Lake Seminole Fishing Report January 2011

Seminole: Level: 0.8 feet below full pool. Temp: 52 degrees. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Good. Matt Baty reports, “The cold weather has really dropped the water temperatures. That has put the shad on the move toward deeper water. The best place to fish this time of year is in Spring Creek, which is loaded with deep water and standing timber where the bass suspend. The best places are near the bends and points of the old creek channel from about 22 to 24 feet deep. There are three deadly tactics I like to use. Best for numbers of fish is a drop-shot rig. Use a size 2 Gamakatsu Finesse wide-gap hook and a 3/16- to 1/4-oz. drop-shot weight, depending on the wind. You can use either a baitcaster or a spinning outfit, but the spinning gear works much better. I like 8-lb. Sunline fluorocarbon FC Sniper line, as it is extremely sensitive and has low memory. Use your electronics to find the balls of shad, and drop your bait right underneath them. The best bait is a 6-inch Big Bite Baits finesse worm in green pumpkin or watermelon. The other technique works well when the bass are suspended up off of the bottom a little bit. Texas-rig a 6-inch Big Bite Baits Trick Stick in watermelon/red flake. Use a 3/16-oz. Tungsten and a 5/0 Offset Gamakatsu hook, and 16-lb. Sunline FC Sniper. Stay in the old creek channel, and throw into the stumps targeting the larger size trees. The bait falls slow, and the bass will hit it on the way down. The last technique is awesome for catching giants. Use a Spro Little John DD in citrus shad or nasty shad colors. You need 12-lb. Sunline to get the bait down deep enough to reach the fish. The best places are on the points and bends of the old creek channel. If the weather starts to warm, look for the bass to move up on the flats. Then it will be time to break out the Traps and power-poles!”