Jig-and-Pig
-
Springtime is prime time
for big bass, and nothing
catches big bass
quite like a jig-and-pig
combo. This lure is simply
a bass jig
outfitted with a rubber
skirt and combined with a
plastic or pork
trailer. While many
anglers prefer the new
plastic trailers because
of
the many color
combinations possible
using them, pork has more
buoyancy
and a salty taste that
bass will hold on to
longer.
White
River: McLellan's
Fly Shop
said there
has been a little more generation
below Bull Shoals Dam lately;
however, there have still been
plenty of wading opportunities on
the
upper river from late morning on
through the rest of the day. Tan
and
olive McLellan's Hunchback Scuds
and Woven Sow Bugs are working
well.
Fishing high water out of a boat
has also been very productive
using
large scuds, eggs and San Juan
worms.
Wilderness
Trail
said
fishing for trout has been good
depending on the generation. With
low
or no generation Berkley Power
Eggs in yellow and pink have
worked well
along with a floating Rapalas,
frozen shad and red worms. During
generation, Buoyant Spoons, Little
Cleos and Countdown Rapalas are
the
baits of choice. The fly
fishermen have done extremely well
with
little generation on olive woolly
buggers, caddis and sow bugs.
Brown
trout are being caught on
Countdowns, Shad Raps, suspending
Rogues and
nightcrawlers.
North Fork River: McLellan's
Fly Shop
said for the
last few weeks, one generator has
come online around five or six in
the
morning and shut down by mid
morning. They have also been
generating in
the evenings. Wade fishing is
still possible in mid-day, with
some very
good action on scuds, sow bugs and
caddis patterns. The Z-Wing Caddis
and the Graphic Caddis have hooked
tons of trout during the last
week. Also, as more and more
adults start to hatch in the late
afternoon/evening, be sure to have
plenty of Elk Hair Caddis and
Web-Wing Caddis for some fun dry
fly action.
Norfork
Trout Dock
said
the water is clear and low with
little generation. Rainbow trout
and
brown trout are biting well on
corn, PowerBait, Rapalas, Blue Fox
Spinners and Little Cleo Spoons.
Drifting dead shad or a
nightcrawler
in the current has also been
effective.
Bull
Shoals Lake: As of
Tuesday, the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers reports
the lake's elevation at 646.77
feet MSL.
Wilderness
Trail
said Main
lake temperatures struggled to
stay in the upper 40s with the
cold
winds and rain. On the plus side,
the lake came up about almost a
half
a foot, so we are now about 7 3/4
feet below normal pool. Largemouth
bass were more active on the main
lake points than they were in the
creeks last week. Football jigs
and spider jigs were the key baits
in
brown or PB&J colors. Most of
the largemouth were staging in 25
to
28 feet of water. As the lake
warms back up they will move into
the
creeks and pockets to spawn. There
are some small largemouths in the
back of the northern creeks.
Smallmouth bass are holding on pea
rock
points at the entrance of the
cuts, pockets and creeks
throughout the
lake. They are transitioning
towards spawning grounds and are
holding
in 24 to 28 feet of water. Brown,
watermelon and appleseed tubes,
suspending Rogues, Wiggle Warts
and spider jigs are all producing
some
nice smallies. Kentucky bass broke
away from the balls of shad and
have
moved into the pockets and creeks
staging on banks that have ledges
or
large boulders. Their feeding
pattern is still shad although
they are
cruising the banks looking for
crawdads. Spider jigs, tubes and
suspending rogues are working on
the Kentuckies. Roadrunners and
Lucky
Craft Pointer 78's will catch
Kentuckys as well as White bass.
Walleye
continue to elude us. They are
hard to find during daylight
because
they are cruising but you can go
out at night and catch a few off
main
lake points and secondary creek
points on X-raps and suspending
Rogues.
Sugar Loaf
Harbor said
the fishing has been very slow and
many of the fish are just about
ready to spawn.
Lake
Norfork: As of
Tuesday, the U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers reports
the lake's elevation at 543.31
feet MSL.
Cranfield
Junction Quik
Stop said the lake is stained and
the water is rising. Crappie are
biting well on minnows and jigs.
The Zig Jig seems to be the hot
seller
for crappie anglers stopping at
the store. Bass are biting well on
jerkbaits and crankbaits fished
along the creek arms. Smallmouth
bass
are doing well on primary and
secondary points with pea gravel
and
chunk rock. White bass are making
their run in the creek arms and
Rat-L-Traps, Rooster Tails and
speck rigs are working well.
Walleye are
in the creek arms as well and the
action is heating up on Suspending
Rogues and other jerkbaits fished
right along the banks at night.
Rainbow trout are biting well
below the dam on gray/white,
ginger, and
orange/yellow Zig Jigs and Y2K
Bugs fished under a strike
indicator.