4th of July Report

[Bill Babler]

Last couple of days to report on the rock.

Fish seem to be in a real summer time pattern, but some of this stained water is really helping up the river arms.

Lake temp for the most part is ranging from 79 to 83 degrees.

Fished the dam area Sunday, with great results. Started looking for deep fish and could find no more than 1 per spot, with most coming suspended in the 24 to 33 ft. range, with very few on the bottom at those depths.

Wind was blowing pretty good so on a wild hair, started throwing a 1/4 oz shakey head with a fish dr. on the windy banks. Kept the boat in about 30 ft. and most of the bites came in the 20 ft. range, catching 11 real quality fish, all keepers. 10 smalljaws and the other a K.

Thought I had it made for Monday so took the clients back to the same locations. Same wind and clouds, but a totally different day.

After 2 hrs. we only had 3 fish and the guys, asked if they were biting anywhere on the lake, they wanted a full day instead of the half if we could get them to bite somewhere. I said, "THE KNOB".

Don't know how many we ended up with, but lots. Some on crawlers, most on the small 4 inch drop shot worm. Fish depths at 10 AM were 33 ft. and for some reason they moved shallower. Our last drops at 2:30 we had a double on keeper K's in under 20 ft. It was the origional spot I started on and just went back to it for one more try on the way in. Could see lots more fish on the graph, but we were done after a great second half of the day out of Shell Knob.

Table Rock Lake fishing Report.

Long Creek, *** Some really nice color in the water and reports of fair fishing for LM in 12 to 15 ft. on either jigs or the big texas rigged worms.

Missouri border to Kimberling,* Extremely Poor, Most fish suspended at 23 to 30 over varing depths, as great as 150. Not lots of fish per location. Wind and clouds, can shallow up this bite on the right banks. Got one report yesterday of bottom fish in the 50 ft. range, however, Too deep for me.

Kimberling to mouth of James,** Same report as the dam but just a little better bite.

James River,**** Lots of color and all three species of Black Bass seem to be doing very well, fishing traditional methods. Jig, Rig, Shakey Head, and Texas rigged worms are catchin-em, just like real bass fishin.

James River to Kings River at Shell Knob,** Bite seems to be on the bottom in the 23 to 40 ft. range with limited fish per location, so lots of moving is in order. Crawlers and drop shot seem to be taking the most fish. Catfishing excellent on crawlers while bass fishing.

Whites seem to have vanished lake wide with but a blow-up or two not lasting over 30 seconds. Whould like to have some reports on these fish, if you are finding them.

Kings River,** Walleye are being caught by back trolling and vertical presentations with bottom bouncers with crawlers. Deep diving cranks trolling the flats in the 18 to 26 ft. range are also catching some nice eyes.

Bass seem to be fair, same methods as the James.

Shell Knob to Beaver Town,**** Bass fishing excellent on drop shots in 20 to 35 feet with multiple fish per location. Early topwater bite on main lake flats and cove mouths. Last two weeks, walleye are being taken with some regularity on the Arkansas Portion, and from drop shotting the ends and roll offs of the flats from the knob to BT.

My clients have caught 5 really nice eyes, during that stretch, all keepers up to 6 pounds and we have only kept 1.

Let us know how your fishing is going, we appreciate it. Good Luck

[Scarecrow]

Thanks for the information Bill. Sounds like the Rock is rolling.

[dwiebenga]

Bill,

Once again---GREAT REPORT!!!

Two quick questions.

Are you drop shot fishing the night crawler or using a "split-shot" rig?

Is there any kind of topwater bite in the dam area.

I am meeting my dad this weekend in Branson and he is bring his new boat. He has not been on the rock in years.

I have not fished it in the summer in quite some time. Just want to have a good weekend. I have been doing much reading and marking my maps with your great info.

Dave

[DeadHead]

GREAT REPORT Wild Bill! Thanks for passing on the information...

[techo]

Ay ideas on why Shell Knob seems to be easier to fish than other parts of the lake. I know Cape Fair is more challenging, but more rewarding on size. Is it pressure? Is it the types of fish that like each area? Is it that my fishing partner spit on all of my rigs and lures so the fish don't like them?

[Bill Babler]

Guys, the dam area is just plain HARD, HARD, HARD. One of the main reasons is just the constant prussure on these fish.

Yesterday, for example I started at 6 AM and even by that time the first 4 or 5 spots I wanted to fish had boats sitting on them.

When I launched at old 86 and came into the main channel, I had over 20 fisherman on that many different locations in view. When I went around the corner toward the bridge every flat, point and bluffend had fisherman on them.

The bridge at 86 I will guarantee you was fished at least by 20 different boats on each pier yesterday.

One of the only way these fish can go unmolested is to just suspend under moving shad schools in deep water, and that is what they do.

You can find them from time to time, but it is a very rough go. Most of our clients are non-casters and a vertical presentation is about all 90% can do and there is only so much of that on the entire lake.

At the Knob, there was only 1 other bass chaser on the ramp and we fished till 2:30 and I don't believe we saw another fisherman. They can be bad up there in the Spring, but in the Summer, they seem to slack off a bit.

I will tell you this. Boating prussure and jet ski prussure are twice as bad from Eagle Rock to Campbell Point as they are anywhere on the lake. You just have to put up with all the ski boats at Shell Knob, they will run right over you if you are deep fishing. Dosen't bother the fish, but it scares my clients too death. I took waves over the side, over the bow, and lots and lots over the stern yesterday will fishing mid-day. Bilge pumps ran quite a bit. My clients live here at the dam, and they said they didn't know there was that much boating activity anywhere on Table Rock.

We were taking so much water over the sides, One of the guys asked me if we were rehearsing for the Deadlest Catch. The other guy said where are the Crab Pots.

With all the Resorts at the Knob and all the K. Camps the boating traffic, on that smaller water is horrendious. We had boats zooming between us and the bank and jet skies missing us by under a cast length running wide open. Very small water and tons of boat traffic.

I probably fish the Eagle Rock area to Shell Knob more than any other guide, as I lived there for 15 years, but that area has tons more locations, and about a 1/4 of the prussure.

Fish are in the same places they are down here, but they bite, and are not nearly so shy. In the dam area, I have been seeing fish zoom to the drop shot and night crawler and just peck it and melt away. At the knob, most times they eat it.

Lots of these fish at the dam have been caught multiple times and they are wise to the ways of the world. I don't think I hardly ever have a day in the dam area that I catch a fish that dosen't have a hook sore in its mouth. Not the same as the knob.

I have been fishing a shakey head and doing very well on it in both the White River and the James up to Cape Fair. Also 1 good day at the dam. Must have been a fluke.

Drop shot is either a crawler or a 4 inch worm. You figure out the color.

Have heard of zero topwater at the dam and have not seen any chasers. Most of the deep fin trees are to deep for topwater with all the rain we have been having.

I can catch more on the plastic than my clients can on the crawler if I try.

I don't.

I would not be very serious, about fishing the Rock, until after the holiday. Next week should really kick off the deep season and a few of the holiday boaters will have gone home. good luck

[techo]

Thanks for again for sharing.