Lake Blue Ridge Fishing Report October 2012

Blue Ridge: Level: 10.1 feet below full pool. Temp: 74-78 degrees. Clarity: Clear at 5 to 7 feet.

Bass: Guide Eric Welch reports, “There has been some topwater action at daybreak around the marina and Lake Wood Point. We’ve been throwing Zoom Flukes, Lucky Craft Gunfish and Zara Spooks. This bite should only get better this month with the cooler weather. The drop-shot bite has been working. We’re drop shotting 4 1/2-inch Roboworms in red, green and pink around deep banks, rocky points, brush and lay-downs. Also throw a shaky head with a green-pumpkin worm and Strike King Bitsy Tubes. Crankbaits like a Strike King 5XD in chartreuse/blue or sexy shad will work off rocky points and flats.”

Smallmouth: Guide Eric Crowley reports, “Now is the time to catch some whopper smallies. Topwater action has improved a lot in the last week. With the cooler surface temps, they are staying up longer in the mornings. Flukes, Zara Spooks and Smack Tackle’s Smack Jacks have been my best producers lately. Long casts on light line seem to be the ticket on this clear mountain lake, so I wouldn’t go with anything heavier than about 8-lb. fluorocarbon. Working these lures is the second part of the equation. Some days you will have to rip it, and some days a dead-stick-type presentation works better. Watch the water for slight ripples from the baitfish, and get there fast. They will be moving quick. The better you stay on them, the more you can catch. The lake level is still down and will remain low for the rest of the year, so use caution when running and gunning in the early hours on Blue Ridge.”

Walleye: Eric Crowley reports, “The walleye have moved up to the shallows and are feeding pretty well right now on crankbaits and live bait. Hit the shorelines and shallow-water flats. Both Morganton Point and Green Creek have been producing well.”