Lake Sinclair Fishing Report – January 2007

Sinclair: Level: 1.65 feet below full pool. Temp: 60 degrees. Clarity: Clear.

Bass: Fair. “They ought to be starting to gang up deep in the pockets right now,” said Jim Windham. But with the recent warm weather there should also still be some fish in the shallower water. For numbers of fish, Jim suggested fishing in 20 to 30 feet of water around the creeks, specifically Island or Rock creeks. A 3/4-oz. Hawkins spoon in silver, gold or white should work well, depending on water clarity and cloud cover. Dragging a 1-oz. Carolina-rigged worm in green pumpkin could also produce some fish. “Heck, they only make one color worm, that’s green pumpkin,” Jim said. For better quality fish, Jim said he prefers cranking around the docks and points. He mentioned both a Rapala No. 7 in natural shad or a Bandit Flatmax in clear/chartreuse as good choices for cranking.

Crappie: Good: Allan Brown said the recent warm weather has the crappie biting shallower than they normally are this time of year. “They’re biting pretty good in some of the creeks and the coves off the river,” he said. “But this water has got them shallower than they should be, in about 10-12 feet of water.” Allen has been putting fish in the boat slow trolling a double rig made up of 1/32- and 1/16-oz. Triple Ripple Jigs in acid rain or John Deere. He said blue/black is also a good color choice. “Look for pole holders on docks,” he said. “More than likely they’ve got trees piled up out there.”