Lake Sinclair Fishing Report April 2018

Sinclair: Level: 1.2 feet low. Temp: 56-58 degrees. Clarity: 1 to 2 feet in the Little River and 3 to 4 feet in the Oconee River and main lake.

Bass: Tournament angler Mark Denney Jr. reports, “Spring is in full swing, and the turkeys are gobbling as we head into April on Lake Sinclair. With the warm weather stabilizing and the water temperatures continuing to rise, expect great fishing as more and more bass migrate toward shallow cover. Topwater lures, such as a frog and buzzbait, become major players this time of year first thing in the morning. If you get a topwater strike and the fish misses the bait, you can often catch that bass by following up with a weightless Texas-rigged worm or fluke. Once the sun comes up, try a spinnerbait or a ChatterBait around grass and docks in order to generate a few extra strikes. As fish complete their spawning stage, I really like a Texas-rigged LFT Hyper Lizard with a 1/4-oz. bullet weight to catch any bass that may still be on bed. When covering water, try throwing a Blademaster Little Earl crankbait to give fish a different presentation when targeting that mid-depth water column. Don’t be afraid to fish the whole lake until you find a productive area. Once you start catching a few fish, try downsizing with an LFT Hyper Finesse Worm on a shaky head in order to catch any finicky stragglers.”

Crappie: Allan Brown reports, “Crappie fishing is in full swing. Some will be spawning, and some will have already done the deed. Dock shooting really gets into full swing. Try docks on main-lake points and also in shallow coves. Trolling works, too. Target flats next to deep water in creeks and coves off the river. Troll shallow water with 1/32-oz. jigs or grubs in different colors until you zone in on the color they want. Also, pitching the banks and blowdown treetops with a small float above a jig about 1 to 2 feet deep works well.”