Lake Burton Fishing Report January 2007

Burton: Level: 5.2 feet below full pool. Temp: Lower 50 degrees. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Good. An early December tournament on the lake was won with a 19-lb. bag that included a 5-lb. spot and a 7-lb. largemouth. Big fish was an 8-lb. largemouth. Daniel Workman said the fish are scattered because the water temperature hasn’t dropped enough to start bunching them up yet. “The fish are still on brush in the 15- to 25-foot range,” he said. “A friend of mine finished fifth in the tournament with 15 pounds. He caught fish on finesse worms, Creepy Crawlers and Senkos by floating them down on brushpiles on the upper end of the lake. He was fishing a 5/0 wire hook and no weight and letting the bait float down. The bass were grabbing it just over the brush.” As the water temperature drops, the fish will start to bunch on drops, ledges and main-lake points and the jigging-spoon bite will pick up.

Trout: According to WRD Fisheries Biologist Anthony Rabern, there have been good catches of recently stocked brown trout by anglers fishing in the lower part of the lake — Murray Cove to the dam. In late October and early November the state stocked approximately 5,000 browns in the lake. The number was down from a target of 10,000 to 20,000 due to the drought and lowered production. “It is sight fishing,” said Anthony. “You can see the fish on the surface, just kind of hanging out. It seems to take them a while to become accustomed to living in the reservoir. Any shiny bait, like a Mepps Spinner will catch them.” For bigger trout, Anthony recommended fishing near the face of the dam on bright sunny days. The warmer water attracts bluebacks, which attract the trout. Live bait in the 15-foot range or trolling blueback imitation plugs at that depth is a good pattern.