Table Rock Status: Hot And Cold

The FLW Tour this week is visiting Table Rock Lake near Branson, Mo. for the first time, as it kicks off the second of its six-event 2009 season. It feels like spring outside now, but less than 2 weeks ago there was 4 or 5 inches of snow on the ground.

The water cooled to the low-40's with the snowmelt and nights in the teens, but has been warming since. That should help bring fish up a bit more into the shallows and get the largemouths more active. Big smallmouths and some nice spotted bass are expected to show up in significant numbers at the weigh-in also.

The minimum length limit for all three species is 15 inches. Reaction baits like jerkbaits are expected to be a mainstay for the early-season pre-spawners.

Practice reports are mixed, with many pros struggling to find consistency. One day may be good and the next terrible. Then there's the major cold front that is expected to hit just as the tournament starts.

But 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 on the White River
> 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, spotted bass, 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 cloudy with daily high temperatures ranging from the 40s to 60s
> Water temp: mid-40s to low 50s
> Water visibility/color: clear (5 to 10 feet)
> Water level: About full pool
> Fish in: 10 to 50 feet (most toward the deeper extreme)
> Fish phase: Pre-spawn
> Primary patterns: Jerkbaits, crankbaits, dropshots, tubes, jigs, Carolina-rigs, spoons, worms
> Winning weight: 38-40 pounds
> Cut weight (Top 10 after 2 days): 30 pounds
> Check weight (Top 50 after 2 days): 24 pounds
> Fishing quality (1=poor, 5=great): 3 for Table Rock
> Biggest factors: Weather – cold front may turn the bite on or make it more consistent
> Biggest decision: Which part of the expansive lake to fish – once you decide, you're committed
> Wildcard: A few kickers from the river

Hibdon: Full of 3- and 4-Pounders

Missouri pro Dion Hibdon has fished Table Rock on and off all his life. "I grew up fishing here in the Central Missouri Pro-Am circuit, and I've won a few tournaments here," he said. "It's going to be a good tournament. We've had a few tricky days with the weather lately. We (his father Guido and himself) had one real good day, but Sunday was an off kind of day, and (Monday) was good.

"The water's warming a little, but it's fluctuating about 6 or 8 inches each day. I don't think that makes any difference to these fish though. They're doing what they're doing anyway. The water up the river is 43 to 50 degrees and the bite should be fairly consistent. These deep, clear Ozark-style lakes take a while to warm up – except in the extreme shallows.

"How I catch big ones here is pretty tough right now," he added. "But if I get a good limit I may go do that for a while. This lake is full of 3- and 4-pounders, and the neat thing is that I've already heard of a couple of 10s and one 11-pounder caught this year. I'd like to see this be a real good tournament so we'll come back here."

He feels that jerkbaits, crankbaits, jigs, and grubs will be the main lures for successful anglers. He's also expecting a rather strong 30 pounds over the first 2 days to be what's needed to make the Top-10 cut, and 24 pounds to cash a check at 50th place.

The weather's predicted to do an about-face come Thursday, from the warmer weather in practice. "They're saying it will be 20 degrees when we take off Thursday morning and won't get much above 40 all day," Hibdon said. "I just hope the wind doesn't blow too much. That'd be hard on the fishermen. The weather doesn't affect the bass a lot here this time of year. They're cold-weather bass, and sometimes bad weather turns them on. They should bite real good as the front comes in."

King Covering Water

One local favorite is certainly Stacey King, a longtime guide on Table Rock before he went pro 20 years ago. But even he isn't setting the world on fire. "It's not been an easy practice, that's for sure," he said. "I've caught some, maybe five to seven decent keepers a day, but it's not like gangbusters by any means.

"I've been covering water and not pursuing my better areas much. The fish in the main lake are just starting to move in good, and those are the ones I'm looking for. The fish up the river arms have been up for a while, and they're getting beat to death. Everybody knows where the fish have been being caught, and I'm staying away from those places.

"I think the cold front and fishing pressure will shut those fish down some," he added. "They're getting hit pretty hard."

Along with the "decent keepers," he's caught a few good ones too. How good? "Oh, I caught a couple 4s and two 5-pounders, but nothing to set the world on fire."

He thinks since there are "tons of keepers in the 2 1/4- to 3 1/4-pound range," the Top-50 check weight will be up around 23 to 24 pounds, while the Top 10-cut might be 32 to 34 pounds. "It all depends on getting those kicker fish," he said.

As to the winning weight, he hesitated to say. "I think the weights will drop over the weekend. We have the front moving in, and another major event (the Heartland Series) with 60 to 80 boats fishing both weekend days, and all the pressure on the fish. So I really don't know what to predict to win."

Wendlandt Struggling

No one's more surprised than two-time FLW Tour Angler of the Year Clark Wendlandt to be struggling in practice here. "I've never been here before, but this place is a lot like Beaver Lake where I usually do well," he noted. "But man, I'm struggling. I know there are a ton of fish here so it's really frustrating to not be catching more than I am.

"I think maybe it got warm so fast that the shad came up and got shallow, and the bass have plenty to eat. They're not chasing lures much. I've caught some largemouths and some spots, but no smallmouths. And none are the quality I need.

"I'll just have to grind it out in the few places I got bites," he added.

Even with a poor practice, he predicted about the same cut weight (30 pounds) and check weight (24 pounds) as Hibdon did.

Ehrler Mystified

California's Brent Ehrler, a former FLW Championship (now Forrest Wood Cup) winner, is frustrated too. "It's been a tough practice for me," he said. "I'm not catching much of anything. What I have caught are mostly small ones. I really thought from what I'd heard I'd be catching a lot more.

"The weather will be really ugly come tournament time and I've heard they bite better here, though I've never seen a cold front help things. I haven't fished here before, so we'll see."

He's found water temperatures from 46 to 52 degrees, "which is a decent water temperature," he noted. "It's clear water mostly. There are some places with off-color water but it didn't seem to make much difference in the number or size of the bites I get.

"I think a jerkbait, crankbait, some spinnerbaits and some deep jigs like a football-head jig will catch a lot of fish. You can do a lot of things here that should work. I think it's just an area thing, and I just haven't hit the right one yet."

Svebek's Short Practice

Arkansan Carl Svebek likes fishing Table Rock, and over the years has come here just to catch a lot of nice spotted bass. He missed the first day and a half of practice as he was fishing another tournament, and hasn't found much since he got here.

"I pretty much had limited practice time, and it hasn't told me much," he said. "I don't know what to expect. I'm catching a lot of fish but not good quality. With the short practice, I fished a lot of places I'd fished before to try to get a feel for what's going on. I caught only six keepers on Monday and had one other good one on.

"I went way up the river (Monday). Late in the afternoon I caught some better ones shallow, so the last day of practice I hope some good things will happen.

"I've been here a lot in the past," he added. "I've had some success here in BASS and Stren Series events, and I just enjoy fishing here for fun to catch the quality spots and the numbers that are here. Usually I fish the north end of the lake. A jerkbait's traditionally the most dominant technique this time of year. And fishing a crankbait and covering a lot of water should do well for some of the guys. Another good thing to do is fish a jig around isolated cover."

He's hoping the same thing as the other guys who are struggling: "The weather coming in might spark these Missouri fish so it might be a good thing."

Top 10 to Watch

Here, in no particular order, is BassFan's recommendation for the Top 10 to watch in this event.

1. David Fritts – Hot off a win at Guntersville, the crankbait king will have plenty of opportunities to ply his favorite techniques at The Rock. Finished 23rd here in the March 2005 Bassmaster Tour event.

2. Robbie Dodson – A rookie on the Tour this year, he's been a local terror on the Ozark-style lakes for a number of years. He made a run at the Central Stren Series Angler of the Year title last year (finished 10th). If he can make the Top 10 cut it'll be interesting to see if he can hold it together to close the deal.

3. Stacey King – Back on tour after heart surgery, King's a local and an expert at deep, rocky, clear water, especially early in the season. He placed 9th in that March 2005 Bassmaster event. Don't be surprised if he loads the boat burning spinnerbaits along bluffs.

4. Dion Hibdon – And his father Guido Hibdon, as they work together to figure things out, have done very well on Table Rock. He's won more than a few tournaments here growing up fishing the Central Pro-Ams.

5. Greg Bohannan – Placed 2nd in the 2008 Stren Series Championship here and lives just 40 miles from the lake. He's done well on clear-water impoundments and his favorite crankbaits might be just the ticket to a Top 10.

6. David Dudley – Power fishing, finesse, or deep cranking – whatever the bite turns out to be, he's on it. Now 2nd in the BassFan World Rankings, the 2008 FLW Tour Angler of the Year has been running a mean hot streak and is still going strong.

7. Luke Clausen – A western pro now living in Tennessee, he's at home on deep, clear water and is very versatile pro. He's also a very patient angler, which may be what it takes to get the quality bites, especially if light tackle's required.

8. Scott Canterbury – Finished 8th at Guntersville and was 2nd last year at Smith Lake in Alabama – another deep, clear rocky impoundment. He considers shallow water his strength, but isn't afraid to go deep.

9. Stetson Blaylock – A very versatile Arkansas Tour rookie who loves fishing jerkbaits and crankbaits, which should play well in the cool early spring water. He's ready to throw plastics if the reaction bite isn't happening. He won the 2008 co-angler AOY on the FLW Tour and is making his debut in the front of the boat this year.

10. Bryan Thrift – He just keeps getting better and better. After only 2 years on the pro trail he's already ranked 15th in the world, and made the Top 5 on the 2008 FLW Tour AOY list. He's also coming off a Top 25 at Guntersville so has a strong start on the season.

Notable

> BassFan Big Stick Jay Yelas is out for redemption after his less than stellar performance at Lake Guntersville. His full practice report will be posted soon.

> This is the first time the FLW Tour has been to Table Rock. The Bassmaster pros were last here in September of 2006. Todd Faircloth won that one.

Launch/Weigh-In Info

Anglers will launch at 7 a.m. CDT each day from Table Rock State Park Marina. Weigh-ins for Days 1 and 2 will take place at 3 p.m. in the same location. The days 3 and 4 weigh-ins will be held at 4 p.m. at the Branson Convention Center in Branson, Mo.

The Family Fun Zone will open at noon on days 3 and 4 at the Branson Convention Center.

Weather Forecast

Here's the weather forecast for the tournament days. Wind shouldn't be a problem.

> Thur, March 12 – Cloudy – 43°/28°
- Wind: From the ENE at 11 mph

> Fri, March 13 – Cloudy – 50°/32°
- Wind: From the ENE at 7 mph

> Sat, March 14 – Few Showers – 51°/36°
- Wind: From the ENE at 8 mph

> Sun, March 15 – Mostly Cloudy – 61°/37°
- Wind: From the SW at 9 mph