Lake Sinclair Fishing Report – April 2007

Sinclair: Level: 1.5 feet below full pool. Temp: Mid 60s. Clarity: Stained.

Bass: Good. Jim Windham said he and a partner probably caught five limits fishing crankbaits on main-lake points late in March on Sinclair, but he said the fish are getting ready to go on the beds. “You could probably go fish the backs of the pockets with a lizard or a spinnerbait and stay pretty busy,” he said. A Texas-rigged green-pumpkin lizard can be deadly fished in the backs of the pockets, while the spinnerbait bite in the grassbeds should be on-and-off throughout the day. Jim suggested a spinnerbait with silver willowleaf blades.

Linesides: Good. Big Ed at Lakeside Bait and Tackle said the linesides are running up the river right now, and people are catching them on jigs and minnows. Crooked Creek and Sandy Run have been hot spots, while good-sized hybrids have also followed the shad up into Beaverdam. Big Ed said people are having luck sitting right on top of the fish and dropping either jigs in chartreuse or red/white to them. Live bait has also been producing well. Anglers have had success dropping shad or big minnows straight to the fish.

Crappie: Good, said Allan Brown who is having a lot of luck shooting docks around Rooty Creek, Goat Island and pockets on the main lake. “They’re up next to the banks spawning. We’ve done real good. You can catch ’em any way you want to do it,” he said. “It’s pretty easy right now, and it probably will be for the next two or three weeks.” Allan said people are having luck pitching a cork and a jig to the bank and pitching to trees, but his favorite method is shooting jigs to docks in 5-8 feet of water. “There ain’t a dock on the lake that isn’t holding fish,” he said. “And, they’ll hit any color you throw under there.” Allan said jigs in pink/white, blue/black and red/green/yellow are particularly productive.