By Capt. James McManus
AAAh May! Maybe the weather “boogie man” has finally been put to rest and we can get to some real fishing. Because of late cold snaps and heavy rains, there should still be fish spawning on the banks. The bluebacks will be working the banks and our favorites will be following them there. I can’t remember a winter/spring that threw more curveballs weather-wise than this one. This should be the time of the year when fish are spread out on almost any bank that has gravel, sand, or chunk rock if you are looking for bass varieties. If old walleye are your favorites, then you want to look for clay banks with a little color to them.
When I first started really fishing Fontana I had some friends in Cherokee that would put their kids on the bank to swim as soon as it was warm enough. After letting them splash around and muddy the water a little, they would come behind them and pitch nightcrawlers on a jighead and load up on the walleye. I accused them of risking hypothermia in their kids if the cold hung on too long and they felt like a mess of fried walleye. If you don’t have access to small children willing to brave spring water temps, just look for wind blown banks where the mudline extends into deeper water, preferably off of clay points. A little breeze helps the bite but, if it is dead calm, you may just have to go a little deeper. Historically, end of April and first of May are prime time for bank eyes. They show up after a week or two of rest, after spawning, and will hang right on the bank. As the weeks roll on, they will gradually get deeper and deeper until they move off to summer suspending depths of 80 to 100 feet. If you have never caught a walleye on a nightcrawler and you are patient, it is way fun. They will typically hit it pretty good but you cannot set the hook until they have run deeper and eaten it. Many a baitshop has earned their spring bank payments by selling to shortstriking newbies to nightcrawler fishing.
You bass guys are in for a treat this month because you can almost do no harm. If spots, smallies and whites are around, there isn’t much they won’t eat. We have fished jerkbaits, jigs, dropshots and bait at the same time, and everyone caught fish, so throw what you know. Some days they will be a little deeper or a little shallower so that is my key as to which bait I throw. Look for fish on your sonar as you cruise down a bank and if you mark a couple of fish, throw from there. We don’t have much structure here so they will typically be all along the bank in a particular area unless there is a tree down off the bank to hold them. I always keep a Rapala ice jig or similar lure attached, because many fish can be caught directly under the boat. If you are a troller, you can set baits just above markings and use side planers to get those stuck to the bank.
We are still in transition mode on Fontana, as the bluebacks are just now getting established. Stocked walleye are mixing with natives (I hope), and weather patterns affect all species. The key is to be open to changing tactics and areas, because the fish are going to adapt to whatever makes life easier for them. Be aware of the new size limit on whites, eat spots, and turn back smallies so we can still enjoy them for years to come. I am hoping the bluebacks increase the size of our spots, they sure have in most lakes like Chatuge , Lanier and Hartwell, but we will see. Enjoy some of the best fishing of the year and thank God for our beautiful lakes in the mountains. Later Capt. James
Capt. James McManus is the Owner of 153 Charters. Give him a call for a great day of boat fishing!
