Lake Eufaula Fishing Report – May 2010

Eufaula: Level: Full pool. Temp: Low to mid 70s. Clarity: Muddy on the main lake and main creeks, especially down the lake. A little clearer in some of the backwaters.

Bass: Fair. Stephen McCord said the largest of the spawners have already moved back out and are in the postspawn lull. For the next few weeks and through May, he’ll be fishing blowdowns and docks on the points. For this, a rattle bait is tough to beat, but he’ll also be throwing a big red-shad worm, a Chatterbait and a crankbait like a RC 2.5. With the crankbait, he likes the crawdad color, and he’ll dig it into the bottom in 8 to 10 feet of water. Stephen will also always have a buzzbait tied on early to catch his big fish. He’ll fish it around those same docks and blowdowns early in the morning. As the month moves on, it’ll be time to start hitting the ledges. Start working the 10- to 14-foot ledges looking for stumps or breaks, and also hit the stumpy flats with either a 1-oz. spinnerbait or a deep-diving crankbait like a Fat Free Shad or a DD22. Stick to the natural-shad colors, but throw in a little chartreuse if the water is muddy. Keep your bait bouncing on the bottom, but if you hit a stump, stop and let it float up. Also in May, if you come upon a good bluegill bed, make sure to fish around it with a spinnerbait or Chatterbait.

Linesides: Good. Stephen said he likes to target stripes and hybrids in May when they start crashing bait on the surface around the causeways and main-river flats. Look for schooling activity early, and throw a Spook or a Pop-R into them. Go with natural-shad colors.

Bream: Good. Worms weighted down with a small split-shot are the ticket fished on the edges of the grass in 3 to 4 feet of water, especially around muscle-shell beds. A few were coming off boat docks, also. For this, use a cork in the deeper water. Stephen said he is catching a lot of catfish mixed in with the ’crackers. Bluegills should start bedding strong over the next month, and the catfish should continue biting, as well.