KIMBERLING, Mo. — With more than 800 miles of shoreline and healthy populations of all three bass species, few fisheries can compare to Table Rock Lake in terms of the number of options available for anglers. From flipping shallow cover to skipping boat docks to dragging around main-lake points to using forward-facing sonar, the Missouri-Arkansas border lake has it all.
While a wave of spawning fish might be the headliner, all of those avenues will still be on the table when the Ozark Division of the Phoenix Bass Fishing League Presented by T-H Marine takes on Table Rock on April 4 for an event presented by Precision Sonar.
What to expect
Normally, the first weekend of April is a little early for fish to be on spawning beds in significant numbers. But Missouri pro Cole Breeden fished a local event on Table Rock last weekend, and he said a warmer-than-usual spring has the big females already transitioning toward spawning areas. Throw in a full moon a few days before the event, and he thinks the spawn will be on across much of the lake.
“I do think it’s going to be a spawn event, mainly just because it’s been so warm, and they’re kind of far ahead of where they usually are,” Breeden said. “The weights were down quite a bit from what they were (the previous) weekend, which would indicate to me that a bunch of the females have moved up and are starting spawning. So, you give it another almost two weeks, and they’re going to be spawning pretty good.”
Even if that’s the case, this event will be far from straightforward. There are multiple ways to target spawning bass on Table Rock and several variables that could change the complexion of the event.
In years past, dragging something like a light Carolina rig or shaky head has been a consistent way to catch bedding bass on the lake. Breeden said that will still play, but he noted that boaters who are proficient with forward-facing sonar could use their allotted three-hour window with the technology to pick off spawners more efficiently by targeting isolated cover.
“A lot of times they’re going to spawn on a rock or a log or a stump or something,” Breeded said. “And so I would be halfway to the backs of creeks and looking at those spawning areas and just throwing to every little piece of cover that I can find.”
The other pattern that could play is targeting boat docks, whether that be for fish spawning around them or prespawn females hovering around the dock floats.
Breeden said there are quality fish of all three species swimming all over Table Rock, but he expects largemouth to represent most if not all of the winning limit. However, the X-factor that could change that is the lake level. Table Rock has been known to rise quickly, and if a spring storm does send the water into the bushes, smallmouth could represent the winning species.
“If it comes up enough, those largemouth just get so spread out,” Breeden explained. “You might have guys that go flip all day, and they’ll be lucky to catch a limit; or they may have the winning fish on, but you lose them a lot fishing that kind of stuff. Smallmouth play pretty heavily when the water comes up, because they will stay out kind of on the old bank line. So, I would take catching 20 smallmouth in a day over five largemouth if the water’s high.”
Baits to bring
Bait selection will depend on an angler’s preferred fishing method. But straight-tail worms are a safe bet, whether they’re dragged on Carolina rigs or shaky heads or rigged wacky-style for fishing around docks. Breeden also believes there will still be fish caught on moving baits like crankbaits, and he thinks big swimbaits and glide baits could be good tools to try and catch a kicker.
What will it take?
Once again, water level will be the key to answering this question. If conditions remain normal, Breeden expects the winning boater to weigh around 19 pounds. But if the lake floods, it’ll probably be in the 16- to 17-pound range.