Lake temperatures are around 80 degrees and the water level is up thanks to Tropical Storm Faye. The lake is around 15.6-feet below full pool, which is up over two feet from last week. The Chattahoochee River is clear and cool.
The heavy rains and cooler- than -normal air temperatures have made bass fishing OK.
The topwater bite can happen any time of day, so keep a SPRO Dawg 100 or 125 tied on in case the fish come up schooling.
I have been catching some good spotted bass on the topwater plugs all day long.
In addition to the topwater action there has also been a good shallow water bite this week.
Work a Texas rigged or Tru Tungsten Ikie Spike Jig Head worm and cast it up close to the banks that have deeper water close by. Target main-lake points and pockets near the creek mouths. This shallow bite is rather unusual for this time of summer, but the bass in the skinny water are easier to catch.
Other lures will also work OK.
Medium- to deep-diving crank baits are working well day and night.
Make sure you dig these baits into the rocks and bottom, as this will trigger bass to bite.
I often throw a deep-diving plug that will run 14- to 17-feet deep, and work it in water less than 10-feet deep so that I can keep in constant contact with the bottom.
A lot of your strikes will occur when the crankbait deflects off logs and rocks. Fishing with spottail minnows has been working all summer but they have been a little tougher to catch.
Try buying some medium minnows from Hammond’s Bait and Tackle to save the trouble of finding good bait.
Fish these minnows on a flat or downline around the same areas as mentioned above.
Nothing much has changed on the stripers.
The downline bite has been very good out over the main channel down 40- to 80-feet deep over an 80- to 130-foot bottom.
The trolling bite has also been very good in these areas.
We are trolling 27-lb. lead core with Captain Mack’s (or SPRO) 1 oz.-chartreuse and blue jigs with a 4.5-inch Shadalicious paddle tail.
Keith Pace reports that crappie fishing is still slow.
Fishing after dark has been best. Stay around the bridges and deeper lighted docks and continue to downline crappie minnows or spottail minnows at around 10- to 15-feet. He says that Two and Four Mile Creeks have been holding some decent slabs.
Trout fishing is better in the mornings.
Small Rooster Tails, Rapalas, dry flies and live worms (where permitted) will all produce a limit of trout.
Eric Aldrich is a part time outdoor writer, bass fisherman and is sponsored by Humminbird, SPRO, Gamakatsu, Tru Tungsten and Hammonds Fishing and Boat Storage. Reports are based on personal experience and permission from a close network of friends. He would love to hear from his readers so please email him at esaldrich@yahoo.com or visit his Web site at esaldrich.tripod.com. Remember to take a kid fishing!