Lake Burton Fishing Report April 2012

Burton: Level: 2.9 feet below full pool. Temp: 61 degrees. Clarity: Clear.

Largemouth: Excellent. Wes Carlton reports, “The largemouth bite has been phenomenal the last couple of weeks. We have boated fish over 10 pounds with the largest being 12 pounds. These fish have been feeding early in the morning up until about 11 a.m. We have been catching most of these fish on blueback herring. A few of the fish have been biting swimbaits (Shadalicious 5-inch). I look for this pattern to continue for the next week or two before the spawn.”

Walleye: Good. Wes reports, “The walleye have been in full spawn up the creek channels. The fish that are biting are down the tributaries away from the shallows. This week the big fish were a 9.2-lb., 28-inch fish and an 8.8-lb., 30 1/2-inch fish, which should have been the new state record, but she had already laid her eggs and was empty of food. Most of the walleye we are catching are caught on crankbaits (Rapala SR5, SR9). Look for these fish to move back down the river channels and be very hungry in the next week or two.”

Trout: Good. Wes reports, “The brown trout and rainbow trout are spread throughout the lake. Look for these fish to surface, and try casting something like a small spoon or Shad Rap at them. This is a very successful technique. We have had several good trout the last couple of days. One rainbow trout was 5 pounds.”