Lake Blackshear Fishing Report – December 2008

Blackshear: Level: Down 3.7 feet. Temp: 51-53 degrees. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Fair. Clint Brownlee said the primary pattern right now and through the winter months, especially with the lake down, is to find the deeper docks at the mouths of pockets and sloughs. “You can get bit with crankbaits or split-shot, green-pumpkin Trick Worms. Those bass should stay there during the winter. Blackshear is not a deep enough a lake for them to pull way off. They’ll hang around those docks.” He recommends a Suddeth Little Earl crankbait. “Another pattern to try is to fish the bridge pilings with a crankbait, especially while the water’s down,” Clint said. The Blackshear Buddies tournament on Nov. 15 was won by Homer Cain and Bill Wellon; they had 15-lbs., 12-ozs. Tournament Director Ernie Broughton said they were pitching spinnerbaits way under docks and catching their fish near the bank. The second-place team fished deep-diving plugs. Ernie said December is a great schooling month on Blackshear as bass begin to fill their bellies for winter. When you see topwater action, chunk a buzzbait, Mighty Minnow, a Little Cleo or a shallow-running crankbait. Fish are subject to school anywhere there is bait. Generally, fish will stack up on main-lake points and drops and can be caught in 10 to 15 feet of water. Fish slow, dragging a Carolina-rigged Trick Worm, said Ernie. Black/red glitter and red bug are good colors. In cleaner water, try green pumpkin.

Crappie: Fair to good. Rusty Parker said it was very good until the cold snap before Thanksgiving. “We’re still catching a lot of dinks, and the bite will come back. It’s already coming back. When a cold front hits, it takes two or three days for fish to stabilize. Sure enough, they’ve started back. They’re hanging tight to structure over 20 to 25 feet of water,” Rusty said. “This time of year tight-line minnows with a double-hook rig. Derick Fulton, a great crappie fisherman who just came back from Iraq, taught me how to do this. Rig the sinker on the bottom, then come up the line with two hooks. Drop it to the bottom and bring it up 1 1/2 cranks off the bottom. Go over the trashpiles, and you’ll see fish on your electronics, but the fish hanging just off the trash were biting better. This is the wintertime pattern from now until it starts to warm. They’re just slower to bite. They’ll be slow and lethargic. You have to be persistent.”