Lake Blackshear Fishing Report – January 2024

Blackshear: Level: Full at 237. Temp: 59-62 degrees. Clarity: Stained.

Bass: Tournament angler Chris Gray reports, “Fish are almost completely transitioned into their winter patterns. Heavy rains and cold nights have made the fishing a lot tougher. Fish are suspending in deeper water near underwater structure such as stumps and brushpiles. Deeper-diving jerkbaits and crankbaits are good lures to try. When fishing the jerkbait, use long pauses between jerks to simulate shad dying off. You can still catch fish on rocky banks and bridges in the afternoons once the sun has been on the rocks. Even a degree or two in water temperature can mean a big difference to the fish. A squarebill crankbait is good around the rocks. It doesn’t seem to get hung up as much. I also like throwing a jig around the rocks to simulate a crawfish. Work the jig extremely slow. You may only get a few bites, but they should be quality fish.”

Catfish: Chris Gray reports, “This is the time of year when I always seem to catch my biggest catfish. For some reason or another, from now until late spring, shrimp is the bait that works the best. I like fishing in 6 to 10 feet of water on the bottom tightlining with a Carolina rig. You can also try using nightcrawlers or chicken livers, but I’m telling y’all shrimp is the way to go. The bite also tends to heat up in the evenings right before dark. This is a good time of year to catch a lot of 5-plus-lb. channel catfish on rod and reel.”

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