Lake Chatuge Fishing Report – August 2009

Chatuge: Level: 0.6 feet below full pool. Temp: High 70s. Clarity: Crystal clear.

Bass: Good. John Hembry said cool nights in late July dropped the water temperature significantly, but he’s sure it will come back up in August. Regardless, the fish are still biting well in their summer pattern during the day, with a few fish coming up shallow at night. “Just about everything right now is worm bites,” John said. John won a Saturday tournament July 25 with a little more than 12 pounds. He also got the big fish, which weighed about 3 1/2 pounds. He’s fishing brushpiles in 20 to 30 feet of water with Texas rigs. It doesn’t matter where it is, as long as there’s brush and good depth. Keep moving and catch the aggressive fish from each school. John likes watermelon or green-pumpkin Trick Worms with the tail dyed chartreuse. He said to keep a spoon, fluke or topwater bait tied on in case of surface activity. At night, keep the boat in 15 feet and cast a black, Texas-rigged Trick Worm to rocky bank cover. Once you get your limit, switch to a 1/2-oz. black spinnerbait with a big Colorado blade. You may only get a couple of bites on it, but they’ll usually be good ones.