Greers Ferry Fishing Report 4/16/09

[Cody Smith]

Well guys and gals the action and water temps are back up and running here on Greers. Surface temperatures are ranging from the mid 50's to low 60's. The action on all species has skyrocketed. Walleye, Smallies, Largemouth, Kentucky's, Whites, Hybrids, Bluegill and every other species are feeding heavy. The last couple of days have been flat out good fishing.

The white bass and hybrids have made there way back up the arms and are finally trying to complete there spawn. A lot of large females are starting to feed aggressively. 3" Action Bait Grubs, Rapala x-raps, original Rapalas and in-line spinners will all boat you some fish. Once the majority of the population gets done with there spawning they will be feeding even better. There are a lot of small bait fish up these arms 2 - 3 inch's in length. a lot of the game fish are keying in on this specific size so be sure and try to match the hatch.

We have been catching walleye's almost everyday over the past week. The only problem is they all seem to be in the Slot limit, Several 22 - 24 inch fish have come aboard. This can be a nice problem to have! Crawlers are producing when coupled with a 1/16 or 1/8 oz. lead head and fished extremely slow in prime time areas. I have been successful in catching them in the backs of creeks, small gravel points in the arms and out on main lake points and ledges. They are definitely starting to feed for the summer.

With current surface temps in the upper 50's a large majority of our small mouth population has spawning on there mind. I have seen a huge influx in activity of our bronze backs. Areas that are known for spawning are loading everyday with more and more fish. Finesse baits are still number one in my boat. Lot's of bites with some really nice 16 - 18 inch fish coming on every trip. Transition banks facing south with pea gravel and deeper water near by are definitely the place you want to be.

With the increasing water temps there has also been more of a push with our LM and kentcukies. The spot's are using similar areas as the small mouth but a little deeper water and larger boulder rock in channel swings on the main lake or in the creeks should be your key areas right now. The LM are starting to push towards the bush's. Currently there are a lot of small males running the brush lines with a select few larger females with love on there mind. Again, Finesse style baits are number in my boat when your not using live bait. By far live bait will out produce when it come to numbers.

Our friend the catfish are pushing up most creeks and tributaries with the bait. We have been catching more channels than any other species as of late. Live bait is a must here, crawlers and minnows are both producing good results.

With the stable weather pattern starting to set in the crappies will be spawning on both ends of the lake. By the looks of the eggs here on the South end we are still a week or so away. I have not fished them lately up on the North end but I'm positive the majority of fish are shallower than 5 feet and in the middle of there spawn in the northern location's.

Here is a few pics from the last couple of days~ Please let me know if you would like to set a trip up for the lake or if I can answer any question's you may have regarding our area!