Paradise PFA Fishing Report – February 2010

Paradise PFA: Levels: Full pool. Temp: 56 degrees. Clarity: Lakes lightly stained; 36 inches of visibility on Lake Patrick. Report filed by area manager Charles West.

Bass: Fair. Anglers have caught bass in lakes Patrick, Bobben and Russell. Spinnerbaits and Rat-L-Traps fished 6 feet or deeper have been the best. Expect bass to start taking the junebug, red, black and pumpkinseed plastic worms beginning early February just prior to the spawn. Once bass start showing up in the shallows, switch to red and green lizards or the jig ’n pig.

Crappie: Good. Crappie are biting in 3 to 4 feet of water using 1/32- to 1/16-oz. float-rigged jigs. Crappie have been hitting blue/white, solid white, black/green and chartreuse jigs in Patrick, Russell, Tacklebuster and Horseshoe 2. The best bait has been the green Crappie Magnet fished on 4-lb. test line.

Catfish: Fair. Catfish anglers are catching a few channel catfish in Lake Patrick and Horseshoe 1 using pond worms and mullet gut. This should improve as the water temperature rises.

Bream: Good. Bream fishing is starting to pick up. Best bait for redear has been red wigglers fished just off the bottom in 4- to 6-foot depths. Good catches of 1/2- to 3/4-lb. redear have recently been reported in Lake Patrick. Bluegill have been biting crickets around the docks and in heavy cover. Bream fishing should improve through the next few months and is usually best from March through June.