In November, fishing was slow for the most part. However, December should bring better fishing as the water temperatures are pretty well cooled off.
The length of day will be at its shortest, the lake will be recovered from turnover, and fish will be well into their fall areas and starting into their winter areas.
Focus should be on the main flow areas of the lake, around the mouths of creek arms and on both primary and secondary points, as well as steep banks, focusing on rock and hard-bottom areas.
On the upper end of the lake, from Dreher Island up river, and in the backs of main lake coves, where the water has more color, look for fish to be positioned in the last deep water.
Remember, this can be relative to the area and could be the last deep bank of a creek channel bend that is 3 to 6-feet with a 2-foot flat surrounding it, or it might be the end of a point that drops into a ditch or creek channel in front of a spawning bay.
Techniques of choice are slower techniques with crayfish and shad- mimicking baits. Good lures to use are Greenfish Michael Murphy Signature High Class Spinnerbaits, umbrella rigs, flat-sided Ima shaker crankbaits, Greenfish jigs.
Soft Plastics or Finesse worms, creature baits, tubes and beaver type baits, such as the Reins Punchin’ Predator, Craw Tube and Swamp Mover in a Natural or Green Pumpkin color. Target with moving baits during cloudy or windy conditions, switching to slower moving baits as the day gets brighter and the wind lessens.
Be sure to key on areas with rock or a hard bottom, as well as docks built on black floats.
On the lower end of the lake, from Dreher Island to the dam, focus on slower moving bottom baits, such as a jig, shaky head, or dropshot in a Watermelon or Green Pumpkin color, especially during times of no wind.
However, in there is wind, focus on suspending and moving baits like the IMA Flit and Ima Pinjack 200 on points and jigging spoons on the sides and ends of points. Key areas are those holding blueback herring shallower and white perch deeper.
Be sure to focus on the sides of flatter points with hard bottoms where there may be a steep contour or an ambush area. Points with these characteristics are typically marked with a hazard marker buoy.
This time of year on the lower end of the lake, boat positioning can be key, so position the boat over water as deep as 25 to 35 feet and cast toward the point.
Try using a Navionics chip in your graph and setting the shaded depth on your Humminbird (press Menu twice, under Chart) to 30 feet.
This can be extremely helpful in locating ideal humps and points. Wind is also a key factor and can be the difference between a successful day and a difficult one this time of year.
So, be sure to follow the wind from day to day, fishing points that have the most direct wind blowing on them.
The month of December is when the bass are in full swing of their fall patterns and starting to venture into their winter patterns. This is a great month to catch fish in predictable areas, as they can be easy to pattern with good electronics.
Bass will be in the backs of creeks and pockets holding on the last deep water areas around rocks and docks, starting to set up in deeper 25- to 40-foot areas off of points toward the end of the month.
Up the river and in the backs of creeks and coves, where resident fish are more prevalent, fish could be as shallow as a couple feet, as long as there is a creek channel or deep water nearby.
Be sure to focus on areas with bait and hard-bottom areas. Down the lake where bass are setting up deeper, they will be feeding on blueback herring, white perch or crayfish and will typically be positioned on long tapering points adjacent to spawning coves.
This time of year is a great time to utilize your electronics, spend time idling, and look for key sweet spots in the form of rock or brush piles, keep in mind that the months of December and January are the best times to do some white perch fishing.
Edited By CAMC Staff
By Michael Murphy
USCG Approved
Merchant Mariner Licensed
(770) 605-6373
www.MichaelMurphyFishing.com
Michael@MichaelMurphyFishing.com
