Missouri Lakes Fishing Report

Lake - Table Rock 05/15/06:

Report #1

Kimberling City Area: Dock fishing is still a strong pattern; pitching a Missouri craw Eakins’ jig with a green pumpkin Eakins’ craw in the shady areas around the dock is your best bet. Sunny days will group the fish in the shade. Also continue to look at secondary and main lake points and fish a shaky head worm or french fry from 10’ – 18’ deep, dragging the bait on the bottom. Water is in the some of the bushes but it really hasn’t been a factor as of yet.

James River: The current has finally slacked off up the James and the water is at pool. Bushes in the water hare holding mostly small fish but the occasional good fish will move up on windy days. A Jewel lavender shad spinner bait fished around the bushes on these windy days has produced fish. A more reliable pattern is still out from 8’ – 20’ deep with either a mojo or Carolina rigged baby brush hog or french fry on pea gravel points and flats.

White River: The White river area continues to be strong, this area has the best top water action of any area on the lake. From Baxter to Shell Knob several good fish are being caught in low light hours on Red-fins, Spooks and Sammys. Deep points with standing timber seem to be the best areas for big fish. Once the sun comes up a Jewel 5/16 oz spider jig in PB&J with a green pumpkin Chomper Jig Trailer has been the most effective bait on main lake and secondary points from 10’ – 25’ deep.

Dam Area: Shaky head worms and grubs continue to be the ticket in the dam area, the fish have moved deeper but can still be found in the same locations as last week. Main lake and secondary pea gravel points and pockets continue produce fish but you will need to move out deeper to 15’ – 25’ deep to consistently catch better fish. There is a top water bite in the dam area as well look for deep trees and flats near drop offs to be the most productive.

Report #2

b.c.snowden@att.net wrote:

Brian Snowden’s Table Rock Fishing Report
www.missouriangling.com

Date: May 14, 2006
Water Level: 914.7
Normal Pool: 916
Water Temp: 64-71

Baxter, Campbell Point, Dam Area, & Kimberling City

With the water on the rise this area has some color. Fish can be taken on a variety of methods. During windy conditions I have been able to catch some quality largemouth and Kentucky bass cranking main lake, gravel points with or without standing timber. I have been positioning the boat in 20-25 feet making long casts with a seven foot, St. Croix, glass crankbaiting rod with an Ardent XS Reel, spooled with ten pound, green, SilverThread Line. I have been throwing a Fat Free Shad in black pearl or root beer float on sunny days, and on cloudy days I have been throwing root beer/chartreuse. Work the crankbait back in a medium stop and go fashion. When timber is present try and make contact with as many trees as possible. When it is calm in the early morning hours a few fish can be taken working a Jointed Red Fin in smoky Joe or pearl/blue back. Work this bait in the same areas that you would throw the crankbait. Even try some bluffends with this bait.

The most productive and consistent bite in these areas has been on a Carolina rig fishing gently sloping, gravel points. Position the boat in 20-25 feet of water and work the bait in 10-20 feet of water. I have been throwing my Carolina rig on a seven foot, medium heavy, St. Croix Legend Elite, Casting Rod with an Ardent XS Reel spooled with twelve pound, green, SilverThread Line with an Excalibur TG Barrel Weight in ½ oz. or ¾ oz. using two glass beads and a barrel swivel. I have been rigging it on a three foot leader with an Excalibur, 1/0, TX3 Point Worm Hook. The best baits seem to be the YUM Notta Worm in green pumpkin, watermelon candy, or watermelon/red flake.

Long Creek

This area has quite a bit of water color, and spinnerbaits have been producing nicely. Try working a 3/8 or ½ oz. BOOYAH Blade in citrus shad or limetreuse with a Colorado willow leaf combination on ledge rock banks in 2-8 feet of water. I have been casting my spinnerbait on a 6’6”, medium heavy, St. Croix Casting Rod with an Ardent XS Reel, spooled with seventeen pound, green, SilverThread Line. Keep the boat in 10-15 feet of water casting at a 45 degree angle toward the ledge rock. Work the bait just out of sight, and let the bait slow down as it gets closer to the boat. As the water continues to rise in this area try pitching a 3/8 oz. Boo Jig in black/brown spice with a 3.5 inch, YUM Craw Papi in green pumpkin, as a trailer. Hop the jig around any isolated laydowns or floating debris that has been blown up along the bank.

James River

In the James River crankbaits have started to produce on channel swings tapering into gravel and on bluffend points. Work a Fat Free Shad or Fat Free Shad Jr. in chartreuse with blue sparkle or citrus along these areas with a medium to medium fast stop and go retrieve. A Carolina rig has also been producing fish in the lower section of the James River. Rig the Carolina rig the same as mentioned above, but you might try working a YUM, six inch lizard in watermelon red or PB&J. As you move up past Cape Fair spinnerbaits have been producing nicely. Try working a 3/8 or ½ oz. BOOYAH Blade in citrus shad or lime reuse with a Colorado willow leaf combination on ledge rock banks in 2-8 feet of water.

I have been casting my spinnerbait on a 6’6”, medium heavy, St. Croix Casting Rod with an Ardent XS Reel, spooled with seventeen pound, green, SilverThread Line. Keep the boat in 10-15 feet of water casting at a 45 degree angle toward the ledge rock. Work the bait just out of sight, and let the bait slow down as it gets closer to the boat. As the water continues to rise in this area try pitching a 3/8 oz. Boo Jig in black/brown spice with a 3.5 inch, YUM Craw Papi in green pumpkin, as a trailer. Hop the jig around any isolated laydowns or floating debris that has been blown up along the bank.

Brian Snowden’s Tournament Journal 2006
www.missouriangling.com

Event: BassMaster Elite
When: May 1-5, 2006
Where: Clarks Hill, GA
Finish: 79th
Winnings: $0.00

Practice was hit and miss for me. I mainly concentrated on catching schooling fish on main lake points and around islands. I caught the majority of my quality fish working a Zara Spook in blueshore minnow around shallow, rocky points in 1-6 feet of water. When I got a topwater bite it was a good quality fish in the 3-5 pound range.
I tried several other techniques and was able to catch a few fish on a Texas rigged Houdini Worm working the same areas, but I was fishing out a little deeper.

The first day of the tournament started out with very sunny conditions and light wind. I thought that might really hurt the topwater bite. To my surprise I was able to catch fish all day long on the Zara Spook. I caught a total of eight keepers weighing 11.03 pounds putting me in 50th place. I was very excited to hear that the next day was suppose to be cloudy, and I thought the topwater bite would improve dramatically. I was unable to catch any keepers on the Zara Spook the next day. The wind had picked up and was blowing directly into some of my best areas. I switched to a fluke and was able to catch a couple of fish weighing just over five pounds. If I could have only caught three more keepers I would have finally made the top fifty cut.

Event: BassMaster Elite
When: April 17-21, 2006
Where: Guntersville, AL
Finish: 97th
Winnings: $0.00

The first day of practice I spent around the lower section of the lake. In this area I tried working a ¾ oz. BOOYAH Spinnerbait and an Excalibur Rattle Bait in gold/black back over grassy humps and points in 5-10 feet of water. This technique only produced one keeper fish on the rattle bait and none on the spinnerbait. I then decided to move shallow fishing stumps with a five inch YUM Dinger in green pumpkin and pitching to docks with a Texas rigged YUM green pumpkin tube.

The stumps produced a few fish, but most of the fish were small. The docks produced three or four keepers throughout the day. The following two days of practice I move up the lake to the Goose Pond area. I was able to start catching some better quality fish on a ¾ oz., BOOYAH Blade in silver shiner and on the Excalibur Rattle Bait in gold/black and oxbow color. I worked both of these baits slowly ticking the tops of grass in 5-8 feet of water along ridges and humps close to the main river channel.I was also able to catch a few fish in these areas slowly dragging a 5 inch, green pumpkin, YUM Dinger with an 1/8 oz., Excalibur TG Bullet Weight working the bait over and through the grass.

The first day of the tournament started out nicely. I caught four keepers off of my first spot on a spinnerbait. I proceeded to two more spots and caught two more keepers. I had my limit, but the fish were on the small side. I decided to flip some of the docks with a YUM, green pumpkin tube. This produced a few more keepers, and I was able to cull twice. It was only by ounces that I was able to cull my fish. On the second day of the event I didn’t start out so smoothly. I lost two three pounders on a spinnerbait. I proceeded to catch a few keepers on an Excalibur Rattle Bait and caught a few off of the boat docks. I only had one keeper off of the docks. I was unable to finish out my limit and finished the event in 97th plac