Repprt courtesy Conley Bottom Striper Guide Service 1/3/10 Happy New Year! We've had a real blast from old man winter since my last fishing report and the water has really cooled off. The surface temperature on the main lake is 43 degrees. Up in the creeks, you can probably find a little warmer water. As usual, when the water gets this cold, the stripers slow down and bait becomes very hard to catch. Although bites are much fewer and farther between, some of the biggest fish of the year annually turn up in the dead of winter. Just don't expect big numbers of fish. The bulk of the stripers will spend the remainder of the winter in the upper third of the creeks and tributaries. Live alwives, smaller gizzard shad, and suckers are the best baits. Since no thermocline exists at this time of year, expect to find fish anywhere in the water column. Adjust your lines accordingly. I usually pull baits behind planer boards with no weight just under the surface, 1/2 oz lines 20 - 30 ft back, and one oz wts 25 - 35 ft back. Place 3 oz down rods at whatever depth you're marking the most fish. This set up allows you to cover nearly all of the water column. If none of this works, bottom fish! Bottom fishing consists of simply tying the boat up to the bank and fan casting live shad / alwives out on the bottom using short leaders and 1 oz wts. If you know me, you know it's not my favorite way to fish, but it will catch fish when absolutely nothing else will. The best areas to bottom fish are usually where shallow clay banks meet rocky banks or deep water. This pattern should remain the same for the remainder of the the winter. If you would like a more up to date report or lake conditions, feel free to call me. Tight lines, Phil 606-271-2247Originally Posted by JimDi
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