Short Fishing Report

[Bill Babler]

Corp. slowed the water down a bit today, and man we needed that to happen. It has been running high clear and cold, 42 degrees. Still some hunks of moss coming thru and quite a bit on the bottom in the restricted zone.

The best bite continues to be early. If your careful, the fog is not a real problem, just take a little more time getting where you need to go.

Restricted zone early has a very nice scud bite using as big as 10's but best is probably a 12. Some reports on egg flys catching fish, but I have done poorly on the egg, catching the majority on the scud. I have been dragging it on a drift rig with a 1/4 oz. bell.

Today with the slower water has been the first good day for flying or jig and float. Steve Dicky reports the size 12 scud is by far the best fly. He is using 18 ft. of tippet, and 3 AAA shot to get it down. He is running a tandum both scuds. He believe the egg is a deterant right now, and is not using it. Best scuds are silver, grey or black.

Below the restricted area, some very nice fish are being caught on the inside bends of the upper lake from Fall Creek down thru Cooper Creek, and from the Highline wires above Monkey island to the new 65 bridge. This continues to be a very early bite tappering off to almost zero, as the sun gets high and the fog burns off.

Best bait by far is 1/2 of a night crawler on a drift rig, or minnows. Best bite from daylight, to about 9 AM and that is pushing it. You will catch more fish between 6 AM and 8 AM than you will the rest of the day, all put together. The evening bite has been extremely poor.

There are plenty of fish, the feeding patterns have just gotten very restricted with the large volume of water and the high sun.

Good Luck

[Gatorjet]

Good report Bill. But will you stop talking about Monkey Island! There are no fish there, never has been, never will be. It's a HORRIBLE place to fish! ;) LOL