Lake Weiss Fishing Report May 2013

Weiss: Level: 0.2 feet below full. Temp: Mid 60s. Clarity: Stained.

Bass: Very good. Guide and tournament pro Warren Barnes reports, “Largemouth and spotted bass are in the postspawn stage. Flipping a Reins Ax Claw and a Witless soft stickbait around wood structure and docks has been the pattern of choice for bass right now. A Tackle Doctor shaky head paired with a Reins Swamp Mover worm on points is also working well right now. The grass pattern is starting to pick up as well. I slow-roll a Revenge buzzbait along the edges of the grass and cover lots of water. Later this month, look for both spots and largemouth bass to be moving to the ledges. A variety of baits and patterns will be working, so be prepared to adjust.” Guide Mark Collins reports, “Most bass have moved shallow to the spawning coves. Some are still on secondary points, but most have moved to docks, seawalls and protected spawning banks in the spawning areas. Shallow-running crankbaits, ChatterBaits, jigs and Texas-rigged lizards and worms are catching a lot of fish right now.”

Crappie: Excellent. Guide Mark Collins reports, “The females are shallow and spawning on rocky banks, shallow brush and stumps and docks in 3 to 6 feet of water. Long-line trolling with 1/24-oz. Jiffy Jigs is the best way to catch these fish. The best colors this past week have been JJ05, JJ13, JJ17, JJ25, JJ34 and my new special, Ice Blue. Shooting docks with jigs is producing a lot of crappie. Live minnows around shallow cover is catching fish, also.”

Stripers: “Poor in the lake,” Mark said. “Most stripers have made the run up into the rivers for the spawn. The Etowah and Oostanaula rivers above Rome are starting to produce some stripers as they move to the headwaters to spawn.”