Lake Eufaula Fishing Report – March 2007

Eufaula: Level: 1.8 feet below full pool. Temp: 51-57 degrees. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Good. Eufaula guide Billy Darby says the bass should start moving up into the hydrilla to bed this month as water temps approach 60 degrees and warmer. The prespawn cruising fish can be picked up with crankbaits on the points or by ripping spinnerbaits through the hydrilla. Billy likes to start deep and subtle with crankbaits or spinnerbaits and work progressivly shallower and more aggressive to find what the fish like. He suggested Mann’s crankbaits in Grey Ghost to imitate the shad in Eufaula. When the fish get on the beds, Billy suggests looking for the bright spots in three to five feet of water where the bass have cleared out beds. “If you find a bed with mussel shells in it, you’re going to find a big bass,” he said. “That big female will bring mussel shells into the bed for the eggs to adhere to.”

Crappie: “The crappie are going to be spawning in the warmest dead-water sloughs they can find,” Billy said. He suggested fishing toughy minnows under a cork in two to three feet of water in dead-water sloughs or non-flowing creeks. He said the prespawn crappie can be caught in five to eight feet of water trolling curly-tail jigs or hair flies. The prespawn crappie will be roaming the flats in five to eight feet of water next to creek channels in the 20-foot range.

Hybrids: Good: “The hybrids should be running sandbars,” Billy said. He said to look for shallow sandbars adjacent to deeper water, and look for schooling fish. A lipless crankbait in pearl or white works well for hybrids in clear water. In stained water, Billy likes pearl/chartreuse. Either cast to the schools or troll. For trolling, a 1/2-oz. or 3/8-oz. curly-tail jig can also be productive in the same colors.