Lake Nottely Fishing Report – August 2007

Level: 14.8 feet below full pool. Temp: Lower 80s. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Great. It has been like, crazy,” said mountain-lake guide Nathan Stuart. “We caught 30 bass there one day last week. It’s a great place to go just to have fun catching bass.” Nathan said the No. 1 bait on the lake is a drop-shot rig. He has been using a 1/4-oz. weight with a 1/0 hook 18 inches to 2 feet up the line. Flukes or worms both work fine, and he says the color doesn’t much matter. “We have been catching them on green pumpkin, red and blue worms, but you could probably catch them on any color.” Nathan said to hit main-lake points or steep banks. He has been casting into shallow water and pulling the bait into deeper water and catching fish in 1 foot to 30 feet of water. “You can watch your depthfinder too, and if you see some arches, just drop the rig down and shake it in their face.” If you don’t want to throw a drop shot, Nathan says a Norman’s crankbait is a good choice. Schooling has been sporadic. “I was out there about a week ago and had 40 spots schooling on top. We were catching them on a fluke — nothing big, but they are fun to catch. On another day there might be only one or two breaking. You just have to spend time on the water to be there when they come up.”

Linesides: Good. Guide Josh Garrison said that in mid July he was on some of the best fish of the summer. “I have been fishing the mid-lake area over humps 35 to 40 feet deep and the stripers have been tearing up the gizzard shad. They want gizzard shad more than they want bluebacks.” Josh said he has been fishing his baits within 3 feet of the bottom, which makes it tricky to get the fish out without breaking off. “We have had several fish over 20 pounds, and we have had some others break off out in open water,” he said. “I think what has happened is the fish have found some decent water, and it is mostly a holding area. They aren’t interested in bluebacks much, but if a big gizzard comes by that’s enough to get their attention.” By big, Josh means a gizzard shad in the 10- to 12-inch-long category. Nottely is being pulled down, but so far all the ramps are accessible. “The Canal Lake ramp will probably go dry,” said Josh, “but the other ramps should be OK” As August progresses, Josh hopes to see more topwater activity early and late over main-lake points. After dark he expects to find some big stripers roaming the 8- to 10-foot flats looking for gizzard shad.