Aunts Creek

[Codywskeeter1521]

You must have a really weak stomach, have you seen a dr about that?

Say what you like and take what I say the way you want. This topic makes does make me sick. I can sit here and say I've never kept a bass to bring home to my family to eat or will I. If I wanted to eat fish id target catfish.

people will do what they want but yes I will voice my opinion and wouldn't expect anything less from those who agree or disagree.

[mjk86]

I would feel differently about keeping spots if we knew for a fact they were overpopulating (electrofishing surveys have not shown that to be true), if the length limit was reduced to 12" (not killing a fish that is 5-6 years old) and MOST IMPORTANTLY if bass were being restocked in the lake. Because there is no stocking program and no plans (immediate or long range) to establish one, I hate to see any bass taken out of the lake for any reason.

This lake is getting pounded day in and day out by an ever-growing number of residents, tourists and tournament anglers. It's publicized nationally as one of the best bass lakes in the country, which only draws more pressure. So my OPINION is that we need to give these fish all of the help and respect that we can, including not running a knife through them. You can say that you paid for your license, boat, etc. and have the right to do as you wish within the law. That is correct. But I also buy a license and spend a pile of money fishing, so I have the right to my opinion and to express it.

Dave (dtrs5kprs) hit it on the head when he said the icing on the cake was the old-school photo of the fish strung up on a piece of rope. RickF, you had to have known that wouldn't be widely embraced.

Bottom line: You can catch and keep whatever you want within the limits, if that's how you roll. But you can't post a pic on ANY public fishing forum in this day and age and not expect some backlash.

LOL at table rock being a highly pressured lake! Table rock gets a lot of bass fisherman per year, but its 45000 acres for crying out loud. ALso the majority just C/R anyway. There are very large fish and in large numbers in much more pressured waters. Youll prolly catch bigger fish, not by blaming meat fisherman for your own inadequacies, but by practicing.

[mjk86]

Say what you like and take what I say the way you want. This topic makes does make me sick. I can sit here and say I've never kept a bass to bring home to my family to eat or will I. If I wanted to eat fish id target catfish.

people will do what they want but yes I will voice my opinion and wouldn't expect anything less from those who agree or disagree.

but bass are so much easier to catch!!! Yes we can all voice our opinions, thats why this forum is fun!

[abkeenan]

LOL at table rock being a highly pressured lake! Table rock gets a lot of bass fisherman per year, but its 45000 acres for crying out loud. ALso the majority just C/R anyway. There are very large fish and in large numbers in much more pressured waters. Youll prolly catch bigger fish, not by blaming meat fisherman for your own inadequacies, but by practicing.

If you think Table Rock isn't heavily pressured you live under a Table Rock. These fish see more lures than you can imagine. I really only fish Long Creek to Combs Ferry so that is only the locations on the lake I can speak from and I'll tell you from April til November you have to get a number to get in line to fish a point in that area. Our place is in Beardsley and are the lone dock on the first cove on the left.....as soon as one guy fishes the cove and leaves he is replaced almost immediately by another. This goes on all day. During a large tournament....even worse. I am not complaining but to say that TR isn't pressured I don't think is an accurate statement.

[mjk86]

If you think Table Rock isn't heavily pressured you live under a Table Rock. These fish see more lures than you can imagine. I really only fish Long Creek to Combs Ferry so that is only the locations on the lake I can speak from and I'll tell you from April til November you have to get a number to get in line to fish a point in that area. Our place is in Beardsley and are the lone dock on the first cove on the left.....as soon as one guy fishes the cove and leaves he is replaced almost immediately by another. This goes on all day. During a large tournament....even worse. I am not complaining but to say that TR isn't pressured I don't think is an accurate statement.

Pressured is totally relative.....I would consider a 100 acre lake that sees 2 dozen bass fisherman every day from march through november to be pressured (twice that on the weekends). The same lake seeing as many meat fisherman keeping any fish they catch regardless of size or creel, or having to wait in line behind 3 or 4 other boats to fish the productive areas is what i would consider pressured. You guys complain when another boat gets within 200 yards of you, heaven forbid the jet skis and other runabouts (like they dont have a right to be there lol). How about 6 or 7 boats in a 200 yard stretch....so ya...i wouldnt consider table rock all that pressured. Too many boats in your area? Gotta "take a number" Go to another area! Or.....take ur number and go in and catch the fish the others left behind.

[GNSfishing]

So you think because 30 years ago it was better or there was bigger fish it has something to do with a minority keeping some fish? Please tell me that is not the logic here.

I know it was better, but you are not seeing the whole picture. You talk about a minority well just how many fish were taken just that day?? How many boats and fishermen were on the lake on any given day then if just half of that number took a limit of bass and then multiply that by 365 days and then years. Just how many would be taken in 5 years so its just not one stringer of fish taken when it could be thousands taken out. All we want to do is to preserve a natural resource for the future generations to come. That's the logic being used here.......Enough said and there is something to be said about leading the horse to water and it drinking......

[MOPanfisher]

The high water year of 2011 is what created the large population of 15 inch bass (4 yr olds) right now. Those fish will likely live no more than 8 years regardless of whether or not they are caught by fishermen. Habitat, reproduction, and food base is way more important. Bass are a number 1 sport fish because, they are relatively easy to catch, they reproduce easily and under most conditions, they grow fairly quickly, and get big enough to be fun. Right now Table Rock is on an upswing for numbers and size, probably next year may be even better with more keeper fish, then it will likely slide back a little until another big year class grows up.

[GNSfishing]

Pressured is totally relative.....I would consider a 100 acre lake that sees 2 dozen bass fisherman every day from march through november to be pressured (twice that on the weekends). The same lake seeing as many meat fisherman keeping any fish they catch regardless of size or creel, or having to wait in line behind 3 or 4 other boats to fish the productive areas is what i would consider pressured. You guys complain when another boat gets within 200 yards of you, heaven forbid the jet skis and other runabouts (like they dont have a right to be there lol). How about 6 or 7 boats in a 200 yard stretch....so ya...i wouldnt consider table rock all that pressured. Too many boats in your area? Gotta "take a number" Go to another area! Or.....take ur number and go in and catch the fish the others left behind.

You have your head in the sand if you don't think that there is no fishing pressure on Tablerock. For every good fishing spot on Tablerock on any given day someone has already fished that spot before you get there and there will be 6 or more boats stop and fish that same secret spot you just fished.

[Codywskeeter1521]

Pressured is totally relative.....I would consider a 100 acre lake that sees 2 dozen bass fisherman every day from march through november to be pressured (twice that on the weekends). The same lake seeing as many meat fisherman keeping any fish they catch regardless of size or creel, or having to wait in line behind 3 or 4 other boats to fish the productive areas is what i would consider pressured. You guys complain when another boat gets within 200 yards of you, heaven forbid the jet skis and other runabouts (like they dont have a right to be there lol). How about 6 or 7 boats in a 200 yard stretch....so ya...i wouldnt consider table rock all that pressured. Too many boats in your area? Gotta "take a number" Go to another area! Or.....take ur number and go in and catch the fish the others left behind.

There is one thing I can promise table rock lake is very very much pressured.

Im not one of these older gentlemen thats been fishing the rock for 40 years and more. but i can tell you there is a huge difference from when I was a kid to now. The pressure is 3x what it was then and getting worse every year.

[abkeenan]

There is one thing I can promise table rock lake is very very much pressured.

Im not one of these older gentlemen thats been fishing the rock for 40 years and more. but i can tell you there is a huge difference from when I was a kid to now. The pressure is 3x what it was then and getting worse every year.

I agree. I haven't been fishing TR since they dammed the White River in the 50's like some here but I've been fishing Table Rock since my grandpa (who started fishing Table Rock in the 60's and 70's) basically taught me how to fish starting in the late 80's and early 90's. It's nothing now like it was then as far as fishing pressure and boat traffic. The expansion of Branson into the tourist mecca that it has become within the last 10-20 years accounts for a lot of that. Again not really complaining as TR is a great lake (maybe the best) but the pressure is out of site.