The Lake is now at it's lowest point of the year so boating close to shore you need to exercise caution due to the shallow water. Water temps continue to drop with the colder nights and is starting out at 60 degrees in the mornings. The artificial bite has slowed considerably but with patience and covering water you can have success working a jig with a crawdad type trailer around the rocky areas and docks.

Deep diving crankbaits such as the new one by Strike King has been a key bait for the tournament people that worked the lake hard for the month of October. Swimbaits such as the top hook Osprey and the locally made "Trash Fish" are also putting fish in the boat. Again these baits require that you stay with them, work them slowly over the bottom contours bumping into any rocks, structure you can find. Catching 5 to 8 fish for a days outing using artificial baits has to be called a "good" day as we go into the colder water temps. The bass are keying in on the massive schools of silver side minnows and are following the bait. You have to find the areas holding the bait in order to have any success with the bass. They can be in an area one day and then gone the next day.

October saw the lake and the bass getting hard with one major tournament after another for each week in October. Those are over now and boat traffic on the lake is almost non existent during the week and very light even on weekends. With the low water level, the docks on the North end of the lake have very little water on them so most of the action and most of the fisherman are working mid lake to the South arms. The minnow bite has kicked into high gear and my customers have been averaging 10 to 15 fish up to 7 pounds for the past couple of weeks for a five hour trip. (Rigged on a drop shot rig fishing deeper water) That bite will remain strong all the way into next year through April. Fishing with minnows at this time of the year will also result in a lot of catfish getting caught. With most of them in the 8 to 15 lb class, they have provided some hard fighting action for those who like to play with them. If fishing with live bait is not your thing, get one of the Strike King deep diving crankbaits, tie on a swimbait such as the top hook osprey or a huddleston, tie on a 1/4 oz, 3/8ths, or 1/2oz jig with your favorite trailer, using these three baits, covering water, working rocky areas combined with ledges and drop off's and you have a chance of landing a trophy size bass. Of course you have to work hard, it won't come easy, and practice catch & release.

God Bless,
Bob