Bartletts Ferry Fishing Report March 2014

Bartletts Ferry: Level: 0.7 feet below full pool. Temp: Low 50s. Clarity: Good stain, creeks muddy.

Bass: Good. Water temperatures continue to rise, says tournament angler and promoter Dennis Hudson. “The water temperature is coming up pretty quickly with the sunshine, and we’re already seeing some fish shallow. We had a tournament where the guys only had four fish, but they weighed 16 pounds. They caught them on shallow-running crankbaits. They’ll be in that prespawn mode pretty quickly. They’ll start gathering under the boat docks pretty soon, and when the water temperature gets a little higher, they’ll start spreading out along the seawalls and in the backs of pockets looking for a places to spawn. Plastics will be the ticket then. Anything that’s crawfish-colored, like a Senko or a Trick Worm, will catch those fish.”

Crappie: Robert “Smitty” Smith reports, “The crappie are working their way up the creek channel ledges heading for the spawning coves. The best bite for the next few weeks will be long-line trolling or slowly tight lining jigs in 15 to 25 feet of water. Brushpile fishing with jigs and minnows will also work. It is as they say ‘crappie season’ in the southeast. Water temps are in the low 50s and will be warming even more as the sunshine of late winter cooks the stained water. Spring is just around the corner, and remember the biggest crappie will be hitting the shallows first. Our CrappieNutz.com Tournament last weekend was won by Terry Jones and Dusty Brown with a winning weight of 9.3 pounds for seven fish. The next crappie tournament here is April 14.”