Lake Weiss Fishing Report – April 2006

Weiss: Level: 1.5 feet below full pool. Temp: Upper 50s. Clarity: Yellow Creek and Little River are clear. The Coosa is dingy.

Bass: Good. Two March tournaments on the lake were won with five-bass catches that weighed 25 pounds and 27 pounds. Small crankbaits on the banks have been the predominant pattern, according to J.R. at J.R.’s Marina. “A Shad Rap will work, but a Bandit 100 or 200 series has been real popular on this lake.” J.R. recommended starting on main-lake points, then moving back to secondary points. If the crankbait doesn’t produce, he suggested switching to a spinnerbait. “In April, everything will be shallow, shallow, shallow.”

Crappie: Stalled on the weekend of March 25 due to cold weather the week before, but the great fishing should fire back up by the first week in April. “We have had the best crappie season on Weiss for both numbers and size since 1993,” said J.R. Prior to the cold snap, the fish had been up on the banks and trollers were catching them in three to six feet of water on 1/32-oz. jigs. The best color jig depends on where you are on the lake, said J.R. “On the Coosa River arm, which is usually dingier, yellow and chartreuse work best. In Yellow Creek and Little River, which are usually clear, anything with blue in it works pretty well.” The biggest crappie J.R. had seen this spring was a 3.1-lb. slab.

Stripers: Slow on the main lake. “Most of the stripers are making their spawning run up the rivers,” said J.R. “We don’t get back on the stripers until about the middle of May.”