Table Rock Lake, Big Cedar Area Tips 2024
WookieeJedi reply :
I'm going to be up at Big Cedar in the next couple of weeks, and if anyone has some pointers for fishing the area around the Lodge, it would be appreciated. I will be using their kayaks, so I won't have my fishfinder. I also will be paddling with my kids, so we aren't going to go much more than 6 miles from the lodge. I usually make a day trip or two into AR since I maintain a license there, but this time I want to give Table Rock a try. Any general info you might have about water temp, fish patterns, etc. will help too. And if stripers are doing anything around there, I'm all ears. Thanks.
Bass_Fanatic reply :
I stayed there years ago...we fished a place called Dogwood Creek and caught alot of trout. It was pretty fun. Also, there is two ponds that you can go to that is stocked full of trout. They are pretty close by, I just dont remember the name of the place, but it is a blast for the kids. I think you pay per hour or per fish, but it was alot of fun for me as I was only about 10 at the time that we went.
WookieeJedi reply :
I know the trout ponds of which you speak, they are about 8 miles up the road from the lodge. Dogwood Creek is now part of the Dogwood Canyon facility, They want a lot of $$$ just to walk into that place. We stop at a place or two in AR on the way up and fish for trout, I will probably have 20 fish to clean when we get there.
This trip will be my first time to try out the lake. This will be my third trip up there this year, and I have yet to bass fish there. Gotta fix that.
eyedabassman reply :
Google Pete Wenners fishing guide! He does a nice weekly video on were the bass are biting on the rock and what to use. He does a new video every Thur.! I have fished with Pete many times and he may be the best on the Rock! I too will be down there May 18 to the 26 but it is to talk to some builders! Or google hooked on bass.
Bluebasser86 reply :
Last time we stayed at Big Cedar it was very close to this time of year. I did really well on the bank just right across from their big dock on shakeyheads, actually caught a limit in the 14-15 pound range right there with a 5lb kicker on a wiggle wart. The cove that it's in has good fishing and so does the bluff bank on either side of the mouth of the cove. Shakeyheads, football jigs, swimming grubs, and wiggle warts should all be good.
WookieeJedi reply :
Thanks, fellas. I'll be sure to check out Pete Wimmers before I go. It's also good to know there's some decent bass fishing right there.
Quillback reply :
No stripers in TR, except for a few that may have come over the dam from Beaver a couple of years ago during the floods. You can make the trip over to Beaver and launch at one of the Corps parks near the dam, if you go at daylight or in the evening you might come across some hybrids/stripers surface feeding, but it's hit or miss, especially from a kayak. Ozarkanglers.com has a Table Rock forum with reports and there's archived stuff their also, if you did a search on "Big Cedar" I'm sure you'd get some info.
WookieeJedi reply :
No stripers on a lake like that? That's practically sinful. I just always assumed they were in there. I'm headed over to Ozarkanglers right now.
Quillback reply :
I think the TR locals are happy to not have stripers, not a popular fish with some of the dedicated black bass folks. I think Big Cedar is near the dam, supposedly good smallie fishing in the dam area. I haven't fished it myself, but the locals are always talking about dragging tubes and grubs. A local who is an experienced TR fisherman tells me that mustard is a great tube color for smallies in TR. Cotton Cordell Redfins are a great surface bait for TR, they can be a pain because many of them won't run straight out of the box, the hooks are lousy, and to get them to wake correctly you have to keep your rod tip high, but if the surface bite is on the bass will eat them up. I'd also have some Rebel Pop-r's, Zara Spooks, Sammies, and Gunfish.
WookieeJedi reply :
There were not many posts about the area at Ozarkanglers, but they did have some very good embellished maps of it. It looks like a good place for this time of year.
Quillback reply :
Good post on that forum today, title is "Trip to Table Rock 6 -11 May." One of the guides who has fished that lake for years has some good tips.
WookieeJedi reply :
That was a good link, I wasn't even thinking about smallmouth. The dam is a short paddle from where I will be. I already have all those lures they listed too. I might just take my LJ Hotlips out there. It has been a long time since I got into some smallmouth action.
Quillback reply :
Cool, good luck on your trip!
WookieeJedi reply :
Just in case y'all were wondering, the SM on TR are after small crawfish:
Had to switch to small 2" plastic craws on carolina rig on 6# line. The area down by the dam is good, and also right in the Big Cedar cove. The bank opposite the marina and down in front of the resort in front of the tall foot bridge. Bluebird day not a problem so long as the wind keeps up a little.
eyedabassman reply :
On 5/2/2012 at 4:52 AM, WookieeJedi said:Just in case y'all were wondering, the SM on TR are after small crawfish:
Had to switch to small 2" plastic craws on carolina rig on 6# line. The area down by the dam is good, and also right in the Big Cedar cove. The bank opposite the marina and down in front of the resort in front of the tall foot bridge. Bluebird day not a problem so long as the wind keeps up a little.
Yep the wind on the Rock is key to fishing if not overcast! Good job! I will be down on the Rock ( Kimberling City ) two weeks from this Sat. 
WookieeJedi reply :
I hope you hit them this hard. It was my best day in a good while, on a new lake too. This afternoon I was just murdering them. Mostly SM, with some spots thrown in. Most of the fish were dinks, but every 5 or 6 was a good fish, especially when I downsized the craw and put it on a carolina rig with a short leader. I got one at least 4 today, by far my PB smallie. A lot of fish came to the boat puking crawfish. I really miss SM fishing, I'm gonna hafta do a Buffalo float soon now.
Bluebasser86 reply :
Hope they are still biting like that when I'm down there in a couple weeks 
. Sounds like you're getting them pretty good!
eyedabassman reply :
On 5/2/2012 at 12:27 PM, Bluebasser86 said:Hope they are still biting like that when I'm down there in a couple weeks
When are you going? I will be there May 18 to the 26.
Bluebasser86 reply :
I'll be at Big Cedar with my wife May 20-22 for our anniversary.
pbrussell reply :
I will be there the 17th-20th...
eyedabassman reply :
I will be staying in Branson but I will be down in Kimberling City to talk to about 5 builders. We have land in Fisher Creek and we want to build ASAP.Not sure if I will get to fish! I will not have my boat with me! 
This trip is about finding a good builder!
Quillback reply :
Glad to hear you got into the smallies, they are a blast!
WookieeJedi reply :
Some of the lures that caught 'em this week on TR:
The 2" crawfish in motor oil/green flake did the most damage on SM. I rigged it carolina on a 8" to 10" leader and used a light red offset worm hook, and T-hooked the craw, I used 6# flouroclear P-line. That rig prob'ly got 30 fish. Half my strikes were on the fall from the initial cast, or just when I first moved it.
The cranks got some fish off some fairly sheer drops just off the bank. Remember, I am paddling, so I fish along the way to where I'm going. I was using the light 10-footer, so no fish-finder, I just tossed the jig out if the bank looked interesting. If I found a good drop, I tossed the crank to it. The purple ghost Xrap caught the most fish doing that. The big BPS crank and the DT did all of their damage in the Big Cedar cove area. Mostly dink largemouth, and a few SM and spots. I used both the Yum craw and an avacado/red flake grub for my jig setup, depending on the rod I was using. The craw got a fish off one drop along the shoreline, and the grub didn't get anything until I got offshore in the dam area. It got a few, but the small craw did so well, I left the grub sitting there. The Jr. Zara got a few on top in the late evening. Sorry I don't have more pics, I took that one pic of the fish with the craw, and it got me so off my spot I didn't try to take any more. That wind was keeping the fish going, but it was also kicking I disagree. Next time, I'm bringing the bigger boat, and the anchor. I'm glad Big Cedar has a nice hot tub right there at the lodge. I was hurtin' for certain.
WookieeJedi reply :
The icing on the cake:
My littles swept the Lodge pond fishing tournament on Thursday. My oldest won his age group, and my next two finished 1-2 in their age group. My big girl also scored the biggest fish and only bass. She got it in the last minute of the event, but she's not one to pump her fist and shout.
eyedabassman reply :
Jedi, cool, it is all about the kids!!!! I am glad you had a good trip.What was the big fish when you where down there????
WookieeJedi reply :
My big fish was a 4-pound SM, he may have been a little bigger than that, but with no scale, I guesstimated him at 4 even. The biggest SM I had before that was a little over 3 from the Buffalo River. Not a monster, but something of a milestone for me anyway. I got some decent spots out of there too. Only one spot was over 3, but none of them was under 1. Looking at the map of the lake, it looks like it could be a killer place for spots.
So many things went wrong (for fishing) on this trip. I forgot to pack my LJ Hotlips cranks, I left the anchor at home, and wound up forgetting half the grubs I intended to take with me. The rod that wound up catching the most with is a light Mitchell Avocet combo I brought along for my kids to fish for trout.
I gotta give credit to y'all, though. You pointed me in the right direction. I need to head over to OzarkAnglers and express some gratitude as well. Without the good intel I gathered beforehand, I would have just been another Billy Bob Bankbeater out beatin' the bank. Y'all deserve a big hand-clap!
eyedabassman reply :
On 5/5/2012 at 1:02 PM, WookieeJedi said:My big fish was a 4-pound SM, he may have been a little bigger than that, but with no scale, I guesstimated him at 4 even. The biggest SM I had before that was a little over 3 from the Buffalo River. Not a monster, but something of a milestone for me anyway. I got some decent spots out of there too. Only one spot was over 3, but none of them was under 1. Looking at the map of the lake, it looks like it could be a killer place for spots.
So many things went wrong (for fishing) on this trip. I forgot to pack my LJ Hotlips cranks, I left the anchor at home, and wound up forgetting half the grubs I intended to take with me. The rod that wound up catching the most with is a light Mitchell Avocet combo I brought along for my kids to fish for trout.
I gotta give credit to y'all, though. You pointed me in the right direction. I need to head over to OzarkAnglers and express some gratitude as well. Without the good intel I gathered beforehand, I would have just been another Billy Bob Bankbeater out beatin' the bank. Y'all deserve a big hand-clap!
Did the Pete Wenners video help?
WookieeJedi reply :
The videos helped a lot, he talks mostly about largemouth, since that is his main business, but he gives out the most vital information for all fishermen right up front. Water clarity and color, water temperature, and lake level. Between his reports and OzarkAnglers resources on the lake, I was able to pick out a few good places ahead of time.
One of the best links for TR IMHO: http://newmdcgis.mdc.mo.gov/tablerock/
They have some angler-embellished topo maps available on there too. Sit down with a cup of coffee, those maps, and the ghost of Buck Perry. It was time well-spent.
eyedabassman reply :
On 5/5/2012 at 11:47 PM, WookieeJedi said:The videos helped a lot, he talks mostly about largemouth, since that is his main business, but he gives out the most vital information for all fishermen right up front. Water clarity and color, water temperature, and lake level. Between his reports and OzarkAnglers resources on the lake, I was able to pick out a few good places ahead of time.
One of the best links for TR IMHO: http://newmdcgis.mdc.mo.gov/tablerock/
They have some angler-embellished topo maps available on there too. Sit down with a cup of coffee, those maps, and the ghost of Buck Perry. It was time well-spent.
Good deal, I was happy to help.
"BRB" reply :
Sounds Luke a good trip I need to head up there to fish it.
retsgm reply :
was there last week when the wind was blowing KVD 2.5 in sassy shad from the state park up to Indian point in peA gravel or small chunk rock when calm used a sinko in greenpumpkin with red specks on a carolina rig.
WookieeJedi reply :
How did you fare up by Indian Point? A guy on the lake told me about a couple of good areas there, but I had already paddled far enough for one day, and I was catching fish where I sat. Next trip up, I might get my wife to drop me off near there, and then paddle back.
Quillback reply :
My buddy and I fished the White river arm near Big M yesterday, took us a few hours to figure things out, but we finally came up with a pattern of c-rigging small craws (Zoom Spped craws and Ragetail baby craws) - same pattern Wookie was using - on long gravelly points, well actually only 2 points, we ended up boating 40 bass, mostly spots, with a few SM's, Meanmouth and LM's. No bigguns however, all in the 12-14" range, still a lot of fun on light tackle, those spots can pull!
Funny thing was the fish we caught were spitting up small shad, but they liked those craws.
Not a tournament winning pattern, but if you're fun fishing it's a hoot!
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