I'm leaving for Table Rock in the morning

[scaleface]

   I'll be there for a week and am out of my element in the   deep clear water  . I only have one decent spinning outfit because I  rarely use them in the fertile , colored water here . Its going to be fun and i'm confident i'll get on fish somewhere, somehow. Quite often I think out-of-towners have an advantage because they are prone to do things different than the local experts , at least thats what I keep telling myself . LOL .    Last time there I caught the biggest spotted bass I ever hooked by waking a large popper just under the surface , pushing a huge bulge out in front of it . As hot s it is i might have to resort to some night fishing . I did that last time there , also in September  .

[Bluebasser86]

There's been talk of fish being caught shallow, some good ones on buzzbaits in the backs of pockets, and fish eating deep crankbaits. There's always fish shallow, even on Table Rock. Last time I was there this time of year I could have left all my spinning rods at home. My dad and I caught a bunch of really nice fish and almost all of them were on topwater, spinnerbaits, or crankbaits. 

[scaleface]

15 minutes ago, Bluebasser86 said:

My dad and I caught a bunch of really nice fish and almost all of them were on topwater, spinnerbaits, or crankbaits. 

I'll have a formidable selection of those .

[Dirtyeggroll]

Keep us updated on your success!

[Russ E]

29 minutes ago, Dirtyeggroll said:

Keep us updated on your success!

^^^. this. 

It has been 10 years, since my last trip there. 

might plan a trip there later this fall.

[Bluebasser86]

11 hours ago, Russ E said:

^^^. this. 

It has been 10 years, since my last trip there. 

might plan a trip there later this fall.

I'd suggest going about mid November when the shad really start to school up. There's usually a really good spinnerbait, crankbait, or jig big going by then as well as the potential for topwater still working or a jerkbait bite, depending on which type of fall we've had. 

[scaleface]

It was 95 degrees today ! I fished a couple of hours in the morning and called it quits . I had one in a brush pile at 15 foot that I couldnt get free and caught a flathead on a crankbait about 10 foot deep .  Its suppose to be this hot until Saturday . I'll probably fish a little in the morning then just go looking , do a lot of sonar watching .  Maybe I'll stand on the dock and tune some crankbaits .  Sheesh its hot .

[Bluebasser86]

Saw a really nice report on OA from last night, 30' of water on a 1oz jig, some really nice fish too. All of them after dark until midnight. 

[scaleface]

9 hours ago, Bluebasser86 said:

1oz jig

I'll have to stop at a tackle store , the biggest jigs i have are 1/2 ounce. i slept in today , ran a fever all night . 

[scaleface]

I fished 3/4 ounce football jigs out to 30 foot tonight on two points and nothing . Both  points i fished had  a bass boat come into   after I left  , one was decked out with ultra violet lights . So the two points I chose get fished by the locals .I then  fished the shore with a variety of lures and nothing .When I  pulled in  to dock for the night there are a bunch of ladies   in bikinis   partying . I had two shots of FIRE-BALL with them then had to leave before my wife  caught me . Its been to hot to fish during the day but cooler weather is on its way Friday .  

[scaleface]

Well . that was humbling . First of all I was sick the entire week and the first three days were so hot that I barely wet a line .  The last three days the weather cooled and I got some fishing in . I didnt catch a lot and flat-out fished   poorly . I lost more fish than I caught .On Saturday , I lost a big smallmouth and spottted bass ,  hopping a 3/4 ounce jig in 27 foot of water on a main lake point . Had them all the way to the boat . Both these fish appeared to be in the  four to five lb range and just came un-buttoned . The last day the jig bite stopped and I tried my hand with a drop shot , a tactic that I'm not  very familiar  with .  I caught 1 fish and lost six . Must have been bad technique . A couple of those fish felt good and was stripping out line at the get go . I'm back home with my tail between my legs ready to catch some  shallow fall bass .

[Bluebasser86]

16 hours ago, scaleface said:

Well . that was humbling . First of all I was sick the entire week and the first three days were so hot that I barely wet a line .  The last three days the weather cooled and I got some fishing in . I didnt catch a lot and flat-out fished   poorly . I lost more fish than I caught .On Saturday , I lost a big smallmouth and spottted bass ,  hopping a 3/4 ounce jig in 27 foot of water on a main lake point . Had them all the way to the boat . Both these fish appeared to be in the  four to five lb range and just came un-buttoned . The last day the jig bite stopped and I tried my hand with a drop shot , a tactic that I'm not  very familiar  with .  I caught 1 fish and lost six . Must have been bad technique . A couple of those fish felt good and was stripping out line at the get go . I'm back home with my tail between my legs ready to catch some  shallow fall bass .

Table Rock can beat anyone on any day. I had a trip there a few years ago I worked hard for 8 hours to catch 4 fish, 1 was 20", the other 3  wouldn't have totaled 20" if they'd been laid nose to tail. It's still one of my favorite lakes to fish though and the scenery is fantastic. 

[senile1]

I have been away for a while and missed this.  Table Rock is a lake that can humble you because the fish can be anywhere from 0 to 40, 50, 60 or even 70 feet deep depending on where you are on the lake when a thermocline is in place.  That's a lot of water to cover with your electronics on such a large lake.  I had a few days when I first started going down there where I struggled immensely. 

 

Now, I always check the Focused Fishing report a couple of weeks before I arrive there and use it as a guide though it isn't always accurate when I get there.  However, it does give me an idea where the fish were before I came and I can move in or out and usually find them.  That doesn't mean I always slay them, but we usually do catch enough to call it a satisfactory trip.  See link below.  If you plan on going down again in the future, I highly recommend this report.  He covers pretty much every section of the lake.  

 

https://www.focusedfishing.com/2018/10/branson-fishing-guide-table-rock-lake-video-fishing-report-47

 

Another resource I use are the maps at the link below that are provided by guide, Bill Babler.   You can click on them and expand them.  The spots that are marked don't always work out but if I am struggling I can take information from the report above about where the fish are being caught and cross reference with Bill Babler's maps, or my own, to find a spot that matches.  This has bailed me out a few times, especially with finding groups of Kentuckies and Smallies.  I have my own spots that I have found but the information above is a good starting place if you don't know the lake.

 

http://www.ozarkanglers.com/table-rock/maps/

 

I hope this is useful for future trips.

[scaleface]

15 hours ago, senile1 said:

I have been away for a while and missed this.  Table Rock is a lake that can humble you because the fish can be anywhere from 0 to 40, 50, 60 or even 70 feet deep depending on where you are on the lake when a thermocline is in place.  That's a lot of water to cover with your electronics on such a large lake.  I had a few days when I first started going down there where I struggled immensely. 

 

Now, I always check the Focused Fishing report a couple of weeks before I arrive there and use it as a guide though it isn't always accurate when I get there.  However, it does give me an idea where the fish were before I came and I can move in or out and usually find them.  That doesn't mean I always slay them, but we usually do catch enough to call it a satisfactory trip.  See link below.  If you plan on going down again in the future, I highly recommend this report.  He covers pretty much every section of the lake.  

 

https://www.focusedfishing.com/2018/10/branson-fishing-guide-table-rock-lake-video-fishing-report-47

 

Another resource I use are the maps at the link below that are provided by guide, Bill Babler.   You can click on them and expand them.  The spots that are marked don't always work out but if I am struggling I can take information from the report above about where the fish are being caught and cross reference with Bill Babler's maps, or my own, to find a spot that matches.  This has bailed me out a few times, especially with finding groups of Kentuckies and Smallies.  I have my own spots that I have found but the information above is a good starting place if you don't know the lake.

 

http://www.ozarkanglers.com/table-rock/maps/

 

I hope this is useful for future trips.

Thanks for the tip . We will probably head back down sometime . My wife likes going to Branson . There are other lakes in Missouri that I havent fished yet and  . Stockton , Pomme de Terre and Norfolk . Pomme de Terre  sounds interesting because of the chance to catch a Musky .  Thanks for the info .

 

I just looked at the Ozark angler maps and the places that I did hook up or catch fish were marked .   I was fishing  good spots  , just didnt execute well , especially with the spinning

rod.