Missouri Lakes Fishing Report

Lake - Table Rock 9/05/04 :

Kimberling City Area: Best pattern right now is dragging either a 3/4 oz. or 5/8 oz. Jewel football jig or a carolina rigged french fry on pea gravel points and flats. Best color in the jig continues to be brown / purple flash with a cinnamon purple twin tailed grub as a trailer, in the french fry any of the watermelon family will work. You will most likely catch several short with with the carolina between keepers, the Jewel jigs will catch more keepers but you will get fewer bites.

James River : Same basic pattern is working here as in the mid lake, dragging both a Jewel football jig and carolina rig on pea gravel is your best bet, the only changes are colors and depth. Most of the fish are a little shallower than in the mid lake area with the best bite coming between 8' - 15' on points and flats. Also there is a little bit of stain in the water so you should switch to green pumpkin on your french fry on the carolina rig. Shad are starting to stage on most of the points leading into the major creek arms and a little bit of cool weather should start them moving back into the creek arms.

White River: Same patterns are working here as in the rest of the lake, the only exception would be a few good fish are coming on spinnerbaits and square bill crankbaits up the Kings River. Look for main lake flats with laydowns, stumps and shad the bass will be close to the wood cover keying on the shad and it may take multiple casts to individual pieces of cover to produce a strike. Colors are simple; white or white and chartreuse.

Dam Area: If there is a consistent deep bite right now it is in the dam area, drop shotting bluff ends and saddles by the islands has been a fairly solid pattern, watermelon red zoom meathead worms are your best bait. Another pattern would be to drag Jewel 3/16 oz. or 5/16 oz. spider jigs in green pumpkin green flash or brown / purple flash with a twin tailed grub as a trailer across gravel points. This is a killer smallmouth pattern just pay close attention to you bait at all time many of the bites just feel spongy or soft there is no real strike to detect.