Lake Sinclair Fishing Report – July 2010

Sinclair: Level: Full pool. Temp: Low 90s. Clarity: Slight stain.

Bass: Excellent. Mike Cleveland said it’s hot but the big fish are biting. He won the June 12 R&R with a 21.51-sack, and he took second in the June 5-6 Berry’s Classic with a two-day total of 33.88 pounds. Mike said he’s been starting off early fishing a black buzzbait around grass beds to get started on a limit, but his bigger fish are coming off main-lake docks. He’s looking for docks with 7 to 12 feet of water off the front, and he’s flipping them with a Zoom Ol Monster in Junebug. Mike said there’s also a pretty good big crankbait bite on the main-lake points and humps in 14 to 17 feet of water. He likes a blue/chartreuse DD22.

Linesides: Doug Nelms reports, “It is the Bristol Bay Brawl of striper fishing, and it takes place every year when the fish began looking for cooler, oxygenated water. The tailrace of Wallace Dam brings some really big stripers, and the action can be non stop. Using live shad, we downline in the surf, working the bait just like you would do with a plastic worm in a farm pond. When the striper hits, line strips, the drag screams and the fish get down in the swift water. A 3-pounder feels like a 10, and it is never unusual to get a double, even a triple on the boat. If you can find live shad, it is the best bait by far. However, big bass minnows will do the trick. Use a 1-oz. Carolina rig to get the bait down on the bottom. You must wear your life vest when you are down there —big fine if they catch you without it.”