Fishing Report
Gibson County Lake
Water temperature: mid 40s
Bass: “The bass have been hitting square bills in three-to-five-feet of water, and umbrella baits out deep,” Trenton’s Brent Smith said. “The water at the Gibson County. lake is still muddy and very high.”
Pickwick Lake
Water temperature: lower 40s. Elevation: 410 feet
Bass: “Nothing much has changed over the past few weeks,” Clagett Talley said. “For the most part, bass fishing will be slow. This time of year is good for catching quality fish, but often, you can’t expect to catch a lot of fish.”
Clagett, a tour guide from Savannah, recommends keeping it pretty simple while covering as much water as possible, while moving your bait slow.
“Carolina rigged Strike King Rage Craws work well,” Clagett said. “A Series 3 crank bait in red colors also works well.
“Just remember, when cranking a crank bait – keep it slow. Rock bluffs and grassy areas are still holding fish (and) I look for smallmouth to start biting better over the next few weeks.”
Stripers: Clagett said stripers can be found throughout the river and lake.
“It is just hard to fish for them right now,” Clagett said. “You can occasionally catch some on deep-diving Strike King Series 6XD Crank baits around the Dam.
“The good news is, stripers will bite better and better from this point on. Over the next few weeks I expect to see some of the biggest stripers I will see all year and numbers will increase after that.”
Sauger: “A lot of fishermen stop sauger fishing around this time of year, either because they think it is over or because they switch to bass fishing, which I understand, but this is my favorite time to go sauger fishing.”
Clagett said he usually catches better quality fish and more keepers than he does in the previous months.
“For some reason, it seems like sauger are not as picky when it comes to what you tip your jig with (such as) a minnow or some kind of plastic bait, so naturally I will (select) a plastic bait and it performs well.”
Clagett said the standard way of fishing with a sauger jig in water as shallow as 15-feet or 60-feet deep will continue to work throughout March.
“Look forward to catching them on crank baits in the next few weeks,” Clagett said.
Want more from the “Mayor of Pickwick Lake?” Give Clagett Talley a call at (731) 607-5266, or visit him online at pickwickareaguide.com
Kentucky Lake/Lake Barkley
Water temperature: mid 40s. Water color: murky
“It has turned winter again for us, but every day is getting closer to spring,” Darrell Van Vactor said. “Kentucky and Barkley lakes are at 359.5 feet, which is five feet over winter pool, but they are finally falling back at the rate of .8 feet per day.”
Darrell, the operations manager at Crappie USA/Cabela’s King Kat Trail in Benton, Kentucky, said the lakes should return to winter pool at 354 feet within a week.
“TVA is scheduled to start the lakes to rise to summer pool beginning the first of April, but we all know that TVA will drop the bottom out of them to stay at winter pool,” Darrell said. “Until that day, it is a shame, since we might have a much needed heavy crappie and bass spawn – if they were to leave them alone for a couple of weeks.”
Bass: “Bass are hitting well around private docks on spinner baits and square bill cranks in shad pattern, as well as on secondary points using jerk baits and jigs,” Darrell said. “A few really good smallmouth are being caught on the east side off the deeper main lake points using deep running rouges and jigs.”
Crappie: “They are being caught in decent numbers in the mouths of the larger bays using Red/White tube jigs tipped with minnows, and by slow trolling minnows in 17-to-24-feet of water,” Darrell said. “Fish are suspended around 12-feet deep in the afternoons rather than holding close to the cover as they are early.”
Darrell said a few good size fish are beginning to show up, but not in great numbers.
“There are still a lot of 9 1/2 inch fish like we were seeing in the fall,” Darrell said. “But, they don’t appear to have grown over the winter and many are still real thin.”
Bluegill and Redear: “They are not showing up yet,” Darrell said. “But a few yellow and white bass are being caught by the crappie anglers on minnows.
“Be careful on the water, since there is still a tremendous amount of floating debris all over the lakes.”
(PHOTO: Lake Graham, Jackson)
David Thomas, Twitter – @DavidThomasWNWS
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