Lake Weiss Fishing Report March 2013

Weiss: Level: 2.9 feet below full. Temp: 48-50 degrees. Clarity: Very stained to muddy.

Bass: Good. Guide and tournament pro Warren Barnes reports, “The bass fishing on Weiss has been great. Largemouth and spotted bass are in prespawn staging areas. Throwing a Ima Shaker or Rockin Vibe crankbait to secondary points has been the pattern of choice for these staging fish. Windy days will group the baitfish up and cause these prespawn fish to feed very aggressively. A jerkbait like the Ima Flit ripped through these areas has been catching some big fish for me lately, and I have to pay very close attention to my Humminbird electronics to locate these fish. I am also finding largemouth around docks and blowdowns. Flipping a Revenge jig in black and red with a Reins Ax Claw is my bait of choice, and I have been finding most fish around the shallow side of the docks and looking for any wood structure.” Guide Mark Collins said, “They are starting to show up on gravel, secondary points, shallow humps, road beds and some deeper gravel or rocky banks. Rat-L-Traps are starting to produce a lot of fish, shallow-running crankbaits are also producing well. The spotted bass are really showing up on gravel points, a Texas-rigged Senko-style worm in green pumpkin-chartreuse, is producing a lot of bass.

Crappie: Excellent. “The crappie have done very well this past week. Lots of stringers of 40 to 60 fish are being caught. The crappie are suspended 8 to 12 feet deep and even shallower in some areas. Long-line trolling with 1/24- and 1/16-oz. Jiffy Jigs in colors JJ01, JJ05, JJ08, JJ13, JJ17,JJ24 and JJ33 is a great way to catch these suspended crappie. Look for the crappie suspended in the deeper water of the coves and in the middle of the old river channels. A float-n-fly technique is also catching a lot of fish in these same areas. Little River, Little Spring Creek and the Chattooga River are producing the best fishing. The bays in the upper Coosa around Riverside campground are starting to turn on also.”

Striper: Poor. “Most stripers have made the run up into the rivers for the spawn. Mayo’s Lock and Dam in Georgia is where most of the stripers will be caught,” Mark said.