Lake Eufaula Fishing Report – August 2008

Eufaula: Level: Full pool. Temp: High 80s. Clarity: Clear on the main lake. Major creeks have some stain.

Bass: Good. Guide Billy Darby said the typical ledge bite was tough until he was tipped off on a very deep pattern by a friend. Hydrilla is getting thick on anything shallower than about 14 feet, and ledges at those depths have become hard to fish with the usual crankbait pattern. “The fish have gone extremely deep,” Billy said. “They’re deeper than I’ve ever known them to be on this lake.” He said to target ledges dropping off from 30 and 35 feet of water down into the 40- and 50-foot depths. Tournament-winning sacks from 17 to 22 pounds have been coming off these deep ledges in recent weeks. Fish a Texas-rigged 10-inch, Big Bite Kriet-tail worm, and rig it with a 1 1/2-oz. weight to get it to the bottom. The best colors have been tilapia, which is similar to dark pumpkin, and red shad. In order to fish this pattern, you need a heavy-action rod 7 to 7 1/2 feet long, like a flipping stick, to handle the heavy bait. You also need a large capacity spool to handle all the line you’ll need to get out. “I don’t think there’s anything else going on,” Billy said. “My partner and I fished every day last week and didn’t catch anything to weigh-in in less than 20 feet of water. This particular pattern could last throughout August and possibly into September.”

Linesides: The bite is slow, but it’s good for big fish, Billy said. Some 10- to 12-lb. hybrids have been caught recently trolling deep river ledges in about 30 feet of water. Billy said to pull Mann’s 20+ Stretches in silver or other light colors along those ledges. “You may only catch two, but the action is worth it because of the big fish.”

Crappie: Slow. Fish under the sunken bridges with minnows, if you can keep your bait alive. The fish have been small, from 1/4- to 1/2-lb.

Catfish: Good. Anglers have been catching boatloads of perfect eating-sized cats fishing red wigglers near the bottom on main-lake ridges.