About to Break Loose. 3-11-19

[Bill Babler]

Table Rock Lake Kimberling City 3-11-19 Report

 

Launched at Cow this morning to a cloudy grey sunrise with surface temps at 42.7.  Boated down to White's Branch to see if I could catch any of these big A-rig fish that are showing up in the tournaments.  From Schooner Creek to Cow Creek the lake is full of dying shad and gulls.  Thousands of dying shad and enough gulls to scoop them up.  I will tell you, if you see this Run.  Don't even drop the trolling motor, cause they ain't havin it.  You have to get away from those shad to get bit.

 

I fished for 3 hours right in the middle of it and got ZERO BITES.

At 10 o'clock I came to my senses and got away from this buffet and it got good.  Surface temps were like a Rocket Ship today and were on the rise, big time.  Even with that the fish wanted it slower than slow.  They ate a stick bait on flat water and another deal.

 

I put a total of only 7 fish in the boat but they were all solid keeps and lost one around 8 lbs. at the boat.  As a matter a fact she hit the side of the boat twice but when your using a 15' 4 lb. leader and are by yourself its hard to capture those biggens.  After the crazyness I put her through she just decided to dive down and wrap me in a tree and be done with that foolishness.

 

Word on the lake today was the A-rig was just not working, it had to be slow.  Bottom Ok on the Ned, but not quality fish.  Jerkbait in the trees and the floater were on them and they were all good.

Surface them at 2 PM when I pulled was 48.1 at Cow Creek with gin clear water.  Visibility in that area is 15' on the white spoon test.

 

Just about to get good, these fish are starting to stage on channel swings and spawning cove mouths.

Good Luck

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[1farmer]

Bill were you using the long rod?

[willyfish]

That looks and sounds like a float n fly, old Willy trick 

[Dock-in-it]

I fished Kim City area this morning and had 5 keepers on the underspin with 3" swimbait. Tried 5 locations and the 5th location was a channel swing with the right mix of trees and bait and there were just a few dying shad at this location. Watch for any surface activity and take advantage real quick. The surface activity is short lived. The lake is busy.

[dblades]

It's getting to night time temps staying above 50, has always been a good time for me.

[Steve McBasser]

Awesome Bill.....thanks for the report. Hope to get down there soon.

[Quillback]

Those are some great fish!  All the shad must be down lake, I hardly see any up the White.

[Bill Babler]

Yep, it was an 11 footer. I fished it 10' deep and was just not getting bit, so I extended the leader to 15' and it worked.  Dock can help me on this but it seems most of the fish are in that 18' to 30' range either suspended or on the shore.    Dock figured out KC I had to get away form the dying shad and birds.  From White's Branch to Big Cow you can scoop the dead shad in a net.  As soon as you get away you get bit.  Dock might have been upstream from the bridge I didn't go that far, so I don't know how many dead shad are up that way.  It's funny as soon as you pass Spring Branch no more dying shad.

Ramps at Indian Pt., Moonshine, State Park Cow Creek and Schooner were all busy.  Bfl usually brings in the 200 boat range plus the non-boaters are bring their's for a week of practice.  Then, this time of the year Anglers will Probably have close to 100 and of course that is a buddy so that usually adds  another 50 or so.  Bfl is out of State Park and Anglers out of Kimberling.

Weather is going to be wicked so that will hold the practice  down some.  I'm losing a trip this morning.  I had Wed. Thurs. Friday booked.  Hope I at least get Friday.

Good Luck

[Bill Babler]

12 hours ago, dblades said:

It's getting to night time temps staying above 50, has always been a good time for me.

From the looks of the extended forecast with the rain and wind and the next 10 day temperatures this water will blow thru the 50's really quick and it will be just all over us.

For Blue Eye, Table Rock Lake I'm showing mid to upper 60's and mid to upper 70's with high 40 and low 50 degree nites, in the 2 week extended.

[Dock-in-it]

I was upstream from the Kim City bridge. I kept my boat in 30' and fan cast over trees in 15' to 30'. Some of the fish I caught had live shad in their mouth. Before the last extreme cold spell I caught a swimbait limit one day where they all came less than 12'. The shad are located for a potential great pre-spawn bite. There is so much bait that it might impact how fast the bass migrate to their desired pre-spawn location.