Spotted bass help make the bass fishery on Table Rock Lake flat out awesome. Spotted bass always seem willing to bite and with so many of them in the lake, it’s a lot easier to catch fish when fishing here. Most anglers just fish for bass and they will end up catching largemouth bass, smallmouth bass and spotted bass. If you want to target spotted bass exclusively, fish deeper like you would for smallmouth bass.
Finesse It Up For Clear Water
Use light action rods and reels with lighter line in the 6 to 8 pound range to consistently get more bites. Fluorocarbon line is key to presenting your baits as natural as possible, especially when fishing slower moving baits.
Fish Deeper Water
Spotted bass can be found very deep here, especially in the summer. Don’t be surprised if you’re fishing from 15 to 35 feet of water on Table Rock Lake. Spotted bass will often suspend over deeper water as well, so make sure to keep an eye on your electronics when fishing deeper water.
Fish the Docks
The docks can be productive throughout the year, but the spring is the best time of year to target spotted bass around the docks. The docks that have some deeper water near them will usually be more productive, especially in the summer and fall. You have a lot of docks to fish here, so if the bite is going good on the docks, you can fish this pattern all day long if you want.
Fish the Rocks
There are plenty of rocks on the lake and spotted bass will be found in these areas feeding on crayfish. Bass jigs and soft plastic crayfish baits are great lures for fishing the rockier areas.
Fish the Points
You have a lot of main lake and secondary points to fish throughout the lake here. Points will hold fish year-round, however, since spotted bass move quite a bit, you may have to put in some time targeting several different points before you find some active bass. The points that have some wood or rocks on them with a nice drop-off will usually be more productive.
Fish the Wood
This lake has a lot of wood in it and you can catch a lot of bass around these spots. In some areas, you will see the wood due to the clear water, but in many spots, you’re going to want to use your electronics to find and mark these areas.
Best Baits for Spotted Bass
Spotted bass can be very aggressive and they will eat a variety of different baits. Minnows, nightcrawlers and leeches are definitely the best live baits for spotted bass.
When it comes to artificial lures, you have lots of options. Soft plastic crayfish, twin tail grubs, worms and minnow baits are effective. Hard baits such as crankbaits, jerkbaits, jigs and spinners also work great.
Best Rigs for Spotted Bass
With so many different soft plastics to use, there are many different rigs that work great for spotted bass. The drop shot rig, a simple jighead, standup jigheads and scrounger jigheads are some of the best rigs for spotted bass. To learn more, take a look at our best rigs for spotted bass page.
Best Techniques for Spotted Bass
There are so many different techniques you can use for spotted bass. Because these fish can be found very shallow, very deep and everywhere in between, there are a variety of techniques you’re going to want to learn to help you catch more bass. Anglers usually cast for them, but jigging, drop shotting and drifting work great too.
To learn more, take a look at our best techniques for spotted bass page.
Learn More About Spotted Bass
Our spotted bass fishing section has tons of tips on the best lures, live baits, where to catch them and how to catch them.
Visit our spotted bass fishing website to learn more.
