Lake Burton Fishing Report – August 2006

Level: 0.2 feet over full pool. Temp: Low 80s. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Slow. According to Gary Kilby, bass fishing has been dead slow, and on a decline over several years. “The places I used to go and catch fish, I can’t get bit anymore,” said Gary. “The lake needs some kind of length limit.” This time of year, the best bet is fishing Texas-rigged worms in deep brush, said Gary. For after dark fishing, he recommends a redbug worm bounced slowly through brushpiles in the 20-foot depths. Look for brush on nearly any main lake or prominent secondary point. Gary said topwater activity has been nil. “You can throw it if you want,” he said. “But they aren’t hitting it.”

Trout: Fisheries Biologist Anthony Rabern, who authored an article in the July issue of GON about how to catch brown trout at Burton, said the tactics of live bait near the dam, or trolling blueback imitations from the dam uplake to the mouth of Murray Cove and back, should still work. “Larry Brewer is still catching fish on those patterns, but anglers may have to move around a little more. The water quality in Burton is very good this year because it is a drought year. In a drought year there is less runoff bringing nutrients into the lake that sap the oxygen. With better water quality, the fish have more suitable water, and they are more scattered than they would be in a normal year.”