Its' unamimous - the fishing was definitely slower this week - and there was several reasons. First, we had a lot of sun, and Smallies don't like the sun. If you caught fish, chances are it was in shade. Second, the moon phase wasn't right. In the winter months, fishing is always better around a new moon or full moon. If you've been keeping an eye on our moon phase box to the right you'll know that we were right in the middle. The good news is that it will be full this weekend which should make for some good fishing. Last, the waterlevel is coming up steadily and the fish haven't fully adjusted. On the flip side of that, some of the fishermen haven't adjusted either. Guys who stopped into the one stop that had a slow week said that they were having trouble finding the right depth for their fly. This week should be a little more predictable.
Lake Stats
Waterlevel: 638.3 MSL - 12.7' below full pool of 651'.
Water Temp: 50 degrees at surface, 50 degrees 10' deep
Clarity: main body is clear, backs of the creeks are stained.
Smallmouth
Pattern, pattern, pattern. You'll struggle finding those Smallies if you're not paying attention to your surroundings. There's a lot of different types of structure in this lake, and if you catch fish around a certain type, stick with it. Fish adjust to the current weather conditions and hold around structure they're comfortable with based on those conditions. If you find fish around black shale rock on secondary points, find the same thing when you move and chances are you'll find more fish...
To read the rest of this report, including what's working and hot spot maps, visit www.DaleHollowFishing.com.