May 1, 2024 Fishing Report

There’s never a perfect time to write a fishing report it seems, because as soon as you post it, conditions change and some of the report becomes inaccurate.  This report has the same issues since our water conditions will change later this week –but I’ll try to cover what I think will work then, too.

The U.S. Corps of Army Engineers opened nine gates at 10 a.m. Monday, April 29.  They were opened one foot each with a flow rate of about 1,000 cubic feet per second.  That’s about 6,500 c.f.s. coming through two turbines, and about 9,500 c.f.s. coming over the top ,totaling 15,000 c.f.s. — equal to a full four turbines running.  Table Rock should crest at about 918 feet Wednesday, May 1, so I expect operators will run the present flow until at least Thursday, maybe as late as Friday, May 3.

threadfin shad
Ryan Farrow
Trout with shad in it's mouth

With so much water coming over the top of the spill gates, we’re seeing some thread fin shad in our lake and the trout are biting a white jig and the shad fly.  This is what we locals live for — the white bite.  This bite should only get better in the coming days, even after the flow is slowed.

We’re throwing either a white or white/gray jig, 1/8-ounce, using four-pound line and almost dragging it on the bottom from the dam down past Lookout Island.  I’m sure the fish will start holding in the eddies along the bank and behind islands soon, so target these fish with white jigs and shad color crank baits.

Larry Gregory
Joe Kenkel
Skip Highfill

The scud bite is really good, too, drifting a #12 gray scud on the bottom.   Our guides are using a tandem fly rig with a scud and egg fly.  Four-pound line is perfect.  I would try drifting a scud clear down to our resort. This bite should only get better and better.  Also try a red or pink San Juan Worm along with a scud.

Drifting Powerbait and Gulp Eggs from above our place down to Monkey Island is producing some nice limits of rainbows.

Early and late, working a jerk bait along the deep banks is producing some big rainbows and brown too.  Almost any bait that’s shad color, dives about four to six feet and suspends would work.

The big cicada hatch is supposed to happen sometime in May and we’re excited.  We’ve stocked up on cicada flies for the big event.  The last time it happened, as soon as the bugs landed on the water, a trout would come up and devour them.  Topwater fishing should be excellent.

Koby Coss
Collin Corbin
Brian Herndon

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