Lake Blue Ridge Fishing Report April 2012

Blue Ridge: Level: 11.2 feet below full pool. Temp: 67 degrees. Clarity: Clear.

Smallmouths: Good. Eric Crowley, with Lake and Stream Guide Service, reports, “Look for the smallie bite to take off. Topwater action early in the morning on the main lake is on fire. Large baits like the Smack Tackle Smack Jack wake bait in herring color and the Zara Spook topwater plug have been deadly on these fish at dawn. When the topwater bite dies down, the fish are still in open water and will still feed on sub-surface baits such as a weighted Super Fluke in gray or silver fished about 5 or 6 feet below the surface. Look for the schools of fish on the sonar, and cast to them or try a drop-shot rig fished at the appropriate depth. The fish are really keying on the schools of bait, and this is the pattern I follow for this time of year. If the main lake is crowded or the wind is blowing you around too bad, try fishing in Star Creek. Look for the depth changes on your sonar, and fish the deeper side of the drop-offs. The main creek channel in this arm of Blue Ridge Lake holds bait most of the spring. I always remind people when fishing this lake to please release all the smallies you catch to help preserve this species as this is the last strong-hold for these fish in Georgia.”

Spotted Bass: “The spotted bass seem to be holding to the bottom pretty tight in 15 to 30 feet of water,” Eric said. “Just about anything will get these fish to bite this time of year. Worms, jerkbaits, crankbaits and jigs along with live bait are all great choices to catch the invasive Blue Ridge spots. Please keep all of them that you catch, so we as anglers can help keep their numbers under control. The fishing overall has been great and should remain that way through April.”