[dropcap]W[/dropcap]ater temps are in the mid 80s, and catching fish of any size is tough on Russell right now. It took 9 pounds to win a recent evening tournament, and the second-place sack weighed just 7 pounds. If you make it to weigh-ins with a 10-pound sack, you can probably expect a check. Catching small spotted bass is no problem. They are all over the main and secondary points and humps in the 20-foot depths. Drop shot a brush pile and you can pull up all the 1-pound spots you care to catch. Sometimes moving off the brush will help locate bigger fish, and dragging a Carolina rig will sometimes get them to bite. The other option is to target largemouths, which are few and far between. A jig or big Texas- rigged worm fished off the steep ledges will get you two or three decent fish in a full day, if you’ve got the persistence to do it.
Kerry Partain
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