Lake Burton Fishing Report – November 2006

Burton: Level: Full pool. Temp: Low 70s. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: The bass fishing is on at Burton, said Daniel Workman. “I am catching them on topwater and on small crankbaits,” he said. “The topwater has gone crazy — you can catch them on Sammys. If a Sammy won’t work, you can call them up with a prop bait. Small Zara Spooks will work, too, and I have been using a Tiny Torpedo in yellow and clear with a red lip. They love that one.” Daniel suggested starting at the dam and working your way up the lake hitting main-lake and secondary points. He has also been doing well cranking the same areas with small crankbaits. “I have been throwing a 1/4-oz. Shad Master that’s made by Diawa in a blueback pattern. The pickerel and crappie will hit it, and the bass have been tearing it up.” Daniel said a Baby Bill Norman’s plug will also work, and a Bandit 300 or 400 Series is another productive crankbait. If you are looking for a trophy-class spot, Daniel recommends a big swim bait around the boat docks. “I have been throwing a 10- or 12-inch bait,” he said. “You don’t want it too deep, only about a foot under the surface and use a slow, even retrieve.” If a bass follows the bait out from under a dock, but gets too close to the boat, Daniel recommends snatching the bait out of the water. “The bass will usually just go back under the dock, and you can make another cast,” he said. Daniel’s biggest bass recently was a 4.6-lb. spot.

Trout: According to WRD Fisheries Biologist Anthony Rabern, as the water temperature drops, the brown trout in Burton will head for the tributaries on their spawning run. “I have been keeping an eye on Moccasin Creek next to the hatchery, and there have only been a few small fish so far, but the cold snap should push them over the edge.” The mouth of any tributary should hold some trout, and Anthony recommends spinners, nightcrawlers or minnows fished in the mouths of the tributaries. By Thanksgiving the fish will begin moving back to deeper water and gradually they will gravitate toward the dam. Anthony said he has seen a lot of surface activity on Burton. “The bluebacks are up, and the spotted bass and trout are pushing them to the surface early and late.”