by Capt Sam Williams
Water temperature: upper 80’s, water level: 189.87 msl, clarity: slight stain to clear.
Steady water levels are keeping the early pad bite active for you topwater fishermen. Weightless Fluke’s are doing well as the frog has been seen so much by the bass over the summer. Jigs and trick worms around the edges of cover are good choice as well. Blade baits on top are getting a quality bite early too. Deep fish are holding on trash piles and structure in 12 to 20 feet. Big, deep cranks are your best bet here or heavy jigs. The bait needs to be worked slowly through the targeted areas to annoy the bass into a strike. If you cannot get it deep enough and keep it slow, rig the lure on a Carolina rig, and it will allow you to slow it to the speed you like and keep it down.
Crappie are also on the deeper structure. Jigs are the trick here. Tipping with minnows will entice a bite. Bream are shallow around cover and on the flats. Crickets and wigglers are your bait here. Beetle Spins and in-line spinners are working if you do not want to go with live bait. Catfish are really a lot of fun on jugs baited with cut bait. Some really nice ones are coming in now.
Please visit our foundation web site www.alabamachildrensclassic.org and help us with the fundraising opportunities found there. If you shop Amazon, Amazon Smile is a great way to support us, and it will not cost the shopper a cent.
Be safe and enjoy your time on the water. Hunting season is getting closer and that will take a lot of fishermen off the water for a while. God bless and good fishing.