Table Rock Lake...any knowledge??

BMX Bassin · Post by **BMX Bassin** » Mon Oct 20, 2008 12:51 pm

made the stren championship and going to Table Rock Lake. Anybody been there?? This time of year?? I will be fishing back seat (last one ever I hope) Thanks

tunaman · Post by **tunaman** » Mon Oct 20, 2008 1:39 pm

Check with Obi-Hub (Gary Collins)... pretty sure he's fished it and can offer up some valuable info.

Roger

Ricky-S · Post by **Ricky-S** » Mon Oct 20, 2008 3:48 pm

Think lake Shasta. It will fish a lot like Shasta.

PS-See you there!

Jerkbait · Post by **Jerkbait** » Tue Oct 21, 2008 3:21 am

Hi to all my friends in NorCal I am enjoying my retirement since I moved here on Norfork Lake.Fishing most every day.As for Table rock it should be a great tournament.Here is some info on how the rock will fish.There is no doubt November is one of the best months for fishing the rock. The weather is generally comfortable and the changing tree colors can be spectacular. Bass can be targeted in the mid-lake areas and you canâ€™t go wrong by fishing wind blown coves with chunk rock and/or docks. Donâ€™t stop your search until you find the shad, food is the key factor. Depending on the mood of the fish, hit prime areas with a topwater early and then work them over with shad color crankbaits or spinnerbaits. If the weather has the bite on the snide, grab your jig rod with a 1/2oz PBJ jig with a green pumpkin twin tail and slow down. Once you pick up a fish or two, look for areas similar in composition and work the pattern. This should allow you to sack a limit and start the culling process. Not a bad proposition..Good Luck

Wild Bill · Post by **Wild Bill** » Tue Oct 21, 2008 1:41 pm

I have fished Table Rock Lake many, many times since the early 1990s, originaly fishing with guide Tim Hughes who is reknown in that area for painting hardbaits, and who worked as a guide at BPS's resort, Big Cedar for many, many years.

The predominant Bass specie there are the Spotted Bass, but there are good populations of Largemouths and Smallmouths as well as a few Meanmouth Bass [hybrids].

There are several major creeks that feed this water, and many , many smaller ones , too.

Table Rock straddles the Missouri/Arkansas border, so make sure you have a valid fishing license if you go into Arkansas, as the bulk of the water is in Missouri.

The water level does vary, as they pull water to generate power, so the docks are floating, most times with anchoring wires all around them in the water to keep them positioned. Most docks on the lake are very large, multi-boat, covered docks.

The area near the dam is where we find the greatest concentrations of Smallmouths. Backs of creeks is where we find the greatest concentrations of Largemouths, and all over the lake near drop-offs in rocky areas in particular is where you will find good concentrations of Spotted Bass.

Due to the fluctuating water levels, weeds a can be sparse, or hard to find in much of the lake, is think STRUCTURE fishing when targetting Spotted Bass, especially in the Fall.

Being near the Ozark Mountains, there is some elevation, so it does get cool in the evenings there in the Fall, so BRING WARM CLOTHES, especially for you thin-blooded Californians {LMAO} that are used to warmer weather, because those morning runs on this exspansive water can be outright COLD when running on pad. Yes, gloves, hooded sweatshirts under wind suits ETC !!! Even thermal underwear MIGHT be needed.
I fished the Yamamoto Open Final on very nearby Beaver Lake in November years ago, and we FROZE our BUTTS OFF despite many warm clothes. Possible morning FROSTS !!!

There is tremendous amounts of flooded [and many hidden] standing hardwood and Cedar trees in the water, especially in the creeks. Think 'suspending jerkbaits" in this, or drop-shot RIGHT NEXT TO THE TREES, letting your rig drop RIGHT NEXT TO THE TREES, especially in the 15-25 foot depths at this time of the year.

TR can be fairly CLEAR water, but that can can and does change due to heavy rain runoff. Watch for debris like logs, haybales etc floating in the water if heavy rain has happened, as I have seen that OFTEN.

Bring good selections fo GREEN PUMPKIN and WATERMELON soft-plastics, as those two colors are STANDOUTS on that water. A SLIGHT touch of orange dye can add bonus fish, as it mimics the crawfish there.

There are several good tackle shops on the water, and THE original BPS 'mothership" is an hour away in Springfield MO [an hour drive from Kimberling City].

If you would like to discuss more in detail with me, e-mail fishnwilly@verizon.net with your phone number, and I'll call you at times you specify, as I have unlimited free calling [and type slow].

You folks at WesternBass {previously NCBF} have ALWAYS done WONDEROUSLY RIGHT by me, so I'd like to help y'all out any time I can.
I hope this gives you a good start though....

Sincerely,

{"The east-coast NCBF Nutcase"}

"Wild Bill" Holzapfel

BMX Bassin · Post by **BMX Bassin** » Tue Oct 21, 2008 2:29 pm

Thanks to all

Wild Bill · Post by **Wild Bill** » Tue Oct 21, 2008 4:05 pm

Bring a good selection of the four-inch Yamamoto double-tailed Hulas in color #208[watermelon/ red flk]. Bring same in #297 [Grn Pump].
Fish them on stand-up heads in 3/16 oz or 1/4.

Bring same colors in four inch straight-tailed worms [brand you have confidence in] in same colors as above.
Rig them on shaky heads, Mojo-rigs and/or drop-shot rigs.

There is a strong Shad forage there also, so bring four-inch single-tailed smoke grubs,on 1/4 ball-head jigheads[swum] , suspending jerks in shad colors, and some walking-topwaters{I Use Spook Jrs} in shad patterns, also.

In the Fall, those that run the water discharge, hold water there at times, so the shorelines and buckbrush of that year will be in water, and if that happens, fish will move into that, so use silver Double-Willow-bladed Spinnerbaits then.

Granted, Table Rock does not have Florida-strain LM, or cross-strain-mixes, but does produce some good sized fish. to those that figure it out.

I hope this helps get you bit well there...

Jerkbait · Post by **Jerkbait** » Tue Oct 21, 2008 11:19 pm

I have compiled a list of the top 3 lures use month by month over a 10 year period to win tournaments on the Ozarks Lakes.The info I used comes from monthly articles Titled "Bassin by the Numbers" Data compiled by 7/24 Outdoors pro staffer Matt Eisenbacher.
After fishing my whole life out west on the deep clear water lakes one of the reasons I chose to retire to the Ozarks is because the lakes are also deep clear water lakes.The fishing is not to much unlike fishing out west.The water is clear and has a green tint to it and green colored baits are the ticket when it comes to plastics.I thought you might like to see what lures were used to win tournaments out here.....Right now on Table Rock square bill crankbaits and H2O crankbaits in shad colors has accounted for some big limits weighed in and tournament wins.....Also as you can see you cant go wrong throwing a jig all year long.If the wind is blowing hard throw a spinnerbait.

Jan-Feb
1/ Jerkbait 43%
2/ Jig 30%
3/ Crankbait 12%

March
1/ Jerkbait 34%
2/ Jig 28%
3/ Crankbait 18%

April
1/ Jigs 23%
2/ Spinnerbait 20%
2/ Soft Plastics

May
1/ Jigs 20%
2/ Soft Plastics
3/ Top Water baits

June December
1/ Jigs 23% 1/ Jigs 43%
2/ Deep Crankbaits 15% 2/ Crankbait
3/ Soft Plastics 3/ Jerkbait
Nights
10" worm 23%

July
Night Tournaments
1/ 10" Worm 29%
2/ 7" worm 16%
3/ Jigs 15 %

Aug
1/ Jigs 30%
2/ spinnerbait 21%
3/ Crankbait 12%

Sept
1/ Jigs 26%
2/ Crankbait 16%
3/ Soft Plastics

Oct.
1/ Jigs 23%
2/ Spinnerbait 21%
3/ Crankbait 17%

November
1/ Jigs 32%
2/ Crankbait 19%
3/ Spinnerbait 17%

December
1/ Jigs 43%
2/ Crankbait
3/ Jerkbait
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