Largemouth & Smallmouth Bass:

Bass fishing is improving daily as warmer weather hits the region. The fish are mostly in pre-spawn mode depending where you are on the lake. Areas of the main lake that are protected from colder North winds maintain water temperature throughout the day and are good areas to be in. West facing rocky zones are the first to receive sunlight in the morning and warm up faster. These rocks will retain heat and start growing the algae and moss that are the building blocks of the food chain. The Fish Arm has been fishing well as are the areas to the East of Kong Island in the Ski Arm. Rocky main-lake points and transition areas between points and bluffs are good places to start. Dropshot and Carolina rigged finesse plastics continue to rule as the fish are not quite in the chasing stage. Wacky rigged stick worms like the C3 Baits Slim Pro or Yamamoto Senko are also good choices along the bluffs and transition zones leading up to rocky points. The fish are mostly spread out in the five to fifteen foot zone. Smallmouth Bass have been active and some bigger Largemouth are starting to show as well. The water is clear so transluscent colors have been the way to go. Natural Shad, Halogram Shad, Watermelon Candy and Purple Smoke will get bites no matter what bait you decide to use.

Striped Bass:

Anglers are still waiting for the cut bait bite to get going up at the buoy line at the end of the Ski Arm. Huge amounts of water continue to come in from the forebay keeping water temps down. The trolling bite is getting better as of late with fish being caught on umbrella rigs or KastMasters on four to five colors of lead core line. The area around Kong Island, Center Point and the North side of the Fish Arm are good places to start. Most of the fish are spread out along the shoreline dropoffs in twenty to thirty feet of water. Windy afternoons seem to the best time to target the Stripers.

Lake Conditions:

Water Clarity – 10′

Zero debris

Lake level: Down about 25 – 30′

Lake Hours:

Open @ 6:30 am

Off water @ 6:30 pm

Jim – www.661Fishing.com