July 8Th. Fishing Report And Ramblings

[Bill Babler]

White River Outfitters Guide Service Current Table Rock Lake Fishing Report July 8th. 2014

The last 2 weeks have kind of started us into the Summer doldrums. Pretty much the same old same old, during this period. Surface water temperatures have been in the 80 degree range now for at least 3 weeks and they seem to hover from 80 to 83, depending on the time of the day. Lake levels from 916 to 917, with water clarity depending on your area, generally judged as clear and clearing.

From June 25 till now I have fished the lake from Eagle Rock to Long Creek on a daily basis and been in contact with both guides and locals that are fishing everyday, so hopefully my information is just about as good as I can make it. The only area that I have not breached is the James River.

Topwater bite is still a puzzle to most, but for sure it is just nearly non-existent. On a very much rain short trip today, all our fish were bottom dwellers and all fishing out of Moonshine Beach had a belly full of crayfish, including 2 huge goggle eyes that we caught, that were just belching craws of the size that they had no business eating.

We are starting to see lots of very small shad in schools of thousands. At this time it is for me impossible to tell if they are threadfin or gizzard. The bass seem to be paying them no heed, but a few folks are reporting now that some of the fish they are catching that had been dining 100% on craws are now having a few shad fillets in they mouths.

Depending on your lake section the K's have been ranging from 23 to 45 feet deep either suspended or on the bottom. A very good location is yielding at best 3 to 5 fish. You have to continually move to keep in contact with them, and at times they are running from the drop shot faster than it is headed for them. Live bait is out producing the drop shot worms about 10 to 1 so don't be to fussy this time of year and just have fun catching fish. It is still not easy.

I'm posting some pictures of deep fish that we caught one day last week. I was fishing a deep gravel hump in the Kimberling City area and catching several K's on its series of tops. I believe in a 1/4 mile stretch we had 13 off these particular uplifts. Everyone of them had been previously caught and had hook holes in their mouths. Just could not believe the entire bunch had been stuck previously this year. Some of them perhaps by me and Beck, but I'm sure others were in the fray.

If it was you, thanks for releasing them to be caught over and over.

Best baits for me continue to be the wobble head in green pumpkin using a Chompers 7/16 wobble head and a Yamamoto Fat baby craw in GP. Just have found nothing that comes close to this combo. These fish have been in the 15 to 30 ft. range and really want a gravel mix with chunk location, usually on a flat point. They by far have been my best fish. If you can reel the bait slow enough you can get bit doing this. If that bait comes off the bottom, you will not get bit nearly as well. Have also caught several walleye with this presentation.

Another bait we just cannot put down is the Varmint, it just keeps on keepin on. The deal here is have patients with it. Fish it slow when you are fishing this deep. I can keep it down in 20+ feet if the wind is not blowing with the 1/8 head. Without a doubt the best color has and continues to be the GP/Orange.

Was catching quite a few catfish until about the 1st of July and have not had one since. Am still however catching some monster gills. Lots and lots of very nice bluegill in the 18' to 30' range on the long timbered chunk rock points. Crickets are the deal, but will really cut down on the bass bites. IF you go to a crawler for the bass the gills will own the first several inches of it. On the graph they have been looking like a cloud resting on the bottom

Gizzard Shad are also present on these point. Most of you will see them on your graph and think they are white bass and wonder why you are not getting bit. The graph just fill the screen with them. Perhaps the most I have ever seen on the Rock, especially up the White River.

Early or late is really the key to this fishing, as mid-day is extremely hard even for deep fish. Get out early and then get out late.

Good Luck

[Champ188]

That's one heckuva report. Pretty much covers it all. Thanks, chief.

[jmes]

Great report Thanks

[Jacob W]

Fished Sunday out of big m . Caught a couple swimming a grub to suspended fish and 1 fish on a drop shot with a tiny fluke. That was the only bite I had on the drop shot. I caught a couple dragging a jig and Carolina rigged trick worm. At about noon I finally got into some fish suspended in trees off a point. The only way I could get bit is right in the middle of those trees.

[Bill Babler]

Was talking to Pete Wenners a few minutes ago mentioning that tree bite. It pretty much is as tough as everything else in the fact that out of our best trees we might only catch 1 or "Woo-Hoo, two.

Usually you can see those fish this time of the year sitting in the tops or suspended just above the tops of those trees. We are not seeing any sitting there like Jake said, just will pull a couple from the middle of the tree. Pretty tough with clients and the wind as that is pretty much a no-no.

We did catch several today in the front two stalls of the deep docks suspended in the 30' range, but there again, when we have to do that to get a client bit, we are more than scrambling.

Pete did mention that he had an early topwater bite right up on the bank. He said under 5 ft. paralleling the bank. Made a mis-throw up there and caught one so they tried it and caught several on a fin up close. It ended pretty quick he said. Early-early deal.

There is a couple of more nuggets for y'all.

[*T*]

Excellent report as usual. Vgood photos also. Thanks lots.

[gatorbitu]

Thanks for a very detailed report....someday soon work will let me fish and give a report of my own.

[96 CHAMP]

That is a great report and thank you much, very appreciative

[merc1997 Bo]

i was out last night in the kings river area. bites were very scattered still. ended up with 4 keepers, and the average depth of the bites was about 15 ft. those that have been out before dark are telling me that there is tons of fish suspended out on the lake 20 to 25 ft. i believe these fish are following the shad. true, we do have some bass eating crawdads on the bottom, and those are what we are catching.

a friend of mine caught a 6.75 saturday night, and it was skinny as a rail. still beat up from spawning. i still feel that we are running about 1 month behind normal. this is july and the fish i am catching are at june levels. big bass anymore are very hard to come by, and with the dwindling amount of good timber, it is very hard to pattern them at all. fishing on the upper end for now seems to be the better and most consistent bite, at least for me. that will change as we begin to have summer weather, and the late spawners begin to eat again.

bo

[Bill Babler]

Bo most of the guides know how to work those out in the lake suspended fish. I don't believe what your friends are seeing for the most part is bass, especially up the White River. I think they are seeing Gizzard Shad.

From point 9 to Eagle Rock there are millions of 1 pound Gizz's. They are singles and running in small and large packs, and they have been hovering the thermocline weather at depth or on the bottom.

We have seen them all year, following caught fish and just at about any depth.

Just a thought.