Lake Chatuge Fishing Report – July 2006

Chatuge: Level: 1.6 feet below full. Temp: Low 80s. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Sean Capes was fishing a She Dog topwater plug when a big fish rolled on the bait. “It ripped off about 10 yards of line, and I thought, ‘Man, this is a big spot.’ Then it jumped like it had been shot out of a cannon, and I saw that it was a smallmouth.” The fish weighed 4-lbs., 2-ozs. “It was as beautiful a smallmouth as you will ever see,” said Sean. “I usually catch one a year.” While the smallmouth was unusual, the topwater pattern is a primary pattern on Chatuge this time of year. Sean said he fishes topwater about 90 percent of the time, fishing Spooks, Sammys, Pop-Rs and flukes on main-lake points and humps early and late. “If the fish aren’t on top, you can fish the same places with a Carolina-rigged worm or something like a Spotsticker. I usually use a Trick Worm or a finesse worm. Green pumpkin is the go-to color in the clear water, but sometimes I will use smoke, or smoke green.