KVD: Keep an eye on Table Rock

I’ll be keeping an eye on the Open at Table Rock – I’ve probably spent more time on that lake than any other that the Bassmaster Elite series visits.

The Bassmaster season is winding down with only a couple of Opens left on the schedule.

While some anglers are still trying to fish their way into the Bassmaster Classic through the opens, it remains a busy offseason for the rest of us. I’ve spent a lot of time filming TV shows for the upcoming season, doing commercials and traveling to media events around the country.

But this week I’ll be keeping an eye on the Open at Table Rock. I’ve probably spent more time on that lake than any other that the Bassmaster Elite series visits. That’s largely because my longtime sponsor, Bass Pro Shops, is nearby, and a lot of functions are held at Big Cedar Lodge on Table Rock.

I was down there two weeks ago for an Anheuser Busch promotion. The lake can be tough this time of year, but this year it is setting up pretty good. I’ll be curious to see how this Open pans out compared to how the lake fished when I was there.

Table Rock has experienced high water most of this summer and has had more stain to it than you normally see there.

Due to the high volume of water moving through the lake it never got a thermocline. Because of that and limited water clarity, there is no reason to fish deep.

The lake has had excellent spawns in recent years and a huge forage base. When I was there a tremendous number of fish were in that 4- to 10-foot zone, even down on the dam end where the water is normally clear and the fish live deep. I saw a lot of schooling activity in the pockets where the smallmouth, spotted bass and largemouth were chasing pods of shad in that shallower zone.

Because of what I saw, I think this tournament is setting up to be a slugfest assuming there is a little wind blowing to cut down on light penetration and pull the bass shallow and into a feeding mode.

There was a good crankbait bite in 4 to 10 feet two weeks ago, and I expect it to be just as good. We caught a ton on the Strike King 3XD in red or brown crawfish colors.

I also saw bigger largemouth targeting the larger gizzard shad in the shallower water. That’s when I like to throw a big willow leaf spinnerbait that has a larger profile and slow roll it off the wind banks. It’s a great way to catch the larger, isolated largemouths.

I think the guys who fish big spinnerbaits or big square bills can catch that 13- to 17-pound daily average and win.

Because it’s such a good fishery, it’s easy to get caught up in other patterns, like chasing schooling spots, drop-shotting deep timber or fishing small crankbaits around the bank for keeper smallmouth. To win, I think you have to target the bigger largemouth and in the process will catch good quality spotted bass and smallmouth.

The last time the Elites were there, Kevin Short won throwing a square bill, which is a great way to catch them when there’s not much wind and they aren’t biting a spinnerbait.

It will be interesting to see how it plays out. I’ll be anxiously following the action and see if any of the Elite anglers win and get their ticket punched for February’s Classic on Grand Lake, Okla.

Remember, it’s all about the attitude!

Kevin VanDam’s column appears weekly on Bassmaster.com. You can also find him on Facebook and Twitter.