4/29 - 5/1 report........kinda

[motoman]

Stayed in Kimberling City for our annual trip I take down with a buddy every year. Arrived with excitement and anticipation.......which was quickly squashed. Nice weather though, that’s about it.

Rock snot was a pain, but nothing we hadn’t dealt with before........when we were catching fish. 4/29 got a few hours in; caught 4 fish a few hours before sunset; all were decent keepers. Swimming the grub. Nothing on Ned.  Just got out a little deeper from the snot to catch them; like other years with rock snot.

5/1 - Buzzed around with the big engine a bit looking for fish and less rock snot........struck out on both counts. Out from sunup to sundown; with only about an hour and a half break on land for lunch then dinner........mealtimes were our only salvation from the Table Rock beatdown we took. No matter what we threw or where or how deep or how fast or slow; not much to show for it. Just a handful of small fish. Wispy clouds, blue skies and warm temps with wind.

5/2 - lather, rinse and repeat.........same story as above. Dissappointment and heartache. Cloud cover rollled in mid-morning, with with slight wind; made no difference, our beloved Table Rock still kicked us in the teeth.

We caught about as many fish total, in the few days down as we have in just an hour most years.

We still made the best of it and had a good time. Laughing at our misfortune and making fun of ourselves; frothing the water. The front deck of my boat looked like a yard sale. Piles of tackle, that did nothing for us. So I’d switch out and drop the non-producing lures at my feet, to be cleaned up later. The trip highlight was good food at local eateries and good stories to match.:-)

Nebraska B.A.S.S. federation qualifying guys down (or something like that) where we were staying. That bunch really stayed to themselves. Any other time at the rock; anyone that comes into the dock will start a friendly chat with other folks at the dock; not this bunch. So I surely didn’t go out of my way either. Tough times we’ve been down on the lake; even misery loves company and a little moaning and groaning takes place on the dock about tough days with other anglers. We didn’t even get so much as a friendly glance or smile when I would try and make eye contact to guys walking right by on this trip. Certainly not the norm at Table Rock. Strange...........oh well. 

Good luck to anyone else on the water; hope the fishing improves for yah!

 

[eyedabassman]

We are all going through what you did! So don’t feel bad! Better days to come! Remember a bad day of fishing is better than yard work or just working!

[motoman]

8 minutes ago, eyedabassman said:

We are all going through what you did! So don’t feel bad! Better days to come! Remember a bad day of fishing is better than yard work or just working!

That’s what my buddy and I kept telling each other, “at least we’re not working!”

Daggum.........I understand it’s fishing and all, but fishing this time down was just awful..........I just hope this is us paying our dues for the next time we make it down.........sheesh!🤦‍♂️

[Hunter53]

Wife and I are here now  for our annual 2 week trip and it is tough for us as well. 

I am sorry to hear the guys from my state were jackasses. Saw a group of them in a restaurant and mentioned we were from NE and they were jerks to us. Unfortunately a lot of people from the eastern part of the state are a-holes and seems like a bunch of the tournament guys are self absorbed jerks. I am sure there are some good guys in the group but the bad ones sure leave a bad impression.  

Please don't think all Nebraskans are like that. Get away from the big cities and we are for the most part very friendly. 

 

[Smithvillesteve]

Nebraskans just havent been the same since Tom Osborne left. Did they have a big piece of corn on their head?

[curtisce]

No moss problem up the James and cleared up some just down from Baxter. 

some coves would be clear other had it thick.I foung the SM about where the snot quit

[Champ188]

Fishing isn’t all that slow. Took 20 lbs to win the Cops for Kids derby Tuesday and 14 lbs to make the top 25. 

[Royal Blue]

26 minutes ago, Champ188 said:

Fishing isn’t all that slow. Took 20 lbs to win the Cops for Kids derby Tuesday and 14 lbs to make the top 25. 

Although, weights were back to normal at the Cape Fair Club yesterday.  9.81 on 4 fish to win.  Go figure the day I can't go...

[mixermarkb]

If I had to bet, from reading fishing reports, the hacks like me who spend too much time fishing history, in other words, fishing their normal spring spots, are having a hard way to go, and the guys who are approaching things without thinking about "where they usually are" are doing well. Again, just as an observer, seems like the same thing bit a couple of my favorite BASS guys over on Grand last week. No way in a normal spring Jason Christie and Edwin Evers aren't fishing on championship Sunday on Grand Lake. Things are weird this year...

just some rambling from a landlocked guy hoping to get away from work and fish this weekend...

[motoman]

6 hours ago, Champ188 said:

Fishing isn’t all that slow. Took 20 lbs to win the Cops for Kids derby Tuesday and 14 lbs to make the top 25. 

No hard feelings about Nebraska folks. Strange they’re so crabby, even towards folks from their own state.

-

Guys are certainly always catching them somewhere. I wonder what the true percent of those heavy bags were actual bed fish/sight fish plucked off their beds?.........cause even mixing it up and trying things and places we typically don’t go, yielded nuttin.

Reason I bring up bed fish; is years past; guys I’ve known who brought in big bags and have no problem saying how they caught them; after game day, mention their yearly largemouth bed spots, paid off.

mixermark, it’s funny you mention fishing history. Midway thru our first full day; we quickly realized, our typical bags of tricks and usual haunts, weren’t gonna cut it. So we pulled out the stops and tried everything but the kitchen sink, in places not associated with spring fish.

But again, this is all coming from a guy who only gets down to fish the rock once/twice a year anymore..........so take it for what it’s worth.🤗