If you would like to have a free set up sheet for your sonar, send me an e mail to kensturdivant@earthlink.net and ask for the “Sonar Setup Quick List”.

Black bass fishing is slow. With the cold waters lakewide the fish have moved even deeper. Most of the fish are at least 20 feet or deeper. Try a Carolina rig in the channel bends right off ledges with fast drops in the mid lake area. Use jigging spoons and a 5/8 ounce white Flex-it is the best bet. Also use a small 4" tube bait in green pumpkin and work the deeper brush and old log jams in the creek mouths. The bites are sluggish and it’s just old weather fishing. Down lake, concentrate on areas where the channel ledges break off into deep water in a hurry. And, the sharper the drop off, the better. Be sure to downsize your line to eight or ten pound test. Look for a warm up soon and the fishing will improve this coming week. Also keep a jig and pig ready and all black will work. Id lake docks might get a big bite during the feeding periods.

Spotted bass fishing is fair. There are some fish shallow at 3 to 18 feet and some fish deep to 40 feet. There are some fish shallow when there is a warm up and the sun finally comes back out. The spots are hanging in and around the deep trees and old log jams left when the lake was built. Small Bitsey Bug jigs in greens and browns are fair just fish them with a slow jigging style technique. Small shiners have been fair around deep marina docks and some good fish are there for the action. Use small hooks and put the sinker or small spilt shot only an inch or so up the line from the hook. Whether spotted bass fishing or for largemouth, vertical jigging and drop shot rigs are the best baits for anglers who venture out on those cold days. You will find the majority of these fishermen on the southern end of the lake. Drop shot rigging these baits work well on an 18 to 30 inch rig with a 3/16 ounce drop weight on 10 pound Sufix line on a size 30 spinning reel. Add the spoon and later each day go to the deeper brush piles and on main lake points.

Striper fishing has been on and off depending on the day. Some fish bite one day the next day they are just plain slow. There seems to be no reason for the unusual activity but cold water and finicky weather may be to blame. Use several sizes of baits from herring to trout and small and medium shiners and use both flat lines shallow on feeding periods and down lines when you find sea gulls out over open water. Fishing has been unpredictable, but down lines between 35 to 45 feet deep over 60 to 70 feet of water have been fair from day to day. There is no top water activity but keep an eye on the gulls. If they are diving and feeding heavily put out a free lined bait or cast to the area with a buck tail. In this situation, both the ripping and suspending versions of the Storm Wildeye Swim Shads in the shad or pearl phantom color are a good bet. The umbrella rig bite has been good and it’s allows anglers to cover a lot of water and search out these fish as they move around the lake. This has the potential and is a good way to cover a lot of water and pick up some fish. www.stripersurvey.com

Crappie fishing is slow. So if its crappie you are looking for, the cold snap has slowed the crappie bite down to a crawl at best. Wait a week or so until the sunnier warmer days return.