by Preston Harden
The water level is 6 feet below full pool and the water temperature is 85°.
July fishing has been as good as I can remember. The lake is heavily stocked with hybrids and stripers. The spotted bass have become well established in the main lake. I never thought there could be so many spots, with many of them over 2 pounds. With the cool temperatures and consistent rain, August could be as good as July. Last year with the hot weather and drought, fishing got tough in August. This year will be different.
Most hybrids and stripers will be from mid-lake to the dam. That is where the best water quality is, and they can roam the deep waters of the lower lake. Good electronics are very important in locating schools of fish. Blueback herring is seldom refused when presented at the depth that the fish are seen on the sonar. Artificials such as jigs and swimbaits, big spoons and bucktail jigs can catch fish. Reeling artificials through the schools of fish can trigger a strike.
Bass are around brush piles in 15 to 30 feet deep water. Most main lake points and humps have brush placed around them. Once you find these brush piles, save the waypoint on your GPS. You can also put out your own brush and maybe no one will find it for a while. I like to cast a topwater to the brush from a distance before I get on top of the brush and drop a shaky head or a drop shot rig. If the bass are there, they are easy to see on your sonar.