Lake Level 906.5
Normal Pool 915.0
Water Temp 47-50 degrees

It’s been a wonderfrul week fishing both bass fishing Table Rock Lake and fishing for trout on Lake Taneycomo. With the great weather I’ve done a few guide trips on both lakes this week with great success. The Table Rock bass are up shallow (the ones I’ve been catching) this winter. Mainly been fishing flatter gravel banks mixed with some bigger rock for smallmouth. My best bait has been the Spro McStick jerkbait and Rogue. No need to pause the bait between twitches too long, 3-5 seconds is long enough. Dark cloudy days baits with a white or chartreuse belly seem to work the best and sunny days baits with a clear belly or lots of silver flash are getting the bites. Also I’ve been catching quite a few later in the afternoon’s slowly retreiving a wiggle wart or rock crawler on the same type of banks or back in the creeks with a little bit of bigger rock. The wind has been howling all week making it hard to slow the boat down to fish anything on bottom. The few banks I’ve fished without wind I’ve caught a few nice ones a a 3/8 finesse football jig as well as a ned rig so keep that bait handy if you come across a day without strong wind, but the windier the better fishing the jerkbait!

Down below on Lake taneycomo the trout fishing is fantastic this winter! Each day has been different because of little or no water generation. Been doing a little trout fishing around downtown Branson with the water on. Use a a pink trout worm or  trout magnet below a float on a 1/100th ounce head with a 6′-8′ leader or orange power egg on a small jig head. More and nicer trout have been comin from Fall Creek down to Short Creek on the same trout worm/magnet set up and 1/8 ounce sculpin jig hopping a bit off the bottom.

I have a couple guide trips booked this week bass fishing on Table Rock hope they treat us well! Good luck to you if you make it out on the water!