Pickwick Seasonal Tactics
Winter: Most common tactics this time of year is to target the rocks in the form of rocky points with brushpiles or bluff walls with deep water nearby. Deep creek bends with stumps and brush are also good target. Use your electronics to find schools of fish and better areas that will concentrate schools of fish. Look for current breaks in deeper water where fish would concentrae. I like to use a carolina rigs, crankbaits, or jigs this time of year and A-rigs have become a have to have bait for Winter. Another bait I have been experimenting with is a shakee head or jighead with paddletailed swimbait rigged on it. On warm days a Vision 110 or suspending jerkbait can be a great choice.
Spring:
Prespawn the fish tend to follow the channels towards shallower water and a great way to catch these fish is throwing a rattletrap or shallow flatsided crankbaits on flats or shale points near deep water. Another great structure this time of year is pea gravel points. Prespawn I like to throw suspending jerkbaits and crankbaits in shad colors and chartreuse and blue on cloudy days when the water warms into the upper 40's to low 50's. A-rigs are still good now til the water hits the mid 50's around deeper water areas adjacent to spawning flats and areas. Once the water hits the low 50's and we start getting warming trends, the fish begin to move shallow and will start becoming more active. Start looking for the warmest water available and fish faster moving baits and cover water to refine patterns and areas fish are moving into. Now is a good time to start running patterns and they can be duplicated all around the lake. Also, if the grass or bushes get flooded as the water rises fish those covers with a spinnerbait or flipping plastics. A nice rule of thumb with water levels is if the water is rising follow the fish shallow and if it is falling look for the first channels and breaks in 4-6 foot of water. The fish will spawn shallow in 2-4' of water near some form of cover. The smallmouth like the pea gravel points in 4-8' of water to spawn in. In late spring after they have spawned the fish will stay shallow for a short time and a topwater can be killer this time of year. Then they begin to move out to their deeper water haunts and can be caught on mid running crankbaits, carloina rigs, and shakey heads. By Memorial Day weekend typically the fish are moving to channel ledges and points with deeper water. Grassbeds will hold fish throughout the rest of the year as well.
Summer:
Good electronics and understanding of your electronics are important this time of year. They are moving out onto the ledges and points now near deep water and they can be vital to finding the fish. This is by far not the only way to catch fish this time of year but it is the most consistent technique for fishing now. I like to use crankbaits, carolina rigs, and jigs this time of year for pursuing fish on ledges and current breaks up and down the lake. Look for ledges with bait or some irregularity that breaks the current to find fish this time of year, the best fishing is when they are pushing more current through the dams. The downstream side of ledges with stumps, brushpiles, and rock can be the best options giving the fish an eddy to sit in while bait is pushed over their head making for easy prey. Another option (my Favorite way) is the grassbeds behind stateline island, backs of creeks, or towards Koger and Sevenmile Islands. I fish these with frogs and punch weighted creature baits concentrating on irregular features. Look for points of grass coming out or creek channels disecting the grass flats particulary with access to deeper water and current flows. Weighted shad imitators and swimbaits can be be great to use right now as well fished parallel to grass lines and in openings in the grass. Watch for bait and birds to help indicate areas where fish will be concentrated in the grass. Their are large flats of grass and nature can help you locate the best areas, also look at areas where wind is pushing into the grass as that forces bait onto the edges and the bass will follow. Also, look for current towards the Florence, AL and Wilson dam or in the waterway going to Bay Springs. Irregularities in current areas that break current in highly oxygenated current areas are good too, these areas can be good all day and midday when other areas may slow down due to the heat of summer. Fish this time of year really like to find those current flow areas with the increased oxygen levels.
Fall:
Following the bait becomes very important now and always be looking for signs of shad (gulls, birds, flipping tails, etc.). You will find the fish scattered somewhat this time of year. They will be shallow and deep and the weather tends to decide what the best tactics will be. Just go fishing and let the fish tell you what to do. I fish Pickwick this time of year much like I do the Spring. Small crankbaits and run and gun are good options til find the fish.
Lures to Use:
Spinnerbait: I like double willow leaf blade in white and chartreuse tints at Pickwick. White and Chartruese blades can be great for the smallies when it is cloudy out. Rattletraps and Shallow Crankbaits - early spring you just can't beat this bait for locating fish and searching flats. I like to use a chrome with blue back but sometimes you just experiment with colors and may find a better one. I also like shad colors or chartreuses in shallow crankbaits. Also, in the fall when chasing shad this can be a great choice.
Jigs - I use jigs to probe creek channels and brushpiles. This is a slower technique for when the bass aren't chasing. Colors are black and blue, green pumpkin and chartreuse, and white based on conditions.
Plastics - A carolina rig or texas rigged lizard or creature bait is another good choice when bass aren't chasing baits. Use a texas rigs creature bait to flip around timber and shallow brush. When searching points or creek channels it is hard to beat a carolina rig to cover water quickly and eliminate unproductive areas. Colors are black and blue, green pumpkin and chartreuse, and purples based on water conditions. A shakee head is another productive plastic.
Crankbaits - these like rattletraps are great search baits that allow you to cover lots of water and look for those key areas. Most people like chartreuse and blue, sexy shad, or other shad patterns. These will allow you to cover long sections of ledges quickly.
Spring:
Prespawn the fish tend to follow the channels towards shallower water and a great way to catch these fish is throwing a rattletrap or shallow flatsided crankbaits on flats or shale points near deep water. Another great structure this time of year is pea gravel points. Prespawn I like to throw suspending jerkbaits and crankbaits in shad colors and chartreuse and blue on cloudy days when the water warms into the upper 40's to low 50's. A-rigs are still good now til the water hits the mid 50's around deeper water areas adjacent to spawning flats and areas. Once the water hits the low 50's and we start getting warming trends, the fish begin to move shallow and will start becoming more active. Start looking for the warmest water available and fish faster moving baits and cover water to refine patterns and areas fish are moving into. Now is a good time to start running patterns and they can be duplicated all around the lake. Also, if the grass or bushes get flooded as the water rises fish those covers with a spinnerbait or flipping plastics. A nice rule of thumb with water levels is if the water is rising follow the fish shallow and if it is falling look for the first channels and breaks in 4-6 foot of water. The fish will spawn shallow in 2-4' of water near some form of cover. The smallmouth like the pea gravel points in 4-8' of water to spawn in. In late spring after they have spawned the fish will stay shallow for a short time and a topwater can be killer this time of year. Then they begin to move out to their deeper water haunts and can be caught on mid running crankbaits, carloina rigs, and shakey heads. By Memorial Day weekend typically the fish are moving to channel ledges and points with deeper water. Grassbeds will hold fish throughout the rest of the year as well.
Summer:
Good electronics and understanding of your electronics are important this time of year. They are moving out onto the ledges and points now near deep water and they can be vital to finding the fish. This is by far not the only way to catch fish this time of year but it is the most consistent technique for fishing now. I like to use crankbaits, carolina rigs, and jigs this time of year for pursuing fish on ledges and current breaks up and down the lake. Look for ledges with bait or some irregularity that breaks the current to find fish this time of year, the best fishing is when they are pushing more current through the dams. The downstream side of ledges with stumps, brushpiles, and rock can be the best options giving the fish an eddy to sit in while bait is pushed over their head making for easy prey. Another option (my Favorite way) is the grassbeds behind stateline island, backs of creeks, or towards Koger and Sevenmile Islands. I fish these with frogs and punch weighted creature baits concentrating on irregular features. Look for points of grass coming out or creek channels disecting the grass flats particulary with access to deeper water and current flows. Weighted shad imitators and swimbaits can be be great to use right now as well fished parallel to grass lines and in openings in the grass. Watch for bait and birds to help indicate areas where fish will be concentrated in the grass. Their are large flats of grass and nature can help you locate the best areas, also look at areas where wind is pushing into the grass as that forces bait onto the edges and the bass will follow. Also, look for current towards the Florence, AL and Wilson dam or in the waterway going to Bay Springs. Irregularities in current areas that break current in highly oxygenated current areas are good too, these areas can be good all day and midday when other areas may slow down due to the heat of summer. Fish this time of year really like to find those current flow areas with the increased oxygen levels.
Fall:
Following the bait becomes very important now and always be looking for signs of shad (gulls, birds, flipping tails, etc.). You will find the fish scattered somewhat this time of year. They will be shallow and deep and the weather tends to decide what the best tactics will be. Just go fishing and let the fish tell you what to do. I fish Pickwick this time of year much like I do the Spring. Small crankbaits and run and gun are good options til find the fish.
Lures to Use:
Spinnerbait: I like double willow leaf blade in white and chartreuse tints at Pickwick. White and Chartruese blades can be great for the smallies when it is cloudy out. Rattletraps and Shallow Crankbaits - early spring you just can't beat this bait for locating fish and searching flats. I like to use a chrome with blue back but sometimes you just experiment with colors and may find a better one. I also like shad colors or chartreuses in shallow crankbaits. Also, in the fall when chasing shad this can be a great choice.
Jigs - I use jigs to probe creek channels and brushpiles. This is a slower technique for when the bass aren't chasing. Colors are black and blue, green pumpkin and chartreuse, and white based on conditions.
Plastics - A carolina rig or texas rigged lizard or creature bait is another good choice when bass aren't chasing baits. Use a texas rigs creature bait to flip around timber and shallow brush. When searching points or creek channels it is hard to beat a carolina rig to cover water quickly and eliminate unproductive areas. Colors are black and blue, green pumpkin and chartreuse, and purples based on water conditions. A shakee head is another productive plastic.
Crankbaits - these like rattletraps are great search baits that allow you to cover lots of water and look for those key areas. Most people like chartreuse and blue, sexy shad, or other shad patterns. These will allow you to cover long sections of ledges quickly.