Lake Russell Fishing Report July 2016

Russell: Level: 1 foot below full pool. Temp: Mid 80s. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Tournament pro Trad Whaley said Russell is seeing a tough bite for largemouth and quality spotted bass right now. “It’s only taking 11 to 12 pounds to win the night tournaments—all spots,” Trad said. “There was one largemouth about 3 pounds weighed-in in a tournament last week. To catch a bigger spot, fishing 10 to 16 feet deep on brush and rocks with a crankbait or big worm. A drop-shot will catch a hundred spots in 12 to 20 feet in the brushpiles, but nothing over 2 pounds. The herring are in the timber over 20 to 35 feet of water, but we’re not catching many bass in the timber.”

Linesides: Trad said to look for the oxygen line at the dam to be cranked up any day now. “The oxygen is not on yet, but that will be a good place for stripers in July,” Trad said.