Missouri Lakes Fishing Report

Lake - Table Rock 02/04/05:

Kimberling City Area: Staying in contact with the shad seems to be the key right now. Wherever you find shad you will find the fish, look to channel swings and deep points to be the most productive areas. Fish channel swing banks with an Eakins' jig in PB&J with a twin tail grub for a trailer, work the bait from the bank all the way down to 20' deep and key on any areas with wood or rock cover. On the deep points try a Lucky Craft Pointer in chart. shad or nishiki, work the bait with 5 - 10 second pauses from shallow to deep. Any standing timber needs to be fished thoroughly.

James River: Still a little more color up the James river than elsewhere on the lake, the stained water is warming faster on sunny days and the fish will move shallower than they will in the clear water. Look for fish to be relating to schools of shad up the river just like on the main lake, anywhere you find the shad the fish will be close by. Most of the fish are still coming on an Eakins' jig , let the amount of stain in the water determine your color choice, the more stain the darker the color. The most productive color has been Missouri craw with a green pumpkin trailer but as the water clears a lighter color may be i order. Look for the fish to be on channel swing banks holding close to the deepest water.

White River: There is still allot of water coming out of Beaver Dam so the amount of current is still positioning both the bait and the fish. Look for both to be on the down stream side of points and in eddy areas on channel swing banks. The best baits have been a Lucky Craft Pointer in chart. shad or a 3" salt & pepper Yamamoto single tail grub fished on a 3/8oz. head. Work the pointer with short pauses between twitches and concentrate on areas with standing timber. Fish the grub from about 3' - 35' deep, make long casts, let the bait fall to the bottom and reel it in slow enough to maintain bottom contact.

Dam Area: This would be the best area to try and find a deep bite right now, just like the rest of the lake you will need to find shad to find the fish. Look for shad near the tops of the trees and on main lake channel swings in anywhere from 20' - 80' of water, the key is finding an area where the shad come within a few feet of the cover. Most of the time you will not see the fish on your graph unless they are feeding so it can be frustrating to fish for them, if you find shad within 10' of a tree top work the tree top with a spoon or a drop shot thoroughly.