Lake Conditions: 6 “ below full pool, 88 degrees & stained but clearing.
Lake Seminole fishing has been as hot as the weather this summer! This month, bass are moving into their fall feeding grounds. The shad are starting to run on all the rivers and we are seeing them everywhere. There are some key baits and patterns I like to use when this happens.
A Strike King Pro-Model Buzz Bait in chartreuse and white is a great search bait when fished along the edges of the grass beds on the main lake. Retrieve this bait at a steady pace and keep a lookout for shad in the area. If no shad are present, keep moving until you find some. This technique works really well early before the sun gets too high and on cloudy days.
Fall is also a great time for crank baits! As the sun gets up in the sky, one of my go-to baits is a Strike King 1.5 Squarebill in any shad color. This bait deflects off the grass and has a great hunting action. Cast this bait using 14 lb. fluorocarbon line on a 7’ medium action rod with a 5:3:1 gear ratio reel.
Flipping can be awesome on Lake Seminole in the fall. As the days are getting shorter, the thick grass is starting to thin under the mats of hydrilla, which creates holes and tunnels for big bass to gather in. This technique requires heavy tackle. I like to use a 7’6” to 8’ extra heavy action rod and 65 lb. test Cortland’s Master braided line. Tungsten is a must for this approach so I use Strike King 1- to 1 ½-oz, depending on the thickness of the grass. When flipping and punching thick hydrilla, a quality hook can be the difference between a bite and big bass in the boat. The Strike King Hack Attack Heavy Cover Flipping Hook can handle the task. I like to thread either a Strike King Rage Bug or a Strike King Rodent on the hook to land the big ones!
We’ve started to see some crappie coming across the docks at Wingate’s Lunker Lodge the last couple of weeks. They’re being caught on jigs and minnows in 10’ to 12’ of water. Lots of campers in Bass Island Campground stay for the month just to crappie fish, have fish fry’s and take a freezer full home.
We have seen numerous teal coming in and the hunters had great success in the early season. Make your early reservations at Wingate’s for your duck hunting! Dogs are always welcome!
For current information on Lake Seminole or to schedule a fishing excursion, please give me a call at (850)264-7534 or email me at paultyrefishing@yahoo.com.
CAPT. PAUL TYRE
PaulTyreFishing@yahoo.com
850-264-7534