Lake Burton Fishing Report February 2013

Burton: Level: 1.7 feet below full pool. Lake Burton rose over 6 feet from the recent rains but is being drawn back down. Temp: 47 degrees. Clarity: Heavy stain.

Bass: Capt. Wes Carlton reports, “The bass have moved up a little shallower than normal. Most of the spots we have been catching are in 20 to 30 feet of water. The last couple of weeks the spotted bass were in the 40- to 50-foot range. Most of the lake’s blueback herring are on the south end of the lake. With this in mind, fish the main-lake points and creek ditches. We have been catching most of the bigger bass on Hopkins silver/gold spoons. The bite is a soft bite, so be patient. The largemouth bite has been a little slow the last few days but should pick up as we near the first of February. There have been a few largemouth being caught in the backs of creeks early in the morning on swimbaits.”

Trout: “The elusive brown trout are beginning to bite in the main-lake channel,” Wes said. “We have had our best luck trolling 20 to 30 feet deep with down-riggers this month. The best bite seems to be between 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. Game Changer spoons have been the ticket lately. Try using a big 4-inch gold spoon trolled 50 to 80 feet behind the boat. Trolling at 2.4 mph has been producing bigger fish, but not as many. I look for these fish to begin their rise in the water column over the next couple of weeks. We should start seeing some surfacing action from the bigger trout. Just remember, it’s never too cold to fish for trout. They like the cooler water.”

Walleye: Consistent. “Most of these fish have been caught in and or around brush, rock or fallen trees around steep banks. This month is usually a good trolling month for walleye. Try trolling deep-diving, white-silver Mann’s Stretch crankbaits 80 to 100 feet behind the boat at 2.6 mph. Blueback herring colors seem to always work the best. Don’t be surprised if you beat the state record of 11.6 pounds!”