Lake Burton Fishing Report February 2012

Burton: Level: 10.4 feet below full pool. Temp: 44 degrees. Clarity: Clear.

Brown Trout: Guide Wes Carlton reports, “The spoon-trolling bite has really taken off this week. We have been trolling gold Johnson spoons and silver/blue Crocodile spoons. The bite has been best in the morning between 8 a.m. and 11 p.m. Trolling speed has been critical. Try holding your boat speed between 1.9 mph to 2.5 mph. The fish seem to like the slower speeds in the winter months. Most of our fish have been biting over open water that is 50 to 60 feet deep. We have caught fish over main-lake points in the 30-foot range as well. The brown trout are getting big with the overabundance of forage bluebacks. The younger trout have been hanging in the mouths of the creeks. These fish are suspending in the 25- to 30-foot depths. Try using a smaller No. 2 spoon to catch these fish. Be prepared — we have had several double and triple hookups when trolling through these massive schools.”

Bass: Wes reports, “With the water temps falling, there will be some largemouths that will stay shallow in the 12-foot range all winter. I start out targeting these fish with a crankbait. Use Bombers and Shad Raps in a natural color or white. As the day wears on and the sun gets high, this bite may slow down. When this happens, I switch to a shaky-head jig with a small plastic under the docks. With the temps falling, a large concentration of the fish will move to the 40- to 50-foot range. I would look for these fish to congregate around timber or brush and rock bluff banks. I start out throwing a Fish Head Spin with a fluke body and a jigging spoon. Sometimes you will have to slow down and throw a Carolina rig around the brush and long points. With the fish moving deep, you need to rely heavily on your electronics. The good news is where you catch one fish, you will more than likely catch more in the same place.”

Walleye: Wes reports, “Georgia’s walleye population is thriving and will continue to grow. Most of the north Georgia lakes have not had cold enough water temperatures this year for a bait die-off. If the air temperatures continue to be mild, the bait die-off will be minimal. This will lead to an abundance of food for the fish. The current stockings of walleye and last year’s should be between 3/4 and 2 pounds. The food source for these fish is very important at this age. The older fish that were stocked three years prior will benefit as well. I look to see a new Georgia record to be caught in the next year or two! The optimum idea is to have a self-sustaining walleye fishery; in which there is some recent evidence of this happening. Georgia lakes are different than lakes up in the northern part of the country. Most of our lakes are timber flooded with deep water. This gives the walleye plenty of cover to hide and can make for a tough day of fishing. With that being said, the era of fishing with good fish-finding electronics is upon us. A good sonar can help pinpoint these fish suspended in timber, brushpiles, rockpiles, etc. Walleye are not as aggressive as bass, so retrieve the bait a little slower. Deep-water jigging in 30 to 50 feet with small spoons and downlining bluebacks has been producing the best bites and will continue through February. Be sure and look for brushpiles or submerged trees close to deep water. Mid -lake humps are holding a good population of walleye. The Department of Natural Resources has done a great job with this fishery and needs a public pat on the back for their hard work!”