Fayette County Fishing Report

December/January 2004/5

            The holidays bring many people extra time to fish and Fayette is the place to be. Fishing this fall was very good and we can only expect to see good fishing straight through the next few months and into the spawn.  As all of you know, on any power plant impoundment, the fishing remains steady throughout the winter months.  If you dress properly, you have some great fishing memories this time of year.  The fronts are dropping in and the air temperature is fluctuating wildly some days and that makes for some interesting times.

            The traditional spot to begin your day of fishing is the warm water discharge and to be sure there are plenty of fish there.  I believe there are resident fish in the area that never venture any further from the discharge than the spawning flats near by.  These fish are accustomed to the worm to hot water and do not go seeking cooler water.  I would begin with a spinnerbait along the discharge shoreline.  When the baitfish are stacked in there with the bass it can be non-stop action.  I use a War Eagle mouse in the 3/8 to ½ sizes.  The current is significant so a heavier bait is required.  Another great way to catch these fish is to throw finesse worm on a light jig head, letting it float along with the current.  This can produce some very nice fish.

            The center of the discharge can also produce some good fish with either a heavy drop shot or a deep diving crankbait.  I prefer the MOJO drop shot weights as the line is protected inside the weight and they rarely get hung up in cover.  The Rapala DT 16 series in either shad or blue gill is an excellent bait if you want to crank the area. Just remember, throw your bait up current and bring I back down stream.  That is the way the bass will orient themselves.

Remember to pay close attention to the prevailing winds. If they have been out of the south for a few days before you fish, hit the points north of the discharge. If the winds have been from the north, fish along the discharge and the areas around it. The warmer water will have been pushed either direction.  I am also keeping a Lucky Craft Lipless bait in the American Shad tied on to use before the fish go deeper.

Many fish will come from using a Carolina rigor spoon this time of year.  Last year the shad did not really ball up on the offshore humps as usual so the bite was slow.  If the cooperate this year, the shad and blue gill will ball up on the off shore humps and a Carolina rig, drop shot or Spoon should produce some nice quality fish.  A Chartreuse/Pepper finesse worm, watermelon/red Baby Brush Hog or Chartreuse/Pumpkin Trick worm are all good producers on the rig.  A one-ounce slab spoon is all you need to use to catch these bass when they are under the shad.  I do modify my spoon a bit by replace the standard hook with a chicken feathered Mustad Triple Grip hook.

Now, as January wears on the fish will begin moving shallow and into a pre-spawn mode on the western part of the lake. Remember the fish will spawn first on the west side and the pre-spawn, spawn, post-spawn cycle will move from west to east and the months progress.  The pre-spawn fish will be aggressive and ready to hit shallow crank baits.  Rapala has a new DT 4 to go along with the 6 and 10 as excellent pre-spawn baits.  Again the shad and blue gill colors should do the trick.  I also like to throw a Senko in watermelon/red this time of year on the secondary points.

This is the time of year that Fayette can really fog up during the morning.  I suggest you fish your way from the ramps during such periods.  Too many people think they know where they are and end up hitting something or somebody along way from where they thought they were.  Many fishermen now possess a GPS and think that means they can run the lake with impunity. Well, you folks are the most dangerous because your running at much to high a speed, looking at your GPS unit, rather than the water around you.  Please be careful, wear your life jacket and dress appropriately.  This can be a dangerous time of the year but also an outstanding time to fish Fayette.