July 2018
by Darin Brown
Largemouth bass on High Rock love deep diving crankbaits during the summer months. Try fishing them out off of points or drop offs. I like to feel the lure hit the bottom once in a awhile, this seems to really get there attention. The docks and piers on High Rock, especially if the water is near full level, can produce some lunker sized largemouth. Flipping worms, jigs, and creature baits (Zoom® Brush Hogs, Reactions Sweet Beaver etc.) work great for flipping docks on High Rock. The Abotts creek and 2nd creek areas are very good areas for this type fishing. The dock technique can be used on Badin Lake as well. Badin has a lot of underwater humps that can also be a great place for largemouth. Tuckertown Lake is a bit different because it has a lot of grass. Artificial frog lures are great on this little lake. Pitch the lure back in the grass twitch it a few times and stop for a few seconds, if no luck repeat the procedure. Terminator®, Spro®. Booyah® all make great frogs for this type of fishing.
We are seeing lots of very large catfish being caught on all the lakes. Some of the largest are coming from the Badin side of Tuckertown dam and the Tuckertown side of High Rock dam. Most standard catfish baits (shad, nightcrawlers, shiners, livers) are working well. Some of the largest ones are being caught on live or cut bream.
Crappie have settled into the standard summer pattern. Fish are being caught off of structure in 12 to 20 feet of water. A lot of people are beating the heat by night fishing with submersible lights. This is a great way to catch crappies during the summer months, especially under bridges or around docks and piers. The new green submersible LED lights don’t drain your battery near as much as the old submersible lights and are much brighter.
