The elevation behind the dam on April 23, 2014 at 6 PM was 984.72 feet
above sea level. Temperatures taken at the dam at 08:00 AM indicated a
reading of 57.7 degrees. Temperature taken at Muddy Creek at 09:00 AM
was 62.4. Overall average temperature across the lake was 60.05
degrees. This was the average today and not the entire week.

SUMMARY:
The past week has been a stellar fishing week. The lake has exceeded
angler expectations for all species except for the possibility of sauger.
Walleye anglers as well as crappie fishermen were bringing in limits of fish
continually non-stop day after day and crappie limits are being caught from
practically the entire lake. Black bass have finally been awakened and this
week has shown a sharp incline in catch rates on both smallmouth and
largemouth bass. Of course more anglers have been targeting these
species since the water temperatures increased to the 60’s. White bass
made some fast runs up river late last week but were stopped when the
cold snaps struck and drove water temperatures down. However, they are
running again and anglers are catching white bass from shoreline as well
as boat.

CRAPPIE: Excellent
Crappie fishing continues to be excellent all over the lake.
It seems one can’t find a bad spot to catch crappie. All the creeks are
fishing hot as well as many of the mud flats along shorelines near creek
mouths. The large flat at the mouth of Indian creek is very good fishing.

All the usual crappie hot spots are fishing very well. Swann’s Marina area
(behind the marina), the bridge piers on the main lake, as well as the shoreline downstream from Swann’s is fishing very well. Nina Creek is also
still productive.

Try minnow and bobber, crappie flies, crappie spinners as well as trolling
methods with minnows. Traditional methods are effective. Small Rapallas
and jerkbaits have been used this week with great success.

SAUGER/WALLEYE: Good (This section remains unchanged and is
accurate)
Walleye are fishing very well across the lake. Sauger presence is down
with few fish under 16” being caught.

The prime areas remain the upper lake from Swann’s Marina upstream to
the Rankin boat ramp and possibly to the island just above the ramp if
depth allows.

As with crappie, all sorts of lures are being used for walleye. The most
prevalent is the green jig with pheasant tail as well as weighted minnows.

Other favorite colors are blood red, chartreuse and even white
occasionally. Shadraps have been seen being tossed into the seams along
the fast water but jigging seems to be the favorite method used to catch
walleye. Anglers on the faster river sections of the lake are seen using
Rapala Husky Jerks, Strike King Redeye Shad, Lindy Stick Jigs and a great
little lure, the Terminator T spinnerbait, which has been used by many
anglers this season with good results.

BLACK BASS: Good
Largemouth and smallmouth bass are being targeted more and more and
bass tournaments are now being held across the lake.
Lures used throughout the week have been varied with the plastic 8” worm,
Carolina rig a favorite. Retrieves have been very slow across the bottom.
Bass are still lethargic with the cooler water temperatures that linger on the lake. The temps are rising quickly and black bass will soon be the word on
the lake. Deep diving crank baits as well as spinner baits with gold blades
have been effective. Dark colors are recommended and dark green is
preferred. Smaller size spinner baits in greens and chartreuse are
effective.

WHITE BASS: Good
White bass can now be found easily at almost any point on the reservoir
with highest concentrations, obviously, on the upper reservoir.
The Rankin boat ramp shoreline up and down stream has been very
crowded with anglers this week enjoying good white bass fishing.

White bass have finally been motivated to move in force and anglers are
enjoying great catches of this wonderful fish.

Some great lures to try for white bass are the Rat L Trap crank bait, which
should work well under trolling conditions. Worden’s Roostertails for
shallow fishing has been an old standby. The Road Runner Bucktails work
well for deeper fishing.