Lake Seminole Fishing Report May 2013

Seminole: Level: 0.4 feet below full pool. Temp: 74 degrees. Clarity: Stained.

Bass: Good. Guide and tournament pro Matt Baty reports, “The bass are nearing the end of the spawn, and most fish caught right now are postspawn fish that are feeding on shad. A good pattern to search for right now is the shad spawn. The shad are spawning right now all over the lake; you just need to be on the water early to get in on the action. Any topped-out vegetation such as hydrilla or peanut grass near deeper water is a good place to look. The shad will spawn on top of the water, and you can see them flicking in the grass. Once you find a shad spawn, there are several baits that will catch the bass, but it is really hard to beat an A-rig. The best baits to rig the A-rig up are the new Big Bite Baits Cane Thumper 3.5 in reel shad. To rig up the A-rig properly and lessen your chance of losing it, you need to use heavy braid, such as 65-lb. Sunline FX2, light-wire Gamakastu jig heads and strong snaps. The weight of the jig head varies depending on the depth. A 1/8-oz. works well in shallow water, and 1/4-oz. works well in depths of 10 feet or more. If throwing the A-rig is simply just not your style, then a spinnerbait works real well around the shad spawn. Topwater is also starting to get fired up, and a good bait to use around the shad is a Stanford Turbo Shad in the summer color. Once the shad spawn is over, look for main-lake grass points, and fish the A-rig, spinnerbait or a Carolina rig with a 1-oz. Fish Catchin Fool tungsten weight. Use your electronics to locate the grass points, and look for bait. The new Lowrance Elite 7 HDI is an awesome unit and has an affordable price. It works well on Seminole because it really shows detail and makes it easier to locate balls of shad on the outside edges of the grass.”