Lake Russell Fishing Report – May 2006

Russell: Level 1.3 feet below full pool. Temps: 72 degrees. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Good with most fish quickly moving off the beds and settling into a postspawn pattern that should last until the end of May. Early try topwater plugs on secondary points. As the sun gets on the water, continue to fish secondary points, but use Super Flukes and crankbaits. There are lots of bass already pulling back out into the standing timber. Early in the day and all day when it’s cloudy, fish a buzzbait or topwater prop bait like a Devil’s Horse next to and over the cedar trees in the standing timber that is in the pockets and creeks. When the sun is out, try a spinnerbait or Texas-rigged Ol Monster worm next to the trunks of trees. The bass are usually holding eight- to 12-feet down.

Crappie: Fair, with almost all of the crappie already moving back out to deeper water. Jerry Craft said you might still catch a few smaller crappie on the banks, but you’re better off fishing brush 10- to 18-feet deep, and Jerry said he’s mostly going at night and fishing around a neon-green light. “Mostly I’m using minnows, but if I get the bite turned on I might throw a jig under a float. They like the edges of the light,” Jerry said.