Lake Eufaula Fishing Report – April 2009

Eufaula: Level: Full pool. Temp: Mid 60s to low 70s. Clarity: Mostly stained except clear on the lower main lake. Clearing in the backs of creeks and some sloughs.

Bass: Good. Stephen McCord said the first wave of bedding fish moved up the first weekend in March. With the stained water, Stephen said finding bedded fish right now is a little tougher than normal, but it can be done. He said to look for sandy spots about the size of a plate in less than 3 feet of water. “Watch for the fish. If you see movement, throw something to her,” he said. “If you don’t see movement, move on.” For bed fishing, Stephen likes a Terry Bowden Cold Steel lizard in white. He’ll also fish a 4-inch, white flipping tube, from either V&M or Venom. With either bait, he’ll drag it into the bed and let it sit, wiggling it a little and watching for a pick up. There’s also a pretty good prespawn bite going on right now before the sun gets high on primary and secondary points in the first one-third of the creeks. Stephen likes to fish a Rat-L-Trap in chrome with a black back for this bite. When the bedding bite ends, it’s time to start looking for postspawn fish on the flats. Any brush, stumps, ledges or rocks in 6 to 8 feet near the bedding areas should hold fish. Stephen’s favorite postspawn topwater bait is a Zara Spook in Tennessee Shad. If you can’t get them on top, go to a Texas rig, a Carolina rig or a crankbait like a Fat Free Shad in chrome with a black back. The Fat Free Shad will also be key when the shad spawn starts as water temps rise into the high 70s and low 80s toward the end of April. White spinnerbaits and flukes will also work for fish feeding on the shad spawn.