5-26-19 Table Rock Lake/Lampe Mo,. Report

[Bill Babler]

White River Outfitters current Mid-Table Rock Lake fishing report Sunday, May 26

6 AM On the Rock Point 19

Had one of the best days of the year today, not only because the fishing was simply unreal, but my client Jeff was a long time Table Rock Lake, ie Ozarks Lake's fishermen.  He had great stories from the late 60's and 70's.  Jeff had fished Table Rock, Bull Shoals and Taney when he was in his early teens with Rex Grady, staying at Lake Shore Resort.  He had also fished the Rock with the Fletcher's out of Devils Dive and floated the Kings River many times out of DD Resort.

Nice dark Table Rock Jaw on a  Red Fin

Launched this morning in what I thought was perfect timing and was wrong.  We pulled away from the H hwy. dock at 5:15.  I t was going to fish the swim beach at Baxter but there were 2 boats on it.  Next was the point going out of the Indian's on the left.  Boat on it.  Went to the buoy point up the White across from Red Barn,  boat on it.  Next was Red Barn 3 boats on it.  Next was 19, boat on it.  Next the Old Road Bed point.  Success.

LM like topwater too

Fin bite was savage with the boat in 25' throwing across the point.  We caught 9 here, all keepers and they just crushed it, to the point of being scary.  Guy on 19 had vacated so I bogged over there and we caught 6 on it.  All short but again they hammered it.  Zoomed back to the road bed and bang a nice jaw on the fin and then  switched to the Keitech.  3.3 with a 1/4 oz. head in either Rainbow Shad or Pro Blue.

I'll be durned fat Kentucky's eat Red Fins also.

It really never slowed down.  I jumped a bit and we threw the fin on each new location, but the Keitech never stopped getting bit.  Most locations we would catch at least 6 with a combination of just about every fish that swims in the lake.  Fished 5 gravel runnouts this morning between point 19 and point 16 with no bad stops.   Hitting the Road Bed twice early looking for fin fish. 

Walleye prefer swimbaits to Red Fins

Boat today was most often in 25' but did hit 35' several times.  Most fish in 12 to 20 ft. 

 Fat 10 inch bluegill on a 3.3 Keitech.  We caught several they seemed to be about 15' deep

Total of 17 topwater fish as we caught a nice K on the last cast on a fin.  Probably 25 down fish on the swimbait and did not see any drop shot fish what so ever.

Baits were pretty simple for us today.  We used two.  Surface temps at 74-76 degree water is clearing fast.

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[Fish24/7]

I like a dude who just picks another spot if somebody is fishing where he wanted to. I had a very odd experience last time I fished.  Not another boat in sight for hours and then here comes one around the corner about a mile away and heads straight for me.  They started to slow down then passenger points at me then driver presses on the gas pedal. They shut down within a  few yards which is fine but then literally come right next to me I can read the boat numbers. I'm still OK with that.  All good until passenger bounces their crappie jig off my boat and snags my anchor rope.  I then pulled up the rope,  cut the line , and went back to fishing with that jig still hung in my rope 😄   they both said something about it but I was nice and smiled 

 years ago I would have told them what a stupid idiot they were, but I'm  a much more spiritually awakened man these days. Just secretly laughed at them  when they got the boat stuck on the bottom a few minutes after.

Great fish Bill!

[Bill Babler]

Fish, your a better man than me for sure.   By looking at a lake map there seems to be several locations to fish on Bull Shoals.

The MLF guys have really  done me a favor.  Every Tom, Dick and Harry right now is dragging his skag on the bottom trying to coax 1.5 pounders out of heavy bushes.  We'll just set out and catch them where they live and not get hung up every 3 minutes.

When I pulled over on 19 Jeff said, "wasn't there are guy just fishing this?"  I said, "Not really."

[Fish24/7]

Just now, Bill Babler said:

Fish, your a better man than me for sure.   By looking at a lake map there seems to be several locations to fish on Bull Shoals.

The MLF guys have really  done me a favor.  Every Tom, Dick and Harry right now is dragging his skag on the bottom trying to coax 1.5 pounders out of heavy bushes.  We'll just set out and catch them where they live and not get hung up every 3 minutes.

When I pulled over on 19 Jeff said, "wasn't there are guy just fishing this?"  I said, "Not really."

Sometimes I think people do stuff like that deliberately just to try and get a rise out of somebody. They were almost stopped,  then they saw me and kept coming.  Hurry up Tuesday!  Eager to get back out there!

 

[Ham]

Is that just worn down to Bone? Or did you sand on it? 

[Bill Babler]

At least 20 yrs. old.  I have about 1/2 a dozen just like it.  The new ones are clear plastic under the paint.  You cannot paint them. We have tried and it will simply not work, as any paint adds weight.  These baits are so special and they have just gotten that way thru time and hundreds of catches.

One of the old time locals here was working with one of the MLF guys last September and was offered $ 250.00 each for his.  they are about the same age as mine and look similar.  He would not sell any and knew I had some.  The guy called me and asked for them, but I would never part with any of them.  Way to much history.

Mine are tuned to perfection and run straight and true at any speed.  They are truly special baits and I have gone thru dozens to get the few perfect ones that I have.

On another note those baits with that set up are so dangerous to fishermen that I'm really half scared everytime I unhook a fish.  Got caught bad last year and it happened so fast I could not believe it.  If your by yourself I really don't know if you should use it.  Fish just flipped off and it jumped up and caught me with all 3 more than barb deep.  If a fish is still hooked on one of the hooks  and you get stuck with one of the loose hooks you are in serious trouble.

[mojorig]

Do you always use the regular Redfin and not the jointed Redfins? 

I wish you didn't have to buy 10 to 20 just to get one that runs right.

[rps]

18 minutes ago, Bill Babler said:

At least 20 yrs. old.  I have about 1/2 a dozen just like it.  The new ones are clear plastic under the paint.  You cannot paint them. We have tried and it will simply not work, as any paint adds weight.  These baits are so special and they have just gotten that way thru time and hundreds of catches.

One of the old time locals here was working with one of the MLF guys last September and was offered $ 250.00 each for his.  they are about the same age as mine and look similar.  He would not sell any and knew I had some.  The guy called me and asked for them, but I would never part with any of them.  Way to much history.

Mine are tuned to perfection and run straight and true at any speed.  They are truly special baits and I have gone thru dozens to get the few perfect ones that I have.

On another note those baits with that set up are so dangerous to fishermen that I'm really half scared everytime I unhook a fish.  Got caught bad last year and it happened so fast I could not believe it.  If your by yourself I really don't know if you should use it.  Fish just flipped off and it jumped up and caught me with all 3 more than barb deep.  If a fish is still hooked on one of the hooks  and you get stuck with one of the loose hooks you are in serious trouble.

I know well of what you say - too well. I net fish (I do use a rubberized net to minimize slime removal) and then use my boga to hold the fish as I put slack in the line. Then I use hemostats to to remove the hook or hooks. This has dramatically reduced the number of times I get stuck. BTW, if the hook catches the mesh of the net, use the hemostats to fix that as well.I don't want my fingers anywhere near a bait attached to a fish. I feel very sorry for the pros who are penalized for using a net and for letting the fish touch the boat floor. Their stick rate must be very high.

[Bill Babler]

Agree 100% on the hook deal Randy. 

I do also have jointed that run perfect but they are even harder to tune.  I think I may have 1/2 dozen of them also that run absolutely perfect.  But, there is a caveat with them,  they must be reeled at perfect speed and the rod tip must be adjusted as the bait nears the boat.  They  are simply deadly also, but you need to concentrate to fish them.

[Bill Babler]

Mojorig, Beck and I had the chance to buy 4 cases of them for 200 bucks.  That was 48 jointed fins.  Beck tuned a fin better than anyone.  We ended up with 6 if I remember right.  I still have two of them.  They are without a doubt the most frustrating lure in existence, no doubt.

If you are blessed and have one that works it is simply a thing of beauty and no topwater bait is even in its league on the White River impoundments.