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| Pickwick Reports |
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| Pickwick May 2012 Fishing Report |
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| By AON Staff |
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Originally published in the May 2012 issue of AON
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Pickwick: Level: 0.6 feet below full pool. Temp: Upper 60s. Clarity: Stained.
Bass: Excellent. Gary Harlan, a guide with Roger Stegall’s Professional Guide Service, said, “May is one of the few months you can catch fish in 2 feet or 22 feet of water. TVA almost has the lake to summer pool level of 414. There will be a few fish still spawning, but the majority of the spawn will be over with,” Gary said. “Look for the bass to move out toward deeper water sooner than normal. We have been pulling up some grass here and there, so I would suspect some to be nearly topped out very soon. The grass will hold some of the bass all through the summer once it gets going. The soft plastic bite has been on fire, and it should continue. Texas- and Carolina-rigged Rage Tail plastics from Strike King have been my bait of choice— lizards, Game Hawgs and craws. Look for the topwater and spinnerbait bites to pick up, especially once the grass tops out. For the deep fish, try the XD Series of crankbaits and Touchdown Jigs by Strike King Lures.”
Crappie: Good. “There will still be a few crappie in the 7- to 12-foot range, but most will have moved toward the creek channels and deep stump fields,” Gary said. Tournament pro and guide Jimmy Mason said to look for traditional summer baits like big crankbaits, jigs and worms to outfish the A-rig. The exception, Jimmy feels, is the shad spawn. When the water hits about 70-75 degrees, shad by the thousands get right up against grass, rock, wood and docks and spawn on it. Jimmy said a Yumbrella Rig should be deadly during the shad spawn. He’s also going to fish the new Yum Double-Up, which consists of a metal wire bent into the shape of a V and has a swivel and a clip on either end. The rig can be used to attach two baits of any kind to the ends. (See page 12 for Shaye Baker’s article with Jimmy on May Pickwick bassing.)
Bream: “There are already a few big ones headed toward the bank,” Gary said. “We have already had a few guide trips for bream and have done really well for mid April.”
Catfish: Very good. Guide Brian Barton reports, “Pickwick Lake will be hot for cats throughout the month. Fish will be on top of and along river ledges, as well as the tops and backs of humps and mounds in the river channel. Blues will be staging heavily at the base of Wilson Dam this month. It’s not uncommon for local anglers to catch 50 to 75 fish a day along the tailrace. Eddy pockets and any slack-water areas downstream of the dam are likely to be holding cats. A favorite spot of mine this month is to fish the knees of cypress trees from Seven Mile Island downstream to the Sinking Creek area. Channel cats will often load up in droves under these trees for spawning. Cast worms, prepared baits or chicken livers underneath the trees to catch the fish. I use a slip float rig set about 6 inches above the bottom on 10-lb. mono on spinning tackle in these areas. The rock rows along Kroger Island will be a hotspot to search for blues as well as the flats downstream of the Natchez Trace bridge.”
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