Lake Burton Fishing Report – April 2019

Burton: Level:1 foot low. Temp: 62 degrees. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Guide Wes Carlton reports, “The bass bite has been great the last few days. We have caught most of our fish on jerkbaits on long points close to the main-lake channels. These fish are pulling up shallower every day to feed for a few hours. We are casting in the 5-foot depths and working the baits back toward the boat through the 25-foot depth range. We have had good success with a white jerkbait with a chartreuse belly. We have also caught some bigger spots and largemouth on a Ned rig tipped with a pumpkinseed-colored worm. Look for these fish to pull up shallow over the next few weeks and begin their spawning ritual.”

Trout: Guide Wes Carlton reports, “We have been trolling with Rapala X-Raps (XR06) in hot mustard and having good success. This bait seems to catch the big trout and the smaller fish, as well. Most of the brown trout seem to be in the backs of the creeks in the 20- to 30-foot depths. Look for the herring schools surfacing, and the brown trout will be close. Try running these jerkbaits in the 12- to 18-foot depth range at a speed of 3 mph (idle speed). Working in and around the fallen brush around the bank lines can be tricky. This technique has also been effective for catching walleye. Although the walleye like a slower speed than trout, try limiting your boat speed to 2 mph for the walleye. Most of the walleye have completed their spawning and are hungry. This is a great time of year to catch a wall hanger or dinner. Look for the trout to slowly migrate toward the southern portions of the creeks over the next few weeks. The walleye bite should continue to get better as we head toward the middle to latter part of April/May.”