Stripers- The umbrella rig bite seems to be producing well. We are using the nine-bait Mack Farr umbrella and fishing it between 130 and 170 feet behind the boat at 2.8 mph. Focus on the creeks below Browns Bridge. The best creeks that I have found are Flat, Balus and Orr Creek. There is also a good downline bite up the lake but it has been an early am bite for the most part. Your best bet, in my opinion, is to cover as much water as possible from the back to the mouth of major creeks on the lower end with the u-rig. If you mark a good concentration of fish, you can always turn around and drop bait to them. The few Stripers that we have caught on live bait have been boated using medium shiners. A close second has been Blue Backs and then Trout. When using live bait this time of year, I will use two downlines and two flatlines. The flatlines are run out about 60 feet behind the boat and the down lines are set at 20 and 30. I adjust depths depending on where I am marking the fish. If the fishing is really slow, I will up the odds by adding a couple of planer boards and two more down lines.
Bass- The bass fishing has been slow for the most part. The spoon bite has not been as strong this year as it has been in the past. Most of our bigger spots are coming off of jigs, finesse worms and med shiners. Take a Ľoz brown or black jig and tip it with a green or red craw trailer. Flip and pitch this around marina docks and bounce it across roadbeds where you have marked fish. Don't forget to check the creek channels and ditches in 35 feet of water. Whatever your preferred pattern is, don't forget to fish painfully slow. Also, concentrate on water that warms up quicker than the surrounding areas. Red clay and rocks are two areas to keep an eye on.
Crappie- Shooting docks is still producing but I have had to drop down to a 1/32oz to get bit. The cooler water temp has the fish holding tight and not chasing bait for more than a foot or two. The best presentation is to get over them and vertically jig. You can control the rate of fall and basically finesse them into biting. I have also found a decent concentration of fish up in the main river. Deep holes are holding fish. Concentrate on a good bend in the river, get to the outside, deep part, of the bend and fish right off the bottom with small jigs tipped with minnows.
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