Lake Russell Fishing Report – April 2008

Russell: Level: 0.2 feet above full pool. Temp: High 50s in the mornings, low 60s on warm afternoons. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Good, said tournament angler Trad Whaley. Trad and his father finished seventh in the Hwy 72 Marine tournament March 15 with 12.8 pounds. They caught bass on spinnerbaits in the trees, and they found schooling fish in the back of a pocket that hit Rat-L-Traps. “The fish are moving up,” said Trad. “We were fishing channel turns in the creek mouths, and the fish had already moved past us. There are some reports of bedding fish already, and in another week or so they ought to be on the banks. The next few weeks is when you want to be at Russell. There will be a lot of 20- to 30-fish days, and you can catch them just about any way you want. They ought to be hitting floating worms, spinnerbaits, jerkbaits — anything you want. The spots have moved up, too. They were in 18 feet; now they are in 8 or 10 feet of water. Any point or reef marker within 2 miles of the Hwy 72 ramp will have spots on it. They are hitting Blade Runners first thing in the morning.”