Lake Weiss Fishing Report – May 2008

Weiss: Level: Up 0.3 feet above full pool. Temp: 64-68 degrees. Clarity: Clear in the main lake; the backs of the creeks and the Coosa are stained.

Bass: Good. “The bass are shallow staging for the spawn,” said Weiss guide Mark Collins. “There are a few fish on the beds already and a lot cruising the banks. A lot of guys are fishing with something like a Senko or finesse worm with a light weight — 1/16-oz. or 1/4-oz. The fish are back in the spawning bays, and the best banks will have 2 or 3 feet of water right up on the bank. A few fish, mostly small buck bass, are being caught on topwater early on buzzbaits or frogs. The spawn ought to run into the middle of May before the fish begin to pull back and the postspawn topwater picks up. We are a little behind schedule this year.”

Crappie: Good, said guide Kelly Matthews. “If you like shooting docks, then this is your month,” he said. “Look for docks in the 8- to 10-foot range with deeper water close by. For dock shooting, I like a 1/24-oz. lead head with a Southern Pro Stinger Grub in black and blue with a chartreuse tail. This technique will work all the way through the end of May.” Also try fishing deep brushpiles with a drop-shot rig. “Brush in the 12- to 14-foot range will be holding postspawn migrating crappie,” Kelly said.

Stripers: Most of the fish are up the rivers. Guide Jerry Sims said you can catch stripers from the upper end of Weiss all the way to the Mayo Lock and Dam below Rome in any deep hole using cut bait. “We were catching them earlier on small lures, but cut bait has been working best,” said Jerry. “The white bass, crappie and small stripers will hit small crankbaits, crappie jigs or small bucktails, but the best fishing is still on cut bait.”