Bartletts Ferry Fishing Report – August 2009

Bartletts Ferry: Level: 0.8 feet below full pool. Temp: Mid to high 80s. Clarity: Clear up the river; light stain on main lake.

Bass: Fair to good. Dennis Hudson said most bites depend on a good current. Way up in the shoals on the river, the guys who have boats that can make it that far are doing really well fishing in the rocks with various topwater baits. Buzzbaits, Sammys and flukes are catching some good fish in the 5- to 6-lb. range. The next-best bite is upriver in the treetops and blowdowns when the water is moving. Dennis said he’s been catching fish on a 7/16-oz. Rattlin’ Booza Bug in green pumpkin with a green-pumpkin Zoom Chunk or a 4- or 5-inch swimbait in a shad pattern with a blue back. He uses a 3/16-oz. swimbait hook for this bait and fishes it in and around the blowdowns. Big worms like a Texas-rigged Ol Monster will also produce around these treetops. You should be on the lookout for mayfly hatches. If you find one, fish something bream colored. Dennis likes a Pop-R, a Trick Worm and sometimes a small crankbait. Dennis likes to dye the tails of his worms chartreuse with JJ’s Magic. There are thousands of schoolies hanging out around the bridge in Halawaka coming up at times to tear up schools of very small shad. They can be tough to catch because they’re keying on baitfish less than 1 1/2 inches long. The school is made up of spots and largemouths, and only about 50 percent of them are keepers. “The baits they’re hitting are so small it’s ridiculous,” he said. Dennis has resorted to fishing a Sassy Shad crappie jig fished behind the smallest popper in his box. These fish can also be caught on a jig-head worm or a drop shot. Stick with a finesse worm in either watermelon or green pumpkin for either rig.