Still struggling

[Pour Dennis]

Went out again Saturday after the fog lifted. Still nada. Tried a few places someone told me about but I did not get touched. I am frustrated at best, but will keep trying. Going out again on Wednesday if I can get my honeydo's finished.

[Bill Babler]

Dennis, one of the best things I can tell you is to look for wind. If that water is flat and pretty and you think to yourself, man my wife would enjoy a day like this, then you are on a condition for the Rock that is just really hard to catch fish.

Everyone struggled on Saturday, it was just horrible and the boat traffic was so heavy with all the bank prussure that the fish were just flat not going to bite.

Look for banks with heavy chop or for the most part, any kind of breeze you can get. Main lake is still pretty much on a stick bait due to clarity, and surface temp. The river systems, you can fish with either a jig or crankbait.

Crankbait and jig fish are shallow, you can parallel the bank and do ok with the crank. Jig fish in 6 to 15 ft. This is in the rivers.

Main lake look for a windy bank and put the boat about a cast and a half off the bank. Jerk the stickbait down and twitch it back to the boat. Most fisherman, don't realize how far you need to be from the bank and are fishing to close. Usually your boat is sitting right on the fish. A good type bank last week, would have your boat sitting in about 30 ft. and you could cast a little over have way to the bank.

If is very hard for people that don't fish clear water to do this as they can't believe the fish are out that far from the bank. They Are! They are just up in the water column crusing those windy locations.

Purple over white still seems to be the best. There was a purple/chartruse bite for a short period, but I believe the purple and white are working better now.

If you continue to have trouble, book Beck, Buster, Tim Paige, Mike Webb, Eric Prey, Pete Winners or any of the other fine Table rock guides for a half day and they will really clear it up for you. Good Luck

[techo]

I think I am going to have to hire a fishing trainer as well! Most of the time, I don't do so well. I went to the Fishing the Ozarks seminar put on at Bass Pro this spring. It gave me different ideas to work on. I can't say my luck has changed a bunch though. I just have different theories. They also have a lot of seminars at Bass Pro this week. I always try to go. Webb is an awesome speaker.

In any case I love fishing. I really can fish all day and catch nothing. I hate losing too much expensive tackle though!

[SKMO]

Read and take to heart what Bill Babler said.

There have been some terriffic hot bites in the last two weeks, but they last for a day or maybe 2 at best.

There are obviously a lot of shallow fish but they just are not always that cooperative.

Myself and a friend fished our arses of Sat and ended up with maybe 14 shorts and one that would have squeeked in. Mostly crankbaits in the Kings.

Lots of boats out.

When the stars line up it's easy, but the "you should have been here Yesterday" line plays out time and time again on the Rock. She can be a mean ol' gal.

I will let you in on a secret about fishing this time of year if you promise not to tell:

Launch your boat, look for some wind and fish those banks with some stickbiaits, cranks, and if it gets windy enough toss a spinnerbait out there now and again. If that does not produce have start probing a little deeper with a split shot or small c-rig or a PG&J jig out to about the 30' depth.

If after about 10 hours of this you are still hauling water, put your boat back on the trailer. Go home and if nothing major is broken, nobody is still bleeding, you have not been confronted by any law enforcment officials on the highway, and the wife greets you with a kiss....you have had an excellent day fishing on Table Rock Lake.

Sometimes thats as good as it gets.