Lake Blue Ridge Fishing Report – November 2008

Blue Ridge: Level: 16.4 feet below full pool. Temp: 68-70 degrees. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: The spots are biting at Blue Ridge, said Heath Pack. “We are catching a few smallmouths, too,” he said. “We are catching some nice 2 1/2- to 3-lb. spots deep on a drop-shot rig in water 20 to 30 feet deep. You just go back and forth over a point watching your electronics until you find them. You can catch two or three out of a pod, and then they get wary of it. Go fish another point, and then come back in an hour and catch some more.” Heath is fishing a Robo worm in Aaron’s-magic color and just letting the worm sit. “If they are aggressive, you can shake it, but usually you just dead-stick it, and they will swim off with it. That Sebile swimbait has been catching a lot of fish, too,” he said. “There have been some good catches early and late in the day or on rainy days just throwing that on the main-lake points.” Heath said there had been some surface activity, but not enough to mess with. “The fish are coming up over 40 feet of water or more, and by the time you get to them they are gone. There’s usually no structure under them to hold them in one place. Bluebacks in the lake have really caused the bass to wander in that open water.” Guide Nathan Lewis said with the temperature diving, the fish are moving back into the creeks following the bait. Try the creek mouths, and then work your way back watching for bait. He said use a small crankbait like a Shad Rap or Normans, especially if there is a ripple on the water. If the water is slick, he’s throwing a hair jig or a tube jig on rocky points and banks. Stick with natural colors unless the water is dingy, then go to brighter colors.

Walleye: Slow. According to Nathan, the spooning bite on main-lake ledges has been dead, although he has been picking up a few random fish on crankbaits on rocky banks.