Lake Jackson Fishing Report – November 2021

Jackson: Level: Georgia Power is dropping the water level in a hurry for drawdown. Temp: Low to mid 70s. Clarity: Stained.

Bass: Tournament angler Karl Pingry reports, “Give the fish three to five days to get acclimated to the lower water level, and then get to the lake. The bass will work their way from the front of the pockets to the backs as the shad move on in. Last time this drawdown happened, the magic number was three days. On day four, all you had to do was go to a pocket and watch for surface activity. The bass were really chasing the shad and giving themselves away. The baits of choice were Rat-L-Traps, spinnerbaits and square bills. As the water cools into the low 60s and into the 50s, make sure you have a flat crankbait tied, as well as a jerkbait. Most of the docks will be out of the water and the rivers will be too shallow to run, so target points, secondary points and brush/stumps that are now visible with the low water level. Other structures to target are large rocks (exposed and submerged) and banks that transition from rock to sand, and to red clay or clay to rock. There are times you will be able to run the lake targeting one of those bottom changes and have a ball. Certainly have a jig and shaky-head worm to fish exposed brush and docks that have as little as 1 foot of water on the edge. A fluke skipped into that shallow shade under the dock will hold some good largemouth you’d swear didn’t have enough water to breath. Be careful running the lake, and take some time to mark brushpiles on your electronics that others have put out that will be hidden from view when the lake level returns to full pool. Using your GPS and marked brush, you’ll have a lot more cover to fish that you didn’t know was there earlier this year.”