Lake Level: 913.49
Water Clarity: Mostly Clear, Upper James to Point 9
Water Temp: 42 to 46 degrees

Bass

The bass fishing has still been very spotty, at best, good on some days and slow on others. There are a couple of patterns working, when the fish are cooperating and want to bite. The Drop Shot Rig is still producing some fish on longer flat points that are associated with the main lake. These bass are being caught between 10 and 30 feet and are on the bottom near some type of structure. The main baits have been minnow type baits like Berkley Power Bait 2” Drop Shot minnow and Berkley Twitch Tail Minnow. Natural Shad colors seem to be the best offerings. The shad schools are moving and the fish are attacking those schools as the move around the fish holding areas.

 

Another active pattern is the use of jigging spoons, Dixie Jet 1/2” size in Gold, Chrome and White jigged around standing timber on lake-channel swings and main lake extended points. This bite also is working in 25 to 60 feet of water around the Shad Schools. Ice Jigs and Rapala Jigging Raps also have been working in these areas; again natural colors and patterns seem to be best. These fish are being located with electronics to find the large Shad schools that are moving. The lures are then then jigged around and under those schools of shad. These fish are usually Spotted Bass and tend to be smaller in size. This pattern will sometimes produce some nice size fish; you just have to be patient and sort through the smaller fish.

 

The A-Rig fished slowly in the 25 to 35 foot range has produced the occasional good stringer of fish. These fish seem to be following shad schools on channel swing banks and bluff points. The rigs have been baited with 3 ½” swim baits in natural colors. Recently the A-Rig has been producing some shallow fish, because of the warmer temps and the wind pushing some of the bait fish shallow. Some nice size fish have been caught on shallow gravel points and on some secondary points in deeper coves and creeks. The depth range has been between 12 and 20 feet. The rig has to be fished slowly three to four feet off the bottom. Sometimes you may not feel a hard hit, the rig may raise up or just get heavy when the bite comes.

 

Blue Gill

This bite has not changed a lot, Blue Gill are visible around boat docks in direct sunlight. During those sunny days the fish are holding in 8 to 10 feet of water and will still come to the bait. Marabou Jigs with nibbles attached or small J-tail jigs or live crawlers still catch the fish.

Crappie

There has been a really nice crappie bite going on. The fish are being caught around deeper brush piles and standing timber on main lake flats in approximately 15 to 25 feet. The best baits have been crappie jigs (Marabou in natural colors). Sometimes the anglers are tipping the jigs with a crappie nibble. Also Swimming Minnows (Bobby Garland Brand 2” size) moved around on those same locations. Recently some good stringers have been caught in 12 to 18 feet of water on shallow secondary creek points. There seems to be a lot of large shad schools moving into those creeks and the crappie are right in there with those schools.

Walleye

The Walleye bite has been really spotty, an occasional fish can be caught around shad schools while bass fishing with Rapala Jigging Raps or Ice Jigs under the Shad Schools once the Angler locates those schools.