Lake Sinclair Fishing Report – September 2021

Sinclair: Level: 1.2 feet low. Temp: Water temps are 83-88 right now after the heavy rains but will get close to 90 in the afternoon if we get a few dry days. Clarity: Upriver is mud red with some stain working its way down. There’s some stain in the backs of pockets with incoming water, and it is clear near the dam.

Bass: Tournament angler Karl Pingry reports, “Fishing continues to be fair with 18 pounds for five fish winning this past weekend in a club tourney. According to Ed at Lakeside Chevron, the grass is producing most of the big bass. A popping frog or a 1/2-oz. buzzbait is the topwater ticket right now. After the sun gets up, big worms and big lizards fished in the grass and around boat docks are still producing (black emerald and junebug red colors). If you want to fish a moving bait in the grass, try a ChatterBait with a magnum shakey-head worm as your trailer. Some bass are being caught on a spinnerbait is Cedar Creek. Ed also mentioned that a Little Earl is producing and a Glass Shad Rap at night under the lights is the bait of choice. Lastly, a Rat-L-Trap bite up shallow in the grass has started to generate a few bites. Ed thinks the same baits and patterns will continue for most of September. The big worm and lizard bite has been steady almost all year. Still look to the trees. There were mayflies hatching last year in September.”

Crappie: Allan Brown reports, “Crappie fishing is improving as we head into fall. Cooler weather brings the shad up. We have already seen schools on top early and late in coves off the main river. The daytime bite is usually found in deep water around brushpiles. Use your electronics to locate schools of crappie. The standard gold hook and minnow rig with sinker combo has been the go-to technique. Also using a single jig and dropping it into the brushpile will be effective, as well. I prefer using a 1/8- or 1/4-oz. jig head for a better feel in deep water. Black/blue/black or a chartreuse bait works well. Also, lighted boat docks are always a good choice. Yellow/yellow/white and brown are excellent choices for dock lights. As the month progresses, trolling should pick up with less boat traffic. Shooting docks around  deeper water always produces some slabs.”