Lake Seminole Fishing Reports – March 2021

eminole: Level: 2.5 feet above full pool. Temp: Upper 50s. Clarity: Stained in the Flint and Chattahoochee.

Bass: Guide Paul Tyre, of Lake Seminole Fishing Adventures, reports, “The bass fishing on Seminole has been very productive the last month. As we move into March it’s one of my favorite months to catch some of the biggest bass Lake Seminole has to offer. A variety of lures have been and will continue to produce through March, particularly a swim jig, and one of my favorites is an Untamed Tackle Punisher swim jig in 3/8-oz. in the magic gill color. One feature that makes the Punisher unique is the quad keeper that locks on your plastic trailer. Crankbaits are another great lure for covering water, especially a lipless crankbait like a Booyah Hard Knocker in any shad color fished over the submerged grass that is so prevalent on Lake Seminole.”

Guide Aaron Crews reports, “The time is near for sight fishing. On spawning fish, I like to use plastic tube baits with an internal weight and rattle. For critter plastics, I like a split-shot and light line. For a swimming worm or lizard, I like a light-weighted Carolina rig or a Senko fished weightless. Boat position is critical for sight fishing bass. Never place your boat between the bass and deep-water access. You have to keep your shadow from falling across the bed, as this will spook fish off the bed. Don’t wear bright-colored clothing. The trolling motor should be on as low a speed as possible. A push pole may be needed. Polarized sunglasses are a must. A lot of pros use a grey lens for clear water, a brown lens for stained water and an amber lens for muddy water. A word of caution about yellow, amber lenses. Don’t use them on sunny days as they add 12 to 15% more light. You will hurt your eyes. For prespawn bass, I prefer a Carolina-rigged lizard in junebug or green pumpkin. Fish Rat-L-Traps in red or orange and black, a 1/2-oz. white, short-armed spinnerbait with a No. 4 or No. 5 Colorado blade. In areas with lily-pad stems, I use a black or purple Johnson spoon with a chartreuse skirt. March 13 is the new moon and March 28 is the full. More fish bed on the new than the full as a rule. If I was planning a trip, I would go three days before until three days after the full or new moon.”

Tournament angler and guide Matt Baty reports, “Spring is finally in the air after a long, cold winter, and the bass are sensing it. Recent rains have the lake high and muddy, but the bite is still good. Bass are mostly still prespawn with some fish already moved up on beds in backwater areas of the lake. With all the current on the lake, the bass are staging on grass points and ditches that are close to spawning flats. The two best baits for finding and catching them are lipless crankbaits and bladed jigs.  A 1/2-oz. Berkley Warpig in special red craw or blueback can be worked over the tops of the grass with either a steady retrieve or a yo-yoing action. I usually have two different setups when fishing the Warpig. I use a Abu Garcia STX with a 8.0:1 gear ratio paired up with an Abu Garcia Veracity 7-4 medium heavy moderate rod for each setup, one with 50-lb. Berkley X9 braid and the other one with 15-lb. Berkley 100% fluorocarbon. For the flats and areas with thick grass, I use the braid and a steady retrieve and rip it free from grass. For the points, ditches and depressions, I use fluorocarbon and a yo-yoing action. I use the same yo-yoing action with a 1/2-oz ChatterBait in firecraw with a Berkley 4-inch The Deal trailer in green pumpkin. The full moon and new moon in March are the best two times for bass to move up on the sandbars to start spawning. So as the weather continues to warm, look for the fish to migrate to the shallow bars where they can be picked off with a swimming worm such as a Berkley Wind Up worm or a stick bait like a Berkley General.”

Crappie: “The crappie fishing on Lake Seminole has been excellent this spring. The crappie are being caught out of shallow water near their bedding areas,” said Paul Tyre. Guide Aaron Crews reports, “Crappie are in 2 to 10 feet of water on Hal Flys, minnows and Road Runner jig heads tipped with minnows. Catfish are in 5 to 15 feet of water on minnows, stinkbait, cut bait, chicken gizzards and worms. Chain pickerel are on spoons,  white spinnerbaits and jerkbaits, like a Rattlin’ Rogue in 5 to 7 feet of water.”

Bream: “As we move into March, the shellcracker will begin to move shallow into their spawning grounds. Fishing for shellcracker and crappie is an awesome way to introduce kids to fishing at Lake Seminole Fishing Adventures we encourage parents to bring their kids and we offer trips on a pontoon boat that can accommodate the whole family,” said Paul Tyre.