Bartletts Ferry Fishing Report September 2011

Bartletts Ferry: Level: 0.6 feet below full pool. Temp: Mid 80s up the river to 92 degrees on the main lake. Clarity: Too clear.

Bass: Tough. Dennis Hudson said the standard summer patterns have not been producing for him during his three-hour Tuesday evening tournaments. However, some of the guys who run up the river have been able to piece together decent sacks of about 9 pounds to win the tournament. With a jetboat, you can run all the way up into the shoals and catch fish with topwater baits like a buzzbait. In the cooler water up the river, a buzzbait will also work around upriver blowdowns, but slow down and flip a jig around those same blowdowns if you can’t get them to bite the buzzbait. First thing in the morning, you can get some topwater action for just an hour or so burning a buzzbait around the grass edges on the main lake, but that bite ends quickly. Other than that, you may find your best luck fishing at night. Dennis said the best bet used to be to fish a small crankbait around dock lights after dark, but he said he hasn’t been seeing a lot of shad lately. His best night bite has been around deep, 15- to 16-foot brush out from docks with lights. He’s been catching fish around brush with either a jig or a Texas rig in dark colors. Black/red or black/blue are his favorites for this nighttime bite. Another good option at night is to fish the steep, rock bluff banks with a jig or a creature bait. Dennis said to just drag it along over the rocks like it’s a crawfish. Late in September, Dennis is hoping the shad will move up into the creeks with the bass behind them. Then it will be time to break out the small crankbaits and spinnerbaits. Stained water in the backs of the creeks helps with this bite.