Bartletts Ferry Fishing Report – February 2009

Bartletts Ferry: Level: 0.6 feet below full pool. Temp: Low 50s. Clarity: Good stain in some of the creeks, decent stain on the main river.

Bass: “The fish are biting like crazy,” said Dennis Hudson, who won his Saturday pot tournament Jan. 10 with a 19-11 sack. With the cold weather the weekend of Jan. 17, the bite was off a little, but anglers still managed to catch fish in the 5- to 6-lb. range. Dennis said the fish are scattered, but you can catch them on a spinnerbait, crankbait or jig. “They’re about halfway back in the pockets on wind-blown banks and points,” he said. This shallow bite is taking place in 6 to 8 feet of water. Dennis likes to throw a Shad Rap or a Fat Free Shad in shad colors like Tennessee shad. There are also some fish being caught 15 to 20 feet deep on rocky points. Dennis uses a jig for this bite. His favorite jig is a Rattlin’ Booza Bug in black/blue, with a black trailer for muddy water and a blue trailer if the water is a little clearer. On into February, these patterns should continue to work. “If we can keep some color in the water, it should stay the same,” Dennis said. “You should be able to run the pockets with a crankbait or a spinnerbait.”

Crappie: Fair. Robert “Smitty” Smith reports: “The crappie are in the creek and river channels in around 25 feet of water. Just follow the creek channels until you find some cover. For trolling, use two 1/16-oz. curly tail jigs with a No. 5 split shot to get it down to around 12 to 15 feet. Best colors are yellow, chartreuse, wildcat and acid rain. The fish will stay in the deeper water near the mouths of creeks and coves. This is your best chance at a monster slab as they are fattening up before the spawning starts as the water temps rise into the 60s. Tight-lining minnows and bottom-bumping minnows along creek ledges works great for this prespawn fishing.”