Lake Weiss Fishing Report – August 2008

Weiss: Level: 1.1 feet below full pool. Temp: 85 to 98 degrees. Clarity: Good fishing color.

Bass: Good, according to tournament angler Warren Barnes. “Bass fishing is good to great,” he said. “Most largemouths and spots are still up on the flats early and are being caught on a variety of baits such as buzzbaits, Spooks, and the Berkley Gulp 5-inch Jerk Shad. As the sun rises these fish will quickly move to deeper water and are being caught on docks and the ledges, but don’t fish any deeper than 15 feet as the oxygen content does not seem to be favorable to the bass, and there has been no generating until late in the afternoon. You will catch both species on a variety of baits from big Texas-rigged worms to shaky heads. I prefer the Gambler 10-inch ribbon-tail worm in Florida Five-O color. Small shaky-head rigs like the Gambler Giggy head are catching some huge spots and largemouths for me as well. I will also back these two patterns up by slow-rolling a 3/8-oz. War Eagle spinnerbait with double willow-leaf blades. This pattern helped me to win an American Bass Anglers event in July with more than 21 pounds. After dark the night bite is on fire, and throwing a War Eagle black-and-red spinnerbait with a single black Colorado or Indiana blade around any hard bank or bottom such as bluffs or seawalls will produce the best results. Both largemouths and spots move up very shallow after dark to feed on shad in July and August, and the bite gets better as it gets later into the night, just be very careful at night it is a dangerous lake.”

Crappie: Crappie fishing has been fair over the last few days with most crappie coming in the early morning off deep brushpiles and stumps, said Weiss crappie-fishing guide Kelly Matthews. “Most of my fish have been coming from 14 to 16 feet of water using a live bait on a drop-shot rig. Working the minnows slowly just off the bottom around brush and stumps. I am still picking up a few good crappie shooting some of the deeper docks close to the main river channel. Docks with at least 8 to 10 feet of water seem to be the best ones right now. A 1/24-oz. Southern Pro Stinger in black and blue is still doing well. Also, night fishing has been good fishing around bridges with lights set up, and this is also a good way to beat the summer heat. Crappie are right in the middle of the summer pattern, and this means fishing slow with live bait around heavy cover. Get out early to beat the heat and get the best bite.” Lake Weiss guide Mark Collins said a few fish are being caught on the river ledges in 14-25 feet of water bumping bottom with minnows and Jiffy Jigs on the ledges of the old Coosa River channel. Fair numbers of fish are being caught shooting docks with 8 feet of water or more under them, with the new chenille Jiffy Jig made for a slow fall for shooting docks (www.jiffyjigs.com). Look for older, bigger docks that make a lot of shade and the ones that have brush under and around them are always good. Always fish around the whole dock because the crappie will tend to be schooled tightly and in only one small location under the dock. Pay most attention to the darkest shaded areas.

Stripers: Good, according to Mark. “The stripers have started moving to the mouth of the feeder creeks and rivers. Cave Hole in Little River is producing some fish and Little Spring Creek is also producing some good quality fish. A live shad downlined on a No. 2 treble hook with a 3/4-oz. weight at 8 to 12 feet deep is the preferred method, but don’t forget to put out a freeline behind the boat to catch the shallower fish. The powerhouse lake and the canal are producing some stripers when they are generating power at the Weiss dam, look for the fish on points and humps that create a current break in 10-20 feet of water.”