Lake Weiss Fishing Report – February 2007

Weiss: Level: 4.7 feet below full pool. Temp: 48 degrees. Clarity: Stained.

Bass: Slow. A January 27 tournament out of J.R.’s was reportedly won with six pounds, and many anglers pulled out and left early. According to Weiss guide Mark Collins, the bass are still deep, hanging on the river ledges in Little River and along the Coosa channel. He recommends slow-moving baits worked on the ledges: a Carolina rig, a 1/4-oz. brown jig with a Zoom pumpkinseed chunk trailer, and a 1/4- or 1/2-oz. Strike King spinnerbait with double willowleaf blades. Slow-roll the blade with a stop-and-go retrieve to imitate a dying shad.

Crappie: The water is still cold, and the crappie are still deep, said Weiss fishing guide Jerry Sims. “They are still catching them with bottom-bumping rigs in 14 feet of water on the river ledges. In February when you get a few warm days, they will start to move up and you can catch them trolling the flats, he said. Beginning in February, big waves of crappie will head up the Coosa, and the Lock and Dam south of Rome will become a hotspot for both crappie and white bass.

Stripers: By mid February, look for the stripers and the white bass in Weiss to start their spring migration up the Coosa. Deep holes along the river and the concrete structure at the Lock and Dam should provide excellent spring fishing. “You can catch them just about any way you want,” said Jerry. “They will hit live shad, cut bait or bucktails.”