Lake Blackshear Fishing Report – May 2008

Blackshear: Level: Full pool. Temp: 69-74 degrees. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Good, according to tournament angler Clint Brownlee. The postspawn pattern is picking up on the lake. Clint recommends a handful of lures that will catch bass in May. The fish will stage on grassbeds and trees as they gradually migrate back out to main-lake points before moving deeper in June. Start in the morning working grassbeds with a frog or buzzbait. A Senko, Trick Worm or Zoom Speed Worm is a good bet in the grassbeds and for pitching to the bases of cypress trees. Watermelon is a good color. A spinnerbait is a standard throughout the spring. Clint prefers a 1/2-oz. Mini-Me with double willowleaf nickel blades and a white or chartreuse-and-white skirt. For more on Clint’s patterns, see page 60.

Crappie: Good, according to Rusty Parker. “The spawn is on the downside, but there are still some fish on the bank.” Rusty caught fish in late April casting minnows 2 feet under a float up to the bank. He was also catching fish sling-shotting jigs under cypress trees. John Deere-colored jigs (yellow/green/yellow) and black/chartreuse have been good colors. Some fish have already moved out to deeper structure, too. Rusty picked up a few fish on the Hwy 280 bridge and caught fish holding tight to the pilings in about 15 feet of water. Trollers have been doing OK over 12 or 14 feet of water in Swift Creek.