Lake Chatuge Fishing Report April 2016

Chatuge: Level: 4.8 feet below full pool. Temp: Mid 60s. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Guide Eric Welch reports, “The bite is good. The spotted bass are starting to spawn, and you can find them around any long, pebble bank lines, flats and long points. With the full moon, the fish have been shallow the first couple of hours, and you can catch them on a fluke and a Trick Worm. But once the sun comes out and it starts warming up, they move back out to 10 to 18 feet of water. Once they’ve moved out, I’m throwing a jig, shaky head, craw bug and tubes, just popping it and slow dragging it across areas where they will spawn. There are a lot of buck bass being caught in that depth range, but the females are cruising around, too. There are some largemouth that are on the bed, but most will lock down the next couple weeks. You can see the largemouth cruising around pockets, docks and near creek runs. My go-to bait is a fluke, craw bug and also a magic swimmer. On windy days, I’m throwing a Strike King 2.5 crankbait and a spinnerbait.”