"REACHING OUTDOOR ENTHUSIASTS THROUGH OUR NETWORK OF OVER 350 WEB SITES"
stockton
May 23 2007
| Written By - Thompson Fishing Guide Service Thompson - 05/23/2007 | |
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Link to Original Article here |
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Walleye: Most of my walleye fishing in the last week has been from the Ruark Bluff area to the 215 bridge. These fish have been deep for the most part (around 30 feet) and I have been slowly drifting minnows on a ¼ oz jig. It is very important to bump the bottom with the jig as much as possible. As of this date, the walleye have been biting very lightly so you need to stay focused. Walleye seem to be hanging out in the mouths of main lake coves in the above areas. Late afternoon and early evening we have been catching keeper fish in around 15 feet of water. At
this time of day the walleye will move up and cruise the brush line
that you'll be able to pick up on your depth finder; back your boat
approximately a cast out from the brush line and fan cast the area with
Husky Jerks, Rattle Traps or any other type of minnow bait and you
should catch fish. Fish are also being caught around the dam and around State Park marina according to other fishermen I have talked to. Crawler harnesses with a 1/2 oz weight have also been working by slow trolling them over the fish you mark in the deeper water.
Largemouth bass: Old State Park, Googer Creek, and Son's Creek arm of the lake have been producing nice sized fish (2-3 pounds). These fish are caught in the backs of coves by flipping creature baits in the thickest cover that you can find. I use a 7 1/2 foot flipping rod with 20# test mono to get the fish out of the brush. Dark colors such as greens, blues and blacks work the best. Fish are also being caught in deeper water off the main lake points as the post spawn fish move into the summer pattern. In
these areas I use deep diving crank baits to bounce off the bottom or
10" plastic ribbon tailed worms; again, dark colors seem to work the
best. The top water bite is still hit and miss and it
seems that I get more bites with a top water bait that can stop and
then be started again. These seem to be a little more effective than Buzz baits. A Devil Horse is what I have been using lately to coax top water bass, but it is a good idea to experiment. Bass fishing overall has been fair. Another place to look is the bluffs around Cedar Ridge boat ramp.
Crappie fishing has been good from CC boat ramp down to the twin bridges. Most of the crappie in this area have already spawned and have moved back out into deeper water (around 25 feet). Find brush on secondary points and drift a minnow and ¼ oz jig. Like
the walleye, these fish have been biting very lightly for the most part
and if you are not focused on your rod tip, they will be there and gone
before you have a chance to set the hook. Crappie are also being caught at Price Branch and Maze Creek in the deeper timber. When
you fish Price Branch or Maze Creek, don't overlook the small coves in
these areas; fish will move up in shallow water here early and late to
feed on shad. Then you can use small crank baits, or chartreuse or white in line spinners.
White
bass fishing has been slow, but fish are being caught off main lake
bluffs in deep water by slow trolling Rooster Tails or Panther Martins
or vertical jig Cast Masters or Pepper Spoons. These fish have been spending the majority of their time in deeper water (around 30 feet). They
haven't really started to spread out and chase the shad in the shallows
yet, however, I always carry a rod loaded with a top water lure such as
a Chugger so I'll be ready when they do bust the top.
Channel cat fishing has been good just about anywhere you want to fish. Because
the lake level is up about 4 feet, bank fishing has become limited, but
if you'll look at the map, there are still places you can fish from the
shore. Night crawlers are the best bait now, but they are
being caught on chicken livers, fresh cut shad, and stink bait if
you're into that.
