Current Fishing Report Shell Knob Table Rock Lake 12-27-13

[Bill Babler]

Water turnover and stratification is a really hard and strange thing to figure on these deep mountain lakes. Just to the volume of water and the depth Table Rock and Beaver neither usually have a top to bottom turnover. It is more of a layered movement and it is pretty easy to see on taney as it will be off color and really dirty brown looking. It has been super clear so far this year.

I have friends that love to dive this time of the year and they have been out just right before Christmas. Mostly diving the Kimberling City, Cow Creek area.. They report at least 3 different temperatures of water with varied degrees of visibility and lots of different aquatic life in each temperate zone.

The week before Christmas they were reporting surface temps in the 47 degree range. A slight thermocline or temperature break was again at to 30 to 40 ft. level, which was in the low 50's range. The next break was in the 60 ft. range with water back to the 47 degree level and slightly less.

This is what I'm seeing on Taneycomo. They have been running 2 to 4 units this last week and the intake tubes are at 160' water at that range has been 46 to 48.

With water warming and cooling it has kept that middle depth stratified at perhaps 5 to 7 degrees warmer than the surface or the bottom. This middle layer is the most dingy of the water with the most plankton and algae. The surface is pretty clear, and from what the divers are saying below the 50' depth range the water is completely gin clear with 100 plus feet of visibility.

Perhaps this is why these bass have remained hovering all season in the bottom of the upper range as it is a bit warmer. The bait however has been completely thru the water column.

As I already said, the 50' range and under has been according to them alive with crayfish.

[Champ188]

Knowledge like that the last few posts is why Bill and Bo catch so many deep fish. My resolution for 2014 is to learn a LOT more about such things, plus learn how to better use the dadgum electronics on my boat. I could've bought a good used truck for what those things cost.

[fishingaddiction]

Great report and Pics of fish, and the graph shots are super. Very interesting situation of super aggresive feeding bass. I agree with Champ and Bo that the jerk bait bite has not been good so far this winter due to the depth of the majority of the shad. Hopefully as the water temp continue's to drop the bait will move up. In the meantime fishing deep will be the game.

[Bill Babler]

I really don't know how much cooler we are going to get. If you look at the projected 30 day forecast it looks very similar to what we have been having, with no extended cold weather. Tomorrow they are calling for mid 50's and that again with some breeze will put 3 or 4 degrees on the surface temps.

January here can be quite warm, I remember a few years ago, I guided on Martin Luther King weekend in short pants. We usually see a few cold days in Feb, but not many. These deep fish can move at anytime. I usually figure on them from Thanksgiving to maybe if I'm luck Valentines Day.

Lots of the Locals deep fishermen out of Shell Knob used to tell me on the first warm rain in late January or February they are gone, regardless of the time of the month.

Most of the locations of these deep fish are really susceptible to either warm or cold rains and influxes of water from runoff. It really changes their patterns.

[Jacob W]

This has been totally different from last year regarding these deep fish, if I remember correctly, Bill B. and some others had a harder time finding them.

[merc1997 Bo]

This has been totally different from last year regarding these deep fish, if I remember correctly, Bill B. and some others had a harder time finding them.

yep, last year, many of the shad never got more than 10 ft. deep. that usually does not happen, but that was the case last year.

bo

[Champ188]

And in keeping with the theories at work here, last year was a pretty good jerkbait year.

Of course, if the jerk bait bite doesn't materialize at TR, I'm close enough to Grand to go over there and catch 'em on it. It's shallow enough that the shad never go real deep. Besides, there are so darn many shad that there are always some shallow. You just don't have a chance to enjoy the big spots and brown fish that TR has.

[Jacob W]

I had a great year last season with a stickbait champ, and had fish pushing shad up shallow and on top of the water almost through the end of December. I have yet to see that type of feeding in those same areas this year, but I have caught fish in those spots. This is my 3rd year fishing table rock, and each season has been different each year. I've had to adjust every time whether spring ,fall or winter. But I have been doing almost exactly what Bo has been doing and that's dragging a jig deep, when you know they're down there that jig can get bit.

[Bill Babler]

This has been totally different from last year regarding these deep fish, if I remember correctly, Bill B. and some others had a harder time finding them.

Exactly right. If you remember in the Winter series stuff they were weighing in huge bags on an A-Rig all Winter. This is much more normal and is playing out like most of us deep guys like to see it.

Don't worry, they will be on that Sticker pretty quick.

[jmes]

This has been a incredible post.I for one have trying to learn more and more about electronics. I got so involved over the weekend that I had fish on while I was looking at the screen that sometimes I forgot to jerk and reel the fish in. I've got to get more coordinated. Thanks to all for sharing your knowledge