Lake Weiss Fishing Report January 2014

Weiss: Level: feet below full pool. Temp: 45-47 degrees. Clarity: Slight stain.

Bass: Fair. Guide and tournament pro Warren Barnes reports, “Both largemouth and spotted bass on Weiss are in the winter mode right now on the main-lake ledges. IMA crankbaits and Revenge football jigs are working best for me right now on these areas. On warmer days, the IMA Rockin Vibe lipless crankbait has been my favorite choice. On colder days, I will slow down and get a bit deeper with the fish. The baitfish are grouped up in large schools, so it’s very important to pay attention to your electronics to find the fish. On calm days I am using a small Revenge jig or a Tackle Doctor shaky head topped with a Reins Swamp Mover worm. On the windy days, I like using IMA crankbaits and Flit jerkbaits, and I’m always using my Humminbird electronics to find the harder bottoms. As we move into February, I would look for the bass to still be on these winter patterns, although the February warming spells can really make the bass fishing explode on Weiss. Be ready to hit the shallows structure.” Guide Mark Collins reports, “A lot of bass in the main lake are moving to deeper water to a winter pattern. Some bass are still being caught shallow in the upper Coosa River near Riverside Campground. Shallow-running crankbaits, jigs and Carolina-rigged plastics are producing well.”

Crappie: Fair, according to Mark Collins. “The bite has turned off on the river channels. After all the rain, a lot of fish have moved into the coves and bays. They are suspended 3 to 5 feet deep in 7 to 12 feet of water. Long-line trolling with Jiffy Jigs in the 1/24-oz. size is the way to catch these suspended fish.”

Stripe: “They have started showing up in the main lake in good numbers,” Mark said. “They are in the main Coosa River channel from Cedar Bluff to Leesburg in good numbers. Downlining live shad 8 to 12 feet deep is a great way to catch these hungry stripers. Trolling with a 1/4-oz. jig with a 3- to 4-inch Sassy Shad body at speeds around 1.5 mph is also a good way to catch these aggressive fish.”

Catfish: Mark reports, “Catfish are biting good in the flats 8 to 20 feet deep on cut shad.”