Bartletts Ferry Fishing Report April 2013

Bartletts Ferry: Level: 0.4 feet below full pool. Temp: 57 degrees. Clarity: Light stain; good color.

Bass: Fair, but it should be wide open in the next couple of weeks. Bass fishing has been lagging behind much of the rest of the state in recent weeks, according to guide and tournament pro Dennis Hudson. Bass are trying to get in the prespawn mode, but any normalcy is being prevented by yo-yoing water levels. Good catches of shallow bass on a variety of spinnerbaits in shallow areas have occasionally been reported until falling water scatters them. Some fishermen have reported finding bass staging up on primary points and secondary points on days with sunshine and stable water. “These bass will be bedding real soon if everything stabilizes, and we can get warm nights and sunshine,” Dennis said. “I suspect by April 1, following the full moon on March 28, everything should be wide open here.”

Crappie: The crappie are suffering from the same conditions as the bass and are behind from where they would normally be. They have yet to pull up in the shallows but appear to be heading that way. Anglers have been chasing crappie up and down with the fluctuating water levels and have been catching them on a little bit of everything.