Aunts Creek

[Quillback]

No doubt there is a good deal of pressure. Just based on my own observation, I've seen more boats on the lake this year than recent past years. And I fish primarily during the week.

All the public lakes in this area receive a great deal of pressure, bass fishing is a big deal around here. I don't think it's going to hurt the overall bass population too much if some bass are harvested, but if all of us who fish for bass started filleting every legal fish we caught, we'd have a lake full of short fish.

[mjk86]

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.

I still wouldnt call that heavily pressured water...4-5 boats per point, every point...then a few others in the cove fishing unproductive water cuz they cant squeeze in= heavy pressure. You fishing another point by yourself waiting for someone to leave yours doesnt. seems like there is a lot of excuse making going on here...

[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.

All bickering aside.....thats a huge buck in your profile picture. Now back to the pitchforks!

[5bites]

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......

No sir, be prepared to eat your own words and look at the big picture. Now imagine every single bass kept over the last 5 years. Now go read a fishing report about table rock lake. So despite all those fish being kept the lake is in great shape as I've already pointed out.

I'm not arguing on bit about the lake being better 30 years ago. It probably was better then and I'll take your word for it. I was fishing it then but I was to little to remember much about it other than owl creek had way less docks. The fact is you are blaming a minority of people keeping fish when in fact it has more to do with the lake aging, loss of habitat, lmbv, and the fish having to adapt as time goes by to the changing lake.

Want proof? Look at Grand. I keep saying about Grand but really listen.

1. Grand has more recreational fishing pressure in one weekend than table rock could handle in two. Therefore more fish get abused than table rock and see more lures so should be wiser technically. Harder to catch too theoretically. So if that's right there must be a higher population.

2. Grand hosts more tournaments and way way bigger tournaments throughout the year. You guys moan about bed fishing and tournament anglers hauling fish around but grand is kicking out more and bigger bags all year long than table rock.

3. Grand fishes way smaller than table rock. Less river arms etc. hard to explain but it's true. One major part of the lake (Neosho/Spring river) is to scary for most to run. So you have a concentrated area with more fishermen fighting over the fish.

4. Grand is older. No standing timber at all so less habitat from the get go.

5. You can't sling a dead cat around that lake without hitting a private dock. Docks mean houses. Houses mean people. People mean fish getting yanked out of the lake all the way around that sucker. Way way way higher population than at table rock.

So if all these evil meat hunters and constant tournament anglers abound at Grand why is it known as the best lake in the nation without grass? HABIT! All those docks have brush piles. Locals plant them. The docks themselves. Etc etc.

The lake should be deader than a hammer by your and other people's theory with all those odds against it not even factoring the age but it simply kicks butt year after year! I witnessed a spawn this year like I've never seen before. True giants swimming. Many many 4lbers. All this from an over fished lake even without the land owners help.

So Table Rock was better before because it had better habit. More trees. It needs more shallow cover now. Higher water until July anyway, like this year. It doesn't need more docks because it has to many already but brushpiles etc. would make the biggest difference. A handful of people keeping fish is just a drop in the bucket compared to the population.

Again I rarely keep a bass out of the lake that isn't bleeding or something but it isn't hurting a thing if a few do because the fact is not a whole lot of us do.

[5bites]

I don't think it's going to hurt the overall bass population too much if some bass are harvested, but if all of us who fish for bass started filleting every legal fish we caught, we'd have a lake full of short fish.

Exactly exactly exactly. This is what I've been saying. The way it is the lake is in good health. The ratio of anglers that keep bass vs the ones that don't is favorable so everyone is way over reacting. We aren't keeping everything we catch. Very dang few of us are.

[5bites]

Btw I'm not saying Table Rock isn't pressured. All the lakes are anymore. It's definitely not the most pressured in our area though.

[Phil Lilley]

This debate would go better if someone would offer studies proving these theories.

Fisheries biologist manage lakes by taking creel studies to see what anglers are doing, ie. keeping or releasing, fishing pressure and even what they want in their lake (more- smaller or less- bigger). They then set limits and stocking numbers from what they find. That's what they did on Taney... and they've done it on Table Rock, for a variety of species.

I'm not a bass fisherman so I don't have a dog in this fight.

[jolicious]

in fact, it would be a great idea to divide the lake into sections, and have a closed cove policy on a rotating basis for each section for the month of may. might help with the crappie population also.

bo

That is an awesome idea. Best compromise to ease some pressure off spawning fish without having a true "off season" on a lake I've read.

[Codywskeeter1521]

All bickering aside.....thats a huge buck in your profile picture. Now back to the pitchforks!

yeah I killed him last year with my bow. Scored 180 fair chase in the state of mo. Thanks. I'm sure that something we agree on lol.

[Codywskeeter1521]

All bickering aside.....thats a huge buck in your profile picture. Now back to the pitchforks!

yeah I killed him last year with my bow. Scored 180 fair chase in the state of mo. Thanks. I'm sure that something we agree on lol.