by Matt Henry
Lake Sinclair is down 1.05 feet with water clear and the temperature in the 50’s.
Bass fishing is fair. On most days the shallow water will work with a spinnerbait, jig or worm. Add the Rapala Shad Rap or other small crankbait. The number of daily bites will be lower than during spring, but the average size of fish may be higher.
For the spinnerbait, try a ¼ ounce Stanley in chartreuse and white with tandem Colorado blades, one nickel and the other gold. Slow roll the bait around blow downs, brush piles, rocks, rip rap, grass and docks.
Several large fish have recently been caught on Shad Raps like a #5 or #7 and a #4 or #5 in the RS series in chrome blue and fire tiger on bright days and fire tiger, shad or gold black on cloudy days. Fish these small crankbaits around any of the fore mentioned cover and just about anywhere else. Retrieve the bait slowly. Try moving the bait with a slow sweep of the rod tip and use the reel to take up slack only. Repeat casting to the same cover will also work well on some days.
Jigs with pork or plastic should also be tried. Stay with lightweight jigs if possible. Try a 3/16 or 5/16 ounce Stanley casting jig with a #11 Uncle Josh pork frog in black blue, black and or pumpkin brown. Texas and Carolina rigged worms are also catching fish from shallow water.
Bass are also coming from deep water in the central and lower lake. Depths are ranging from 15 to 30 feet. Some of these fish are following shad schools and moving a lot. Others are holding on humps, points, and flats along the main river and creeks. The best baits are jigging spoons and Carolina rigs.
Lake Sinclair Catfish
by Chad Smith
Fishing for big catfish has been good as we have been boating at least one every trip over 25 pounds! Planer boards pulled over 25 foot flats .5-.7mph has been the ticket. Pulling big chunks of gizzard shad 75-100 feet behind the boards has been best. These fish are hammering the baits hard and really get your heart pumping.
As we get into March, start pulling the same boards and baits shallower as these fish start targeting the crappie. Backs of creeks and long coves are where I would start. Don’t be afraid of fishing in water less than 8 feet as the big blue cats will be shallow gorging on the big crappie!
Lake Sinclair Crappie
by Chad Smith
Crappie fishing has been good for numbers as of late. Water depths 12-20 feet deep in the back of long coves and backs of creeks with a little stain have been best! Acid rain, June bug chartreuse, popsicle and wild cat have been best colors. Long line trolling single 16th and a #4 split shot has been the ticket running .9-1 mph! The fish are all over the water column in water 20 feet deep, but the best has been from 12 feet to the bottom!
Fish these same colors and depth for another 2 weeks as the water warms, then as we get more into March, these fish will run shallow getting ready to spawn. Start running single 1/16th and double 1/32nd jigs .9-1.1mph as they will be in water less than 10 feet deep in the very back of creeks and back of coves. The fish will get bigger, and you will catch a ton of them! Best way to fish for these fish will be to long line troll.
