Matt is a local Lake Seminole angler and will be reporting to us throughout the month after his days on the water. His knowledge of Bass Fishing and Lake Seminole will be an asset to this site. Thanks Matt! Click here to see the 2012 Lake Seminole Reports
2013
Date: January 19th, 2013
Lake Seminole is down 6 inches, clear, and 65 degrees. The unusually hot weather pattern that we just had really warmed up the water temperatures and made the bass move up to stage and get ready to spawn. The fish have been really deep, but now they are heading towards these staging areas and can be caught on an array of baits. The absolute best places to fish are ditches and depressions that lead to or are found near sandbars and spawning grounds. The easiest way to find these areas is to have a good depthfinder with a good gps mapping system, such as the Lowrance HDS systems with insight mapping. I have found that these are the absolute best on the market for keying you in on the exact location of these areas on the lake. Once you find these areas, the points and cuts in the grass are going to be the best areas to key on. A Spro Aruku Shad 75 in Old Glory or a Stanford Old School SSR in Summer are two good baits to use and can be ripped free from the grass which helps to draw strikes from pre-spawners. The SSR is an awesome new bait from Stanford that will absolutely catch em on Seminole. Either of these baits can be fished on 16 lb. Sunline floroucarbon. The recent cold front may slow it down, but their have actually been some bass spawning on the lake. These fish can be caught with a Big Bite Baits Warmouth which is the best bait on the market for bedding bass.
Date: January 10th, 2013
Lake Seminole is down 6 inches, clear, and 59 degrees.
The unusually hot weather pattern we are experiencing right now is really warming up the water temperatures and making the bass move up to stage and get ready to spawn. The fish have been really deep, but now they are heading towards these staging areas and can be caught on an array of baits. The absolute best places to fish are ditches and depressions that lead to or are found near sandbars and spawning grounds. The easiest way to find these areas is to have a good depthfinder with a good gps mapping system, such as the Lowrance HDS systems with insight mapping. I have found that these are the absolute best on the market for keying you in on the exact location of these areas on the lake. Once you find these areas, the points and cuts in the grass are going to be the best areas to key on. A Spro Aruku Shad 75 in Old Glory or a Standord Patriot 1.5 in Summer are two good baits to use and can be ripped free from the grass which helps to draw strikes from pre-spawners. Once you find an area that has fish, you can slow down with either a suspending jerkbait or a Carolina Rig. For a suspending jerkbait, the Spro Mcstick in Clear Chartreuse is really hard to beat on Seminole. The 110 seems to be the best, but the 115 should be killer, as it gives a larger profile for larger fish. For Carolina Rigging, Big Bite Baits has a new 8" Finesse Worm in Blue Fleck Color that is awesome. A perfect setup for Carolina Rigging is to use 16 lb. Sunline FC Sniper , a 1 oz. Fish Catchin Fool Tungsten, and a 4/0 Gamakatsu Offset Shank Hook. Your leader needs to be at least 3 feet long with this technique.
Date: January 28th, 2013
Lake Seminole - 63.2 degrees, clear, 0.5 feet below full pool
Bass Fishing - Good. The bass are steady on the move right now on Seminole. With the warm weather, the bass are either on the beds or very near their spawning grounds. The best way to find and catch bass on Seminole right now is to tie on a shallow running crankbait such as a Stanford Old School SSR in Summer or either a Spro Little John in Clear Chartreuse. Use 20 lb. Sunline FC Sniper Fluorocarbon with these baits to keep them up shallow. These are good search baits to use on flats near sand on the main lake. While fishing these areas, keep your eyes open for bedding bass or sandbars. This type of fishing is extremely helpful with a set of dual Power Poles from JL marine. If you find bass on bed, the best bait for catching bedding fish is a Big Bite Baits Warmouth in Chartreuse Bluegill Color. In order to fish this bait, it must be rigged correctly. This bait was specificall designed to be rigged on the side with a 5/0 Gamakatsu EWG hook. You also need to use a 3/8 oz Fish Catchin Fool Tungsten Weight along with a Fish Catchin Fool Bobber Stopper. This is the best weight/bobber stopper combination on the market right now. If you find sandbars in these areas, then you can back off and fish these with a Texas Rig or a Carolina Rig 8" Big Bite Baits Finesse Worm in Green Pumpkin. The rattle trap bite on the grass flats will work also, but can be hit or miss with the warm water temperatures.
Date: January 31st, 2013
Lake Seminole - 60.2 degrees, clear, 0.5 feet below full pool
Bass Fishing - Good. The bass are steady on the move right now on Seminole. The weather keeps being unpredictable, but the bass are still very near their spawning grounds and some are even on the bed. The best way to find and catch bass on Seminole right now is to tie on a shallow running crankbait such as a Stanford Old School SSR in Summer or either a Spro Little John in Clear Chartreuse. Use 20 lb. Sunline FC Sniper Fluorocarbon with these baits to keep them up shallow. These are good search baits to use on flats near sand on the main lake. While fishing these areas, keep your eyes open for bedding bass or sandbars. This type of fishing is extremely helpful with a set of dual Power Poles from JL marine. If you find bass on bed, the best bait for catching bedding fish is a Big Bite Baits Warmouth in Chartreuse Bluegill Color. In order to fish this bait, it must be rigged correctly. This bait was specificall designed to be rigged on the side with a 5/0 Gamakatsu EWG hook. You also need to use a 3/8 oz Fish Catchin Fool Tungsten Weight along with a Fish Catchin Fool Bobber Stopper. This is the best weight/bobber stopper combination on the market right now. If you find sandbars in these areas, then you can back off and fish these with a Texas Rig or a Carolina Rig 8" Big Bite Baits Finesse Worm in Green Pumpkin. The rattle trap bite on the grass flats will work also, but can be hit or miss with the warmer water temperatures.
Date: February 20, 2013
Lake Seminole - lake level -0.56 below full pool. 55 degrees. Muddy
Bass - The bass are still trying to get used to the fresh mud that has made its way down Spring Creek, the Flint, and the Chattahoochee. If you want to find clear water, you will have to either go up in Fish Pond Drain or in the backs of the Ponds. If you find some clear water, you can swim a White Big Bite Baits 7" Sugar Cane worm around shallow grass and lily pads to target spawning fish or cruising fish. I would rig the Sugar Cane worm on 20lb. Sunline Super Flourocarbon, a 4/0 Gamakatsu Hook, and a 1/4 oz Fish Catchin Fool Tunsten weight along with a FCF bobber stopper. For fishing in the muddy water, you need to target shallow grass flats that are adjacent to sandbars or near the mouth of spawing coves. The best bait of choice would be a shallow running crankbait or either a lipless crankbait. A Spro Aruku Shad 85 in Mudbug Red is good for locating the fish, but one of my secrets that I hate to give away for really catching them is a new
crankbait by Stanford called the Old School SSR. This bait is awesome for fishing the flats near sand. The best color right now with the mud is Chartreuse Tennessee. This bait is extremely flat sided and goes down b/w 2-3 feet and is simply awesome on shallow fish. Use 16 lb. Sunline FC Sniper for either of the cranking techniques. Use the Aruku Shad to locate a school of fish and then switch to the Stanford SSR to give a more subtle approach that will really catch em. Power Poles really make this type of fishing nice because it seems like the wind is always blowing this time of year and they will allow you to stay right on the spot without drifting off of the fish.
Date: March 14, 2013
Lake Seminole - down 6 inches, muddy, 59 degrees
Bass - Good. It is still taking big weights to win tournaments on Seminole. The fish are still primarily in a pre-spawn mode and can be caught in staging areas near their spawning grounds. To search for these areas, look for main lake grass points near sandbars, and use a Stanford Razor Shad Medium Diver in Chartreuse/Black. To make this bait even better, replace the stock hooks with number 4 Gamakatsu EWG Treble Hooks. Once you find a school of fish, you can catch them with this bait until they quit biting, and then switch to a Texas or Carolina Rig 8" Big Bite Baits Kreit Tail Lizard in Black/Blue. For the Texas Rig, use a 3/8 oz Fish Catchin Fool Tungsten Weight and FCF bobber stopper, along with a 5/0 Gamakatsu Offset Worm Hook. For the Carolina Rig, use a 1 oz FCF Tungsten, a bead, a swivel, a 4 foot leader, and the same hook. 16 lb. Sunline Flourocarbon works well for both techniques. As the spring temperatures continue to warm and the moon gets full, look for the bass to start moving up on the sandbars and beds.
Date: March 27, 2013
Bass fishing is good. The bass have moved up heavily on the beds now and there is also a lot of nice fish cruising around bedding areas in the shallows. One good technique to use right now is to keep your trolling motor in about 70 % and ride and look for bedding bass to catch. While you are looking there are several baits that you can fish around in the bedding areas that will catch nice fish. The first is a shallow running crank bait such as a Spro Fat John in Clear Chartreuse or a Stanford 1.5 Patriot in Summer color. Use a heavy fluorocarbon when fishing these two baits to keep them running shallow such as 20 pound test Sunline FC Sniper. The other technique to use in these areas is to swim a Big Bite Baits 7 Sugar Cane worm. This bait can be Texas-rigged with a 1/4 Fish Catchin Fool Tungsten and a FCF bobber stopper. It has a paddle tail action and when Texas rigged, you can swim it through grass and lily pads much like swim bait. Once you find a bedding fish, then it is time to drop the Power Poles which are great for shallow fishing and begin trying to entice the fish to bite. The best bait on the market right now for sight fishing is a Big Bite Baits Warmouth. This bait is extremely awesome for bedding bass. There are several great colors to use, but we like the Chartreuse Blue Gill color. It is a little tricky trying to rig this bait, but the Big Bite Baits website has an illustration of how to rig it on a 5/0 EWG Gamakatsu hook. Also when bed fishing use a co polymer line with a little stretch such as 16 to 22 pound Sunline Machinegun Cast.
Date: April 10, 2013
Bass fishing on Lake Seminole is red hot right now. The bass are spawning and biting pretty good on all areas of the lake. There have actually been some bass caught on Alabama rigs on grasslines near the edge of spawning flats. The best way to rig this bait is to use light 1/8 ounce Gamakatsu Jig Heads and 3.5" Big Bite Baits Cane Thumpers in Reel Shad color. Use at least 60 lb. Sunline FX2 Braid with this technique. Another great pattern is to sight fish and fish while looking for beds with a Stanford Old School SSR Crankbait in Tennessee Shad. This technique works real well on the sandbars that are in b/w Spring Creek and the Flint River. Once you find a bedding bass locked down, anchor down with some Power Poles, and began trying to entice the fish to strike. There are many different baits that can catch a bedding bass, but the main thing I have found is to use a heavy lead such as a 3/8 oz Fish Catchin Fool Tungsten. I would also peg the weight with a FCF bobber stopper.
Date: April 26, 2013
Lake Seminole - Full Pool. Stained. 74 degrees
Bass Fishing - Good. The bass are nearing the end of the spawn and most fish that are being caught on the lake right now are post-spawn fish that are feeding on shad. A good pattern to search for right now is the shad spawn. The shad are spawning right now all over the lake, you just need to be on the water early to get in on the action. Any topped out vegetation such as hydrilla or peanut grass near deeper water is a good place to look. The shad will spawn on top of the water and you can see them flicking in the grass. Once you find a shad spawn, there are several baits that will catch the bass, but it is really hard to beat an A-rig. The best baits to rig the A-rig up are the new Big Bite Baits Cane Thumper 3.5 in reel shad. To rig up the A-rig properly and lessen your chance of losing it, you need to use heavy braid, such as 65lb Sunline FX2, light wire Gamakastu jigheads, and strong snaps. The weight of the jig head varies depending on the depth. 1/8 oz works well in shallow water and 1/4 oz works well in depths of 10 feet or more. If throwing the A-rig is simply just not your style, then a spinnerbait works real well around the shad spawn. Topwater is also starting to get fired up and a good bait to use around the shad is a Stanford Turbo Shad in Summer color. Once the shad spawn is over, look for main lake grass points and fish the A-rig, spinnerbait, or a Carolina Rig with a 1 oz. Fish Catchin Fool Tungsten Weight. Use your electronics to locate the grass points and look for bait. The new Lowrance Elite 7 HDI is an awesome unit and has an affordable price. It works well on Seminole b/c it really shows detail and makes it easier to locate balls of shad on the outside edges of the grass.
Date: May 23, 2013
Lake Seminole - down 6 inches, 78 degrees, Flint muddy, Spring Creek Clear, Chattahoochee Stained
Bass - Good. The grass has yet to top out, and everything is still a little behind. There are actually still several bass that are spawning. The topwater bite is beginning to pick up, but the best places for topwater are on shallow flats around any topped out grass. A good bait for topwater is a Stanford Turbo Shad in Bone Crusher or Buster Bream colors. A good way to fish the bait is on 50 lb. Sunline FX2 braid with a 25 lb. Sunline Machine Gun Cast leader. The leader only needs to be about 6 inches long. This helps to keep the bait from fouling up when working it. Other patterns that are working pretty good right now are fishing a crankait and an A-rig on grass points with shad present. The new Lowrance units will really make it easy to find, locate, and distinguish between bait and grass. Also, when fishing these areas, be looking down in the water as you pull your bait up and look for shad following the bait. This will give allow you to see if there are shad in the area. For the A-rig, rig it with 1/8 or 1/4 oz Gamakatsu jigheads and Big Bite Baits Cane Thumpers in Reel Shad or SS Shad colors. When cranking, there are two crankbaits that work really well on Seminole and they are the Spro Little John DD and Baby DD. Clear Chartreuse and Nasty Shad are two good color choices.
Date: June 6, 2013
Lake Seminole - down 6 inches, stained, 80 degrees
Bass Fishing is fair on Seminole right now. The topwater bite has yet to become great. I feel like we need a couple more weeks of hot weather and the topwater bite will get a whole lot better. The frog bite is pretty good right now though and the pattern is to find bream. The bream are feeding in shallow sandy areas where pepper grass and scum is present. Fish these areas with a Spro Bronzeye Popper in Natural Green or Red Ear. You need to use a heavy rod at least 7 ft with 60 lb. Sunline FX2 Braid. If you find open areas near this stuff, then throw a Stanford Turbo Shad in Buster Bream on 22 lb. Sunline Machine Gun Cast. Power Poles really come in handy when fishing these shallow areas, because they allow you to anchor down and fish an area thoroughly. If frogging is not you style, there is a pretty decent worm bite over in Spring Creek. Use a good depthfinder to find deep grass points such as the new HDS Touch Units from Lowrance. 15-18 feet is the key depth to look for and a Texas Rig works best. The best way to rig the Texas Rig is to use 16 lb. Sunline FC Sniper, a 3/8 oz Fish Catchin Fool Tungsten, a 4/0 Gamakatsu Offset Shank Hook, and a Big Bite Baits D2 worm in Tilapia Color. Also, use a Fish Catchin Fool bobber stopper to keep your worm and lead together while fishing the grass.
