Lake temperatures are in the low 50s. Lake levels have risen after last week’s rain and the lake is right around 1,058 feet or 13-feet below the full pool of 1,071 feet. The main lake is clear and the creeks are clear to stained. The Chattahoochee River is clear. Check generation schedules before heading out to the river at 770-945-1466.
Please note: I will be performing a seminar and tank demos at noon Sunday at Bass Pro Shops. Please stop by and say hello!
The warmer weather is coming in this week and fishing should really pick up. The recent rains and the warm water temperatures have brought bass in shallow. Fishing from the bank or a boat can make catching them easier.
This is the time of year to start experimenting with many different types of bait, and then pay attention to what works. We in the trade call this “junk” fishing. This term simply means that you can get bites on a variety of lures and bait.
Try starting your day by fishing a jerk bait, spinner bait or lipless crank bait around spawning coves midway in the main lake creeks or up in the rivers. If you find that the bass prefer one lure to another, I recommend sticking with that pattern until they quit bitting.
I have caught a lot of spotted bass and even a few largemouth in the shallow waters this week on SPRO McSticks and SPRO Aruku Shads. Other lures like Zoom Flukes, Rooster Tails and Rattle Traps will also work well.
Pay attention to the coves and banks that get the most sun, the water will be slightly warmer in these areas.
North West banks tend to be better this time of year. Plankton and baitfish will also congregate in this warmer water and that will attract all of the predator fish like crappie, stripers and bass. Fish will react to very slight changes in temperature so watch your Humminbird Electronics to find the areas that are one- to three-degrees warmer than main lake.
Many other lures and live bait will produce this week. Skip a finesse worm on a jig head around the docks. Cast small crank bait between the docks and pay special attention to clay banks with stumps or brush piles. Live medium minnows are very inexpensive at Hammond’s Bait and Tackle. You can fish these under a float to almost guarantee success.
This report is brought to you by Shane Watson Guide Service and Hammond’s Fishing Center. Over the last week or so, many of the stripers in our lake have moved very shallow.
Our boats are catching stripers on free-lined bluebacks, lead head flukes, and buck tail jigs.
Many of the better-size fish are up in 3-to-6 feet of water in the rear to the middle of most creeks.
The warmer weather coming in the next few days will raise the surface temps and more stripers will move up shallow. This will make the striper fishing very good.
We are still seeing boiling fish at times, but most of our fish have been caught by blind free-lining bluebacks and casting flukes or buck tails to as many banks as possible.
The recent rain and snow has opened up Six Mile Creek boat ramp. When we get to 1,058 feet there will be a good size group of ramps that will re-open.
Our water level right now is higher than it has been in a year and a half.
Crappie fishing is also very good right now.
Like the bass, crappie can be caught on a variety of lures including crappie jigs, Micro Spoons, small crank baits and inline spinners.
Target wood cover and docks in the midway or into the backs of the creeks for your best results. Trolling, shooting docks and casting out from the banks are all worth a try this week.
Small crappie minnows will work very well fished 5-feet or less under a bobber around docks with brush.
The trout fishing on the Chattahoochee River is good. The DNR continues its spring stocking efforts. There are a bunch of newly released, ignorant trout that have never seen a lure or bait, so now is a great time to head for the river. Use small Rooster Tails or live bait where permitted to catch a quick limit this week!
Check out my website at www.aldrichfishing.com
Eric Aldrich is a part time outdoor writer, bass fisherman and a member of Humminbird’s, SPRO, Gamakatsu, Tru Tungsten and Hammond’s Fishing Center Pro Staff. Reports are based on personal experience and permission from a close network of friends. If you would like to email him please do so at esaldrich@yahoo.com. Remember to take a kid fishing!