Bartletts Ferry Fishing Report – April 2007

Bartletts Ferry: Level: 1 foot above full pool. Temp: 56-62 degrees. Clarity: Clear to light stain.

Bass: Good. Royce Railey said the bass should be spawning this month. He suggested targeting bedded fish in the backs of the creeks. “I like to cover a lot of water with a little, shallow-running crankbait if the water’s clear. If the water’s muddy, I’ll throw a red crankbait.” Royce also suggested soft plastics around the boat docks in the backs of creeks. He mentioned Halawakee Creek, the boat club creeks and the two creeks closest to the dam as possible areas to find good, clear-water spots to sight fish for bedded bass. When the fish start moving out after the spawn, Royce likes to use a floating worm in white or yellow around the sea walls.

Linesides: Excellent. “They’re going nuts right now, anywhere on the Chattahoochee you can get to a dam.” said Robert Smith. “Everywhere there’s a spillway, get close to it because they’re headed there right now all the way up and down the Chattahoochee.” Bucktail jigs are working well for schooled hybrids and stripers, and live bait is also easy to find right now. “You can get shad pretty easy with a cast net right now,” Robert said. “They’re schooling on top of the water.” Tight-lining live shad up the creeks and river is a sure bet for hybrids right now.

Crappie: Good. “I’ve been catching them right on top of the water. Even when they’re in 20 feet of water, they’re sitting in the top 5 feet of the water column,” Robert said. “There was one afternoon I threw out 17 casts and caught 17 crappie. I was in heaven.” The fish are tight on the banks right now, and in early in April, Robert likes to throw hair jigs to blowdowns, brushpiles and other natural structure. He also said bigger fish seem to be at the north end of the lake early in the season. On into April, Robert will move to the docks as the fish begin moving into deeper water. “Jigs seem to work better than minnows this time of year because they have a little more movement,” Robert said. “I don’t mess with those twist tails; I like hair jigs, but I know people who use them and they work, too.”