Lake Burton Fishing Report – July 2006

Burton: Level: Full pool. Temp: Low 80s. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Good. Daniel Workman has been catching both spots and largemouths on main-lake points by targeting brushpiles and keying on grass. “The spots are really on the brushpiles,” said Daniel. “You can find brushpiles on just about any point on the lake by watching your graph. Most of the brush is in the 20 foot range, but the brush in 10 to 15 feet is best.” Daniel said he fishes topwater over the brush or in slightly deeper water for the spotted bass. He fishes primarily with a Super Spook with a blue back and gold and white sides with metal flake. For largemouths he fishes the areas between the brushpiles and the bank, and this topwater bite has been going on all day, he said. His fall-back pattern is a big worm fished along grassline edges between the bank and the brushpiles. “I key on the grass,” he said. “I cast up to the bank and pull the worm out to the edge of the grassline.”

Trout: Hot weather is good news for brown-trout fishermen at Burton because it makes the fish easier to locate. Warmer weather causes the trout to move toward the deeper, cooler water near the dam and makes them congregate in deeper cooler water near the thermocline. Fish live blueback herring or shiners under a float in front of the dam. The depth will vary, but start looking in the 20 to 35 foot range. A second method is to troll with spoons or jerkbaits that imitate herring. Pull a circuit from the dam out to the mouth of Murray Cove and back. For details, see page 48.