Lake Burton Fishing Report July 2013

Burton: Level: 0.1 feet below full pool. Temp: 80 degrees. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Guide Wes Carlton reports, “The spotted bass are in their early summer pattern. Most of the bigger spots are in the 20-foot water depths. They are hanging close to structure like rocks, brush and grass. SpotStickers with pumpkinseed-colored finesse worms seem to be the ticket. Lake Burton has been known for its healthy spotted bass. Last week we average 25 to 30 fish per trip. These fish are really fat due to the huge numbers of blueback-herring population. Jerkbaits that imitate herring colors are a good second choice.”

Trout: “The brown trout have moved to deep water in the northern lakes,” Wes said. “Most of these fish are hanging in the 40- to 60-foot water depths. They are feeding early in the morning in the 20-foot range. We have had good luck trolling small Ugly Ducklings crankbaits about 16 feet to 21 feet deep. The brown trout population seems to be healthy this season. We have caught some really nice fish over the last couple of weeks. Just remember with lake trout, the early bird gets the worm.”

Walleye: “The walleye are feeding very early,” Wes said. “Most of these fish are feeding pre-daylight. Nightcrawlers have been the best bait we have found. Slow trolling these worms in and around the deep-water ledges has been producing really healthy fish. We caught 15 fish on one trip this past week with six of them being over 3 pounds. Trolling crawler harnesses about 1.2 mph has been producing the biggest fish.”

Yellow Perch: Very good. “The yellow perch bite is on,” Wes said. “Most of these fish are sitting in about 22 feet of water. They are feeding on crappie minnows and small Robo worms. The perch love grass, so concentrate on finding and fishing the grass flats near creeks and springs.”