Lake Weiss Fishing Report February 2011

Weiss: Level: 3.6 feet below full pool. Temp: Mid 30s to low 40s. Clarity: Stained.

Bass: Fair to slow. Guide Warren Barnes reports, “The extreme cold weather has made for some very tough bass fishing conditions on Lake Weiss. Both largemouths and spotted bass are scattered out in the deeper areas of the lake. The baitfish are bunched up in tight schools in 25 to 30 feet of water, and there are fish hanging around these schools, but the bites are very slow. The best baits to use right now are 1/4- to 1/2-oz. jigging spoons and drop shots rigged with 4-inch Jackall Superpintails. The bites on the drop shot have been extremely light, so a high-quality fluorocarbon such as the Japanese Toray high grade is a must. As the water starts to warm back into the 40s, I would look for the jig and crankbait bites to start picking back up. Try baits like the Jackall Muscle Deep15+ crankbait, and 1/4- to 3/8-oz. Georgia Tackle finesse jigs. Looking forward into March, this can be an awesome time for big fish on Lake Weiss. I would look for the crankbait and jerkbait bite to start picking up. Try baits like the Jackall Muscle Deep7+ crankbait, and on windy days try using a jerkbait like the Jackall Squirrel to catch the big prespawn fish. Guide Mark Collins said, “Bass fishing is fair, and the bite is starting to slow down as winter sets in. Look for shad in shallow flats, on secondary points and the mouths of any shallow coves or pockets. In the upper Coosa River, starting at Three Mile Creek all the way to Mayo’s Lock and Dam, the bass are busting shad on top of the water in the mouths of any cove or pocket and any shallow flat near the main river channel. These actively feeding fish can be caught on a variety of shad-imitation lures. Shallow-running crankbaits, Rat-L-Traps, spinnerbaits and smaller 3- to 4-inch swimbaits are catching these very aggressive fish, Carolina- and Texas-rigged plastics are also catching fish. Little River is also producing some great spotted bass fishing in the upper part on the old river ledges. On the steep rock banks, a drop-shot rig with a 4-inch worm or a small craw is working great.”

Crappie: Good. Mark said, “Crappie are being caught on structure on the drop-offs of the upper Coosa River channel ledges from Three Mile Creek up to Mayo’s Lock and Dam in 8 to 16 feet of water. Spider rigging with live minnows and Jiffy Jigs is the way to catch these crappie. Look for structure on the edges of the old channel with schools of fish suspended around or above the structure, and fish your baits very slowly at or near the depth you are marking the schools of fish. Casting Jiffy Jigs in colors JJ08 and JJ21 under a float or tight lining them is working right now in the log jams of the upper Coosa River.”

Stripe: Fair. “They are starting to move back to the main lake on the old river ledges and main-lake flats,” said Mark. “Trolling 1/4-oz. jigs with a 3- or 4-inch Sassy Shad at 1 to 1.5 mph will be productive all winter.”

Catfish: Good. “They are being caught in the flats and coves in 10 to 20 feet of water on cut shad,” said Mark.