Lake Burton Fishing Report January 2011

Burton: Level: Full pool. Temp: Low 40s. Clarity: Clear.

Largemouths: Good. Wes Carlton said this is the time of year to catch big bass on Burton. Fishing with a client recently, they caught six fish heavier than 5 pounds and one that weighed more than 10 pounds. Wes said channel ledges that drop from 5 or 6 feet into deep water are key. Swim a Sebile 125 jointed swimbait in white off the ledge, let it fall, and it should draw a strike when it gets into the 15- to 20-foot range. A 3/4-oz. Fish Head Spin threaded with a 4 1/2-inch Basstrix soft-plastic swimbait in a blueback pattern is also a good bait.

Spotted Bass: Excellent. The spot bite is off the hook, said Wes. He said it’s not uncommon to have a 30-fish day for spotted bass while trolling deep-diving crankbaits as described in the trout report below.

Trout: Good. Wes said the brown trout are keying on small live bait, and they’re coming up to feed on the surface all over the lake on the main-lake river channel, but they’re moving fast and they’re hard to keep up with. Catch them by trolling deep-running crankbaits like DD10s and DD22s.