Playing in Branson

It’s hard to find flat ground to play the football in this hilly terrain so when folks in these parts talk football the hot topic is usually a bass jig with a head shaped like the oblong pigskin.

Although the football-style jighead was originally designed for the deep, rocky reservoirs in the Southwest, anglers at Table Rock have discovered these lures score big on their home waters. Tim Sainato and Buster Loving, a pair of Table Rock Lake guides, and Kelly Power, a successful l tournament competitor from Galena, Mo., have relied on the football jig to penetrate deep zones on the clear waters of Table Rock.

Many lure manufacturers produce a football-style jighead, but Sainato, Loving and Power have won tournaments and recorded big catches on the Jewel Bait Company Football Jig. The jig features a cross-eyed Mustad hook and a fiber weedguard for pulling the lure through brush and big rocks without hang-ups. Its concave head below the hook eye creates a rocking motion that allows it to roll over tree limbs and stay in the strike zone longer.

Although they use the same jig, these three football experts employ different lure sizes and retrieves on their home waters. Sainato and Loving opt for football jigs in brown/purple flash or peanut butter and jelly—a color combination with contrasting black, purple and brown hues. Power favors brown and green shades for his football jig.

The game plan for the three local anglers is to fake out bass with their crawfish-imitating jig. Power believes the football jig’s design and a prototype trailer he uses makes the lure fall flat like a crawfish. “If you watch a crawdad push off it doesn’t roll over from one side to the other,” discloses Power. “It moves straight and that’s what the football jig does with the bigger trailer on the back.”

Power’s trailer resembles a creature bait with two large tentacles and four appendages, but it also has two pincers. “The appendages and pincers keep the skirt more flared out,” he says. “Anytime you can put something inside the jig’s skirt it will flare out better.”

Sainato and Loving both tip their football jigs with Chompers twin tail plastic grubs in cinnamon purple hues. They use 4-inch grubs on the smaller football jigs and a 5-inch grub on a 3/4-ounce model to give the lure more bulk when fishing it in deep water.

These tournament-proven quarterbacks choose footballs in various sizes to deliver their bombs to bass in different depth zones. “I’ve caught fish as deep as 70 to 75 feet and as shallow as 5 feet,” claims Sainato.

The Walnut Shade, Mo., angler favors a 3/4-ounce football jig for probing depths of more than 25 feet in clear water and switches to a 5/8-ounce model for working in the 10- to 25-foot depth range in the stained water. Loving uses the 3/4-ounce jig for most of his applications and Power opts for the 5/8-ounce version. All three anglers prefer a 1/2-ounce Jewel Football Jig for tossing in the 5- to 10-foot depth zone.

Rocky points and drop-offs are Sainato’s favorite targets for delivering his football jig. Loving knows he can cover a lot of water in a hurry with a football jig so he prefers running this lure along vast flats in the summertime. Power’s football tactics produce best on suspended bass huddling next to standing timber or above brush piles.

Retrieving his jig with a series of pops and jerks triggers reaction strikes for Sainato. “I probably put a lot more action into it than everybody else does,” he says. “I keep my rod tip down a lot of times and work it like a jerkbait.”

The speed of his retrieve depends on the mood of the fish. If Sainato notices bass on his depth finder are stationary, he will pop and lift his jig but try to keep it in the same spot. “Every cast I make will have a different retrieve until the fish tell me how they want it,” he reveals.

When the water is still cool in the spring, Loving uses the conventional bottom-dragging retrieve with his football jig, but he switches to a hopping presentation in warmer water. “In the summertime I get my rod up and really jump that lure,” says the Rockaway Beach, Mo, angler who fan-casts his football jig along the flats. “I cast around a lot at 45-degree angles and try to cover as much water as I can.”

Tossing his football into waters in the 25- to 30-foot zone, Power counts his lure down to 15 to 20 feet and engages his reel so he can complete his pass to suspending fish. “I am swimming that bait more than I am fishing it on the bottom,” he describes. “There are times when I might hit the bottom halfway through my retrieve but I try to spend the majority of my time targeting roll-offs where the fish are staged. I’ve had more fish hit that bait on the fall or when I am swimming it.”

The football jig produces year-round for Sainato and Loving. “I’ll start using it in March and I will fish with it until Christmas,” Loving says. Power rates the warmer months from the postspawn until mid October as the prime time to throw the football for suspended bass.

These Ozark anglers have experienced a high percentage of completions with their footballs. The football produced a memorable guide trip for Sainato at Table Rock when he and his client caught 46 keepers in four hours.
Throwing the football has also produced tournament victories for Power, who caught two winning bags weighing more than 25 pounds at Table Rock in recent years. “I’ve caught a tremendous amount of 18- to 22-pound bags on it,” he reveals.

When Table Rock bass go to a deep zone, toss a football jig and you’ll score more often than those weekend warriors who flail away at the bank.

For information on shows, lodging and attractions in the Table Rock Lake or Lake Taneycomo area or to receive a free vacation guide, call the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce and Convention & Visitors Bureau at 1-800-BRANSON or visit the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce & CVB web site at www.explorebranson.com.

Water releases from the dams cause Table Rock bass to settle into a daily routine that anglers can easily pattern.

When water is released from the dam, the lake level starts dropping so bass vacate the shallows and congregate on offshore structure. This is the classic pattern for bass on a solitary impoundment, but the same scenario becomes muddled when trying to figure out water releases in the middle of a chain of reservoirs such as Table Rock.

A B.A.S.S. pro who has spent plenty of time on Table Rock and has developed game plans based on water releases is Brian Snowden. Here’s a look at how this tournament competitor finds bass during water releases from the dams at both ends of Table Rock.

Dual Flow

Table Rock bass relate to current the most when both the dam above the impoundment and the dam on the lower end release water at the same time to create a heavy flow. Snowden encounters this situation often during power generation periods in the summertime on his home lake of Table Rock, the middle link in the White River chain of reservoirs that also includes Beaver, Taneycomo and Bull Shoals. Since Table Rock is a massive, deep lake, the current during power generation is undetectable on the reservoir’s surface.

“That tends to make the fish suspend and a lot of times it will make them suspend on the inside of points,” suggests Snowden. “A lot of times the fish will face up current so you will want to throw to the up-current side. Even though you can’t feel any current against your boat you want to make sure you position yourself to where you are bringing your lure back downstream.”

When water is released from Beaver Lake and Table Rock dam at the same time, Snowden notices the best action for bass is usually on the upper ends of the rivers and the lower end of Table Rock, sections of the lake in which the current is moving the strongest. He usually avoids fishing the mid-lake section of this massive reservoir because it is the area least affected by current.

The local pro’s favorite tactics for dual flow situations include jerking suspending stickbaits, swimming plastic grubs, vertical jigging drop-shot rigs and working Carolina rigs at a fast clip. Bass will usually be in their summertime haunts on this deep, clear reservoir, so Snowden keys on drop-offs in the 15- to 20-foot depth range.

Upper Dam Release

Water being released from the upper dam while the lower dam is shut off causes a lake to rise.

“If it has been several days since they have been running any water at Table Rock dam the fish will move up shallow,” says Snowden. This situation usually occurs in the spring and summer on Snowden’s home waters and he notices all sections of the lake produce then.

Snowden keys on the flat gravel points during the initial rise and throws either a Carolina rig or a plastic grub. However when the lake level inundates the banks he targets flooded wood cover and pitches a jig or spinnerbait.

Lower Dam Releases

Fishing gets toughest on Table Rock when the upper dam shuts off, but the lower dam keeps releasing water. “That seems like the most difficult scenario because the fish suspend the most then,” says Snowden. The three-time Bassmaster Classic qualifier resorts to swimming a plastic grub for fish suspended 15 feet deep over depths of 20 to 30 feet.

Snowden can catch some bass on the upper end of the lake when a draw down starts and the fish are still in shallow cover. As the lake continues to fall though, the local pro moves to the lower end of the reservoir where he keys on channel bends that swing into long tapering points. He positions his boat over 50 to 60 feet of water and casts the grub into the 20- to 30-foot range to catch suspended bass.

Contending with water releases from two dams makes it a little together to pattern bass on Table Rock. Yet if you learn how bass go with the flow of the dams you’ll be in the right spot at the right time to catch these nomadic fish.

For information on shows, lodging and attractions in the Table Rock Lake or Lake Taneycomo area or to receive a free vacation guide, call the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce and Convention & Visitors Bureau at 1-877-BRANSON or visit the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce & CVB web site at www.explorebranson.com.

A spotted bass’ looks can certainly be deceiving.

At first glance, it can easily be mistaken for its largemouth bass cousin, however on closer inspection you’ll find spotted bass have subtle differences than largemouth including a rough patch on its tongue, an upper jaw that doesn’t extend much beyond the back of its eye and rows of dark spots on its upper sides.

While these fish look alike, spots and largemouth display different demeanors. A largemouth bass can be moody at times, turning sluggish when the weather changes or becoming finicky with increased fishing pressure. Spotted bass display a constant mean streak and attack targets as if there is no tomorrow. Their voraciousness and increasing numbers has made spots a popular catch for bass anglers at Table Rock Lake.

Tournament competitors rely on the aggressive nature of the spotted bass to fill their livewells when largemouth turn moody. Bassmaster Elite Series pro Brian Snowden honed his skills while catching spotted bass on the clear waters of Table Rock.

Rocky banks are a key to finding spotted bass at Table Rock. “It seems like if you can find nice ledge rock along a 45-degree bank with pole timber in 8 to 15 feet of water you can do extremely well there,” advises the Reeds Spring, MO angler.

Snowden starts catching spotted bass in the winter along bluff ends and in isolated cedars and standing pole timber on main lake points. He either drags a jig 15 to 30 feet deep for bottom-hugging fish or jerks a suspending stickbait in shad hues for suspended spots. He favors a 7/16-, one-half or three-quarter ounce jig (brown or green colors) tipped with a brown or green-pumpkin twin-tail plastic trailer. His line choices include 10- to 14-pound fluorocarbon for jig fishing and 8- or 10-pound monofilament for twitching a suspending stickbait.

During the pre-spawn stage, Snowden tricks spots by dragging a split-shot rig (green pumpkin or watermelon Zoom Double Ringer with a 3/16- or one-quarter-ounce split shot) along the bottom. When spots move onto nests, Snowden opts for a white or green pumpkin tube bait or plastic craw. He flips these Texas-rigged lures to nests with 14-pound fluorocarbon.

Steadily cranking a Cotton Cordell Jointed Red Fin on 17- to 20-pound green line around isolated timber on main lake points works best for Snowden during the post spawn and early summer. “Keep the bait on the surface and it will make a ‘v’ back to the boat,” recommends Snowden, who favors Red Fins in Smoky Joe, chrome-and-blue or chartreuse hues. Heddon Zara Spooks also produce topwater action during this time.

Summertime tactics Snowden employs to catch deep spotted bass include drop-shotting or swimming a plastic grub along bluff ends or long tapering points. He rigs his drop shot with watermelon-red flake or green-pumpkin Zoom Shaky Head Worm tied on 6- to 8-pound line and swims a smoke, watermelon or white plastic grub with a one-half or 3/8-ounce jighead with 8-pound monofilament.

Table Rock spotted bass moved to the backs of creeks and secondary points in the fall. Snowden catches these fish on crankbaits in crawfish hues that he throws on 8- to 12-pound test line.

For information on shows, lodging and attractions in the Table Rock Lake or Lake Taneycomo area or to receive a free vacation guide, call the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce and Convention & Visitors Bureau at 1-877-BRANSON or visit the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce & CVB web site at www.explorebranson.com.

A Western finesse tactic is also a hit on the clear waters of Table Rock Lake.

The tactic of placing hooks and baits above a weight has been practiced by saltwater, walleye and crappie anglers for decades, but this concept never caught on with bass fishermen until the late 1980s. Maurice Holybee, a southern California angler and lure maker, is credited with developing one of the first bass-oriented drop-shot rigs and then Japanese anglers introduced the technique to the tournament scene at the Lake Mead 1998 U.S. Open.

Table Rock anglers have discovered the effectiveness of this finesse technique on their home waters. Table Rock guide Pete Wenners, and Bill Beck, a tournament angler from Reeds Spring, MO, have adopted this technique to catch off-shore bass on Table Rock Lake.

Drop-shotting is most effective in vertical fishing situations. “One reason it works a lot better than a split-shot rig is because it keeps the bait up off the bottom about a foot or two,” says Wenners. A spilt-shot rig uses a lightweight to slow the fall of the lure but it eventually sinks to the bottom.

A drop-shot rig with a 1/2-ounce weight also allows anglers to detect strikes easier than finesse lures attached to darter jigheads. “When you get it down to that 30- to 35-foot range you can feel the bite better,” claims Wenners. “A lot of people feel more confident if they can feel that actual weight rather than feeling nothing.” He believes the heavier weight doesn’t bother the fish either since bass usually inhale other heavyweight lures, such as 3/4-ounce jigs, dragged along the bottom.

The technique works along the same long points and other deep structure Wenners fishes vertical with finesse baits on darter heads. “The bait seems to be the main key more than the structure. Basically I’m looking for streaking fish, ones that I can see on my locator,” says Wenners. “I’ve found it also works well on mixed gravel. On real big chunk rock it tends to get hung up quite a bit.”

Beck catches suspended bass on the drop-shot rig by keying on main lake flats and roll-off points near the main channel during the summer. Looking for baitfish was also a key for Beck in pinpointing bass. “In July and August it is just phenomenal,” Beck claims. “The first time I tried it I thought is was really goofy looking. But it is unbelievable. It seems like you can outfish guys who use (night) crawlers by catching better quality. You would think that it would scare the fish off with that sinker hanging below the bait but it’s pretty awesome for suspended fish.”

Water depth determines the tackle Wenners employs for his drop-shot rig. When fishing 25 feet deep or less, Wenners relies on a 3/8-ounce bell weight, but he opts for a 1/2-ounce sinker for deeper water. “The thing that’s great about the drop shot is you can use any kind of weight,” Wenners admits. “You can take a split shot and crimp it on there. I used some of my old bullet sinkers, sliding them up the line and crimping a little split shot on the end.”

Since he’s fishing the rig in open water most of the time, Wenners ties a 1/0 straight shank hook to the rig and leaves the point exposed. His favorite lures for dropshotting include 4-inch finesse worms, plastic reapers, plastic grubs or tube baits.

Sometimes Wenners enhances his vertical presentation by tying two lures (a finesse worm and French fry worm) on his dropshot rig. After tying a Palomar knot for the first hook, he leaves a long tag line for tying on the second hook (about 16 to 18 inches below) and the sinker (3 feet beneath the second hook).

When using a 1/2-ounce weight, Wenners works his rig on baitcast tackle. He switches to spinning tackle for dropshotting with a 3/8-ounce sinker. Both of his reels are filled with 10- to 12-pound test green line.

Holding his line tight helps Wenners keep his drop-shot lures off the bottom. “A lot of times the wind dictates which size weight I have to use to keep a tight line,” says Wenners, who imparts action to his lure with a steady pop of his rod “You can actually shake the bait without moving it out of place.” Wenners shakes the lure if he sees a bass streaking up towards the bait but then it stops. He also reels up the lure slowly to trigger a reluctant bass into striking.

The natural look of this presentation makes the drop-shot rig so effective in clear water. “The main reason it works is the way the bait looks in the water,” says Beck. “The way you tie the bait on it makes the hook stand straight out from the line and it makes the bait stand straight out. It hardly takes any movement at all to really give the lure a lot of action. I’ve noticed when I wasn’t getting bit that I was overworking the bait. That finesse worm has a real subtle wavy action and it’s really easy to overwork it.”

The deep-water specialist prefers using a 1/0 offset round bend hook rather than the small curved saltwater hook used by some drop-shot experts. “I’ve used a lot of hooks and it seems like with that 1/0 offset round bend, when you get bit, you just lift up and reel the fish in,” claims Beck. “Since there is no weight by the hook you hardly ever lose a hooked fish.”

Beck uses a 1/2-ounce Bakudan drop-shot weight placed about 18 inches to 2 feet below his hook. “I tie a regular Palomar knot then I hold the bend of the hook upright and I take the tag end and run it back down through the eye of the hook. That’s what flips that hook out and makes it stand straight out,” says Beck. He believes making the hook stand straight out is the secret to making the lure look so natural.

The long shank 1/0 hook extended out from the line also prevents Beck from losing hooked fish. He believes small drop-shot hooks are too close to the line, which acts like a weedguard and can actually deflect the hook away from fish.
His favorite lures for dropshotting are finesse worms and a line of Berkley Power Baits designed for drop-shotting available in a variety of natural hues. He notices these lures produce best when the fishing is tough. The best color for his drop-shot lures last summer and fall was watermelon finesse candy. Beck lists watermelon red and green pumpkin as other productive lure colors for his drop-shot rigs.

The mood of the fish dictates the type of tackle Beck uses for dropshotting. For aggressive fish, he favors bait-casting equipment and 8-pound test line. He prefers a baitcast reel for most applications because it prevents line twist, which occurs frequently when using a drop-shot rig with a spinning reel. If the action is slow, Beck scales down to 6-pound test line and a spinning rod and reel.

A minimum amount of effort is required to work Beck’s dropshot rig. “Instead of shaking it and hopping it, I can just slowly rock it by pulling my rod tip up and down 1 or 2 inches and that makes that worm tail wave real subtle,” he says.
Drop-shotting produces for Beck during the post-spawn when the fish move out to deeper water. Throughout most of the summer, he catches bass on the rig about 26 feet deep that are either suspended or on the bottom.

The dropshot rig produces more numbers of Table Rock bass than quality fish in most situations. “It’s more of a smallmouth and Kentucky (bass) technique,” says Wenners.

Beck agrees. “I catch a few largemouth and smallmouth on the dropshot, but the majority of the fish are spotted bass,” he says.

While originally conceived for the heavily pressured clear-water reservoirs of the West, the dropshot rig has proven its worth as a viable alternative for catching finicky Table Rock bass as well.

For information on shows, lodging and attractions in the Table Rock Lake or Lake Taneycomo area or to receive a free vacation guide, call the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce and Convention & Visitors Bureau at 1-877-BRANSON or visit the Branson/Lakes Area Chamber of Commerce & CVB web site at www.explorebranson.com.