Lake Nottely Fishing Report – April 2010

Nottely: Level: 9.8 feet below full pool. Temp: Upper 40s to low 50s. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Good. Tournament angler Scott Hughes said the fish are starting to move up into a prespawn pattern. He has done well lately targeting fish shallow on the sunny points where the water is warmest. The spotted bass and largemouths have been on these points feeding heavily on abundant baitfish in about 5 feet of water. A small crankbait like a Norman’s Little N or a Lucky Craft jerkbait, both in shad patterns, will catch a lot of fish. Scott said it won’t be long before they head into the backs of the pockets and onto the beds. At that point, he’ll throw a shallow-running Shad Rap, shad colored, and spinnerbaits. Scott likes Hawg Caller or Terminator spinnerbaits in white and chartreuse with willowleaf blades. Also, when they hit the beds he’ll be doing some sight fishing. Any dark jig or lizard that’s easy to see will work to harass bedded females into picking up the bait.

Stripers: Good. John Hembry said the stripers are starting to move shallow, and he’s had some good evenings fishing wind-blown points and pockets with a fluke or a bucktail from Point 5 up to Point 7. He said to look for some structure in those windy areas or find a mud-line where the wind has created a little stain on the water. The fish have been running from 8 to 12 pounds.