Missouri Lakes Fishing Report

Lake - Table Rock 1/2/05:

Kimberling City Area: The deep bite continues to be the most reliable pattern, they have stopped generating all day everyday so the shad have had a chance to school up and it is making the bite awesome. Look for shad to be in 35' - 85' on bluff ends, channel swings, long points and tree tops and fish a spoon or drop shot finesse worms on the edges and bottom of the school of shad. On sunny days you can still catch several good fish on boat docks with an Eakins' jig and craw combo, PB&J or brown / purple flash are your best colors, fish the shady areas to be successful.

James River: Still quite a few fish being caught on channel swings on both the main river channel and in the major creek arms. The fish seem to be grouped on cover in the transition areas where bluff rock starts to break up or where rock changes over to gravel. Fish these areas with either an Eakins' jig in Missouri craw with a twin tailed grub trailer or with Jewel 5/8 oz. football jig in PB&J with a twin tailed grub trailer, choose your jig based on pressure, water clarity and depth. There are also a lot of crappie being caught on these same bluffs, cast 2" swimmin' minnows on 1/8 oz. heads, let them fall to about 15' and swim back to the boat.

White River: The Corps. have finally stopped running Beaver dam all day and the fish are moving into a winter pattern; spoons and drop shot finesse worms are both working well on bluff ends, channel swings and the end of long points. Find the shad and you will find the fish, even a few reports of kentuckies schooling on the surface early and late, with the way the air temperature has been nothing would be to big of a surprise.

Dam Area: Classic Table Rock deep pattern right now in the dam area, look for schools of shad on saddles between islands, bluff ends and channel swing banks as well as above the tree tops. Work the edges of the schools with white spoons, drop shot rigs, grubs and Jewel football jigs, the fish are not always visible with the shad but they are around and will go into a feeding frenzy once you get them started. The Crappie bit on bluffs is happening in the dam area as well, swimmin' minnows 12' - 15' deep fished parallel to the bluff.