James and Mike caught some good top water fish this morning.
The lake level is 569.81 and has dropped about 2-inches in the last 24-hours with the same amount of generation and flood gate releases that have been going on for a week. We received about an inch of rain last night and this early morning but the creeks did not run. The lake is dropping again after the rain. We are to get more rain and then a cold front is coming in and we could get some frost. Especially in the low areas near the lake. This seems to always happen in April and that is why I do not plant my garden until early May no matter how warm it gets. The lake surface temperature is in the low 60's and dropping.The top water bite has really picked up after most of the threadfin shad have spawned and the plankton, shad and fish have moved to the wind blown creeks near the old shoreline in the brush. A high percentage of the fish are in 20-ft. of water or less. Actually most of them are in 12-feet or less but may follow your lure out before biting. The lake has cleared a lot so I have quit the spinner bait for a while and am using the spook and spitin image top water lures to call them up or cast to them when they come up. The rest of the time I am using the grub and minnow or the 3-inch green worm on a 1/8th ounce lead head. Any heavier and they sink too fast and get into the brush. You have to learn to count down and just keep your lure just above the brush or you will get snagged all the time. You can make your worm almost weedless. There was a good top water bite for bass this morning and the shad were coming uip everywhere in the backs of the windblown creeks. Some stripers, crappie and hybrids are with them. Catfish are biting fair on limb lines baited with perch if you can keep the kentucky bass off them. I have not caught a flathead yet.
