Bartletts Ferry Fishing Report – February 2008

Bartletts Ferry: Level: 0.9 feet below full pool. Temp: 45 to 47 degrees. Clarity: Clear downriver; light stain upriver.

Bass: Good. Dennis Hudson said the fish are biting well in his Saturday tournaments, but the big fish are hard to find. “We’re catching plenty of 1- to 1 1/2-lb. fish, but I’m having a real hard time finding that big fish,” he said. “We must have had a real good year class because the lake is full of them, spots and largemouths.” It is taking 13-lb. bags to win the tournaments right now, and 6-lb. fish are winning the big-fish money. The go-to pattern is small crankbaits fished in the mouths of the sloughs or around docks. Dennis said his best producer has been a No. 5 or No. 7 light brown or shad-pattern Shad Rap. With the cold weather, Dennis said the shad die off should happen soon. When water temperatures drop into the low 40s, start looking in the sloughs downriver for dying shad. The best bite is typically halfway back into the coves, and a small, shallow-running crankbait will be the best bait. Also, the jig bite should start to pick up soon. “One of these days I’m going to force feed one of them a jig,” Dennis said. “When you get a good stain, the sun will warm that water up, and the fish will come up.” He said to target rocky points or boat docks in the afternoons with jigs. A 7/16-oz., black/blue Rattlin Booza Bug with either a blue or black-with-red-flake chunk is a good jig to try.