Lake Burton Fishing Report April 2018

Burton: Level: 3 feet low. Temp: 61 degrees. Clarity: Very stained.

Bass: Guide Wes Carlton reports, “The largemouth bite has been decent lately. Most of these fish have been hanging around structure toward the backs of creeks in the 9- to 18-foot depths. We have had good success throwing Farley swimbaits mid morning in and around trees and close to ledges. Work these baits a little slower than normal. These fish are not real aggressive and take a little finesse sometimes. Be prepared for some big blow-ups on these swimbaits. The spotted bass are shallow and deep. We have had the best luck catching the bigger spots in and around docks in the 25-foot depths. Try working a shaky head tipped with a morning-dawn finesse worm. Some of the Burton docks have a lot of brush around them. Using the side scan on the fish finder helps identify the better docks holding good structure and brushpiles. This is where the bigger bass seem to live. Look for the bass to pull up shallow to spawn over the next several weeks.”

Trout: Guide Wes Carlton reports, “Most of the trout seem to be midway back in the creeks in 12 to 40 feet of water. Trolling spoons has been successful for us over the last few weeks. We have caught a few bigger brown trout on Spro McSticks casting to surfacing fish. Look for the trout to start making their way toward the main lake channels and secondary points over the next week or so.”

Walleye: Guide Wes Carlton reports, “The walleye bite has been all over the place this month. The fish have spawned and are starting to feed finally. Trolling crankbaits in 15 to 30 feet of water has been the most effective way of catching these fish. Trolling for walleye requires some patience. These fish are very structure oriented and don’t travel too far to catch a bait. Targeting the depth and areas they are in is critical to success. We normally keep our plugs close to fallen trees when trolling. This can be tricky and costly, but the reward has been some nice 4- to 7-lb. walleye. Most of the baits we have been trolling are a firetiger pattern or have a crawfish look. These seem to work best. Look for this pattern to continue for the next few weeks.”