Focused Fishing Web Log

Lake - Table Rock
7/27/10:
Kimberling City Area: The deep bite has become more dominate over the past week, a couple of patterns are emerging as top choices; drop shotting tree tops and gravel roll offs has been productive as has spooning deep docks. Chompers or ROBO drop shot worms worked around tree tops from twenty five to fifty feet deep have been producing numbers and quality, look for isolated trees on points and on the edges of channels. These same baits are working on roll off edges of gravel points and flats, fish will be holding tight to the bottom in twenty five to thirty five feet deep and will show them selves when bait fish are present. Finally deeper docks are producing better quality fish on three quarter ounce white spoons, use heavy line and a stout rod, make pitches to shade and allow the spoon to fall to the bottom paying close attention as it falls.

James River: Summer patterns continue to dominate up the river; deep crankbaits, Jewel Football jigs and Carolina rigs are still your best bet. Look for gravel roll off points and channel swing banks to be the most productive, make multiple casts and retrieves with a DD 22 or DT 20 crankbait over the roll off looking for cover and fish, when a fish is caught pay close attention to the angle of retrieve and location as fish will be schooled up. Jewel football jigs in brown purple flash or black blue flash or Carolina rigged brush hogs have been productive in these same areas, work the area thoroughly with the bait paying close attention to any rock or wood cover.

White River: The White River remains the most diverse arm of the lake; a solid deep tree bite is available from Baxter to Shell Knob, Jewel Football jigs, Carolina rigged lizards and deep crankbaits have been effective from Shell Knob to Eagle Rock and a shallow crankbait bite and flipping bite has formed up the Kings River. The deep bite and football jig pattern is similar to the mid lake and James River; look for the same structure and cover to be effective. The shallow crankbait bite up the Kings is most productive around laydowns and other shallow cover; work the bait at multiple angles through and around the cover to be effective.

Dam Area: The deep bite is still dominate on the lower end of the lake; much like the mid lake area look for isolated deep tree tops, gravel roll offs with shad present and deep docks are producing fish. Chompers and ROBO drop shot worms have been the best baits, watch for fish to be moving in and around tree tops with your electronics and present the bait directly in front of them. The spoon bite around docks has been very effective on larger fish on the lower end, look for large community and commercial docks and work a three quarter ounce white spoon in shady areas of the dock.

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Lake – Taneycomo
7/27/10

Taneycomo continues to produce, power generation over the past week has been predictable this past week making the bite just as predictable. Olive, ginger and tan jigs have been the most productive lure from Fall creek through Cooper creek. Drifting Gulp or Power Bait eggs in mixed colors will produce from Short creek to Branson. Drifting half of a night crawler injected with air has been effective from Short creek through Branson as well.

Don’t Miss Tournament Fishing Radio on ESPN 1400 AM Springfield
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Lake – Taneycomo
7/18/10

Taneycomo is still producing numbers and quality, jig fishing is still productive with olive, ginger and black being the most productive colors. The jig bite has been best from the trophy area to Cooper creek, with the best bite while one or two units are running. Drift rigs with Gulp and Power Bait eggs or half night crawlers have been producing from Fall Creek to below Branson. Inject a small amount of air in the night crawler to keep it off the bottom and draw more strikes.

Don’t Miss Tournament Fishing Radio on ESPN 1400 AM Springfield
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Lake - Table Rock
7/18/10:
Kimberling City Area: Summer patterns have completely taken over the mid lake over the past week. The most consistent bite has been deep; Chompers and Robo worms on a drop shot rig fished in tree tops ranging from thirty five to fifty feet deep or on gravel flats thirty to forty feet deep. Look for schools of shad to find the active fish. A Jewel football jig will produce smallmouth and largemouth on gravel and rock points, look for rock pile to concentrate most of the fish from twenty five to thirty feet deep.

James River: The heavy rain again this week has kept the James River stained keeping fish a little shallower than the rest of the lake. Deep diving crankbaits continue to produce on roll off points and ledges, Carolina rigged lizards and Jewel Football jigs are effective in these same areas when fish are less active. Ten and twelve inch worms are working in brush piles around dock and on gravel flats from Campers Point to Asher Cain.

White River: Fish can be caught with a wide variety of techniques throughout the White River. From Baxter to Shell Knob the deep bite has been the most productive, with large schools of spotted bass holding in tree tops from thirty to fifty feet deep. Use Chompers or Robo worms on a drop shot or white spoons to catch these fish. Further up river Carolina rigged lizards and Brush Hogs or Jewel Football jigs are working on grave roll off points and in deep brush piles. Up the Kings River a very good shallow crankbait bite has developed in flat pockets and around laydowns.

Dam Area: The dam area is still dominated by the deep bite, drop shot rigs and spoons have been the best options with fish holding on gravel roll off points, flats and tree tops from thirty to fifty feet deep. Chompers plum or brown purple worms, Robo MMIII or Aarons Magic worms on a drop shot have been the best colors. Up Long Creek there is a very good flipping bite with Texas rigged worms and Jewel Eakins jigs in flooded brush or laydowns.

Don’t Miss Tournament Fishing Radio on ESPN 1400 AM Springfield
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Lake – Taneycomo
7/12/10

Taneycomo continues to be a great fishery, the increased water flow has made fish more active and there are still several release fish from the holiday weekend swimming around. Jigs continue to be a mainstay, ginger, olive and black are still the best colors, change the weight of your jig to compensate for water flow. Power bait and Gulp eggs in orange, chartreuse, pink and white are working well on a drift rig as are half night crawlers injected with air. The lake ahs been very crowded lately with the number of vacationers, be courteous and safe when on the water.

Don’t Miss Tournament Fishing Radio on ESPN 1400 AM Springfield
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Lake - Table Rock
7/12/10:
Kimberling City Area: Rains over the weekend have caused the lake to rise slightly and the Corps to run water almost all day creating some good current. Jewel football jigs and Squirrel heads with finesse worms are producing quality and numbers on gravel and mixed gravel / rock points through out the mid lake. Deep fisherman are still catching spotted bass on gravel point roll offs and in deep trees. Drop shot rigs with Chompers or Robo worms have been very productive in plum, MMIII and brown purple laminate.

James River: The rain has brought quite a bit of color to the upper end of the James and it should get a little dirtier as run off makes it way down from Springfield. Eakins jig and J tail combos, Chompers Ultra tubes and eight inch worms have been very productive when fished around laydowns, bushes and docks. Further down stream Jewel football jigs and deep crankbaits have been working on gravel roll off points and flats. Once fish are located work a school over with a combination of both baits .

White River: The White River continues to be one of the best areas of the lake. Drop shot and spoon fish can be caught on gravel point and flat roll offs and in deep trees. Look for schools of shad in and around these areas to clue you into feeding fish locations. Jewel football and pro spider jigs are also working in these areas, work jigs from shallow to deep off the roll off to be effective. Above Shell Knob deep crankbaits have been effective on points and flats around brush and rock piles; DD 22’s and Fat Free Shad crankbaits in shad hues are the most effective.

Dam Area: The deep bite is still your best option on the lower end, look for fish to be twenty five to thirty five feet deep on gravel points or in tree tops. Chompers and Robo worms on a drop shot are the dominate pattern, work the bait close to bottom while watching your electronics for fish moving off the bottom. Fish have been surfacing early and late, these fish can be caught on spooks and sammys while on the surface bt white spoons are more effective when cast and allowed to fall through the schooling fish.

Don’t Miss Tournament Fishing Radio on ESPN 1400 AM Springfield
Mondays 5:30pm and Saturdays 5:00 am or on-line at www.espn1400.com
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Kimberling City Area: Releases from Beaver lake over the past week have raised water levels slightly over the past week, but generation at Table Rock dam has kept water out of allot of the bushes. The current from daily generation has moved fish to main lake and secondary points in major creek arms. Jewel football and Pro Spider jigs are a mainstay for smallmouth right now, look for gravel points with a steep drop on one side to be the most productive with the majority of fish coming from twenty to twenty five feet deep. The deep drop shot bite has turned on for spots; trees that top out at thirty feet deep are the most productive, use Chompers plum or brown / purple worms.

James River: Typical summer patterns dominate the James River for another week; deep crankbaits, Jewel football jigs and Carolina rigs have been the best patterns. Look for gravel roll offs and bluff end transition banks to provide most of the action, throw DD 22’s and Fat Free shad crankbaits from a variety of angles until fish are located and then concentrate on those areas. Another tactic is to fish these same locations with a Jewel football jig in brown purple flash or a Carolina rigged brush hog until fish are located, then switch to a deep crankbait to pick up active fish.

White River: Sill one of the most productive and diverse areas of the lake The White River has been fantastic this past week; the water releases from Beaver have made the upper reaches a hot spot with higher water and active fish. Jewel Eakins jigs, eight inch worms and brush hogs have all been effective lures for fish in shallow brush and bushes. Further down stream the current has positioned fish on points waiting to ambush shad, deep crankbaits and pre rigged swim baits have been productive when fish with current over the top of these points.

Dam Area: The lower end is still being dominated by the deep bite; Chompers and ROBO drop shot worms fish on the deep ends of flat points and in tree tops remain the most productive pattern. Look for fish to be twenty eight to thirty five feet deep in both of these locations. The spoon bite around bigger commercial and community docks has started to pick up as well. Look for large docks close to points, pitch a three quarter ounce white spoon into shady areas and allow it fall on a semi slack line to the bottom, pay close attention as the spoon falls, if it stops set the hook as most of the bites come on the initial fall.

Don’t Miss Tournament Fishing Radio on ESPN 1400 AM Springfield
Mondays 5:30pm and Saturdays 5:00 am or on-line at www.espn1400.com
http://www.guidefishingbranson.com
http://www.focusedfishing.com

Lake – Taneycomo
7/4/10

Predictable current generation has made Taneycomo awesome over the past week; the Corps has been running water around two or three in the afternoon and again around eight on a daily basis. The generation and the release of thousands of stocker trout for the holiday weekend has made trout fishing fun and simple. Jigs are still the top bait through out the lake with micros below and indicator being most effective above Fall Creek and olive or ginger jigs working best from Short to Cooper Creek. Stoker trout will hit just about anything shinny or flashy, little cleos, super dupers and panther martins are all effective. Drift rigs with half a night crawler or Gulp eggs in white, pink or orange will work when everything else shuts off.

Don’t Miss Tournament Fishing Radio on ESPN 1400 AM Springfield
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http://www.guidefishingbranson.com
http://www.focusedfishing.com

Lake – Taneycomo
6/27/10

With predicable current the fishing on Taneycomo has been great over the past week. Jigs continue to be the best artificial bait for spinning rod anglers; olive, tan, ginger and sculpin have been the hot colors with weights changing depending on current. Drift rigs with live night crawlers, power bait or gulp eggs will also produce on flat banks with current and deeper once when the water is slack.

Don’t Miss Tournament Fishing Radio on ESPN 1400 AM Springfield
Mondays 5:30pm and Saturdays 5:00 am or on-line at www.espn1400.com
http://www.guidefishingbranson.com
http://www.focusedfishing.com

Lake - Table Rock
6/27/10:
Kimberling City Area: The shallow bite remains but has slowed in the mid lake area. Early and late in the day smallmouth are moving up on gravel points and flats near deep water. Jewel Spider and football jigs and Carolina rigged brush hogs will catch these fish until the sun get above the tree line. Once the sun is up the move out to twenty five to thirty feet deep and use a Jewel football jig on brush or rock piles. The deep bite is shaping up nicely with good size schools of spotted bass on deep edges of flats from thirty to forty feet deep and holding in deep trees at the same depth. Chompers or Robo worms fished on a drop shot rig in these areas will produce.

James River: It is definitely summer in the James River; Jewel football jigs, deep crankbaits and Carolina rigged brush hogs and lizards are all producing from Aunts creek to above Cape Fair. Look for fish to be holding shallow on flooded brush early and late, pitch Eakins Jigs and Champers Ultra Tubes in and around the bushes concentrating on shady areas. In the heat of the day move out to thirty feet deep on gravel and mixed gravel points, throw Jewel football jigs and Carolina rigs to any brush or rock cover available. Roll off points through out the James will produce with a DD 22 or DT 16 crankbait in shad hues. Work the point from a variety of angles until you find the sweet spot holding fish.

White River: The White River continues to produce mixed bags of fish; from the confluence with the James to Campbell Point smallmouth are being caught shallow on Jewel Spider Jigs and Squirrel heads on gravel points and roll offs. In the deeper trees in and around Big Creek schools of spotted bass can be found holding in the tree tops waiting to ambush shad as the cruise through. Further up the White and into the Kings a solid flipping bite has shaped up in flooded bushes and debris, use an Eakins jig and craw combo, Ultra Tube or big worm to catch these fish.

Dam Area: The deep bite is still the dominate pattern on the lower end with most of the fish coming on long gravel points in twenty five to thirty feet of water. Most of the fish will be holding tight to the bottom and electronics must be used to find them. Once a fish is located a drop shot rig with a Chomper or Robo drop shot worm has been the most productive pattern. Further up Long Creek there is a very good flipping bite on Jewel J-Lock jigs in the heavy cover of log jams and debris, a deep crankbait and Carolina rig bite has started to shape up on roll off points and edges, work areas over thoroughly to find the rock or brush cover that will be holding fish.

Don’t Miss Tournament Fishing Radio on ESPN 1400 AM Springfield
Mondays 5:30pm and Saturdays 5:00 am or on-line at www.espn1400.com
http://www.guidefishingbranson.com
http://www.focusedfishing.com