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| Wilson Reports |
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| Wilson 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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Wilson: Level: 0.6 feet below full pool. Temp: High 60s to low 70s. Clarity: Clear.
Bass: Good. Tournament angler Casey Martin—who graced our cover in April—and his partner Eric Johnson finished third in the three-day Fishers of Men National Championship ending April 14. They had an impressive total weight of 53.92 pounds. The reason that’s relevant for a Wilson report? They caught an 18-lb. sack on the final day by locking through to Wilson and fishing the same patterns described by Casey in our April magazine. It brought them from sixth up to third. Casey and Eric caught their fish with A-rigs baited with Reaction Innovations Skinny Dippers, and they also caught a few on Mega Bass hard jerkbaits. They were fishing in the tailrace below Wheeler Dam, and most of their fish were big smallmouths. They also caught some fish off bluff walls. As the fish settle into their postspawn and then summer patterns this month, the A-rig bite should continue. This month, the shad spawn should also get started around grass or rock, and that will make for a great bite early. When this bite is going on, a buzz frog in the grass is a good option as is a swim jig.
Catfish: Very good, said guide Brian Barton. “This month is my favorite month of the year to catch catfish. May will see water temperatures range from the low to mid 70s, and the passage of cold fronts and heavy spring rains are pretty much gone by this time. Cats will be feeding heavily in the days leading up to spawning. Fish can be caught from 2 to 70 feet of water this month depending upon where you want to fish. For shallow fish, check out log jams in cuts along the main river bank on both sides of the river. Logs stack in the back of these pockets and cats seek their cover out for spawning. I fish these areas by rigging spinning tackle with 14-lb. test Vicious mono and a 3/0 Mister Twister Keeper red worm hook. I place a 1/16- or 1/8-oz. sinker about 8 to 10 inches under the hook creating a drop-shot rig. Cast your bait up against or just under the floating logs, and hold steady keeping a tight line. Worms, shrimp, shad or skipjack all work well with this application. If you prefer to fish deeper or drifting, seek out 15 to 40 feet of water in the mid to rear portions of sloughs on the south end of the lake. McKernan Creek, Wilson Lake Shores and Steenson Hollow among others will have cats this month. To fish these areas, I rig heavy baitcasting tackle with 65-lb. Vicious braid and use a two-hook rig. I attach a 6-foot leader of 30- to 40-lb. mono with a 2- to 4-oz. sinker on the bottom. I place the upper hook about 4 feet above the sinker with the lower hook riding 12 to 16 inches above the sinker. This rig allows me to troll my baits behind the boat while eliminating most snags with the hooks up of the bottom. One important tip for trolling on Wilson is to troll east to west across the sloughs and north to south in the main lake. Wilson is full of old abandoned trotlines, and by trolling with the direction the lines are running as opposed to across them will prevent a lot of hook loses.”
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