Table Rock Lake Current Fishing Report 8-6-18

[Bill Babler]

It got way rougher for me today out of Baxter.  I started losing these fish late last week as it started heating back up from the cool nights.  They just seemed to start moving off the deep locations I had been having my best success on in really several years.

After yesterday I thought I had a  plan for some good early top water action and then move to the drop shot as the sun got up.  WRONG, it did not happen in the least.  The location I started on was just covered with both gizzard and threadfin shad, you could see them literally all over the surface in perhaps a 1/2 mile area of the White River and nothing in the least was making them sweat.  Yesterday the whites and the big brown bass were tearing into them.  Not today so that part of my plan was a complete failure.

Moved to the drop shot and fished a total of 10 locations catching a total of 11 fish with one really decent K.  The fish we did see were really scattered and at times would come and look but then would just leave it.  If they were suspended they would head for the bottom.  If they were on the bottom they would pull up 10' and suspend above it.  Just wanted nothing at all to do with it.

Steve with a Toad of a K, one of the few highlights of the morning

Biggest catch of the day was the meaty part of my thumb as we sunk a drop shot hook in it.  I was lazy and tried to lift a fish instead of net it, and the hook popped out and buried in the palm of my thumb.  No problem as Cole extracted it with 15 pound Invesx.  Thanks Dude.

I was telling the guys I saw that trick in either Field and Stream or Outdoor Life back in the 60's and it works to perfection every time.

Talked to several guides on the main lake from the dam to SK and all of us are struggling a bit right now.  Spoke to Chris Tetrick and he was catching them good with Brian Snowden way  up the James on the drop shot.

Depth right now if you can find fish seems to be 27' to 35' but scattered main lake.  Much more congregated up the James and perhaps up the Kings but have had no information on that.

I'll find them back on the main lake they just seem to be a bit discombobulated right now.

[Randy Moore]

good stuff as always Bill.  Recently we had our 8 year old grand daughter (Emily) up from Texas.  We took her fishing for Blue Gill using small segments of night crawlers in 20 to 30 foot of water.  In many instances the Blue Gill were waiting at the surface for the bait.  We caught an abundance of Blue Gill which made Emily happy.  In addition to the Blue Gill, Emily caught a nice cat fish and a 2 1/2 lb largemouth.  On the days when there was some movement of water due to a gentle breeze we caught more fish than when it was calm.  We were amazed at the number of bass we caught on only a very small portion of a night crawler.  Most recently (Friday 8/17) I tried a jig with a double tailed crawler and had several hits but fish were more or less toying with the bait and not taking it.  I'm looking forward to less boat traffic and cooler temps which I hope arrive in Sept.