Lake Nottely Fishing Report – July 2008

Nottely: Level: Down 5.1 feet below full pool. Temp: Low 80s. Clarity: The main lake is clear, but the backs of the creeks are stained.

Bass: Slow, according to guide Nathan Stuart. There is some brief topwater early on things like a fluke or chugger-type topwater baits — Pop-Rs or Chug Bugs. Once the sun is up the most productive tactic is working worms or drop-shot rigs slowly through brush in the 15-foot range.

Stripers: Excellent, according to guide Jeremy Seabolt. “It is starting to get wide open,” he said. “The fish are stacking up on their summer pattern down the lake.” Jeremy has been catching fish downlining blueback herring in the 15- to 22-foot range on points between Point 2 and Point 3 and along the river channel. He said he had been catching a lot of fish from in front of the beach, and he was seeing some surface activity there in the morning. Most of the fish are stripers. “I had a 34-pounder and a 22-pounder two weeks ago,” said Jeremy. “Last week they ran in the 6- to 10-lb. range. Almost all the fish are stripers. I don’t know where the hybrids have gone.” Jeremy said he had been catching a lot of hybrids on umbrella rigs. “There is one stretch that I can pull an umbrella rig, and I usually catch two or three fish every time,” he said. On his best morning recently, he boated 41 fish by 10 a.m. The surface activity seems to peak around 8:30 or 9 a.m. When the fish come up within casting distance, Jeremy is throwing either a fluke or a Pencil Popper to the breaks.