Lake Blue Ridge Fishing Report October 2014

Blue Ridge: Level: 4 feet below full pool. Temp: 77-79 degrees. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Guide Eric Crowley reports, “October on Blue Ridge can be a great time or a great time to do something else. A lot of this is to do with the annual drawdown of water by the TVA and the annual turnover that will halt the bite for sometime, but there are some other factors to watch for that can be positive. As the water levels drops, a lot of hidden clues to where the fish are will be revealed. October is a great time to do what I call ditch fishing. The ditches on this lake are made by water runoff and can be seen as the level drops. The area around Morganton Point is a great place to see the start of these contour features. When the lake is low and the rain runoff makes its way down the now dry mud and rock banks, it literally carves small canyon-like ditches down into the lake. The fish will use the contours to travel, feed, find water temp changes, and they are a great place to target green fish in October. These features can be found anywhere on the lake, but the ones on the east/northeast side of the lake are my favorite. Some of these will run out of locals’ yards, under docks, off parking lots, anything that funnels the water. Try fishing them with jerkbaits, crankbaits, spinnerbaits and jigs. Vary the sizes and colors until you find a favorite. I like chartreuse or red to start off with. Early morning and cool weather will draw the fish up a little shallower than the hot afternoons, so if you try an area early with no luck, try and stop back there later in the day, and fish it a little deeper.”