1-800-777-2320

fishing guides - still waters resort - branson

Hello, my name is Tony Battaglia, I'm the retired owner of Still Waters resort and now have the privilage of being able to enjoy fishing more often. In the following report I will try to bring you up to date on the Bass fishing on Table Rock Lake
- Tony Battaglia, Owner, Still Waters Resort
Click here for Tony's "Almost Daily" Fishing Update

Tony's "As I see it Currently" Fishing Report
Click here for Tony's "Almost Daily" Fishing Update
The month of April is the start of some of the best bass fishing. When the water temperature starts to reach close to 45-50 degrees, the bass begin to move toward shallow water to spawn. April usually has some strong up and down weather cold fronts that tend to move the bass back toward deeper water. Whenever the water temperature drops 2 or more degrees due to these cold fronts. Some of the larger bass seem to always be caught during April and early May. May and Early June are usually the most productive months for quantity of bass caught. Note that bass can be caught anytime of the year on Table Rock Lake. Our lake never freezes. There is also good Crappie fishing in early spring and winter. There is great trout fishing on TaneyComo or Table Rock just below the dam.
Right now is a great time to start fishing table rock lake!
To All Novice Fisherman - Click Here
Personally "due to my age and health" I now fish often with professional guides and friends. If you're not a regular fisherman, I mean one that fishes very often, it would behoove you to hire a guide for a half or a full day. The guide supplies everything (all rods, tackle, professional bass boat and gas, everythign except food and beverage) The guide also knows how the bass are reacting and what baits they are currently hitting on. There is a guide list at our office and by clicking here.
Early in April, the bass were hitting on jerk stick baits, 5/16 brown jigs w/trailers, 3 & 4 inch tubes, carolina rigs, and grubs. Techniques change rapidly as the water warms up more and more that's where the guides daily fishing experience comes into play.

Latest Government Fishing Report For Table Rock Area
Tony and Son Andrew Battaglia Fishing on Table Rock Lake
This is a picture of one of my grand sons, Andrew Battaglia, with a few of our catch while out with a guide on April 15th. Thos spotted "Kentucky Bass" in the picture are in the 2.5-3lb class caught on jerk stick baits. On Monday, April 13th, I caught a 5lb small mouth on a brown jig.
That's All for now, for some really great bass fishing right now through
May is the BEST! Let's Go Fishing! - Tony Battaglia

© 2002 - Still Waters Resort - 21 Stillwater Trail - Branson, MO 65616
April 26, 2009
Tony Battaglia Fishing on Table Rock LakeIt's April 26th, today was very warm, about 78 degrees, and a very windy day. We had 20 to 30 mph winds on Table Rock Lake and the guide had his hands full controlling the boat all morning. We started out in the Indian point/Indian creek area and caught a couple of short bass throwing a stick jerk bait at the windy banks. After a half hour of that we moved out into the main lake to try to find some banks with fish on them. We fished another two hours or more moving from the long creek arm of the lake and then back to the main lake and only catching a few short bass. We then moved in the area of the old 86 camp ground to try it's cove's. Buster loving "my guide today" switched me to a Carolina rig with a fish doctor plastic worm and said “here try this for a while". On about my sixth cast I picked up what I thought for a moment was a snag until it started to pull back and hauled in a 5 pound large mouth. It was a beauty of a fish. We took pictures and put it back in the lake. I later said to buster jokingly we should have kept the big bass in the live well in case we caught another so we could have a picture of them both together. Since we only had a short time left of our four hour trip he came back with don't worry if we catch another like that my wife can fix the picture so it looks like we had them together. Wouldn’t you know with less than a half hour left on the trip, from a bank in little Indian creek I threw jerk bait out and another big large mouth grabbed it weighing 5 lbs. 11 ounces, larger than the first one? So the four hour trip turned out pretty good after all.
Back to Top

May 6-7, 2009
Hello again, On may 6th and 7th we went out and caught these nice small mouth bass on a variety of lures. We used stick jerk baits, tube gitsits, shaky worms and smoke color grubs. My friends and fishing partners were Dave Rawson and Roland Lizzarago and our guide was Mike Web. As usual we had a great time catching fish and talking big fish stories for four hours on our beautiful lake. Come on down, fishing is great on table rock lake.
Back to Top

May 9, 2009 - Click Here for a "Novice Fisherman's" experience
Novice Fisherman ON Table Rock LakeHello, this was sat may 9th and another good four hour morning of fishing on table Rock Lake. During today's fishing from early a.m. "6:30 till 8:30" we raised some nice action on points with under water trees using a red fin top water lure. Later from 8;30 till 10:30 we went to a shallow bar that was about 12 to 15 foot deep and caught some nice sized small mouth, spotted bass and a bunch of goggle eyes " rock bass", on Smokey grubs, tube gitsits and a shaky worm.
If you haven't fished table Rock Lake before, now is the time. All through the last half of April, the entire month of may and even into the first half of June is the most productive time. See pictures below see you on the lake for some great fishing.
Back to Top
Connell Insurance on Table Rock LakeMay 20, 2009
Here's Tim Connell ( of Connell Insurance) with Tony Battaglia after a beautiful morning of fishing with Mike Web as the guide on 5/20/09. We started the morning by getting into a mess of small schooling white bass and then switched over to fishing for black bass and caught two nice small mouth and a nice spotted bass. Tim also caught a large mouth that was almost 4 lbs it was still on the bed so we threw it back immediately, we also put the other two small mouth back after the pictures.
The white bass were caught on a small weighted treble hook spoon by either casting out to where they were surfacing or by dropping the spoon to the bottom then then giving quick short jerks about a foot from the bottom to look like a injured minnow and they grabbed the spoon. The black bass were caught with a Carolina rig and French Fry or Fish doctor plastic worm dragging it as slow as possible on the bottom.
This was another great day on beautiful table rock lake. See you out there fishing. Tony Battaglia
Back to Top
May 23, 2009 Fishing with my son Scott on Table Rock Lake
On Saturday morning, May 23rd, my son Scott had a chance to go out with guide Bill Beck and myself. We had a good time and a fair day catching about a dozen or so fish dragging a carolina rig and plastic worm, "French Fry". The fish were a little deeper, we caught fish in about 15 to 18 feet of water. Below are a variety of spotted bass small mouth and a white bass. Scott took home a few for a fish dinner. The fish are starting to pull back a little now. It won't be very long before the live night crawler fishing starts up and a good time to take youngsters, ladies or inexperienced fishermen to enjoy some fun. When the night crawler season begins all a person has to do is find some fish usually off the points or submerged humps about 20 to 25 feet down and drop a live crawler down to a few inches off the bottom to catch them.
It's been exceptionally beautiful on the lake this spring the generous rain fall brought on first the white service berry trees then the brilliant redbuds bloomed their purplish colors everywhere and then the dogwood trees dotted the hillsides with their beautiful large white blossoms and now everything is a lush green as far as you can see. It makes a person feel like your half way to heaven when your out there drifting on the lake.
Let's go fishing, it's great,
Tony Battaglia
p.s. Scott is about to be a grandfather for the sixth time which will make me a grand and great grand for the nineteenth time. Thank you, lord.
Back to Top
May 30, 2009 , Bill Beck and Tony Fishing on Table Rock Lake
On Saturday morning May 30th guide Bill Beck and i went out by ourselves 6:30 until 10:30 a.m. And caught these beauties on a variety of surface red fins early am, and then we switched to jigs, Carolina rigs and even drop shots. It looks like fishing should start as early as 6 am now that summer season is upon us and the boating traffic is picking up more and more. Bill caught a beauty of a small mouth on a jig that was about 4 lbs. We caught about 14 or 15 fish in all with 7 keepers. The white bass have been running and schooling recently but today we decided not to go after them.
Always good fishing,
Tony Battaglia
Back to Top
May 31, 2009 Fishing with David on Table Rock Lake
Sunday morning may 31st.
Hi, here's a picture of David Cate and I. David is an old wonderful friend for over 25 years. David used to sing in our little Italian restaurant entertaining our customers with his romantic voice while they dined. This was back when we first started in business here in Branson on Indian point over 32 years ago. David's wife Linda also worked with us helping as a waitress. We had many great evenings and fun times plus unforgettable memories during those fifteen years the restaurant was open.
The quaint little "Tony’s Italian Restaurant" not only served as a great place to dine but also was a wonderful place to meet for genuine friendly fellowship. It's one of my prayers that my family will build another fine establishment like that again in the future. The fishing guide on this beautiful morning was Buster Loving. We hit a bonus of schooling white bass just north of the dam and had about forty five minutes of excitement casting into them catching one on almost every cast. We fished for spotted or Kentucky bass after that catching a few on drop shots, jigs and Carolina rigs. It's getting very close to the time for drop shots and live night crawler fishing. The fish are beginning to pull back and school up off the points. All in all it was another great morning on the lake and I thank the Lord for every one he allows me to have.
See you on the lake, Tony Battaglia
Back to Top
June 6, 2009
Sat June 6th 2009 6: am til 10: am
Hi everyone,
It was another great day of fishing and fellowship on Table Rock Lake. We went out early with guide Bill Beck and friend and neighbor Sam Carlson our local Indian Point printer. Very early we found a few fish chasing shad for a short time and fished with red fin top water lures then we moved out on lake bars and dragged a Carolina rig and French fry for the rest of the time. We caught seven keepers and about ten non keepers.
As always my wish for you is to have many days of good fishing.
Tony Battaglia
Back to Top
June 6, 2009
Wednesday July 1st 2009 6: am til 10: am
Hi everyone,
Today was the first of July and we are still catching some nice bass on mid lake humps about thirty feet deep on drop shots and live night crawlers. This picture is of guide Bill Beck, my sisters 10 year old grandson and my nephew, Dominic Mastantuono, and of course me. We had a great morning from 6 til 10 am. We caught over thirty fish and 17 or 18 were keepers over 15 inches long. We kept a few for a fish fry and put the rest back for another fun day of fishing. Dominic enjoyed catching eight lunkers by himself, he could hardly crank them in they were so heavy.
Fishing is great on Table Rock Lake.
Tony Battaglia
Back to Top
June 27, 2009
These are some late pictures from a morning on June 27th with fishing buddy Dave Rawson and guide Tim page. We caught these dragging a Carolina rig and fish doctor off points in about 22 ft of water. It's summer now, July 12th, and the water is much warmer, we are having to go much deeper , about 30 to 40 ft deep on long points or humps out in the middle of the lake. Live night crawlers and small plastic drop shot worms are working to catch nice chunky 15 to 18 inch spotted Kentucky bass. We have been averaging about 20 fish caught in 4 early hours (6 to 10 a.m.) With half of the fish being 15 inches or better in size.
We've had a great time fishing this spring and early summer. Just being out on the lake with many friends and the guides who also have become good friends and fishing partners. The days are getting very hot to be out very long any more especially after 10 am so the Lord willing I probably wont fish very much until late fall again. That doesn't mean you can't catch nice size fish all summer because they are here and can be caught year round. So come out and take my advice and try going out with a guide for a half day especially if your not acquainted with fishing Table Rock Lake. I guarantee you will have a fun experience and learn a lot about our lake.
See you out on there where "fishing is great on Table Rock Lake."
Tony Battaglia
Back to Top