Bartletts Ferry Fishing Report December 2011

Bartletts Ferry: Level: 0.9 feet below full pool. Temp: 58 to 62 degrees. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Good. Dennis Hudson said the fish are biting pretty well right now, but that the bigger fish haven’t pulled up to join the smaller ones yet to feed up on shad in the backs of the pockets. He said he’s catching some solid 1 1/2- to 2 1/2-lb. fish on small crankbaits fished in the backs of the pockets. Finding bait is the key to this bite. “You may check three or four that don’t have bait,” he said, “and when you find one that does, you’ll catch seven or eight fish.” Dennis said small, square-billed crankbaits are the deal. He likes a Rebel Wee-R and a Lucky Craft square bill, both in shad colors. Tennessee shad is a good bet. There has also been a pretty good jig bite going on, and folks are catching some pretty good spotted bass as well. Dennis likes a 3/8-oz. jig in green pumpkin. He’s catching largemouths from laydowns up in the pockets. Out on the river, spots are eating the jig bounced around any rock structure. Dennis said these patterns should hold for a while, until water temps get very cold. He said the bigger fish should show up in the pockets soon, especially if they can get a little rain to put some stain on the water.