I was just thinking about Christmas wish lists. I’m not someone who really needs a lot of stuff to be happy, so I think my wish this year would be for the perfect fun fishing day.
Now, I have to start out by saying that after a busy season with a lot of time on the road, “fun fishing” typically means close fishing. However, a lot of Oklahoma waters are flooded right now, so this year’s Christmas wish list trip would take place on Table Rock Lake.
This White River reservoir is about three hours from my house, but it would be worth the drive – especially right now when the lakes near where I live have a lot of high, cold water.
In the spring and summer, the rain would be a good deal, but not going into the second half of December. So, Table Rock is my choice, and I think that would offer a lot of opportunity for an enjoyable day of fun fishing.
There are a couple things I like in particular about Table Rock. First, from the dam to the White River, you can catch largemouth, smallmouth and spotted bass. It’s not like some lakes where smallmouth are only in one end and largemouth are mostly in other areas.
From end to end, you never know what you’ll have on the end of your line in Table Rock. You might even catch a walleye or two for dinner.
The other thing is that this is a good pattern lake, so once you figure something out you can literally just look at a map and run place to place.
I’ve acquired a few lures over the years, but if a family member or a friend asked me what gift I was wishing for this year, I’d have to say a Bandit 300 crankbait. That’s a great bait for a lake like Table Rock in December.
Bandit baits work right out of the package, and I can cover a lot of water with that bait – just what you need to do this time of year.
Okay, so if I got my wish for the ideal fishing scenario, here’s how it would go: The morning would start off cloudy and cool, with a north wind of about 10-15. Then we’d have the sun come out late morning and start raising that water temperature.
I’d want to start out throwing that Bandit 300 around wood and rock. Again, covering water is the key, but you can typically expect to catch a lot of fish that way.
I’d see myself doing that until about noon, and then I’d take a little siesta and have my lunch in the shade while I let that sun warm the backs of the pockets. I’d keep it simple with a ham and cheese sandwich, some chips, an oatmeal raisin cookie and a bottle of water.
Once I felt that the water had warmed up nicely, I’d start working the pockets with a 1/2-ounce green pumpkin Booyah Finance Jig and Black/Blue YUM Craw Papi trailer. With the sun out, those fish would pull up tighter and get on the structure where I can easily target them. This is true most anywhere, but it’s especially relevant in a clear water lake like Table Rock.
I’d look for 45-degree banks adjacent to deep water and fish shallow – maybe 5-6 feet. The fish will want someplace where they can warm up later in the day but still be able to get to that deep water quickly.
Off these banks, I might also throw a 4 1/2-inch Smithwick Rogue Elite 8. In the clear water, I’d go with a translucent color.
Overall, I’d expect the crankbait and the jerkbait to produce the numbers, but I’d look for the jig to yield the bigger fish.
I think that with decent weather, I could have a good day on Table Rock this time of year. Of course, a day of fun fishing is a lot more fun when you have someone to share it with you.
What would really make my Christmas wish list trip special would be to have my dad with me. Because I’m gone so much throughout the year, we don’t get to fish that much anymore.
I’d want him there for this trip.
If I made it home in time for dinner, I know what I’d wish for: We have this venison crockpot recipe with noodles and gravy. We could kick back and talk about the fishing day over a nice warm meal.
A good meal after a good day of fishing, with good company – that’s my Christmas wish.