Lake Sinclair Fishing Report January 2013

Sinclair: Level: 1.7 feet below full pool. Temp: Upper 50s to 60. Clarity: Light to moderate stain on the main lake, stained up the rivers and clear down south.

Bass: Guide Walker Smith reports, “The fishing has been good. Numbers aren’t as easy to come by, but you can count on a big bite if you drag a jig around long enough. To catch numbers, head down to the south end of the lake. Throw the drop shot with a small, green finesse worm. Focus on points or ends of points for these numbers. This time of year, fish like to really group up by size, so if you catch a big fish in an area, keep fishing it until you’re convinced otherwise. Small crankbaits will still definitely produce, but it just requires covering a lot more water. You may go for a while without a bite, but when you hit a big group of them, it can be fun. Focus on shallow cover adjacent to deep water and run, run, run until you find a good group of fish. Wide-bodied crankbaits will still work, but I prefer using flat-sided crankbaits as the water continues to cool. Lipless cranks will also catch fish, but again, you really have to run and gun. If you’re looking for a place to settle down and fish thoroughly, electronics are a must right now. Idle until you find large concentrations of baitfish, and fish the entire creek—front to back. I’ve caught some really big bass in both shallow and deep water lately. It’s amazing how spread out the bait is right now, so be patient and idle. When you find the bait, you will find the fish. The dock bite is pretty tough, but look for bass to start showing up on deep docks on points and the main river channel. As the water cools, don’t be afraid to head to deeper water (humps, points and channel swings) with a jigging spoon. Drop down just above the fish, pop your rod tip a few inches and let your spoon fall on a slack line. If your line looks funny/slack at any point, set the hook. You can also catch some big crappie doing this. Again, slack line is a must for these spoons. With some consistent cool weather and rain, look for some bona fide giants to show up.”