Lake Sinclair Fishing Report – September 2018

Sinclair: Level: 1.4 feet low. Temp: Mid to upper 80s. Clarity: Stained up the river, clear from Little River Marina south, clear up toward Shoulderbone.

Bass: Tournament angler Mark Denney Jr. reports, “Conditions are certainly tough right now, but September can be a great month to bass fish on Lake Sinclair as the long summer days begin to cool down and fishing becomes more bearable. As with any difficult situation, it is important to stick with your strengths and fish techniques that you have confidence in to maximize your bites. Look for more fish to be caught up shallow this month as water temperatures begin to decrease heading into the fall. Topwater lures, such as Pop-Rs and buzzbaits around grass and docks are a staple on Lake Sinclair early in the morning. If the bass aren’t willing to chase a topwater presentation, try slow-rolling a spinnerbait or ChatterBait around these same areas to put a few fish in the boat. As the sun begins to position the fish around shade, a Texas-rigged worm or jig is always a consistent producer. A large number of fish are still offshore around brushpiles and main-lake points. For these patterns, a Carolina rig or deep-diving crankbait are both good choices throughout September. Fish are notoriously finicky this time of year, so don’t get discouraged if you aren’t getting many bites. Simply slow down, keep your line wet, and make every cast count in order to make the most of your next fishing trip.” Tournament angler Karl Pingry reports, “Catching big fish is still tough, but you can catch numbers doing a lot of different things.  Fish topwater along seawalls with a black buzzbait or frog, and Horny Toads in the grass will get a bite early, and you may find a bass in the 3- to 4-lb. range. Plastics and the original Rapala just on the edges of the grass will work as the sun gets up. Then it gets tough. Plastics on the rip-rap around the bridges and flipping docks with a Zoom Ol Monster worm is the way to finish a limit, but it is slow fishing. Numbers and chances at a bigger fish improves if you fish near the full moon phase.”

Crappie: Allan Brown reports, “Crappie fishing is good under docks near deep water. Dock lights are producing, also. Late in the evening, shad are beginning to school in the coves, so the water will begin cooling off. Look for schools of crappie near river channel ledges and deep brushpiles. Drop a minnow rig to these deep fish using your electronics to pinpoint the location. As the water cools, trolling should pick up by late September.”