Lake Blue Ridge – June 2024

Blue Ridge: Level: 0.3 feet above 1686. Temp: 76 degrees. Clarity: Clear with a visibility of 10 feet.

Bass: Eric Welch, of Welch’s Guide Service, reports, “Fishing has been good. I’m going to start my mornings out on the main-lake points, throwing a Whopper Plopper or a Strike King Sexy Dawg Jr. Once the sun gets up, I will target deep banks that have rock and brush, and I’m going to be throwing a drop shot and a shaky head. By mid-morning, I’m going to start my way up the river, targeting deep banks. I’m going to throw a drop shot and a shaky head. If you’re looking at targeting the laydowns on the banks, try a shaky head, a 3/8-oz. jig in green pumpkin and also a Zoom Fluke. There are also some deep docks up the river and in the pockets to target with the same baits.” Guide Eric Crowley, of Lake And Stream Guide Service, reports, “The spotted bass are done spawning and are out packing on the pounds for summer. There’s lots of activity at sunrise with fish chasing bait on the surface in the creeks and on the main lake in open water. We have been throwing topwater plugs at them, or flukes if you are close enough. Both have been drawing the attention of these hungry green fish. Cloudy days seem to draw the bite out a little longer. Star Creek, Green Creek and the area around points 5 and 7 have been hot at sunrise.”

Walleye: Guide Eric Crowley, of Lake And Stream Guide Service, reports, “Summer is here and so is the boat traffic, but fishing during the week or early in the morning is the best practice until after Labor Day. Lots of walleye were caught last month, both day and night. We had several fish in the 5- to 6-lb. range come on the boat recently. The bait spawn wasn’t great this year again, but they can’t all be spectacular. Now that the bait has spawned and spread back out over the main lake, the walleye have followed them and are now set up in their favorite summertime locations. Look for fish holding just offshore in cooler, deeper water, with 35 to 50 feet a common depth. Look for bait on or around the major, main-lake points and flats. Crankbaits, spoons, jigs and live bait will all catch fish this month. It really just depends on how you like to catch them and what they will respond to. Some days they will chase down a crankbait or jerkbait, and some days you may want to go vertical depending on their mood. Normans, Bandits and Shad Raps are all at the top of the list for crankbait options, and the Hopkins and Krocodile spoons are my go-to vertical baits. As we get later into June, you may want to look a little deeper during the daytime as the sunlight can really penetrate the clear water of this lake. Also, look in grassbeds in deeper water.”

Trout: Guide Eric Crowley, of Lake And Stream Guide Service, reports, “We have been catching some nice trout on the main lake while trolling lures. Smaller baits in the 2-inch range, like Rapala Minnows or Flicker Shads, are killing them right now. Most fish are between 12 and 16 inches, with a few nicer ones mixed in. The 20- to 50-foot depths seem to be the target depth right now.”

Lake Blue Ridge Page: Archived Articles, Fishing Reports and Official Lake Records