Table Rock Lake is a place I’ve been to three or four times in the past, with some decent history. The thing I love most about the lake is its clear water. Growing up on the West Coast and fishing lakes like Lake Oroville and Shasta Lake, we fished a lot of clear water.

Clear water really makes me feel comfortable and I definitely fish it when I can find it. It just gives me a certain level of comfort because I know there’s always going to be a lot of fish in clearer water.

I know there’s been a ton of rain at Table Rock Lake over the past couple of weeks. Obviously, the water level is going to be high and up in the bushes. I don’t know if that’s going to affect the water clarity, but the good thing about Ozark lakes like this one is that they tend to flush out pretty quickly.

In a clear-water lake, I typically start down near wherever the dam is located and I go from there. That’s going to be no different for me in Stage Six.

There’s smallmouth, spotted and largemouth bass in this lake and that’s what makes it so cool. You can catch all three of those species on one point, and good sizes of all three as well. I’m looking forward to catching some more spotted bass in this lake, and they’ll probably be more of the Kentucky variety than the Alabama.

Long Casts are a Must

When the water is really clear, fish can see your boat and fish can feel your boat. The fish are so used to their environment, so when there’s any sort of change to it, they’re going to be able to tell. In situations like this one, I’m about to see, I like to use a little more stealth and make a really long cast. I prefer using my Daiwa Tatula 100, Tatula SV reels when I’m doing that. The T-wing system in those reels is crucial for making a further cast and making it less likely to spook the fish.

My Go-To Baits

In terms of baits I’m looking to use, I’m thinking a lot of topwater, jerkbaits, and swimbaits. I’ll probably do a lot of drop-shotting with my 7-foot Daiwa Tatula Elite finesse rod with a Daiwa Tatula LT spinning reel with 6-pound fluorocarbon as well. I think that’s going to help me get a really good bite.

Table Rock is going to offer a variety of different things, all of which I can use to my benefit. The combination of clearer water, the number of fish and the variety of fish makes me feel very excited to get Stage Six started.