Lake Sinclair Fishing Report – December 2006

Sinclair: Level: 1.4 feet below full pool. Temp: 59 degrees. Clarity: Muddy on the upper end of lake, clear on the lower end.

Bass: Fair, as 3 1/2 inches of rain has muddied the water at the top end of Sinclair, but there are some good schools of largemouths on the south end of the lake around Island Creek, Rocky Creek and the Airport Cove area, said Kim Carver. He suggests jigging a 3/4-oz. silver Hopkins spoon on the edges of the river channel and around deep structure. He gave a depth range of 20 to 40 feet deep. “That’s a big range, I know, but it depends on the day,” Kim said. “On bright, sunny days, they’re going to be deeper than on the cloudy ones.” While spooning will produce numbers, Kim said the bigger fish are still coming from the middle section of the lake around the docks. Flipping a 1/2-oz. black-and-blue jig with a Zoom Super Chunk trailer will still produce quality fish around the docks. “You might flip all day and get one bite, or you might get four bites,” Kim said. “Not a lot of fish, but better quality.” If the weather stays mild, flipping docks could produce on into December, but if a cold spell moves in the fish could move deeper, making for a better spooning bite.

Crappie: Great. Allan Brown caught some nice slabs this past weekend trolling double jigs in the Rooty Creek channel. He kept the boat in 25 feet of water, and the bite was 10 to 12 feet down. “Don’t overlook shallow water at Sinclair in December,” said Allan. Pull 1/16- or 1/32-oz. jigs in five to six feet of water once the temperature dips into the high 50s. Allan likes Triple Ripple jigs in acid rain and John Deere colors. Pull jigs one mph in front of docks in five to six feet of water. Any brush helps the bite.