Table Rock Lake is an impoundment on the White River stretching through Soughwest Missouri and Northwest Arakansas. It is a large lake of over 40,000 acres and nearly 1,000 miles of total shoreline. Table Rock Lake supports several specied of game fish including; Largemouth Bass, Smallmouth Bass, Kentucky Spotted Bass, Crappie, White Bass, Walleye, Bluegill and several species of Catfish. Table Rock Lake offers year around fishing for all of these species however we'll take a closer look at the seasonal patters that work well for the bass species in this article.
Winter-
The colder season can produce fish both deep and shallow. Slow rolling spinnerbaits and slower wiggle crankbaits work the best for the shallow fish holding near timber. These shallow fish will often bite better in the heat of the afternoon and will almost always be holding close to a deep drop off. The deep fish can be found and caught as deep as 70 ft. and the classic jigging spoon is the most productive bait for these deep bass. Grubs are also a great bait for these deep fish and good electronics are a must to help locate and stay on these fish. As the season gets later, you will find these cold water fish moving more to pre-spawn main lake points and coming up shallow more often to feed up before they spawn.
Spring-
Springtime means shallow fishing. A variety of baits will catch fish during this time. You can catch them on crankbaits, spinnerbaits, grubs, split shot rigged centipedes, lizards, plastic worms and topwater baits. This is the best and easiest time to catch fish on Table Rock Lake. This is also the time to catch the biggest fish the lake has to offer. Look for the fish to be from half way to all the way back in the creeks and coves as this is where they will spawn. After the spawn look for the fish to be making their way back out to the main lake.
Summer-
Early summer finds the fish out on the main lake. You will find them feeding heavily on the points and flats. Again crankbaits, spinnerbaits, top water baits, platic worms, shaky heads and Carolina rigs will catch most of the fish. As summer progresses the fish will move out deeper off the points and flats and deep trees will start to come into play. The fish like to suspend out in the deep trees and they move to the top of the trees to wait for baitfish to swim by. This time of year the drop shot, and live night crawlers are the best ways to catch the fish. Again good electronics are a must for deep summertime fishing.
Fall-
As the water cools off a bit and gets back into the low 70's and down to the 60's, the fish move back onto the points and can be found in 20 - 30 ft. of water and up shallow during the early morning hours and just before dark. The fish are still schooled pretty tightly so the use of jigging spoons and drop shots are still mainstays of fishing this time of year. You will also catch a lot of fish dragging football jigs and working spinnerbaits around standing timber so don't forget to try these methods if you are having trouble locating the fish on the points.
As mentioned in the seasonal paragraphs above, the fishing on Table Rock Lake is varied in its depth and patterns for catching consistent bass and offers a lot of challenges for the infrequent visitor. Good electronics are important almost any time of year and a good contour map helps a lot as well. Table Rock Lake offers some of the best fishing in the country if you can master just a few basic patterns and have the patience to put them to work.
Winter-
The colder season can produce fish both deep and shallow. Slow rolling spinnerbaits and slower wiggle crankbaits work the best for the shallow fish holding near timber. These shallow fish will often bite better in the heat of the afternoon and will almost always be holding close to a deep drop off. The deep fish can be found and caught as deep as 70 ft. and the classic jigging spoon is the most productive bait for these deep bass. Grubs are also a great bait for these deep fish and good electronics are a must to help locate and stay on these fish. As the season gets later, you will find these cold water fish moving more to pre-spawn main lake points and coming up shallow more often to feed up before they spawn.
Spring-
Springtime means shallow fishing. A variety of baits will catch fish during this time. You can catch them on crankbaits, spinnerbaits, grubs, split shot rigged centipedes, lizards, plastic worms and topwater baits. This is the best and easiest time to catch fish on Table Rock Lake. This is also the time to catch the biggest fish the lake has to offer. Look for the fish to be from half way to all the way back in the creeks and coves as this is where they will spawn. After the spawn look for the fish to be making their way back out to the main lake.
Summer-
Early summer finds the fish out on the main lake. You will find them feeding heavily on the points and flats. Again crankbaits, spinnerbaits, top water baits, platic worms, shaky heads and Carolina rigs will catch most of the fish. As summer progresses the fish will move out deeper off the points and flats and deep trees will start to come into play. The fish like to suspend out in the deep trees and they move to the top of the trees to wait for baitfish to swim by. This time of year the drop shot, and live night crawlers are the best ways to catch the fish. Again good electronics are a must for deep summertime fishing.
Fall-
As the water cools off a bit and gets back into the low 70's and down to the 60's, the fish move back onto the points and can be found in 20 - 30 ft. of water and up shallow during the early morning hours and just before dark. The fish are still schooled pretty tightly so the use of jigging spoons and drop shots are still mainstays of fishing this time of year. You will also catch a lot of fish dragging football jigs and working spinnerbaits around standing timber so don't forget to try these methods if you are having trouble locating the fish on the points.
As mentioned in the seasonal paragraphs above, the fishing on Table Rock Lake is varied in its depth and patterns for catching consistent bass and offers a lot of challenges for the infrequent visitor. Good electronics are important almost any time of year and a good contour map helps a lot as well. Table Rock Lake offers some of the best fishing in the country if you can master just a few basic patterns and have the patience to put them to work.
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Want to find out more about Table Rock Lake Fishing, then visit Jamie Kowalsky's site with the latest Table Rock Lake Fishing Report .
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