Table Rock Lake Fishing Report 7-16-18

This is one of those threads a guy should print out and put a copy in his boat. Not kidding one bit. 

12 hours ago, Bill Babler said:

These fish move extremely quickly this time of the year.  If you remember I said we were catching them shallow right on top of the ridge.  When the sun gets to a certain position or for who knows why they move and move quickly.  It's between 7:30 and 8:00 right now.  If your still seeing fish but catching gills, its because they moved.  Also if you are catching bass and all of a sudden your on those big gills, the bass have moved.  At times they will occupy the same water, but for the most part those gills regardless of size won't be hanging in those big schools of K's.  That is why I also said Beck was a master of fish movement, he knew and I really don't know if you can learn this, its more of just a feeling.   Of course having a couple of thousand hours a year on the lake for 30 yrs. helps.   Champ and Bo will tell you the same thing as will every professional elite fisherman.  You have to feel it.  It's either over or its on, and some guys feel it quicker than others.  Beck knew it immediately.

I'm reading a bit larger thermocline due to the extreme heat.  I think Bo mentioned it the other day in a post that his night time fish dropped in depth also.  We can figure the thermocline is probably in that 28' range at the top with a comfort zone to probably 38' as it is a real popular number right now lake wide with all the guides.

I did not react quite quickly enough when those big gills moved in on us yesterday.  On my second stop I chased out the ridge and was going to cut across a pocket to another ridge and spun the boat out over depth and saw them just sitting at that 38' range.  I said to my clients I should have known they pulled out here when those big gills started hitting us.  Me Bad.

If I had not seen them I would have looked on the top of the next ridge where it dumped into the channel.  If they were not there I would have known they had suspended and moved out.  By seeing them it solved that problem and again from what the guide talk is they moved lake wide on all of us at the above mentioned time.

Here is the deal however, they can be in the frigging middle of the lake but still at 38' over 100'+, no problem.  Most times however they will be in the vicinity of those long runs or bluffends and not heck and gone.  However what I'm hearing now is they have moved off the bluffends and most are suspending in the channel off flat gravel lake wide.  Moving up at night or early and late and then during the day moving out.  As I said yesterday they were just packed with little finger size craw daddy's, spitting them up and all over creation.

Good Luck

 

good info bill.  summer time bass, for the most part use flatter types of terrain, that will afford them bigger feeding flats.  when bass are feeding on shad, keep in mind they use "trapping" areas to herd the shad into or onto.  when you find them in contact with the bottom, this is the time to clean up.  when the bass move back out and suspend is when it gets tricky.  bass suspended in open water are very hard to deal with.  however, if you can find them sitting on a tree, you have a great situation to catch them.  trick is to figure out what it takes to get them to bite.  bass move quite often during the day, and it has much to do with where the sun is.  bass use the topography of the lake to stay in a shade layer quite often.  you dock fisherman should be keen to that fact.  even in the winter bass will still seek an area where a shade layer is created for them to hide in.  so, this is why everyone needs to make adjustments to where they are fishing during different times of the day.  so moves the sun angle, so moves the bass.

 

bill is really giving some great info here.  i love catching shallow bass as well as anyone, but there are just times, which on clear water lakes, that the majority of the bass are off shore.  in all actuality, catching a bass 60 ft. deep is just the same as catching them 6 ft. deep.  most of the time, the only difference is the required fishing tools to get the job done.

as to bill mentioning that the bass are spitting up crawdads, you can bet that bass had been tearing up the shad around those same areas a while back.  since we have the absence of green algae growing on timber now, shad leavings are a great attractant to the crawdads to move in and have a feast.  understanding seasonal migration routes and the food chain are great aides in knowing where to go look for summer bass.

thanks again bill.

bo

12 hours ago, bobby b. said:

So you were fishing the Ned is sallower water than Bill was talking about?

We fish a lake up north similar to TR. in fact I’ve used a bunch of info from the TR forum with great success up there. We noticed a few years ago bass spitting up small craws and we went right to the ned that matched the color.  70% of the time it never made it to the bottom. 

2 hours ago, snagged in outlet 3 said:

We fish a lake up north similar to TR. in fact I’ve used a bunch of info from the TR forum with great success up there. We noticed a few years ago bass spitting up small craws and we went right to the ned that matched the color.  70% of the time it never made it to the bottom. 

No way a fish can distinguish the difference in those two deals.  Thanks so much for the pic's.  Reminds me of the slogan match the hatch that fly fisherman use.  I don't think you get much closer than that.

yea, but see your line😄 and can't tell the difference between those two.

bo

The first fish of the day spit up that dad and it was on after that.  I should thank you guys for all of the info you put out because it really works on this lake too.  THANKS!

I bet we could drag that Ned around early in the 24' to 30' range and catch them pretty good here.  I'd use a 3/8th. head and either 5 or 6 pound maxi  if I were going to try it.  I know they will hit a tube or a 3/8th. oz small profile jig if they would get a chance.

Really guys the fishing pressure is extremely low right now and if you get a chance get out at 6 and off at 10 and you can pretty much fish where ever you want.  If this heat keeps up and the fishermen stay off the lake like they have been, this is going to be really good going into Fall.

Ill be down this weekend, hopefully putting the pressure on them!

 

I started fishing a 1/8 ounce on a 7’ ML spinner with 10 pound suffix and 6 pound red label fluoro.  Really fun way to catch em. 3.4 pounder is the biggest on it. 

Slap me upside the head, I meant a 3/16 on the Ned.  Got 3/8 on the brain for some reason.  If your trying to fish and drag or hop in that 30' water, 1/8 can be fished but it takes more patients than most of my clients have.  More patients than I have to, I'm kind of a mover and shaker.