Lake Nottely Fishing Report – March 2007

Nottely: Level: 15.5 feet below full pool. Temp: 45 degrees. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Slow. Dwight Dilbeck was on the lake Saturday, February 24, and in a half day of fishing they zeroed on both bass and stripers. “We tried everything and didn’t get a bite,” said Dwight. Things that usually work this time of year, like hair jigs, spoons and leadhead flukes, didn’t work on a windy day. By mid March, the lake should be wide open, said Dwight. Dwight did get one bite from a walleye, and it was a good one — a new lake record at 8-lbs., 15.2-ozs. The 30-inch-long fish hit a hair jig in about 40 feet of water. The former lake-record holder was Dwight’s dad, Doug, who was in the boat with Dwight.

Linesides: Good, according to Nottely linesides guide Jeremy Seabolt. “We caught nine this morning,” he said on February 23. “The biggest one was about 18 pounds; the others were between six and 10 pounds.” Jeremy said he was catching fish around Point 9. Two of the fish hit umbrella rigs; the others hit live, freelined, six-to-nine-inch blueback herring. Jeremy said he had been catching smaller fish closer to the dam, but the bigger fish seem to be heading up the lake. The umbrella rig Jeremy is pulling has white jigs with chartreuse trailers. He said he is running the banks over about 14 feet of water, and trolling at about 2 1/2 to 3 mph. There was a brief bit of schooling on February 23. “The fish schooled on top for about 10 minutes between Point 7 and Point 8,” he said. “That’s the first schooling I have seen this year.”

Crappie: Good. Jeremy said he has been catching crappie from Christmas trees at Eagle Bend, between Point 8 and Point 9. White or brown jigs have been catching fish, he said.