Lake Blue Ridge Fishing Report December 2017

Blue Ridge: Level: 8.9 feet low. Temp: 60-63 degrees. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Guide Eric Welch reports, “The water temp is finally dropping, and the fish are starting to run their winter patterns. I’m still starting my mornings out on the main lake looking for breaking fish throwing a Strike King Caffeine Shad, Strike King Sexy Dawg and a Whopper Plopper. Once the sun gets up, you can start fishing main-lake points and also rocky river ledges with a tube or a drop shot with a 4.5-inch red craw Roboworm. Also, now is the time to start throwing the Alabama Rigs with 1/8-oz. swim heads with 3.5-inch shad baits. Target pockets and small breaks on the main body. You can also start paralleling rocky banks with a Strike King Lucky Shad and a KVD 1.5 or a Sebile swimbait. The jig bite has started picking up. The best has been a 3/8-oz. jig in pb&j color around docks and rocky banks. We are just a couple of weeks away from the Float-n-Fly bite. Once the water temp hits 55 degrees, you can start throwing it around deep clay banks, points, ledges and rocky banks. I tie my own flies, so there are different colors that work on sunny days, and there are colors for cloudy days. The thing about the Float-n-Fly is that it’s liked by smallmouth bass, spotted bass, walleye and largemouth bass.”