Bartletts Ferry Fishing Report – March 2007

Bartletts Ferry: Level: Down 0.9 feet below full pool. Temp: Low 50s. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Fair, but March is usually a great month on Bartletts. David Morris said that with the warming trend in early March the fish should be heading to the banks. Think shallow, and fish the backs of the pockets. “I would probably throw a (Stanford Lures) Razor Shad,” said David. “It runs five or six feet deep, which would be just about right. A Shad Rap is always a good idea this time of year, too, and so is a jerkbait like a Rattlin’ Rogue.” Bartletts is full of boat docks, and a Trick Worm skipped to the back corner of a dock will also catch fish in March. “You can catch them a lot of ways in March,” said David. “You just have to try a few things to see what they want.” Jim Pass said a shaky-head jig dressed with a Trick Worm has really been producing lately. “I like a 1/16-oz. jig head and dark colors: purple, black, green pumpkin. Rat-L-Traps, blue/chrome, have been working, too.” Jim said two to five feet of water will be holding lots of fish as they head to spawning areas.

Linesides: They’ve been averaging 40 or 50 linesides in an afternoon using Flex-it jigging spoons in 22 to 25 feet of water. Jim has been fishing the big flat beyond the bridge in Halawakee Creek.

Crappie: Good: “The warmer temps are going to drive them up into the creeks,” said Bartletts Ferry guide Robert Smith. “They should be into a full spawn in the next couple of weeks as it gets near 60 degrees.” Robert suggested hair jigs in yellow, black/chartreuse or orange and yellow, fished under a cork around blowdowns and tree tops. With live bait, he likes to use Rosy Reds, an orange and yellow flathead minnow.