Lake Blackshear Fishing Report – May 2020

Blackshear: Level: Recent storms in the last weeks of April have kept water levels rising and lowering, also affecting the visibility. It’s currently about full. Temp: 72-76 degrees. Clarity: The lake is very muddy on the northern end, leaving the creeks with very little visibility. The southern end of the lake is stained, but expect the muddy water to come down the first week of May.

Bass: Tournament angler Flint Murray reports, “Brighter-colored baits are key in the muddy areas. Baits with a chartreuse or bright neon color can grab the attention of fish in these waters. Spinnerbaits with chartreuse or bright white are working well. Dock posts and any visible structure, like grass or laydowns, are holding postspawn fish that are guarding fry. The last full moon brought a bunch of bream beds, which kept a lot of big fish shallow. Within the first two weeks of May, brighter-colored squarebills or spinnerbaits will catch decent fish. Around the second or third week, the water should be clear enough to catch plenty of fish on topwater. Natural-colored frogs or poppers have worked best for me in the past. As the temperatures rise, you will get fewer bites. The best thing you can do is fish any structure or bank that is covered with shade. This little bit of water temperature difference will hold fish, even some big ones. Slowly working a topwater or dragging a smaller worm will get you bites. Use colors such as green pumpkin or a darker color depending on the visibility. Fishing slowly is a key factor. Repeat casts on the side of a dock, tree or grass. As May comes to a close, the fish will begin to head for deeper water. Main-lake docks near the river channel will hold fish. Docks near creek channels can also have fish on them. Skipping a Zoom Dead Ringer in red shad or either a Trick Worm in green pumpkin on a shaky head will get plenty of bites.

Tournament angler Baylor Pless reports, “The bass are done spawning and are starting to transition into a number of different phases. One phase is guarding fry. These fish can be targeted with a buzzbait, such as a Picasso Dinn-R-Bell, a popper, a frog or any other topwater that puts off a lot of commotion. Within the next couple of weeks the water will start to clear up and stabilize and with this comes the other phase, which is fish that have spawned and are moving out to their summertime homes on ledges and humps. These fish can be targeted with a football jig, crankbait, Carolina rig and a large worm, all in natural colors.”

Read archived fishing articles on GON’s Lake Blackshear page.