Summer Fishing on Table Rock Lake

Fishing for bass on Table Rock Lake from early to late summer can be very frustrating for many anglers.  This impoundment has very clear water and the bass seldom relate to the shallow water cover and structure this lake has.  Even during the spawn bass often bed in water as deep as ten feet due the extremely clear water.  It is difficult for many anglers to locate bass in Table Rock Lake because most of the bass relate to cover and structure that is away from the banks.

After fishing with a Table Rock Lake angler I have learned some tips to share on catching suspended Spotted (Kentucky) Bass when many anglers fail to get a bite most days.  Neil Huskey has been fishing Table Rock Lake for the past 30 years and has competed in many tournaments on the lake.  He has agreed to share his knowledge on how to better the chances of productive fishing days on Table Rock.

I have had the pleasure of being employed by the same company with Neil for several years and worked right beside him for much of the time before he retired a few years ago.  Also, I had the opportunity to fish from his boat on this lake and learned enough to not have to suffer through fishless days as I did before Neil shared his techniques with me of fishing Table Rock.  He can, more often than not, catch many keeper sized spotted bass by using the techniques he has shared for this article. 

Neil reports he targets the suspended fish after the spawn when they have moved to deeper water to recover form the rigors of the spring ritual.  The first place to look for the bass is in 15 – 20 feet around submerged trees.  It is best to have a very sensitive graph to find this cover and possibly the fish around the cover.  The sensitivity must be turned up high to see the detail and fish around the cover.  At times the fish still will not appear on the graph display but they can still be caught by using a four inch worm or grub fished vertically around the trees.  Neil says most of the time an angler will not feel the bite and recommends line watching for this technique because the only indication of a bite will be that the line stops before the lure has had time to reach the bottom.

As the summer progresses Neil suggests anglers should move out to the main lake points where submerged trees can be found at 80 – 100 feet deep with the top of the trees 20 – 40 feet below the water surface.  These fish will also be hard to see with electronics because they blend in with the trees they are relating to.  The most productive way to catch these bass is to make a vertical presentation with a four-inch worm just a couple feet above the top of the trees.  With the sensitivity turned up the four-inch worm is visible on the graph as it falls.

Sharing the boat with Neil I have watched him just hold this worm and jig head combination still with only the movement of the boat causing any movement of the lure.  When the fish are aggressive Neil says they will move towards the bait so fast it will created a line or streak on the graph display just before the bite occurs.  However, many times the fish are not aggressive and will slowly move towards the bait and stay near it several minutes before finally biting.  Usually when they are not very aggressive the bite is very light.

The tackle of choice for Neil is a seven-foot medium-action spinning rod with a large spool reel.  He uses 6 – 8 pound test line and this rod and reel combination allow for a solid and quick hook set.  He recommends the drag be set extremely tight so it doesn’t slip when setting the hook with 30 – 60 feet of line below the boat. 

When fishing this way in deep water it is much better to back reel instead of relying on a drag system.  Neil says “as soon as I hook a fish I bring it up about six feet and shift my anti-reverse to off in the process.  When a fish makes a strong run I can back reel to keep from having the fish break off on the light line.  When done properly a big fish can’t break you off in open water.”

During the middle of the summer when the water temperature on the surface is in the upper 80’s to low 90’s it is best to locate the shad that have began moving to the flats, bluff ends or channel swings.  To locate productive water during these conditions Neil slowly runs his boat over these areas with the graph on looking for big schools of shad.  The suspended bass will be either just under these shad or right among the school of shad feeding.  There are two productive techniques for catching these fish.  One is the vertical presentation with a four-inch worm or grub on a jig head and the other is using a heavy spoon.  With the spoon it is best to move back from the shad and cast past them.  The angler should count down the depth and use a lift and fall retrieve all the way through the area while keeping the lure at the depth the bass are holding.  It is wise to use a medium heavy casting outfit with 14 – 20 pound test line when casting a spoon.

These techniques can be duplicated on most any deep – clear impoundment when the fish suspend.  When beating the banks doesn’t work every angler should give this a try. 

Special note:  Neil is interested in purchasing spoons called the Dixie Jet (with the fish stamped into the metal) in the 5/8 ounce size.  If you have any that you are willing to sell please contact us at MidwestFishing@aol.com and let us know how Neil can get in contact with you.

Copyright Marc Rogers 2008; all rights reserved.

Drop Shot Basics for Ozark Lakes

 The drop shot presentation for bass fishing has really become popular during the last couple years.  When drop shot fishing for bass began to gain popularity there was a lot of fishing articles being written on the subject.  Now that this technique has been used for a couple of seasons there are even more variations of it being discussed.

Table Rock Lake fishing guide Don House has agreed to share his thoughts on the subject.  Don uses the drop shot presentation while guiding clients on Table Rock Lake.  He reports it can be a productive technique for catching summer time bass on the deep-clear waters of Ozark lakes.

Tackle used for drop shot fishing is generally a medium to medium-light spinning rod matched with an appropriate size reel.  Don recommends a high quality graphite rod in a 6 ½ foot medium-light action.  He says, “You need a light, fast-action tip along with a strong lower section just above the handle.”  The light action tip will help to feel those light bites that are common with this style of fishing.  Don also prefers a high-speed spinning reel to match with the rod.  A gear ratio of 6:1 or higher is ideal to pick up line quickly when presenting a lure deep in the water.  Don likes fluorocarbon line in six and eight-pound test paired with the spinning reel due to the increased sensitivity on this line.

The three most important parts of the drop shot rig are a barrel swivel, a #2 premium drop shot hook and a four-foot length leader of fluorocarbon line.  The barrel swivel is attached between the main line and the leader.  In the middle of the leader Don attaches a #2 drop shot hook.  The polymer knot is the best knot to use for this application because it leaves a tag end to attach a sinker (1/4 – 3/8 ounce is ideal).  Don tells me after tying the hook he runs the tag end back through the eye to make it stand out away from the leader and helps to keep the point in the up position.

High quality electronics are a must for this type of fishing.  Electronics with a high-resolution screen with at least a 480 x 480 pixel count will allow the angler to watch their bait drop down the water column from five to 100 feet deep.  The new color units allow anglers to tell where the fish are located by the color bars but color units are not necessary to be effective.

On Table Rock Lake and similar deep-clear impoundments the fish tend to suspend over deep water.  They will suspend over many types of structure and cover including long gravel points, brush piles and deeply submerged standing timber.  When schools of shad are present in these areas conditions are even better for holding fish near this cover and structure.  The bass will stay just under the school or right in the middle of the shad while feeding.

The bass will suspend from 25 – 60 feet deep.  The best way to find a starting point is locate the depth of the thermo cline using electronics.  The thermo cline will show on the graph display and take up the whole screen but be just about 5 – 10 feet thick (depth).  The thermo cline is where the warmer water with higher oxygen content meets the cooler water that is lower in oxygen.

Once the thermo cline is located the angler should search for cover and/or structure near the depth the thermo cline is located.  Don says “I have found the bigger fish to be located just under the thermo cline and the smaller fish will be right above it”. 

Once the fish are located Don says anglers will experience three types of bites.  The slow pull down type occurs when the fish grab the bait and pull the bait straight down.  An angler may also experience a “tap-tap” bite.  This bite is from fish that take the bait very slowly to eat it.  This type of bite makes catching the fish the hardest because they have to be given time to eat the bait.  The last common type of bite it the collapsing line bite.  This occurs when the fish move up to take the bait and continue to swim up after hitting the lure.  If ever the weight of the lure can’t be felt it is a good indication that a fish has the lure and anglers should immediately pick up the slack line and set the hook.

Don recommends the following types of lures.  Don says the small plastic drop shot worms in 2 – 4 inches are best.  The best colors to use in the clear water are watermelon green, green pumpkin, brown/purple (commonly called Peanut Butter and Jelly).

Don adds a little personal touch to his presentation by tying his own drop shot flies.  He takes drop shot hooks and ties on some feathers and flash ribbons to mimic shad in the water column. 

When conditions really get tough Don suggests live night crawlers.  He hooks them on drop shot hooks just through the head.  This allows the worm to free float in the water to add to the appeal of the live bait look.

As with any type of fishing, this article gives the angler a good starting point.  However, he/she should continue to experiment while drop shot fishing to find the most effective ways to catch fish in any particular impoundment. 

Don House can be reached at www.BransonFishingGuideService.com

Copyright Marc Rogers, 2008