by Wes Carlton
Water temperature: 72 degrees, lake level: full pool, clarity: clear.
Bass: The bass bite has been great over the last few weeks. The warmer water temps have these fish feeding for several hours throughout the day. We have caught fish on everything from plastic worms to topwater Spooks. Most of the post-spawn fish seem to be feeding in 9 to 18 feet of water. Look for this bite to change quickly as the water is heating up fast. The underspin bite will soon pick up for the spotted bass. The largemouth swimbait bite will be an early morning bite as we roll into mid-June.
Trout: The brown trout have started schooling over the main lake channels. These fish have been chasing the small blue back herring schools up and down the lake the last few days. Sight fishing this time of year can produce some really big fish. My favorite casting lure is a Kastmaster spoon on light 6-pound line. We typically let the spoon sink for only a second or two and then work a jerk style retrieve back towards the boat. Just be prepared for that freight train bite. We have also caught some 5-pound spots with this technique. Look for the brown trout to start feeding early morning and later in the day over the next couple of weeks. The trolling bite should really be good as we head towards mid-June.
Good luck!