Missouri Lakes Fishing Report

Lake - Table Rock 1/28/05:

Kimberling City Area: The bite has been changing as the weather changes, some days the fish are moving up shallow others they are staying deep. The only thing that has remained consist ant has been the water temperature; it is still in the mid to upper 40's and that is keeping the fish from being on a classic winter pattern. Anyway, the two best patterns have been a Lucky Craft Pointer and an Eakins' jig fished on the transition banks and bluff ends. Fish the Pointer, best color is chart. shad, in and around standing timber on deeper chunk rock banks, the Eakins jig in PB&J with a twin tail has been most effective on the transition channel swings in major creek arms.

James River: The James still has a bit more stain than the rest of the lake, best bite is a Lucky Craft Pointer in Nishiki fished on bluff ends and channel swings with standing timber. An alternate pattern is a Jewel 5/8 oz. football jig fished in 25' - 45' of water on main lake flats where they drop off into the main channel. The best color on the jig has been brown / purple flash with cinnamon purple Yamamoto twin tail.

White River: The corps is still running quite a bit of water out of Beaver dam so there is still some current on the main lake. Look for the fish to be holding in deeper current breaks on both points and bluff ends on the main channel. If the sun is shinning keep an eye out for schools of shad to move close to the surface, when these schools move close to standing timber on deeper banks the bass will move out of the tree and chase a Lucky Craft Pointer.

Dam Area: The deep pattern has not really picked up at the dam either, the fish seem to be scattered deep and not really reacting well to spoons or drop shots. The best bite has been around boat docks on points and secondary points with an Eakins' Jig in green pumpkin / green flash with a watermelon Yamamoto Twin tail trailer. Fish the bait from about 1' to 35' deep until you determine where the fish are, they seem to be moving shallower through the day as the water warms and are holding on the edge of the shade from the dock.