The only "down side" to fishing this long holiday weekend will be the crowds. Hot fishing action and beautiful weather will bring out the people.
I don't think you'll see me on the lake this weekend.... too many people fishing in my "secret spots".
All week the peacock bass were chasing shad... especially when there was a cloud covering the sun. The forecast is for sunny, so the schooling action might be spotty. We were catching schooling fish on small gold spoons, gold or silver streamer flys, and whipping with bubble rigs and glitter strips.
Red Devils are every where. Excellent action using earthworms, small live bait, slow swimming lures, and fly rods. We had a ball all week.... just think small and slow to catch these hard fighting fish. Average weight... 3/4 to 1 pound.
Now for the peacock bass. We saw fish almost every where. The 1 to 2 pounders would chase lures along the shore, but it was mostly just chases and follows.
( I wonder if a live bait might have worked better?)
Speaking of live bait... the two anglers at Blue Boat Point were doing just fine.... landing peacock bass to 4 pounds and several nice channel cats. Live bait might be a good option this weekend. Fish the points, or toss one to a fish you see cruising near the shore.
Spawning peacock bass. Again, we saw lots of fish. Not that many big ones.
Not all of them spawning. It's still exciting to see a fish on a nest, even if you can't catch it. We used plastic tubes, worms, and lizards rigged Texas style to make them weedless. Bend down the barb on the hooks, your going to release the fish anyway. Fish spawn in heavy cover... we have 30# and 50# test braided line on our spinning rods. Land the fish quickly, take your picture, and release it back into the area of the nest. Just catch one of the 2 fish guarding the nest. Catching a fish does stress and tire it out. We want a rested healthy fish there to guard the eggs and ensure a good spawn.
Water level is way down, but it's been steady.... the fish have moved into the shallows. Lots of silt along the shore, so any kind of a wake from a boat will stir up the mud making it imposable to spot the fish. Help your fellow anglers, Slow Down and make NO WAKE.
