Pickwick Lake Elevation 413.5
Water Temp. 85

BASS

If you get out early enough you can catch bass on top water baits in the lake and below the dam in the river. In the main lake fish main lake points close to deep water. The later in the morning it gets the more important it is to fish a point with deeper water close by. In the river just fish on the main river banks, try to fish a creek mouth or any area where the water runs over the top of shallow rocks. Top water baits seem to only last from 5am until about 6:30. If I am fishing in the river I will switch to a Strike King Series 3 crank bait and fish along the banks, fish tree tops and rocky bluff and chunk rock, then stick with the most productive one of the three. Big fish in the lake are in deep water right now, I have been catching fish on 10"Iguana Lizard on a carolina rig and a Strike King one once Spinner bait also works well. White and white and chartreuse are the only two colors that I used this week in these deep water areas.

Stripers

Stripers are biting good again. If you can catch skip jack minnows that would be my number bait of choice throughout the day. I've caught stripers on live bait on a carolina style rig with a two oz. sinker and made 20' cast close to the boils and drifted back down stream. The other way is to only tie on one hook and use a larger split shot sinker, make a long cast by the boils and let approx. half a spool of line out while drifting back. Either method worked well last week and they both worked well. Just remember to cast short with the heaver sinker or you will be spending a lot more time hanging up and re-rigging then you will fishing.

Catfish

Catfishing slowed down around below thePickwick Dam where I have had the best luck over the past month. I started moving downstream and started catching more fish drifting in the current. I had been catching fish on worms and cut bait, but the live bait got harder to find. I tried Dyna-Bites in Catalpa Worm flavor and in shad flavor and it worked out well for me. We caught several catfish drifting the Dyna-Bites in 20-25' of water. I like to fish the Dyna-Bites on a size 1 Strike King Whisker Sticker hook with a medium action rod with a once sinker if possible.