One thing to know for sure, Table Rock will fish much different then Guntersville did, we are moving north so the water will be much cooler and from a lake with healthy vegetation to a lake that may have 4 to 5 strands of grass in the whole system. FLW has never fished Table Rock at the Stren Series or higher but many events on Lake of the Ozarks just up the road, so you may want to look to anglers that fair well there. You can also search through old BFL results, but most of those event happened in April or May. I would also say that guys that fair well on Beaver Lake, could also find Table Rock a comfortable place to fish.
Details on THE ROCK:
Type of water: highland impoundment of White River
Surface area: 43,100 acres
Shoreline: 745 miles
Average depth: approximately 69 feet
Max depth: 220 feet
Primary structure/cover: docks, ledges, points, chunk rock, bluff banks, standing timber
Species: largemouth, smallmouth, spotted bass
Length minimum: 15 inches for all species
Cold weather & snow have been keeping water temps cool and this will certainly be a pre-spawn event. So thinks of guys that like clear water, prefer pre-spawn conditions. Also, typically this time of year, reaction baits, like jerkbaits and wiggle warts will be predominant in the Top 10. Also, consider the angler that wins, sometimes beats a slightly different drum, so don’t rule out the shakey head, drop shot & finesse football jig guys.
Bassmasters fished a few March events on Table Rock in the not so distant past, see results:
Mar 4 – 7, 2004 – Mark Davis
Mar 31 – Apr 3 – Greg Hackney
Seems like every tournament, there is the local angler factor. There are a lot of great anglers from the Missouri & North Arkansas region where this tournament is located. Stacey King practically lives on the lake, but at 60 years of age, can he be a factor in the Top 10? Guido & Dion Hibdon call home just up the road at Lake of the Ozarks, similar water, I am sure they have fished their share on Table Rock as well, but oddly enough neither have fished an Table Rock tourney with FLW, but have with BASS. In fact 27 anglers live within 3 hours of Table Rock.
Below is my tentative roster at this point:
1 | GREG BOHANNAN | Almost won 2008 Stren | |||||||||||
2 | SHINICHI FUKAE | Clear water should fit his finesse game | |||||||||||
3 | ANDY MORGAN | He is a stud, almost 2008 AOY | |||||||||||
4 | ROBBIE DODSON | Local Favorite | |||||||||||
5 | BRENNAN BOSLEY | Good spring cranker | |||||||||||
6 | BRENT EHRLER | Fishing well & Table Rock fishes like West Coast | |||||||||||
7 | JAY YELAS | PreSpawn Angler, fished Rock with BASS | |||||||||||
8 | DAVID FRITTS | Should be a crank bite, but he won’t go back 2 back | |||||||||||
9 | DION HIBDON | Too close to Ozarks not to be in my Top 10 | |||||||||||
10 | DAVID WALKER | Good finishes with BASS |
Its not too late to join my group, prizes will be awarded at every tournament and year end.
Best regards,
The Commissioner
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