Lake Weiss Fishing Report – January 2007

Weiss: Level: 5.8 feet below full pool. Temp: 51 degrees. Clarity: The main lake is stained.

Bass: Good, according to Jason Tucker at J.R.’s Marina. “It took 19 1/2-pounds to win a tournament last Saturday (Dec. 16).” Jason said the bass are on the ledges, and the winning pattern was bouncing jigs off the edges of the ledges. He said both blue/black and brown/chartreuse jigs were producing. “I have been fishing a 3/8-oz. jig,” said Jason. “With the lake down six feet, the ledges are pretty shallow, about five to seven feet. A 1/2-oz. jig will work, too.” On sunny days he said try a Shad Rap or Bandit 100 on secondary points.

Crappie: Jason said the crappie have moved up into the flats into water as shallow as three or four feet deep looking for slightly warmer water. “You can catch them either trolling or with a cork and jig,” said Jason. The best jig colors recently were blue/chartreuse or black/chartreuse, although Jason said a completely different color, bubblegum, had been catching fish, too.

Stripers: Striper fishing is wide open, said Jason. The fish are down the lake gorging on shad. “The biggest fish brought in this week was a 21-pounder,” he said. “We have been seeing a lot of fish in the 8- to 12-lb. range.” You can catch fish by trolling the river channel with big grubs, a Sassy Shad or 1/2- or 3/4-oz. Rat-L-Traps in chrome with a black or blue back. “You have to kind of bob and weave to find them,” said Jason. “On warmer days the fish will move up on the flats into 10 feet of water. Watch for the gulls to show you where the fish are feeding. On cooler days, the fish will move back into the river, and you can catch them trolling right down the middle of the channel.”