Lake Seminole Fishing Report – March 2006

Seminole: Level: 6 inches below full. Temp: 58-60 degrees. Clarity: Dingy in the river channels, but clearing up pretty quick. There is some clear water around Lily Pad Run, and Carl’s Pass.

Bass: A tournament out of Wingate’s Lunker Lodge on February 25 drew nearly 70 boats. It took a 24-lb. sack of bass to win, and the second-place team brought in 21 pounds according to Jack Wingate. This month should be incredible on Big Sem. “By the first weekend in March, we should have some enormous catches of fish coming in,” Jack said. There will be some bedding fish caught in March on Carolina-rigged worms or flipping in two to three feet of water. Jack said spinnerbaits and topwater baits around grasslines will be the key this month. Butch Tucker said the Rat-L-Trap bite is strong. Throw a lipless crankbait around grass points. “Reds and oranges are hard to beat this time of year,” Butch said. A lot of fish are on beds right now. “The first full moon in March ought to be pretty wild,” he said. Butch covers a lot of water. “You might go along a grass edge and not catch a fish and then in a 30-yard stretch, you’ll catch a bunch. When they start to feed, it’s on.” If the water level drops a few inches, Butch said a fluke or Trick Worm fished on a 1/32-oz. weight can be deadly on fish that have pulled off the bed.

Crappie: Jack said some good catches of speckled perch have been reported, but the fish aren’t in one depth right now. “We had 15 caught in 15 feet of water, and we had 15 caught in 30 feet of water,” Jack said. You can catch slabs on minnows or jigs. Jack said in March, you can find schools of crappie around new grass. “If it ain’t new and green, you might just as well go on somewhere else,” Jack said.

Bream: The bluegills are already biting in two or three feet of water, Jack said. A cricket under a bobber will work, but if you love a flyrod like Jack does, cast a white spider and hang on for some panfishing fun.