Lake Chatuge Fishing Report – February 2007

Chatuge: Level: 8.4 feet below full pool. Temp: 45 degrees. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: In February, look for the spots to begin to pull up on the flats getting ready for the spawn, and when they do, it’s a good time to throw a suspending jerkbait, said John Hembree. “If I was going to Chatuge in the next couple of weeks, I’d have a big suspending jerkbait, a jig-head fluke and probably a worm tied on,” said John. “On the pretty days, I’d work something like a Rattlin’ Rogue or a Lucky Craft Pointer on 15- to 20-foot flats and points.” Another of John’s favorite baits is a Zoom Super Fluke fished on a 1/8-oz. jig head. “I cast it out into 20 or 25 feet of water and then reel it back real slow,” he said. A Swormin’ Hornet Fish-Head Spin can be used the same way, only with a regular Fluke instead of a Super Fluke. When the fish begin to move up, a crankbait is a good alternative to the jerkbait when you are fishing points or flats. “You want something that will run about eight to 10 feet deep,” said John. “Something like a No. 7 or No. 9 Shad Rap, or maybe a Norman’s Deep Little N.” The fall-back bait at Chatuge is a green-pumpkin or watermelon Zoom Finesse worm fished slowly in brushpiles in the 20 to 25 foot range. You can still catch fish on a jigging spoon, too, but John doesn’t usually fish a spoon in the conventional, vertical manner. “I usually cast a spoon, let it sink to the bottom, and then give it a fast jerk and let it sink back to the bottom,” he said. The technique would be a problem in most lakes, but the bottom of Chatuge is clear enough that hanging the spoon isn’t a major consideration.