Bartletts Ferry Fishing Report July 2011

Bartletts Ferry: Level: 0.9 feet below full pool. Temp: High 80s. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Tough. Dennis Hudson said the water is hot, and the fish are tough to catch. It’s been taking 10 pounds or less to win local tournaments lately. The one thing going is a decent topwater bite early around the seawalls. A walking bait like a Sammy or a buzzbait can provide the best action of the day before the sun gets on the water. A few fish can also be picked up in the grassbeds scattered around the lake. A Senko or a Texas rig will catch them, but the preferred bait is a topwater buzz frog. Dennis said there have been a few mayflies out, but the bite around them seems to be lacking. If you happen upon a mayfly hatch, it may still be worthwhile to fish it with a Pop-R, a Senko or a shaky head rigged with a small finesse worm. The natural green colors are always good on Bartletts. Finally, you can pick up a few fish on deeper brush around docks and on the points fishing a shaky head, but there hasn’t been much of a crankbait bite. This bite picks up when they’re moving water at the dam.