Table Rock Lake Fishing Report by Dan Boyer

Table Rock Lake Fishing Report–September 15, 2009\

Lake level is 915.7 and the average water temp is in the mid 70’s. You can tell that the season is beginning to change and so can the fish. The lake is full of newly hatched thread fin shad that are about an inch  to two inches long.and the fish are having a smorgasbord. I think the only thing I’ve found that can out number the size of our national debt is the amount of shad running up and down the James River right now.  Now that’s a scary thought.

I would rate fishing right now better than average for this time of year and white bass would be my primary target.  Huge schools of white bass are being found up and down the lake.  Many of these better than average size whites are being taken on top water when they are up schooling . When they go down they are usually about 10 to 15 ft deep sometimes suspended over 150 ft of water. The best bait I found is a quarter ounce ” Hazie Dazie” jigging spoon chartreuse or white jigged slowly up and down . Today  2 clients and I caught over forty white bass using top water chuggers and jigging spoons.

Bass fishing is pretty good also . Top water are working early,  swimming grubs on long flat gravel points are catching a lot of Kentucky and small mouth in the clear water. Up the river arms, shakey heads and small shallow running crank baits are taking numbers of bass. Tom Bird alias T- Bird came all the way from Nevada to experience some of Table Rocks premiere bass fishing as shown in the photo.

If you think fishing is good now wait until things cool down in the next couple weeks. I can hardly wait.

Remember baseball , hot dogs, apple pie and bass fishing.  Now that’s American!

Dan Boyer’s Professional Guide Service

417-207-6278

bassman.dan1@yahoo.com