King's River Bass

[Bill Babler]

Of all days to have to fish, Bill Beck was out on the King's Saturday. Most of us Lazy types, put our Saturday trips off till a warmer and less windy Sunday.

Even SKMO stayed in, so you know it had to be bad.

He only fished a pretty short section, from Royal Point to the mouth, mostly due to high wind and freezing temps, but came to the house with 25 fish with 15 keepers up to 7 pounds. All Largemouth. Said his best 5 would weigh about 19 lbs. and all caught on a pointer or Tim Hughes Table Rock Shad. He was Pumped!!!

I took my guide trip on taney early Sunday Morning and gave him a call to see if he wanted to go back up in the PM and catch a few more on this much nicer day. I called him around 11, AM. He was already up there and had been fishing since 9 Am and absolutely, Nothing. He winded up about 3 PM with very little success.

Guess the Bass liked 35 mile an hour wind and freezing temps.

I rarely have success under falling water temps, and with that much wind you know the stickbait would have been a bear to keep in contact with. He reported water temps, from 40 to 44.5.

Water started to warm on Sunday afternoon, and you would have thought the stick would have been on, but he said they completey refused to eat./

My, what a difference a day makes. As much as we all fish this lake, it is a total suprise everytime we go, with about as much consistancy as my wife at that special time of the month.

The only way to have success, is to go long and often. I would hate to just try and pick the right day, as I have been fishing and guiding the rock since the 70's and I still don't know when the right day is. You just have to go fishing.

[captmac]

I fully understand the fickle "Rock", Was on a new boat shakedown and a little fishing in the Baxter area found Tons of shad with some die off mostly in pockets with wind blowing in, tried the rouge and a slow wart presentation with no sucess might get out again this afternoon and am thinking of a rocket shad or other small spinnerbait

[Gary Lange]

The fish know when the weather is bad most fisherman stay home so it is pretty safe to eat without the worry of being caught. On nice days they know fisherman will be out so they don't feed.

Sounds logical to me anyway.

Or was that the heavy winds were blowing the baitfish up and making them easy targets and turning the Bass on.

[Fishrman]

Fished Sunday after noon also, started at Baxter jerking a rogue, but did not find any success doing that, so loaded up the boat and drove to Viola and started flipping a jig again, caught 8 with 3 keepers, nothing big, just good size keepers. Water had cooled down several degrees from last Thursday. Still had a good day and by the afternoon, it was rather pleasant.

[Bill Babler]

Something to keep in mind on Table Rock is the Shad Kill. This has the total opposite effect from trout fishing. If you see shad in the death throws or floating in windblown pockets in the Baxter to LongCreek areas of the Rock, its best to AMSCRAY, BIGTIME.

Unlike the feeding frenzy the trout put on eating anything white, you just can't get bit with dying shad in the area, when you are fishing the rock.

Way to many easy pickins. Nothing is 100% a certain, but most of us will avoid the dying shad at all cost.

For the most part the trout concentrations below the dam, far out number any shad that come thru. When lots or rafts of shad are coming thru the dam, the trout will even slow down.

With all of the forage and not nearly the number of bass, they get full in a hurry.

Haven't heard of many dead shad in the Kings or White so that is probably the place to make your stand.

Maby some info on Long Creek today and the dam area as there are several guide trips out for both crappie and bass. We'll see.

Thanks for the good report Fishrman, sounds like you are doing very well, appreciate your reports.

[Kicknbass]

with about as much consistancy as my wife at that special time of the month.

You are asking for trouble w/ that statment.

[bassman1308]

i'll GUARENTEE bills wife does not read his e-mail. lol