Lake Temperatures are in the mid 80’s. The lake is dropping about an inch a day and we are down 14.5 feet at 1056.5. If we don’t get significant rain we will probably hit a new record low lake level this year.
The water is stained on the weekends from boat traffic and lightly stained-to-clear during the week. The Chattahoochee River is clear.
Bass fishing remains pretty much the same as last week and the bass are biting well. Stay way off the banks when targeting the better fish. Start out by positioning your boat in water that is 40- to 60-feet deep and cast topwater plugs like a SPRO Dawg 100 to humps or points that have brush piles sunk at 15 feet or deeper.
The spotted bass are feeding on blueback herring that are out roaming around and this action can appear at anytime during the day. Unlike last week, it seems some of the most consistent schooling action is happening in the mornings before 11.
If the bass are not schooling, then move your boat shallower and vertically fish the brush piles with a jig or drop-shot rig. The spotted bass are in the brush piles and standing timber edges at 20 to 35 feet.
If you wish to guarantee success, then net up some spot-tail minnows and fish these on a down line around brush and timber at 25-feet deep.
The striper fishing is good. Start out the day in the mouths of the creeks and river channels where the standing timber joins the channels. Use down-lined blueback herring and put your baits down around 30 feet over the channels or in the creek mouths. Change up if you see fish at a different level. Keep an eye on your Humminbird electronics to give away the best locations.
The stripers are ganged up in pretty tight schools so keep moving if you don’t get bites pretty quickly. Trolling a two-ounce SPRO Buck tail jig on lead core line at seven to eight colors has started to produce well during the days. Make sure to keep your boat moving at around 2 to 2.5 miles an hour. Tipping these jigs with a large curly tail grub or live blueback herring will greatly increase your odds.
Try night fishing with a Hydra-Glow light and down lines in the creek mouths. Check in with Hammond’s for up to date reports and great prices on all your fishing needs.
Crappie fishing is still good and the fish are on the docks in the brush piles at 15 to 25 feet. Keith Pace, owner of Micro Spoons has been shooting small jigs and spoons up under the deeper docks with brush.
He lets these light lures fall all the way to the bottom and works them back to the boat with a slow steady retrieve. If you’re not occasionally getting hung up in the brush, then you’re not fishing deep enough. The bridges and lighted boat docks are still producing crappie at night.
Trout fishing is great on the Chattahoochee River and just about any method will work right now. I saw live-bait anglers and fly anglers catching trout in the tailrace of the dam this week. Small red wigglers (where live bait is permitted) fished below a Ú-ounce split shot on light line will work in the current. Dry flies and Rooster Tails are producing well just about anywhere on the river.
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. Please email him at esaldrich@yahoo.com or visit his esaldrich.tripod.com. Remember to take a kid fishing.