Lake Burton Fishing Report – May 2006

Burton: Level: At full pool. Temp: 70 degrees. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Fair. A tournament April 22 was reportedly won with a 14-lb. limit. The topwater bite has not begun yet on Burton, but as the bass come off the bed expect topwater activity to pick up on main-lake points and humps. A Sammy is a lake-favorite topwater bait. In the meantime, you should be able to pick up fish that are beginning to stage on the points with a Normans Deep Little N, or a No. 7 Shad Rap. A jerkbait like a Pointer 100 in the same area is also a good bet in May. For largemouths slow-roll a spinnerbait around blowdowns and docks. The fall-back bait on Burton is a green-pumpkin Texas rig fished slowly through brushpiles.

Trout: The trout are still holding in the backs of the creeks, but as the water temperature rises, expect them to move to deeper, cooler water in front of the dam. By the time the thermocline sets up, fishing minnows straight down, or trolling with blueback imitations in a circuit in front of the dam are both popular, productive tactics.