table rock lake
on tour
2 0 1 6 C o s Ta F L W s E r I E s C H a m P I o n s H I P P r E v I E W
branson, mo. – nov. 3-5
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Hosted by ExploreBranson.com
by Jody White
photo courtesy of braNsoN cvb
eturning to branson, Mo., for the first time since 2008, the
2016 costa flw series championship will find a fitting play-
ing field on table rock lake Nov. 3-5. It’s a history-making
tournament this season, with anglers from the International
division competing for the first time and, when all is said and
done, 11 contestants qualifying for the 2017 forrest wood cup.
the Layout
Impounded in the 1950s primarily for flood control,
table rock is a sprawling ozark reservoir that might be
described as “beaver lake on steroids,” according to
walmart flw tour pro Greg bohannan. as such, it has
no grass, but nevertheless a lot of habitat variety. with
clear water in the main lake and dirtier water up the
rivers (particularly in the James river), anglers will find
almost anything that suits them.
there’s offshore timber, deep ledges, plenty of docks,
rocks, bluffs, and miles of pockets and creeks. shad is
the primary forage species, but there are also plenty of
bluegills and crawfish.
Patterns in Play
on a lake as diverse as table rock, there are plen-
ty of patterns that anglers can use to their advan-
tage. weather-wise, the one constant is that the
windier it is, the better the fish will bite. here are
some patterns to watch at “the rock” when summer
tips over into fall:
deep timber – deep timber could still be in play,
with bait and bass hanging out around trees as deep
as 40 feet or more. the caveat is that suspended bass
are tricky to catch, and it’s a pattern that takes some
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dedication and expertise to pay off. swimbaits, blade
baits, umbrella rigs, drop-shots, spoons and big texas-
rigged worms all can work.
offshore structure – the other summer holdover
pattern is more standard as bass are likely to get on
deep drops in the summer and stay on them well into
the fall. the best places to catch bass that are deep
and not suspended are located up the rivers. there,
the water is a bit more stained and the breaks tend to
be shallower, making it a bit easier for anglers to pin-
point and catch bass on them. when david curtis won
fLWfISHInG.com I october-november 2016