Lake Eufaula Fishing Report – January 2009

Eufaula: Level: 1.2 feet above full pool. Temp: 46 to 52 degrees. Clarity: Muddy.

Bass: Heavy rains muddied the lake the weekend of Dec. 14, but Stephen McCord said they released so much water the lake level didn’t actually rise that much. He caught some good numbers and some good fish on dark plastics. Bass were schooled-up in 8 to 12 feet of water off the first drops on the south end of the lake below the causeway. In stained water, Stephen likes a 10-inch Culprit worm in either red-shad or crawdad color fished on a Texas rig. He said to look for baitfish on your graph, and fish around them. Also, if you can find a mudline, or an area of water that is a little less stained, you will improve your chances. Stephen also caught a few fish with a black/blue jig ’n pig in 4 to 8 feet of water on structure around boat docks. If you want to fish a crankbait, target rocky points and steeper walls, and fish something like a Strike King Series 5 as slow as you can. Sexy shad is a good color on Eufaula. Another pattern that produced a few fish was a white spinnerbait fished in the backs of the creeks, around floats of boat docks on the first and secondary points. Stephen likes a 1/4-oz., Master Blaster, double-willowleaf blade in white with a white trailer. “I always go with a trailer,” he said. “A trailer will catch bigger fish.” As the water clears, the spoon bite should pick up on steep ledges, points on ledges and around bridge pilings in anywhere from 15 to 30 feet of water. “Look for schools of baitfish, and work your spoon at that depth,” Stephen said. A 3/4-oz. Cotton Cordele spoon in chrome is Stephen’s favorite. He likes to switch the hooks out for No. 2 treble hooks.