Scouting Report/Watch List
Table Rock's Keepers
Are Deep And Scattered
Thursday, September 14, 2006 by: Bassfan.com
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Photo: Bassmaster.com Brian Snowden is this week's hometown favorite – he's guided on Table Rock for years.
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The Rock.
There was a movie by that name a few years back, set at the notorious-prison-turned-tourist-attraction on Alcatraz Island in San Francisco Bay. Fishing at Missouri's Table Rock Lake in mid-September isn't comparable to being locked up in a hell-hole penetentiary, but most bass-chasers can think of places they'd rather be.
The Bassmaster Elite Series concludes its 11-event season here this week, with the Angler of the Year (AOY), Bassmaster Classic berths and invitations for the 2007 circuit at stake. Those who fare well will have earned it.
The lake is home to an abundance of bass that come in three varieties (largemouth, smallmouth and spotted), but none is particularly easy to catch right now. And with a 15-inch minimum-size requirement, zeroes could be as common as limits.
"The last time we were here (in March 2005), it was the best time of year to be here," said Brent Chapman, who's in the pivotal 37th spot in the Angler of the Year standings (the Top 37 gain Classic berths). "Now we're going to see the toughest time.
"These fish are deep and scattered. All I know is they're deeper than I like to fish for them and deeper than I can hit with a crankbait."
Before getting into more information about the bite, here's more about the lake itself.
BassFan Lake Profile
> Lake name: Table Rock
> Type of water: Highland reservoir
> Surface acres: 43,100 at full pool
> Primary structure/cover: Chunk rock, bluff banks, standing timber, boat docks
> Primary forage: Crawfish and threadfin shad
> Average depth: Roughly 70 feet
> Species: Largemouths, spots, smallmouths
> Minimum length: 15 inches (on all three)
> Reputation: Great lake with big fish of all species but they're greatly affected by weather
> Weather: Mostly sunny with daily high temperatures in the 80s
> Water temp: mid-70s
> Water visibility/color: clear (5 to 10 feet)
> Water level: About 5 feet below full pool
> Fish in: 10 to 50 feet (most toward the deeper extreme)
> Fish phase: Late summer
> Primary patterns: Dropshot rigs, tubes, jigs, Carolina rigs, spoons, worms, crankbaits, topwaters
> Winning weight: 48 pounds
> Cut weight (Top 12 after 3 days): 32-34 pounds
> Check weight (Top 50 after 2 days): 15 pounds
> Fishing quality (1=poor, 5=great): 2 for Table Rock
> Biggest factors: Weather – a few clouds might bring the suspended fish up a bit
> Biggest decision: Which part of the expansive lake to fish – once you decide, you're committed
> Wildcard: A few kickers from the river
A Long Way Down There
No matter what lake you're at or what time of year it is, there are always at least a few bass in shallow water. At Table Rock right now, there are darn few.
"When I say they're deep, I'm talking about 25 to 40 feet," said Chapman, who won the Busch Shootout last fall and finished 3rd in the aforementioned spring '05 event. "Shallow on the main lake is 25 feet right now. Those fish won't move really shallow again until springtime."
He said key to success is more about finding a reliable pattern than discovering one or two spots where fish are congregated.
"If you can start catching them a certain way, then you can usually run to quite a few other places and catch some more, and I think I'm starting to get a little more dialed in to what they're looking for. I don't think I've ever had a tournament where I caught every fish from 25 feet or deeper, but if I do well here, that'll probably be the case.
"Then again, Santee Cooper was the first time I'd caught all my fish off beds. It's all part of being a pro and being versatile."
Some of his winning fish in the Busch Shootout were stained-water largemouths from the White River, but he doesn't see that as a viable option this time. He was one of many anglers who attended the final weigh-in at last week's Heartland Trails Elite Championship and wasn't impressed with what was brought in by the river rats.
"There were very few largemouth weighed in and it seemed like no one caught them good up the river. That tells me that the river bite hasn't turned on yet."
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Photo: Bassmaster.com Jeff Reynolds will fish places that have produced for him before – he'll just have to fish a lot deeper.
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Let History Be the Guide
Jeff Reynolds had a tough practice – he caught just one keeper during the first 2 practice days. But his record here is strong, and he'll rely on some of the areas that carried him to a 4th-place finish here 18 months ago.
He'll just have to fish – you guessed it – a lot deeper.
"I fished pea-gravel points last time and I'll probably do that again, but this time I'll be out in 30 to 50 feet of water," he said. "I'm catching quite a few fish, there's just a lot of little ones. It takes a long time to cover enough water to catch one keeper.
"I feel like I know the areas that have fish in them – the problem is keeper bites. Getting your bait in front of one of them is the hardest part."
In addition to the pea gravel, he also plans to fish some flooded timber. A lot of the wood-oriented fish are even deeper.
"I've seen some on the graph at 60 feet, and you can catch some of them. On this lake they run with the shad, and sometimes it's just a matter of being in the right spot when the shad come through."
Kickers will be Critical
Anglers who can manage a limit each day will be in great shape, and those who can boost their bags with a fish or two over 3 1/2 pounds should find themselves near the top of the leaderboard. Even those who don't catch a limit can keep themselves in the hunt with a couple of big bites.
Pete Ponds was the most adept at locating hawgs in the '05 tournament – he took big-bass honors on 3 of the 4 days en route to a 6th-place finish.
Can he find some more big ones this time?
"I hope so," he said. "This thing might come down to the ability to catch some bigger fish. One big one a day can set you apart from everybody else, provided you have four other keepers."
He plans to target smallmouths – he thinks the big largemouths are too scattered and the smallmouths too unpredictable at this time of year.
"I caught a 16-inch spot (on Tuesday) that probably weighed over 3 pounds. If you can get a limit of those, that's 14 or 15 pounds. I'm sure there'll be a couple caught in the 5- to 6-pound class, and if you can put a limit with one of those, you're looking really good.
"I feel okay about my chances. We'll just have to wait and see what happens."
Snowden has Some Secrets
This week's local favorite is Brian Snowden, who supplements his income by guiding on the lake. As Scott Rook did at the recent Major on the Arkansas, he purposely stayed away from some of his key areas in practice.
"I wanted to save them for the tournament, but I just hope that doesn't come back to bite me," he said. "I kept a low profile, but I did check a few areas real quick and I got some keeper bites.
"I know what I want to do, but there are some things I didn't want to show people. I just hope those fish are where they're normally at this time of year."
The forecast is for mostly clear and mild weather, and that suits him just fine. He thinks it'll make the overall bite even tougher, and his vast experience will be even more of a factor.
"I'm hoping for 5 mph winds and for it to be as sunny as it can be. I don't want clouds, because that'll make the fish move around and probably bite a little better.
"I want it to be as tough as it can get."
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Photo: ESPN Outdoors Pete Ponds has caught hawgs at Table Rock before (although this one came from Amistad). A few big bites this week could keep him in the hunt.
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Top 10 to Watch
Here, in no particular order, are BassFan's recommendations for the Top 10 to watch in this event.
1. Aaron Martens – The tough conditions suit him perfectly, and he's got a remote chance at his second straight AOY. That little bit of extra motivation might be enough to push him to the top.
2. Kevin VanDam – Perhaps this section should be renamed "Top 10 to Watch Other Than KVD." He's finished among the top 10 in eight of the 13 events he's fished this year, and was 11th in another. Not picking him would be a bad percentage move.
3. Brian Snowden – He knows to many fish hideouts on this lake to not be a factor in an off-peak event. If anybody's a good bet to catch a limit of keepers each day, it's him.
4. Greg Gutierrez – He probably needs a Top 20 here to make his third straight Classic, and the Californian has loads of experience on this type of impoundment, if not on the lake itself.
5. Brent Chapman – He's determined to get back to the Classic after sitting out the last two, and he must avoid losing any ground in the points race. That's plenty of incentive to post another strong finish here.
6. Mike Iaconelli – He excels at catching fish with light line on spinning gear, and he'll have ample opportunity to ply that technique here. If he finishes among the Top 16, as he's done nine times this season, he'll likely lock up his first AOY.
7. Steve Kennedy – He's not likely to let Ike skate to the AOY. He's been strong under any condition, but especially so on deep bites. Don't look for anything worse than a Top 25.
8. Pete Ponds – A real darkhorse, considering he's had three straight finishes of 86th or worse. But maybe he has this lake's number -– three out of four big-bass checks can't be a fluke, can they?
9. Denny Brauer – He's had a strong year, he's fishing in his home state and he'd like to make up for last year's 135th-place showing hear. He's a lot better shallow than deep, but you don't forge a career like his without some versatility.
10. Dean Rojas – He's 3rd in the AOY race with nothing to protect, so he can throw everything to the wind and gun for big bites. And in that department, he's about as good as they come.
Notable
> BassFan Big Stick John Murray, 21st in the AOY race, is looking to catch one keeper to secure a berth in the Bassmaster Classic. Meanwhile, fellow Big Stick Jarrett Edwards hopes to conclude a disappointing season on a positive note. To read their practice reports, click here.
> Snowden said there are some shallow largemouths around, but not likely enough to carry an anger for 4 days. "I just don't think they'll hold out. I caught some (Tuesday), but with the clouds, we had pretty good conditions for it."
> Greg Hackney won last year's event here to claim his first tour-level triumph. Others in the field who've won here are Lee Bailey (1997 Missouri Invitational) and Gary Klein, who won that tournament the previous year.
Launch/Weigh-In Info
Anglers will launch at 6:45 a.m. CT each day from What's Up Doc Marina (49 Lake Road, Kimberling City, Mo.) Weigh-ins will take place at 3 p.m. in the same location.
Weather Forecast
Here's the Weather Channel's forecast for the tournament days.
> Thur, Sept. 14 –Sunny – 83°/55°
- Wind: From the S/SE at 5 mph
> Fri, Sept. 15 – Sunny – 83°/60°
- Wind: From the S/SE at 10 mph
> Sat, Sept. 16 – Partly Cloudy – 88°/66°
- Wind: From the SSE at 13 mph
> Sun, Sept. 17 – Isolated T-Storms – 77°/55°
- Wind: From the S at 11 mph
