Fishing Report 4-30-21

Crappie:

The crappie fishing continues to get better and in a hurry. A lot of fish headed to the bank seemingly overnight. The shallow bite seems to be on around most of the lake. That should just continue to get better over the next week. Jigs and minnows both are catching fish. Colors don’t seem to matter as much based on what we’ve been hearing in the shop. The old standbys, really anything with chartreuse in it, is working great. A 1/16oz spinner jig head is the most popular size but whatever you prefer will probably work. Hopefully you get a chance to get out and load the freezer!

Bass:

Bass fishing continues to be uncharacteristically good. The Thursday night tournament last week brought in several limits and another 6 plus pound Sea Beast was weighed in. The big fish are going to be spawning soon. Flip every stump you can see in 1-4’ of water towards the back of creeks. The north sides of the pockets will turn on quicker. I personally wouldn’t be afraid to throw a top water frog or small buzz bait around shallow cover. It’s a great time of year to be on the water and the fish will eat a lot of different baits right now so just get out there and give it a try.

Catfish:

Not a lot to report on the catfish bite at the lake. I’ve seen some channels being caught. I’m sure the flatheads won’t be far from all these crappie spawning in shallow water. May be a good time to throw a live bluegill on a bobber near shallow wood in a spawning pocket. As bluegill and shad get shallower, catching fresh bait will get easier. As Catfish Dave says, “you don’t know until you throw”, so get out there and fish!

If you haven’t been in the shop for awhile we have added quite a bit of catfish gear. Come check it out if you’re in Smithville.