Recent rains in the Branson, Mo., area have the water levels rising once again. Fishing fans may remember that the 2011 Walmart FLW Tour event scheduled for Table Rock Lake had to be canceled due to severe flooding. Last year, Table Rock was 20 feet above full pool at one point. Presently the lake is a more reasonable 4 feet above normal.

According Rich Gamble, owner of Ozarks Bait & Tackle in Kimberling City, Mo., the second Major of the season is shaping up to be a slugfest.

“It ought to be awesome,” Gamble said of the upcoming tournament. “There are both fish being caught shallow and deep. There will be water in the bushes to flip and I’m sure some of the pros will fish them. They just look too inviting.”

Gamble said the lake was on the verge of a major spawn until the rain arrived. Currently, the main lake is back down to 57 degrees with most of the major creek arms in the low 60s.

“The forecast is calling for four straight days of sunshine and temperatures in the upper 70s. That should trigger the shallow fish to spawn and the deep, staging fish to move up and be on the verge.”

However, Gamble doesn’t believe this will solely be a sight-fishing tournament. The recent showers brought some stain to the water and any beds that were already created are now deeper and much more difficult to see. Plus, there are several other patterns working.

“People are catching them on Wiggle Warts, they’re catching them flipping and there’s even a topwater bite starting. And yes, they’re still catching them on the A-rig. I had a guide catch an 8-pounder on it just yesterday.”

From a Fantasy Fishing perspective, I think the most newsworthy item is the water in the bushes. When Ozark lakes flood, it tends to favor power fishermen. For that reason, I’m taking clear-water specialists Cody Bird and Luke Clausen off my roster and adding Randall Tharp and Jay Yelas.