Table Rock Lake Fishing Report

Updated 6/4/2025

Water Information

  • Lake Level: 926.31 ft and rising
  • Lake Temperature: 68-70 Degrees Fahrenheit 
For more water information, visit Table Rock Lake US Army Corp of Engineers website.



Click here for the Table Rock Lake Regatta



Top Baits - Bass Fishing

The best bite on the lake right now is on the old shoreline. Drag a football jig from the edge of the brush line out to 20’-30’. Target gravel with chunk rock mixed secondary and main lake points. The bite is better when the Corp is running water.

When the Corp is not running water, there is a good dock bite in the mornings target community docks that are sitting over 30’-60’ of water. A 5/8oz White Jigging Spoon has been the best technique for catching these fish.

A 1/2oz or 3/4oz White and Chartreuse Spinnerbait has also been working in the river arms. Target areas where you can cast the bait up to the bank and retrieve it through the brush. Bluffs and ledge rock banks are good areas to target.
Top Baits - Crappie Fishing

Live Crappie Minnows or soft plastic Swimming Minnows in color Monkey Milk or Electric Chicken. Target standing timber and trees under docks. Crappie are in spawn to post-spawn putting them in roughly 15ft-25ft of water. 


Past Fishing Reports - Table Rock Lake

5/29/2025

Updated 5/29/2025

Water Information

Lake Level: 926.31 ft and rising

Lake Temperature: 68-72 Degrees Fahrenheit 

For more water information, visit Table Rock Lake US Army Corp of Engineers website.

Click here for the Table Rock Lake Regatta

Top Baits - Bass Fishing

With the lake on the rise there should be some fish moving up with the water. Flipping should be a way to get some good bites. Brush hogs and beaver style baits with a 1/4oz-1/2oz weight are a go-to when flipping heavy cover.When the Corp is pulling water there are fish that move out to the edge of the bushes. A spinner bait has been the best technique to catch these fish. A 3/8oz or 1/2oz in White or White with chartreuse have been the best colors.Before the lake came up there has been a good football jig bite. This pattern should still be strong when the Corp pulls water. Target 20’-30’ of water. The Pee Wee Football jig gets the most bites. The best colors have been PB&J or Hail Mary.

Top Baits - Crappie Fishing

Live Crappie Minnows or soft plastic Swimming Minnows in color Monkey Milk or Electric Chicken. Target standing timber and trees under docks. Crappie are in spawn to post-spawn putting them in roughly 15ft-25ft of water. 

5/22/2025

Updated 5/22/2025

Water Information

  • Lake Level: 917.89 ft and rising
  • Lake Temperature: 70-75 Degrees Fahrenheit 

For more water information, visit Table Rock Lake US Army Corp of Engineers website.

Top Baits - Bass Fishing

The Shad Spawn is in full swing right now. With that, the best bite is first thing in the morning. Target shallow main lake and secondary points that have some sort of hard structure on them such as standing timber, bushes, and boat docks. The best bait for targeting these fish has been a spinnerbait. For colors any sort of white or White and Chartreuse has been the best.

There is also a bream spawn that has started. You can find this happening in ledge rock banks with gravel mixed. Target 4’-8’ of water with a variety of soft plastics such as a brush hog or a green pumpkin chatterbait.

The glide bait bite has been really hot. Target main lake transition banks that have ledge rock and gravel mixed. The fish are sitting in 4’-8’ of water. Wind can be a big factor in how well this technique works. The more wind the better.

Top Baits - Crappie Fishing

Live Crappie Minnows or soft plastic Swimming Minnows in color Monkey Milk or Electric Chicken. Target standing timber and trees under docks. Crappie are in spawn to post-spawn putting them in roughly 15ft-25ft of water. 

5/19/2025

Updated 5/19/2025

Water Information

  • Lake Level: 916.57 ft 
  • Lake Temperature: 65-68 Degrees Fahrenheit 

For more water information, visit Table Rock Lake US Army Corp of Engineers website.

Top Baits - Bass FishingWith the Full Moon, the shad spawn has started. You’ll want to be out before first light. As soon as the sun comes up this bite ends quickly. Target shallow gravel points or boat docks where you will see big schools of shad at the surface. Spinnerbaits, Topwater, and Glide Baits have been the best techniques for targeting these fish.The bite slows down a lot after the sun comes up. Stay in the same areas where you find the shad spawn in the mornings and pick up a Carolina Rig with a 3/8oz-3/4oz weight and your favorite senko style bait. The colors Green Pumpkin, and Watermelon Red haven been working the best. The fish have been setting up on main lake points in 15-25ft of water.The lake has come down to summer pool so there is not a ton of cover left in the water. What is left has been holding fish. Glide Baits have been working the best to draw these fish out of the cover. Overcast and windy conditions help this bite tremendously. With there being stained water in a good majority of the lake, Bone and Mossback have been the best colors.

Top Baits - Crappie Fishing

Live Crappie Minnows or soft plastic Swimming Minnows in color Monkey Milk or Electric Chicken. Target standing timber and trees under docks. Crappie are in spawn to post-spawn putting them in roughly 15ft-25ft of water. 

5/8/2025

Updated 5/8/2025

Water Information

Lake Level: 919.03 ft 

Lake Temperature: 65-68 Degrees Fahrenheit 

For more water information, visit Table Rock Lake US Army Corp of Engineers website.

Top Baits - Bass Fishing

The smallmouth bite continues to be the strongest and most consistent bite. The key is finding the cleaner water from State Park to point 5. Tubes and Ned Rigs in Green Pumpkin with orange are the best techniques for targeting Smallmouth. Target main lake gravel points in 10’-20’ of water. This bite should continue to stay strong with the amount of water the Corp is running through the lake.

There is a good shallow flipping bite in the mid to upper James and from the Shell Knob Bridge to the Upper Kings River. You have to fish around each day trying to find where the fish are located. Some days they are on main lake and secondary points the next they are in the very back of the creeks. The best baits have been the Netbait Magnum Finesse Worm in Green Pumpkin and the Missile Baits D Bomb in Green Pumpkin as well.

There is the beginning of a shad spawn. Target main lake and secondary points. The best baits to target these fish is with a Topwater Spook in bone color or a wake bait like the Strike King Wake Shad in a Sexy Shad Pattern. These fish will be from the edge of the bushes out to about 10’ of water.

Top Baits - Crappie Fishing

Live Crappie Minnows or soft plastic Swimming Minnows in color Monkey Milk or Electric Chicken. Target standing timber and trees under docks. Crappie are in spawn to post-spawn putting them in roughly 15ft-25ft of water.

5/1/2025

Updated 5/1/2025

Water Information

  • Lake Level: 919.05 ft 
  • Lake Temperature: 64-68 Degrees Fahrenheit 

For more water information, visit Table Rock Lake US Army Corp of Engineers website.

Top Baits - Bass Fishing

2.8" and 3.3" Keitech Swimbait in Pro Blue on main lake gravel points. This is mostly a smallmouth pattern. Fish are sitting in 10-20ft of water.

Tubes in Green Pumpkin or Mustard. Throw this in the same areas as the swimbait. Drag on the bottom slowly.

There is a topwater bite starting early in the morning. Find groups of bait fish from 1/2 way to the back of the creek. There seems to be a better chance of this bite taking place if there are bigger community docks.

Top Baits - Crappie Fishing

Live Crappie Minnows or soft plastic Swimming Minnows in color Monkey Milk or Electric Chicken. Target standing timber and trees under docks. Crappie are in spawn to post-spawn putting them in roughly 15ft-25ft of water.