Lake Eufaula Fishing Report January 2006

Eufaula: Level: 1.6 feet below full pool. Temp: 48-52 degrees. Clarity: Stained.

Bass: Good, according to guide Jay Chambless. “There is still a good shallow-grass bite in the hydrilla,” said Jay. “Some nice fish are relating to grass that is holding bait. Look for wading birds to show you where the bait is. A variety of baits will work, including small crankbaits and soft plastics. A Zoom Z-Nail or Super Hog fished slowly around the grass will produce fish. On the north end look in Cowikee, Wylaunnee and Bustahatchee creeks. On the south end Sandy and Pataula creeks are hard to beat.” There are some nice fish holding on the ledges, too. “These fish are relating to ledges that top out in 10 to 15 feet of water that have a sharp drop into deep water. When the fish are active they can be caught on crankbaits and Carolina rigs on top of the ledges. When they aren’t active a 3/4-oz. jigging spoon or drop-shot rig will do the trick. Locate bait on these ledges, and fish are sure to be close by. The very best place to be for this pattern is Cowikee Creek. Concentrate on ledges and underwater points from Lakepoint out to the river. Outside bends are the most likely spots.”

Crappie: Poor. Tom Shapard attempted to catch a crappie on December 20. “It was so windy and cold that we couldn’t anchor down on the Pataula Creek bridge,” said Tom. “We had two-foot swells. The wind has been a problem all month.” The wind won’t blow forever. “The sunken bridge at Pataula is going to become a very, very hot spot,” said Tom. “On warm days the fish may suspend in 15 to 20 feet of water, but a lot of days you may have to drop a minnow down 30 feet. It’ll be awesome if we can anchor on it.”

Hybrids: Great. Tom and a buddy went out the other day and fished several humps in the Pataula Creek area. They caught 50 fish, and the 10 they kept were all between three and five pounds. These humps are in 25 to 35 feet of water, and they’ll top out at 12 and 15 feet. “The hybrids will suspend on the edges, and we’ve been catching them on 1-oz. spoons,” said Tom. If you can find a red Smoothie spoon, Tom said you’ve got the hottest hybrid bait going right now. However, they’re hard to find. Try a 1-oz. Hopkins and put red reflector tape on it. “They are really liking that red flash,” said Tom.