We're moving to the  summer season and the fish continue to bite. Currently the lake is at, or slightly below full pool, and this has kept some of the bass shallow even stilll. However, most of the winning stringers have been caught in deep water 15-20 ft. on humps, flats, and road beds. Try using Old Monster worms and Bill Norman DD22 crankbaits. We've been having around 25 boats in our Tuesday tournaments and it's been taking about 12-15 lbs to win.  The spots are biting Carolina rigged worms and Tommy head rigs. The hybrids are mostly schooling on the surface under the schools of newly hatched shad, also try the West Point trolling rig. Most of the action is on the south end of the lake. We are still catching some downlining live shad. The water generation schedule which is usually very important this time of year has not been a big factor this year. The crappie fishing is still good around and under boat docks during the day and the night bite under the bridges is excellent.  Water temp is in the mid 80's to even mid 90's late in the day.
Currently, I'm already booking trips for the fall season: October-December.

                             SUMMER PATTERNS : FISHING REPORT    
                                                             
            LARGEMOUTH & SPOTS: My personal preference for this time of year is definitely a Carolina rig. I use a 3/4 oz. weight with about a 3 ft. leader. My best worm for average size and numbers of fish is a trick worm in the new Bama Bug color. I fish the Carolina rig on long tapering flats with brush piles. I also keep a Texas rigged Old Monster handy to throw directly into the brush; this usually is the best big fish bait. I also have a big crankbait tied on and a Zara Spook in case I see a better fish boil on the surface. Also, I keep the Tommyhead rig tied on to fish bridge pilings and blowdowns for spots.
           
             HYBRIDS & STRIPERS & WHITE BASS:  If you missed it, the river run was extremely good this year; we caught a lot of linesides in the 2-8 lb range. These same schools of fish have settled back down in the main lake now. Road beds, humps, and flats between Highland Marina and the dam are holding fish. Some fish are already being caught on popping cork rigs. Most half day trips we're catching 20-30 fish right now. Look for the schooling action to improve on the lake in the next couple of weeks. Also, try trolling with either small crankbaits or the West Point trolling rig (which is a bucktail jig tied in front of a crankbait). Right now, I recommend fishing the first four hours of daylight or the last four hours of daylight to beat the heat.  Call me now to book trips for the prime October-December dates as they are booking up quickly (706)884-1483 or (706)882-1743.
 
             CRAPPIE: Decent numbers of crappie are still biting, especially in the afternoon; most crappie still are deep in 15-25 feet near the creek channels. Most brush piles in this depth of water are holding fish. Try a dropshot style rig with a live small shiner, and you'll probably be surprised. Also, try pitching in the shade of the docks with no float and feel for the tick. This is a very productive method. I suggest the bridges of Yellow Jacket and Wehadkee creeks as two of the best mid season places for night fishing. The night fishing for crappie is excellent right now.             

              CAT FISH:  We have started catching some really nice flathead cat fish(some have been caught up in the 30 pound range) on our spring river run hybrid trips. The cats feed on live shad or bream, and they tend to show up in a lot of the same holes as the stripers do. They are a lot of fun to catch and good eating too. 

              BREAM:  We've actually had some good catches of decent size bream and bluegill this year. They are bedding in pockets of shallow water, especially those with stumps, and especially near the full moons. Try crickets or worms under a float, and if you don't catch them pretty quick, try moving frequently until you find a bed.

                              CLICK ON PHOTOS BELOW TO ENLARGE