Lake Blackshear Fishing Report February 2012

Blackshear: Level: Full pool. Temp: 54-60 degrees. Clarity: Stained; about 2 feet visibility.

Bass: Good. Jim Murray Jr. said it’s been taking 15 to 19 pounds to win tournaments, with several sacks being weighed in the 12-lb. range. There are fish starting to stage for the spawn in backwaters upriver. Jim said to fish ditches on flats around underwater grass or stumps with a Rat-L-Trap. Red is the best color. Down-lake, crank the channel swings and creek channels for bass in about 6 feet of water. Jim said it’s tough to beat a No. 7 Shad Rap in a crawfish color for this bite. For the bigger bite, try flipping either isolated docks or docks on points with a CBT flipping jig in black/brown. You may only get a bite or two in a day, but the fish that do bite will likely be good ones of 5 pounds or heavier. By the end of February, Jim expects ditches and the staging bite to be in full swing, and there will be a few fish up shallow spawning.

Crappie: Tough. Rusty Parker said it’s been tough, but if you can keep moving and find fish, they can be caught. He said to look on the channel ledges, and once you find them to fish very slowly with either black/chartreuse Rag Fly jigs or minnows. He suggested having a look at the main channel down by the dam near Goat Island. Rusty was surprised to hear a report from a friend that there are already a few confused fish starting to pull into the creeks, and he said he wouldn’t be surprised to see a first wave of a few spawners moving up by the end of the month. He is expecting a very good spawn this year and said Blackshear has had its best winter ever for crappie so far.