So, You Want to Catch a Giant Kentucky?

[Bill Babler]

Current Table Rock Lake Fishing Report 6-30-16  White River Outfitters Guide Service

It all started innocent enough with a swirl and a swing and miss as the Big Kentucky charged the 90 series Whopper Plopper, don't know if her vision was blurred from a late night with the boys or just mistook the speed of the projected food item.  Didn't matter as she came back with a vengeance the second time and just "Bone Jarred It."  Water blew in every direction and the Daiwa Steez sang line thru the guides of the Falcon Cranker.   It was not what she thought or hoped it was.  The durn thing had stickers and she had a face full that she really did not want.  Kind of like a Griz. grabbing a Porky, Just not what she expected.   This was a tricky catch as there were lots of deep dock cables to be avoided and the big spotted fish had in mind to get home to them.  Kris played it cool and kept the pressure on.  A couple of simi-deep runs and a pole vault jump and this beauty was posing for the OA forum.

All this action is now located at your local water park, ie Table Rock Lake.  Post spawn fish of abnormal size and color are now organizing a free for all feed bag.  Not everywhere and today at times we struggled but, if you can find the right "Hidey Hole" you can for sure Zara in on some super spotted bass fishing.

In the past week, I have fished from Leatherwood Creek to Long Creek and the only formula that changes is the depth.  Deep fish at Eagle Rock are 20' to 30' and deep fish from Baxter to Long Creek are 35 to infinity.  And I mean it.  Bill Beck today had close to 20 keeper spots off very deep trees.  He was sitting in 106.  That for you Shallow guys and gals is One Hundred Six Feet Deep.  He had his clients lines marked at 40' to fish the tops of bluffend trees, where the bait was a couple of feet above the tops.  He said today he saw fish rising from as deep at 70' in the trees to eat his drop shot.  I get dizzy and sea sick both just thinking about it.

I'm starting most morning with a really good topwater bite.  I was told about a Zillion times that there was none at the dam.  Wrong, we blew up at least 15 this morning.  It is early however, as the last topwater deal there was at 7 AM.  We then had to dive, dive, dive to get em.  most all at 35' suspended and nothing on the bottom.

White River from Baxter up, use your electronics on the bluffends and the long points to find them.  Start out as deep as 100' and work your way in letting your electronics light your way.

This past week, we have had lots of K's from 17 to 19 inches and it is the second best time to catch a big gal besides the pre-spawn.  Surface temps lakewide have settled into the 85 degree range and the water is clearing more and more everyday.  It is very fishable.  Most all our fish are coming early on the Whopper Plopper and then the drop  shot, slab spoon or the Dixie Jet flutter spoon.

You may have to look at least a dozen location to find a school of fish.  I and most of the guides do not waste a minute casting to a flat screen, you have to see surface fish activity or see them with your underwater peepers to put on the brakes.

You want to catch a big Kentucky?  Get on out there.   Right Now!!!!

 

[m&m]

Bill, well done.  Pictures show very healthy fish.  Your information is always a very interesting read, full of between-the-lines details. thank you.  I hope that TW bite hangs around the dam at least through Saturday morning.

Mike

[abkeenan]

Great report. That first K is a real beast. Congrats.

[Bill Babler]

The second from the last picture in the fog is of Barry Looney and that fish was 18.5 inches.  I did have a guy catch one almost 20" last week and I have the picture but I cannot get it to post.  I tried to lighten, rotate and resize it and have completely messed it up.   It was very early on a Whopper Plopper, about 5:25 in the morning.  Pretty hard time to take a good photo for me.

The fish I am catching now are really similar to those we were catching a couple of years ago, deep spooning in the Big Creek area in the late Winter.  Had a really good visit with Shane Bush, our Lake Biologist, the other day and he said some of those K's may be as old as 12 yrs, once they start reaching that 19 inch mark.

[Flysmallie]

4 minutes ago, Bill Babler said:

I tried to lighten, rotate and resize it and have completely messed it up.  

You ever need one edited let me know. Not saying I can make it perfect but I'll do what I can. 

[Sore Thumbs]

Awesome stuff right there. My axle just arrived today. Can't wait to get up there.

[Bill Babler]

22 minutes ago, Flysmallie said:

You ever need one edited let me know. Not saying I can make it perfect but I'll do what I can. 

Thanks, I appreciate it.  Here is the deal, I did all the work on my iPhone and then tried to import it.  My computer will not except the import.  It will place it in the download and again will let me further edit, if I chose, but when I try and put it into my pictures just like every other picture I post it is not there.  It is not a size problem as it is resized perfectly to fit format.  I don't know if its something I did with the iPhone or not.  My wife is a complete guru at it and she cannot get it either.  I even sent it via my phone to my email and tried to go that way and it won't have it, either directly imported or sent thru email.  No Biggie, we will get another one.  Picture as I said at 5:30 in the morning is not good and really grainy.  I tried to lighten it and for some reason it was in a side rotation.  I also rotated it, and sized it. 

Don't want this to distract from the post, so thanks a bunch and we will just move it on.

[Fishin4Fun]

Great report Bill!  Thanks for sharing!

Are you finding that the 90 Whopper Plopper is working better or is the 130 just as good?  Thanks!

Tyy

[Quillback]

Very nice, I love those big spots!

[rps]

Bill, if it helps, I take the pictures with my Iphone or my digital camera and import them to my computer using a Google app called Picasa. It has the tools you need in an easy, intuitive format plus, when you export from that app, you can name a file, size the photo, and add a watermark (see my pictures with the rps in the bottom right). That way, if some one borrows them, they have to do extra work to get rid of you.