About Table Rock Lake
photo credit: jwalton4th
Table Rock Lake is a man made lake or reservoir in southwestern Missouri and northwestern Arkansas formed by the damming of the White River in 1958 by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers. It can be accessed by several public and privately owned locations, being situated close to the west of Branson.
It is one of the tourist attractions of Branson, Missouri. Along the lake there are numerous commercial marinas, while the Table Rock State Park is situated both north and south of the east side of the Table Rock Dam. The various commercial developments in the area preserved the charming beauty of the shoreline, forests and natural wildlife spread along the shoreline.
Downstream from the dam, there is a fish hatchery, operated by the Missouri Department of Natural Resources and used to stock trout in Lake Taneycomo.
The initial reason for the lake was the flood control on White River. The Lake has a fluctuation of 16 feet and when the lake exceeds the maximum flood pool the excess water is discharged over the auxiliary overflow spillway at the north side of the dam.
Table Rock is well-known as a top bass fishing lake, being the home for numerous largemouth, smallmouth, Kentucky spotted bass and white bass, crappie, large bluegill and catfish of all sizes. In case you in for tournament fishing, a large number of tournaments are held on Table Rock Lake every year, even an important B.A.S.S. tournament.
Here are some facts about Table Rock Lake:
- lake area temperature according to season: spring – 56 to 77 °F, summer – 85 to 90 °F; autumn – 71 to 82 °F; winter – 42 to 47 °F;
- the dam is 6,423 feet long and 252 feet high;
- around 750 miles of shoreline;
- flood control pool – 52,300 acres;
- normal pool – 43,100 acres;
- Table Rock Dam and Powerhouse was completed in 1959;
- it has 4 power generating units.
