Lake Burton Fishing Report – June 2006

Level: Full pool. Temp: 63-65 degrees. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Slow. “It has been tough,” said Daniel Workman. “There are still a few fish on the bed, but most are done. It’s postspawn, and it is tough.” There are still some good fish to be caught, however, and Daniel is targeting them with topwater, jerkbaits and a Carolina rig. “If you want spotted bass, I would probably use a Spook Jr. on a spinning rod with light line, and I would work the bait pretty fast. A jerkbait has also been working pretty well — either a Bass Pro Shop series jerkbait that is green with blue sides, or the new Rapala jerkbait with a green back, mirror sides, a white belly and a bucktail on the back treble hook.” Fish the plugs on deep water off main-lake points and humps. “The fish will come up out of deep water to smash a topwater bait,” he said. For largemouths, Daniel said to fish a five-inch green pumpkin lizard on a Carolina rig, and dip the tail in JJ’s Magic, a garlic solution. “The stuff clings to the bait, and the bass love it, and they will hold on a little longer. The largemouths up here don’t hang on to a bait like they will at Lanier or Hartwell or some other places. When you feel them pull, you better be setting the hook.” Daniel said to fish the Carolina rig down the center of the pockets and on secondary points. “You want to find ledges and drops where the bottom comes up out of deeper water. If you can find brushpiles, that’s a bonus,” he said.

Trout: WRD Fisheries biologist Anthony Rabern said that the trout should be following the bluebacks to the bank as the bluebacks move shallow to spawn. “I would look for rocky banks or rock seawalls where the herring are spawning,” said Anthony. He said he had heard reports of fish being caught on both a trolled Mepps spinner and on Pointer 100 jerkbaits.

Bream: Look for the bream at Burton and the other mountain lakes to go on bed on the full moon June 11, said Anthony. The mountain lakes are known for producing some bragging-sized bluegill.