Finally the lake is at summer pool 599.7. The water temps took a dive this week from 87 down to 76. The lake is very clear one end to the other and the bait remains shallow all over the lake especially the north end. I can’t remember a year I have seen it more abundant. Algae bloom coincided with lake rising all perfect timing. We are going to have some fat healthy fish in this lake for some time.

CRAPPIE…. Since the bait is shallow so are the crappie. I am still pounding on stumps all over the lake in the 6-12ft. range better ones shallow with wind on them. The cubes have fish in them as well but lots of small fish so you must move around a lot same with the stumps. You might get five over ten inches and three times that many shorts from each spot so action is not a problem. I am fishing for them two ways.

First…. My normal slip bobber rig which consists of 20lb. Suffix 832 hi-vis braid down to a barrel swivel and a leader of 15lb. Fluorocarbon line. A number four Tru-turn hook, a 1/4oz. weight and a slip bobber big enough to hold it up. I have been using three-inch Billy Bobs. My rig for twenty plus years. We snag a lot and with this rig I can get it free bend back the hook and keep going or it breaks at the floro. still easy to fix.

Second…A 14ft. BnM Diamond series rod with same braid and leader. I put on a barrel swivel and run a leader about two-feet long. I put a 1/2oz. weight on the bottom then go up a few inches and tie a loop knot and put on my Tru-Turn hook. The stiffer Floro allows the hook to hang a few inches off the main line. We use this rig in heavy wind simply because the slip bobber drifts by too fast. With the heavy weight on bottom you can simply let it fall back down and free most snags. Plus on my shallow spots the big fish are lying completely on bottom so the heavy weight tells me I am on bottom. Both rigs lots of minnows I generally get 10-15 dozen a day.

WHITE BASS….Usually August has them deep on ledges and a few are but for the most part they are following shad like the crappie are. This makes it a lot trickier than I have seen most August days. They are up on flats very early shallow working under schools of shad you can simply see everywhere. I am also fishing for them two ways.

First…. I am using my 5/8 spoon and a hair jig a foot above it. Casting up shallow and allowing it to go to the bottom. Then it is three cranks give it a solid pop and allow it to fall back to the bottom. They want a lot of action on it. Boy do they slam it as I have seen some pushing three pounds this year. Then we have been moving back to the drops once the sun gets high and casting both up and down the drop and perpendicular. The heavy spoon allows you to fish a lot of different depths. The trick is to get either a white on the hair jig then make a big white want that second bait. It is all about competition for the aggressive, hungry white bass. Bringing in two at once is why I love fishing for them and the fight and strike is as hard as any fish that swims.

Second….20lb. Suffix down to a barrel swivel and two feet of floro. A 1/4oz. Deep Ledge Jig on bottom then an 1/8oz. on top on a short loop. Both have two or three-inch twisters on them. Chartreuse or white are my go to colors. Same thing cast make a few cranks then stop for a second. Keep rod tip high since you are in shallow water.

I still have good combo trips left in both August on through early October. Then I switch back to just crappie fishing until I stop in early December. I also am down to just three days left on that destination trip to Kentucky Lake. November 5,6,7. I will be there nearly a month. Just look at my “Book a trip” section then give me a call at 217-840-1221

Steve Welch
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