Lake Burton Fishing Report March 2011

Burton: Level: 4 feet below full pool. Temp: 48 degrees. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Fair. Capt. Wes Carlton said after a cold winter, we have rebounded quickly with warm temperatures. “The fish have come alive from their dormancy. The spotted bass have been biting the drop-shot rig with a brown 4-inch Robo Worm. Most of our fish were in 20 to 25 feet of water. We had several fish in the 4- to 5-lb. range.” Eric Welch, of Reel Job Fishing, reports, “The past month the lake has been down, and the water’s been really cold, with some of the pockets even frozen. But the lake should start coming up to full pool this month, and with the warm weather the water temps are rising. The spotted bass should start moving up and feeding for pre-spawn. As the water warms, the bass should start chasing bait. A Pointer 97 in new ayu should work. Also, first thing in the morning try a Sammy 100 on points. Up in the day, I would throw a Shakey Head with a Zoom green-pumpkin-green Trick Worm and a drop shot using a Roboworm in new ayu. I would throw a Norman DLN in Texas Shad also on long points and rocky banks.”

Trout: Good. “The trout bite has begun,” Wes said. “We have been catching brown trout on small crankbaits.”

Walleye: Good. “Early February we marked several big schools on the south end of lakes Rabun and Seed. These fish were slow to bite. This weekend was a different story. These fish have moved up the lake fast and have started biting. The fish have ranged in size from 16 inches to 4 pounds. They are biting the drop-shot rig tipped with medium crappie minnows. The bigger fish are only a week or so from spawning if the temperatures hold. Shad Raps as well as floating Rapalas in bright colors will work well if trolled or thrown. There is a good chance the state record walleye may be caught this spring,” Wes said.