Lake Seminole Fishing Report – May 2021

Seminole: Level: Full pool. Clarity: Light stain in the Flint and Chattahoochee; clear in Spring Creek.

Bass: Guide Paul Tyre, of Lake Seminole Fishing Adventures, reports, “The bass fishing on Lake Seminole has been very good through April. If planning a trip to Lake Seminole in May, make sure you have your topwater lures like buzzbaits and hollow-belly frogs in your tackle box. A buzzbait is the optimal choice for covering water to find the active areas that are holding bass. One of my favorite buzzbaits is a 3/8-oz. Strike King Pro Model in chartreuse and white. This buzzbait has a unique sound that generates some ferocious strikes. My choice for the frog is the Spro Popping Frog in the leopard color.” Guide Aaron Crews reports, “Bass are hitting paddletail worms in junebug and green pumpkin, spinnerbaits in white, ChatterBaits in white, small swimbaits in California 420, as well as Rat-L-Traps in blue chrome. In May, I feel that the bass will be staging on bream beds. This should lead to good Texas-rigged worm and Carolina-rigged worm fishing. I’m using a Fitzgerald skipping rod for jigs, paddletail worms and ChatterBaits baits. I like 18-lb. Sunline fluorocarbon on a MGXtreme Abu Garcia reel. For crankbaits, buzzbaits, topwater and spinnerbaits, I’m using a Fitzgerald Thrift crankbait rod spoiled with 16-lb. Sunline fluorocarbon on a MGXtreme reel. For flipping frogs and worm fishing, I’m using a with Hydrilla rod spoiled with 85-lb. braid on a Abu Garcia Revo Rocket. As for Carolina rigs, I’m using a favorite rod called Big Sexy extra heavy with a fast tip spooled with 65-lb. braid on an Abu Garcia Revo Rocket. If you haven’t tried Fitzgerald rods, you really should. As the song goes, I’m feeling good vibrations.”

Guide Chris Taylor reports, “The fishing has been pretty good for the month of April. We are seeing some bass still bedding, while some bass are done and feeding on the start of the shad spawn. It has been a strange year, with everything just a tad bit late. We really want to see overnight temps get out of the 50s for the good shad spawn to really start up. As the month of May progresses, look to see a shad spawn in full swing. Water temps staying steady at 70 overnight will cause it to fire off. Target outside grasslines with spinnerbaits, topwaters and swimbaits. The key to success with shad spawning fish is having the bait swarmed by the shad. If your bait is not having shad cling to it, make an adjustment until you find what they want. That adjustment could be as simple as a blade or color change. As the day transitions, search these same areas with a Texas rig. There have been some stout fish eating a worm as the day goes on. I am also catching some good bass on hollow-bodied frogs around lily pads and grass mats. There are some bream bedding in Fish Pond Drain, and you best believe there will be some big bass cruising around those, as well.”

Bream: “For the panfish enthusiast, the bream and shellcracker will be bedding on Seminole in May, and this is an excellent way to introduce kids to fishing on one of the best reservoirs for bream fishing you can find,” said guide Paul Tyre. Guide Aaron Crews reports, “A few shellcracker, bream, redbreast and bluegill are being taken on crickets and worms, but this will be better in May. Fly fisherman will benefit from willowfly hatches in May. The new moon is May 11, and the full moon is May 26. Jackfish are hitting on spinnerbaits. Catfish are on worms and cutbait in 10 to 15 feet of water. Crappie are on the edges of weedlines. Minnows and Beetle Spins will be working in May. A few are being taken by bass fisherman on Rat-L-Traps and ChatterBaits.”