Lake Burton Fishing Report January 2017

Burton: Level: 4 feet low. Temp: 49 degrees. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Guide Wes Carlton reports, “The spotted bass have been biting good the last few weeks. They have moved a little deeper and are hanging close to the main-lake points and ledges. These fish have been biting a weighted white fluke the best. We have also had good luck with a silver Hopkins spoon. Look for these fish on a 20- to 30-foot bottom. There have been some schooling fish up shallow chasing blueback herring around midday. These fish will bite any topwater plug that you can get on top of them. Look for the spoon bite to pick up. This pattern should continue to be the same over the next few weeks.”

Trout: Wes reports, “The DNR has completed their annual stocking this year with an estimated 19,000 trout. These fish are all over the lake and will eat any small jerkbait or Rooster Tail in any color. White and black colors seem to be a little better. Most of the bigger brown trout are still staging near the mouths of the creeks. These bigger fish will slowly migrate toward deeper water over the next couple of weeks. The trolling bite will pick up sometime in mid January.”

Walleye: Wes reports, “The walleye have been quiet most of the fall and have started feeding a little shallower the last couple of days. Most of the walleye we have caught have been on a 25- to 30-foot bottom and have been slow taking the bait. We have been downlining blueback herring. This has been the only bait we have been able to catch any numbers of walleye on. The bite will continue to get better the cooler the water gets. Look for the walleye to bite in the 18- to 20-foot depths over the next few weeks. Try trolling small crankbaits over long points near the river channels.”