The 5th Annual Toyota Bonus Bucks Owners Tournament is set to kick off on storied bass fishing gem Table Rock Lake on Oct 23. The bountiful oak, cedar and hickory trees which stand tall on the shores of the famed Missouri/Arkansas reservoir will show the effects of autumn’s arrival. Vibrant hues of yellow, red and orange will be stunning, but not stunning enough to take the attention off the bass feeding voraciously in the deep, clear waters of Table Rock.
Loyal Bonus Bucks participant and successful regional angler Jeremy Lawyer has racked up nearly $10,000 in contingency money since signing up for Bonus Bucks. Lawyer is registered and looking forward to competing in the upcoming Toyota Bonus Bucks Owners Event.
A Sarcoxie, Mo., native, Lawyer has grown up within an hour of Table Rock and has fished it virtually his whole life. From stalking Table Rock’s rocky shores as a youth searching for crappie with his family, to bass fishing competitively in large-scale regional tournaments, Lawyer is anything but a stranger to this body of water.
Ozark region fisheries can be notably fickle, but Lawyer insists the fall fishing on Table Rock is something tournament participants should be excited about.
“The best thing about Table Rock is that bass live from one end to the other, which you can’t say about every lake,” Lawyer proudly admitted. “If we get some cooler weather and the water temperatures dip down to around the 60 degree mark, the fishing should be fantastic.”
Anglers will catch bass in deep water, transition areas, and shallow water. The winning fish could truly come from any section of the lake.”
Table Rock Lake is known for fishing larger than it appears all year long, but in autumn “The Rock” fishes especially vast. The lake takes up about 50,000 acres at full pool and has an incredible 750 miles of shoreline for anglers to decipher. According to Lawyer, the diversity of the lake allows the possibility of the winning stringer to be caught from a wide array of places, both shallow and deep.
“This will be an event where I could see several strong bags of fish caught out deep with a football jig or a drop shot,” Lawyer prophesized. “But with it being fall I expect someone who is fishing up shallow to get a few big largemouth bites and win.”
Shallow bass can be targeted this time of year with reaction baits like topwaters, spinnerbaits or shallow-diving crankbaits. You just want to cover water and show the bass something resembling a shad.”
Last year’s Toyota Bonus Bucks Owners Event was held on famed Louisiana/Texas big-bass destination Toledo Bend, where it took a whopping 2-plus pounds to win the $5,000 grand prize in this no-entry fee format. While weights like this aren’t the norm at Table Rock, Lawyer ensures a five fish limit exceeding the 20-pound mark is not at all out of the question.
“I know of 23- and 24-pound limits being caught out of Table Rock in the fall,” Lawyer said. “Weights like that aren’t common, but I expect it to take around the 19-pound mark to win an event like this; with 13- or 14-pound limits getting anglers a good check.”
Team Toyota and Bassmaster Elite Series pros will be in attendance to meet and greet with participants. There is a guaranteed $5,000 for the first place finishers, as well as paychecks to the top 30 teams, and gift bags loaded with Team Toyota and Carhartt fishing gear. Add this to the central location, astonishing fall scenery, plus sensational fishing and you can see why Bonus Buck anglers are so excited for the 5th Annual Toyota Owners Event.
You can still register as long as you’re an eligible registered Bonus Bucks participant, with the exception of Bassmaster Elite Series and Walmart FLW Tour pros. Only one of the team members must be registered in the Bonus Bucks Program to be eligible to compete.
Registration for this event is set to close Monday Oct. 17. For more information, or to register, please call Kendell at (918) 742-6424, or email: bonusbucks@dynamicsponsorships.com. Online registration is also available at www.ToyotaFishing.com.