Lake Eufaula Fishing Report – July 2007

Eufaula: Level: 2 feet below normal pool. Temp: Mid 80. Clarity: As clear as it gets.

Bass: Good. Billy Darby said the bass are on the ledges in 15 to 18 feet of water, and he said to catch them fishing a Carolina rig. He also said a Mann’s 20+, in pearl with a green back, will catch some big bass when cranked on the downstream side of humps when the corps is pulling water. Billy said he caught an 8-pounder and a 7-pounder last month fishing this pattern with the same lure. If neither of these patterns are on, Billy will resort to pitching brushpiles in the coves with a Texas-rigged, curly-tail worm in dark pumpkin with purple flakes. He has had some luck on brushpiles in 12 to 15 feet of water.

Linesides: Good. Billy said the morning topwater bite has slowed from excellent to good. He is still catching good-sized hybrids that are pushing shad up onto shallow sandbars. He said the hydrilla is so thick that it’s tough to fish with anything other than a spinnerbait or a ChatterBait, but when the hybrids are on they’ll bite anything white. “The only thing those hybrids will hit is white,” he said. If you can find them schooling and pushing up shad in areas where there is less hydrilla, Billy said to try a lipless crankbait in pearl or chrome with a blue or black back. Trolling the south ledge where the river crosses the lake between Moccassin Slough and White Oak Creek has also produced some fish. Billy said the fish are hanging right on the break where the water drops from about 15 feet down to 60 feet. A Mann’s 15+ Stretch in Grey Ghost is Billy’s go-to lure for the trolling bite. See page 68 for a full feature on Eufaula summertime hybrids.

Crappie: Excellent. The crappie are holding in brushpiles near ledges in about 18 feet of water, Billy said. He is also having luck fishing ledges with natural timber. A 1/4-oz. spoon dropped to stumps, roots or trees is producing fish right now, and brushpiles should be fished with a minnow dropped straight down on an extension pole to avoid hang ups.

Bream: Good. The shellcracker are biting well, but they are no longer on the beds, Billy said. They are scattered on submerged roadbeds or humps in 10 to 12 feet of water. As always, crickets and worms are the best way to catch them.