by Wes Carlton
Water temperature: 75 degrees, lake level: full pool, clarity: clear.
Bass: The bass fishing has been a little tough the last few days. With the cooler air temps it seems like most of the bigger fish are deep. We have been catching some spotted bass on drop shots over a 28 to 30 foot bottom close to brush and rock ledges. Try using a small Fluke Jr on a drop shot while working these areas slowly. We have also caught a few fish drop shotting bass shiners.
Brown Trout: The trout bite has picked up the last few days. With all the recent rains these fish have been feeding on top when we have cloud cover. We have been casting a Kastmaster spoon for these surfacing fish. Be prepared to hook into some heavy fish! Try letting the spoon sink for a couple of seconds then a slow jerking retrieve back towards the boat. We have also been catching a few brown trout free lining blueback herring. Try letting the baits out 60 to 80 feet behind the boat. We like to maintain a speed of .8 to 1 mph. This keeps the baits straight and allows them to dive a little. Look for this pattern to continue and the fish to start feeding more hours during the day.
Walleye: The walleye should start moving up shallower as the water cools over the next couple of weeks. Most of these fish have been hanging out on a 40 to 60 foot bottom and are hard to catch during the summer months. The trolling should start up as the water temps near the 60 degree mark.
Good Luck!