching them now on but they should move up a little more shallow as the water temps start to creep up. Of all of those just swimming a 5" inch grub on a 1/4oz darter head is hard to beat for #'s.. Can catch them on that just about year round as has always been a producer.

[AdamDale]

While I'm sure the guide would be worth it, we are doing this on the cheap. We are bumming my parent's under powered walleye boat so our fishing will be within a mile or two of where ever we put in at. I usually do fairly decent at new lakes but like you said Table Rock is a huge body of water.

[wdberkley]

X 2 on what WDBerkley said. During that time I have had it feast and famine. Have had weather during that time be 60 and perfect and just slayed them and have also had it 38 with wind gusts up to 30MPH and it was just miserable. That's Missouri and the Rock for ya...never know what you are gonna get in the early spring time. But for the most part jerk baits, jigs, wiggle warts, "scrubbing a grub" and the A-Rig all are players during that time. Pretty much what they are catching them now on but they should move up a little more shallow as the water temps start to creep up. Of all of those just swimming a 5" inch grub on a 1/4oz darter head is hard to beat for #'s.. Can catch them on that just about year round as has always been a producer.

That right there pretty much sums it up! Don't forget to drag a tube in some pea gravel too. If you head south from Indian Point there are some good main lake points and pockets on the dam side that smalljaws may or may not live in.

[AdamDale]

Abkeenan, with the exception of the a-rig I've caught lots of fish all those ways. Most of my smallie fishing has been in natural lakes in Minnesota in the summer. In my experience finding the right depth was most important then you looked for rock on bottom if it had a transition to weeds or sand it was a bonus. Does that tend to be the same way down there or is the cover more important than the structure? To clarify, are depth and contour more important or are cover such as weeds rocks docks and wood more important? Obviously the combination of the two is what you're looking for.

[dtrs5kprs]

The "right" kind of rock, wind, and shad are bigger keys than wood cover for smallies. Flat gravel on the main lake, or going into the creeks and big coves should have brown fish, especially if there is a good wind on it. Think walleye chop. Those places are hard to beat for throwing a stickbait, crawling the smoke grub, or maybe even a wiggle wart or a blade. Bright sun will usually put them on the bottom in those places, will roam a bit more with clouds.

Dragging a tube is seriously overlooked. Try the stupid rig to prevent losing one every three or four throws. About 1/4 or 5/16oz head and your favorite color of green tube.

No shortage of that kind of water down towards Indian and the dam. Kind of basic on TR to put the boat out in 20-25' and start from there. On the flat places that will put you several casts from being able to hit the bank.

Rock transitions are also a big deal in spring, though maybe a bit more important for K's and largemouth. Chunk rock to gravel, and such. Can be huge if you venture into the cuts and creeks. We do have a definite shortage of weeds. Will have to look up on the bank by the houses to see any grass . Won't have any trouble finding rock on the bottom either.

Have talked with, and stayed by, a lot of folks from MN and WI who do really well on TR because they are comfortable fishing away from cover and the bank. Good luck, and let us know how it goes.

[AdamDale]

Thank you. I like what I'm hearing. How's the area for everything else? because I'm sure we will spend some time fishing for crappies green bass, white bass, and maybe even walleye. One of my friends just started doing more than drowning worms last summer and hasn't caught many of these fish before (White bass, Smallmouth, Spots, Walleye) so w're going to try to scratch a few of them off the list.

I'm actually from Iowa just a part depraved of my favorite kinds of fish (Northerns and Smallmouth).

[dtrs5kprs]

Iowans can sometimes catch one at TR also, or so says this former Des Moines Bass Club member. Won't need your black 7" power worms and blue/black flip jigs though, save them for 3 Mile or Rathbun.

Think whites will still be up the rivers or coming back and scattered a bit. Have seen more pics and reports of crappie this spring than ever, but mostly up the rivers. Walleye, same, although I do get bothered by a few every spring while dragging c-rigs, FB jigs, grubs on those flat gravel places. They are mostly up the rivers.

One of the cool things about Table Rock is being able to catch K's / blacks / brown fish all on the same areas. Just be prepared to fish much slower than you may be used to. Most folks just flat out fish too fast on Table Rock. Downsize your line also.

Look at a map of the Indian Pt and dam area. Lots of good gravel places on the north side of the lake within a mile or two of Indian. Also directly across from Indian is Coomb's Ferry area which can really load up with smallmouth. Gets a lot of good wind on it.

Have a safe trip down and back.

[Champ188]

Don't neglect to drag a PBJ-colored half-ounce fb jig with a green pumpkin twin-tail trailer on the gravel points in that area. It will catch all three species of bass and is tough to beat in early spring.