Archived Files Of

Dr. Tim's   Eufaula Report

Lake Eufaula Bass Fishin'
Beginning May 28, 2007

Jan Feb Mar Apr May June
July Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec

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January 2, 2008

Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows. 

The current lake elevation is 188.5.  The surface temperature is running in the upper 50's.  The water on the main lake is slightly stained.  The creeks are progressively more stained the farther back you go to muddy in the back ends.  The rising water has scattered the fish somewhat since the last report.  A lot of spotted bass are still being caught in the mouths of the creeks.  Your efforts should be concentrated around irregular features along the creek channel in 10-12 feet of water.  On my last trip, a cold front had passed through and the resulting high pressure required fishing an area slowly and thoroughly to entice bites.  A Carolina-rigged Big Bite Bait finesse worm in the green pupmkin / junebug laminate color worked well for the spots.  The better largemouth have moved up with the rising water since the last report.  The best technique for these better fish on my last trip was to flip a green pumkin colored Big Bite Bait Yo Mama on a 1/4oz. weight around flooded grass or wood.  I am really a firm believer in the Biobait formula used as an attractant in these baits.  I have no doubt that it draws more strikes and causes fish to hold onto the bait better.  If you haven't tried any of these baits, they can be ordered on-line at www.bigbitebaits.com.  I feel sure they will improve your catch if you give them a try. 

With the frigid weather we are having this week, expect things to really change.  Some fish should move extremely deep (20 feet plus).  If you choose to target these fish, look for clearer water in a major, deep creek.  Then spend some time locating the shad and fish with your electronics.  Once you find a prime area, a jigging spoon or drop-shot rig should work.  As long as the water stays high, there will also still be some fish shallow.  If you target these fish, you just need to realize that you are probably only fishing for 5-6 bites per day, and you will probably need to fish painstakingly slow.  As always, enjoy God's creation, and do your part to help protect it!

Dr. Tim


 

January 14, 2008

Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows. 

The current lake elevation is 190.09.  The surface temperature is in the high 50's.  The water on the main lake is slightly stained.  The water in some creeks is slightly stained while others are heavily stained.  Fishing since the last report has been very good, especially for numbers.  Most of the fish I have been catching have been from the mouth to about half way back in the creeks.  The best technique on my last outing depended on the water clarity in the creek you were fishing.  In creeks where the water was heavily stained, largemouths in the 2-3 pound range could be caught in water 3 feet deep or less by flipping a Texas-rigged green pumpkin Big Bite Yo Mama in the Bio Bait version around flooded shoreline cover.  In creeks where the water was less stained, the fish were holding on cover in deeper water, and could be caught on three distinct patterns.  Large numbers of spotted bass in the 1 1/2 -2 pound range could be caught on the edge of flats along the creek channel in 8-10 feet of water using a Carolina-rig or 1/4 oz. jig head with a plum apple trick worm.    Some largemouths in the 2-3 pound   range were caught 15 feet deep suspended in trees in the creek channel in 20 feet of water on the same Carolina rig.  Finally, some 2-3 pound largemouths were caught on hydrilla lines by ripping a 1/2 oz. chrome / blue back rattletrap out of the hydrilla where it topped out at about 5 feet along the edge of a 10 foot drop-off.  In all cases, there were shad in the immediate area.  In summary, now is a good time to be on Eufaula for some great early season action without a lot of the boat traffic.  Just remember that conditions can change rapidly this time of the year with the wide changes we have been having in the weather and the approaching spawn.  As always, enjoy God's creation, and do your part to help protect it!

Dr. Tim


 

 

 

January 2, 2009

Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows. 

The current lake elevation is  188.91.  The water on the main lake and in the creeks is slightly stained to stained.  The surface temperature is running in the mid 50's.  A lot of fish are relating to creek channels and ditches adjacent to spawning areas right now.  On my last trip, the most productive pattern for numbers of fish was targeting wood cover in 8-12 feet of water in these type locations.  The most productive technique was fishing a Carolina-rigged 6 inch junebug finesse worm.  I like using Big Bite Bait worms made with Biobait attractant, especially under the current conditions.  The scent put out by these baits can really make a difference in cold, stained water when the fish are sluggish.  The released scent helps these lethargic fish locate the bait much easier, and will result in more bites. The best pattern for bigger fish has been flipping a black/blue jig with a green pumkin-colored Yo Mama trailer around visible cover in less than 5 feet of water.  You won't get as many bites this way but ,again, the Biobait attractant will help draw more strikes. 
 
A cold front had just passed through before my last trip, and fishing slow was crucial regardless of whether fishing the jig or the Carolina Rig.  If we have a few straight days of warm weather in a row, the fish will get more active and can be caught on faster moving baits, especially around hydrilla.  Under these conditions, ripping a lipless crankbait through the grass can be deadly.  My preference is a Spro Aruku Shad 75 in either the Blue Shiner or Red Crawfish color depending on water clarity.    
Just remember that with constant cold fronts this time of the year, the fishing can really change on a daily basis, and you have to keep an open mind and adjust accordingly.
 
With tournament season just around the corner, I know that a lot of you have been busy maintaining and fine-tuning equipment such as boats, motors, electronics, rods, reels, etc.  While this is a very important part of pre-season preparation, one of the most important things I have noticed that gets neglected by a lot of anglers is hooks.  The Gamakatsu hooks I use are ultra sharp out of the pack and extremely durable.  I still check them regularly during and between tournaments, and replace them as needed.  Before tournament season begins, I double check hooks again, especially treble hooks on crankbaits, top-waters, etc. and replace them if needed.  The most obvious reason for doing this is to minimize the number of fish lost during tournaments .  Equally important and often overlooked, however, is the fact that hooks can actually alter the performance of many lures.  With crankbaits, for example, different-sized treble hooks can be used to alter the action and depth of the bait, or even cause it to suspend.   With soft-plastics, the difference in the action of the bait can vary dramatically depending on the style and size of hook used.  I actually attribute three of my top BFL finishes to the style and size of hook I was using.  So, don't forget to check your hooks and give them the attention they deserve.  Also, make sure that you have a good assortment so that you can fine-tune the action of your baits on tournament day.  As always, enjoy God's creation and do your part to help protect it!
 
Dr. Tim 

January 28, 2010   

Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows: 

 
The current lake elevation is 189.46.  The surface temperature is running fro the high 40's on the main lake to the low 50's in some creeks.  The water is stained to muddy. 
 
 Cold, muddy water always makes for extremely tough fishing, and this has been the case on the lake for several weeks now.  Your best bet under these conditions is to look for the clearest, warmest water you can find.  That being said, there have still been a few really nice stringers caught recently.  These catches reportedly came fishing spinnerbaits in shallow water.  A Spro Superstar spinnerbait in the Lemon Chartreuse color is perfect for these conditions.  It has a modified Colorado blade that really puts out a lot of vibration.  This helps lethargic fish pinpoint the lure in muddy water.  Just remember that these fish can't move very fast or very far to strike a lure, so a slow retrieve and repeated casts are a must.  Another tried and true bait in cold weather is a jig.  I believe Spro's finesse jigs are the best on the market.  In muddy water, I stick with a 1/4 or 3/8 oz. Black/Blue version and add a Black/Blue Big Bite Bait Fighting Frog trailer.  This trailer has an incredible action and also creates buoyancy to slow the fall rate of the jig.  This will really increase the number of bites you get by allowing sluggish fish to capture the jig as it drops in front of them.  As always, enjoy God's creation and do your part to help protect it!
 
Dr. Tim

January 18, 2011  

Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows: 

 
The current lake elevation is 188.20.  The water on the main lake is clear to slightly stained.  The water is clear in some creeks to heavily stained in others.  The prolonged cold weather we have experienced has pushed the water surface temperatures into the low 40's.  On my last three trips, the fishing was extremely tough.  You can expect a few bites flipping matted grass next to deeper water out of the current.  You will need to use a 1 1/2 oz. weight to penetrate the thickest mats you can find.  I like to use a Big Bite Baits Yo Mama in either back/blue or green pumpkin depending on the water clarity.  It is critical to fish excruciatingly slow to entice a few bites in the cold water.  Your other option is to fish deep around concentrations of shad.  On my last trip most of the shad were in deep creek channels and in the main river channel.  My Humminbird side imaging unit is a tremendous tool to pinpoint concentrations of shad, and I am getting more proficient in identifying actual schools of fish with it.  This is extremely helpful when the shad and fish are bunched up in a very small area and the fish are too sluggish to move to a bait.  Once you find the shad and fish, work the area extremely slowly and throughly.  On my last trip, I was able to entice a few bites in these areas with a jigging spoon and Carolina rig using a small centipede type worm.  I did have a problem hooking up with the fish, however, presumably due to the cold water and the fish being reluctant to hold on to the bait.  One other thing I noticed on my last trip was that a lot of fish had moved off of the bottom and suspended just above the large schools of shad.  I have not become proficient at fishing for suspended fish, but with my Humminbird electronics, I can actually follow a bait down and work it at the level of the fish.  It's something you may want to try.  As always, enjoy God's creation and do your part to help protect it!
 
Dr. Tim

 

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February 5, 2008

Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows. 

The current lake elevation is 190.09.  The water temperature is ranging from the high 40’s in the morning to the mid 50’s by the end of the day.  With warmer weather predicted, these temperatures should rise a little over the next week, at least until the next cold front arrives. Due to the recent rains, the lake for the most part is heavily stained to muddy, except on the extreme southern portion where some clear water can be found around the dam.  The fishing has been really tough and unpredictable for the past few weeks. Recent tournaments have proved the same for a lot of fishermen with the exception of a few that can work a jigging spoon on those deep schools of wintertime bass. With spring approaching, the fishing should be getting better and more predictable over the next couple of weeks as the spawn gets closer. Working shallow ledges with medium running crankbaits and Carolina rigs should really pick up as the fish move from there deep water holes to position themselves for the upcoming spawn. There will also be the shallow fish that will relate to the hydrilla, and these fish can be caught on spinnerbaits, Rattle traps, and Texas rigged worms. Whatever fits your style of fishing, expect the action to really heat up for the next couple of weeks, especially if we can get several days of warmer weather between passing cold fronts.

Chris Lynch

Editor's addition: The Eufaula Headhunters B/C sent in a report from their club tournament this past Saturday (2/2/08) out of Lake Point Marina and here are the results:
 

Place Team # Fish Wt
1st Pair & Noakes 5 19.89
2nd Green & Smith 5 14.19
3rd Kent & Cochran 2 6.10
4th Buchanan & Buchanan 2 3.95

The club reported tough fishing and several other tournaments on Saturday. They say that their best patterns was Shallow water Texas rigged lizards.


February 4, 2009     

Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows. 

The current lake elevation is 188.55.  The water on the main lake and in the creeks is clear to slightly stained.  The surface temperature is around 50 degrees.  A lot of fish are starting to move into spawning areas right now, and the fishing has been good to excellent.  The best pattern recently has been fishing around ditches with timber adjacent to these areas.  A few degrees in water temperature can make a lot of difference in the exact location and mood of the fish this time of the year, so keep this in mind on your next trip.  If you are fortunate enough to be fishing after a 3-4 day warming trend some fish can be caught in as little as three feet of water, especially around hydrilla.  A good bet under these conditions, especially if there is some wind, is to throw a Spro ArukuShad75 in the blue shiner color.  You will need to retrieve the bait just fast enough for it to tick the top of the hydrilla.  When it gets hung up, rip it out and be prepared. This is when most fish will bite.  You may have to cover a lot of water to find the fish, but when you find them you can catch several nice fish in the same area.  A few nice fish can also be caught fishing around visible cover in these areas with a black/blue jig with a black/sapphire blue Yo Mama trailer.  If you are fishing after a cold front, your efforts will be better spent fishing in the ditches themselves.  On my last trip under these conditions,  I caught fish on a Carolina-rigged six inch Big Bite finesse worm in the junebug color.  All of the fish were caught in 8-12 feet of water around irregular features in the ditches containing timber or stumps.  If the fish are a little bit more active, they can be caught on crankbaits in the same areas, but just remember to fish them extremely slow.  As always, enjoy God's creation, and do your part to help protect it!
Dr. Tim 

 

February 21, 2011  

Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows: 

 
The current lake elevation is 188.31.  The water on the main lake and in the creeks is slightly stained.  The surface temperature is running in the mid 50's.  The combination of longer days, warmer weather and a full moon has really put a lot of fish on the move over the last several days.  The fish are in a pre-spawn pattern right now and can be caught on a variety of lures in 2-10 feet of water in the vicinity of spawning areas.   Until we have a cold front, your best bet is to cover a lot of water with moving baits such as a chrome / blue Spro Aruku Shad 75 or a Spro Little John in the Nasty Shad color.  Fish these baits around grass next to deeper water in the spawning areas and concentrate on any irregulaities such as points, indentions, etc.  If the fish are in grass that is too thick to fish either of these baits, try a green pumpkin Big Bite Baits Sugar Cane paddle tail worm rigged with a 3/16 or 1/4 oz. bullet weight.  Swim the bait through the grass and let it fall in the holes.  This is an awesome bait that puts out as much vibration as some spinnerbaits, but can be fished in thick grass where other baits can't.  In addition to fishing around the grass, another option is to fish shallow ledges around spawning areas in 6-10 feet of water.  Again, look for irregular features along creek channels or ditches as these are the places the fish will hold before moving up to spawn.  A Little John MD crankbait in the Nasty Shad color is a good choice in these areas.  Or, if the fish are less active, slow down and fish these same areas with a green pumkin Carolina-rigged 6 inch Big Bite Baits Finesse worm.  As always, enjoy God's creation, and do your part to help protect it!
 
Dr. Tim

February 15, 2012 

Sorry about the delay in posting a report.  Between the holidays, vacation, and taking care of some long overdue maintanance on my house, the fishing has been non-existent the last couple of months.  With all of that taken care of, I'm really excited about getting started back and look forward to fishing the Bama division BFLs this year

Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows:

The current lake elevation is 188.22.  The water on the main lake and in the creeks north of Cowikee is heavily stained to muddy.  The water in Cowikee Creek is slightly to moderately stained.  The water on the main lake in in the creeks below Cowikee is progressively clearer, but still has some stain.  The surface temperature is running in the mid to upper 50s.  With the higher water and higher than normal surface temperature for this time of year, a lot of fish are in a strong pre-spawn pattern right now.  I like to target these fish along shallow creek channel ledges in 6-12 feet of water,  Concentrate on areas next to spawning flats and look for irregular features along the creek channel such as the intersection of a ditch which runs up onto the flat, points, stumps, etc.  My favorite way to locate schools of these pre-spawn fish is with a Little John MD crankbait.  This lure runs the perfect depth for these staging fish and also puts out a lot of vibration which is really important in attracting strikes with the water stained up like it is now.  If I had to pick one color preference it would be root beer chartreuse, but always use a color based on water clarity as well as how aggressively the fish are taking the bait.  Once a school stops hitting the crankbait, you can often pick up another fish or two with either a football jig using a Big Bite Baits Yo Mama trailer or a Carolina-rigged Big Bite Baits lizzard.  Stick with darker colors for these baits in the stained water and try adding rattles to attract more bites.  If you really prefer fishing shallow, there are already some fish up on the bank and the big females are often some of the first to move up early in the spawning cycle.  If you choose to fish shallow. a chartreuse/white spinnerbait with gold tandem Colorado blades is a good choice to cover a lot of water.  Also be sure to pick any thick grass or wood cover apart with a 7/16  black / blue Spro finesse jig and a sapphire blue Big Bite Baits Yo Mama trailer.  As always, enjoy God's creation and do your part to protect it!

Dr. Tim

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

March 8, 2008

Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows. 

Sorry about the delay in posting a current report.  Two tournaments and a bad case of the flu / bronchitis have had me off the water for a couple of weeks.

The current lake elevation is 190.16.  The water is slightly stained on the main lake as well as in the creeks and coves.  The surface temperature is running in the low 60's.  The fishing on the lake is excellent right now and should only get better with the predicted warming trend.  The fish are really staging for the spawn and a lot of fish are already in shallow spawning areas.  Some fish can be caught on crankbaits and Carolina rigs in 8-15 feet of water.  A super deep Stanford Cedar Shad crankbait in the Citrus Shad color is a good choice. On the Carolina rig, a Big Bite Bait six inch finesse worm in thier Okeechobee Craw color gets the nod.  I especially like to use the biobait formulation with a built-in attractant to coax a few extra bites and to get the fish to hold onto the bait better. Concentrate your efforts in the creek channels adjacent to spawning areas and look for irregular features such as points, bends, cuts, etc. in the channel.  The presence of brush is a real plus and helps to really concentrate the fish.

On my last trip, the best pattern was fishing secondary points in spawning areas in three feet of water.  A new crankbait from Stanford Lures called a rough / tough shad in their sour apple color produced a lot of fish with some in the 3-4 pound range.  These crankbaits can be ordered directly by calling Ann or Dieter Stanford at (229) 732-6609 or (706) 566-1411.  A lot of fish were also caught on a 3/8 oz. white spinnerbait in the same areas.  If you really want to fish Eufaula at it's best, now is the time to be on the lake.  As always, enjoy God's creation, and do your part to help protect it!

Dr. Tim

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March 9, 2009     

Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows. 

The cuurent lake elevation is 188.77.  The surface temperature is running in the high 50's to low 60's.  The water on the main lake down to White Oak Creek is stained to heavily stained.  Below White Oak Creek, the water clears progressively the farther south you go.  The water clarity in the creeks is extremely variable with some creeks being fairly clear while others are heavily stained and still others stained toward the mouth but clearer toward the back.
 
Conditions could not be better for a major wave of spawning activity this week with the warming trend and a full moon on the 11th.  Fish can be caught in spawning areas with a variety of techniques including spinnerbaits, paddle tail worms, small swimbaits, and Texas-rigged Big Bite Bait lizzards in juebug / red flake.  If you like to sight fish, next week should be as good as it gets.  A few fish have already spawned and can be caught in brushpiles just out from spawning areas in 8-12 feet of water.  Just remember, conditions can change on a daily and sometime hourly basis this time of the year, so be willing to adapt accordingly.  As always, enjoy God's creation, and do your part to help protect it!
 
Dr. Tim 

 

March 3, 2010   

Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows: 

 
The current lake elevation is 188.12.  The water on the main lake and in the creeks is stained to muddy.  The water surface temperature is running in the high 40's on the main lake to the low 50's in the creeks and coves.  A lot of fish have moved into shallow spawning areas with the full moon and should remain in these areas for the next several weeks.  Flipping shallow grass in these areas with a Texas-rigged black/blue Big Bite Baits Fighting Frog has been productive.  One other pattern which has been productive over the past few years is fishing around hydrilla in these type areas with a Spro ArukuShad 75.  Although the high, cold muddy water has killed a lot of the hydrilla this year, make sure to thoroughly fish any that you may find.  The best color in the muddy water is gold/black.  As always, enjoy God's creation and do your part to help protect it!
 
Dr. Tim

 

March 29, 2011  

Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows: 

 
The current water level is 188.08.  The surface temperature is running in the upper 60's.  The water on the main lake and in the creeks is clear to slightly stained.  Fish are in all stages of the spawn right now, and can be caught on a variety of lures and using a variety of techniques.  You can find as many as 30 fish on bed in some coves, but they are all males and will run in the 2-3 pound range.  A white Big Bite Baits Fighting Frog is deadly when sight fishing for numbers.  Most of the bigger females, however, are being caught out from spawning areas slightly deeper on points, in ditches, etc.  I use my Humminbird 998 side imaging unit to scan these areas looking for brush, foundations, etc. which are real magnets for both pre-spawn and post-spawn fish.  My favorite way to fish for these bigger females is to slow roll a 3/4 or 1 oz. spinnerbait.  Once you catch fish, cover the area thoroughly as there is often a school of fish present.  On high pressure days, or when the fish won't hit the spinnerbait, slow down and fish the same areas with a Carolina-rigged Big Bite Baits green-pumpkin 6 inch finesse worm.  The grass bite right now has been hit or miss with the lower water levels, but it is always worth a try.  Just keep experimenting and let the fish tell you what they want.  As always, enjoy God's creation and do your part to help protect it!
 
Dr. Tim

 

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April 2, 2008
report from Lake Eufaula
 
Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows. 
The current lake elevation is 189.62.  The water in the main lake and creeks is clear to slightly stained.  The surface temperature is running in the mid 60's.  Since the last report, there has been a major wave of spawning activity, and more fish are moving into the spawning areas daily.  Fishing around grass with a spinnerbait for pre-spawn fish has been productive, especially when there is cloud cover or a breeze.  If the sun is out with little or no breeze, sight fishing with a Big Bite Bait junebug lizard is a better choice. Alternatively, if the water is too stained for sight fishing, and the fish will not hit a spinnerbait, try blind casting around spawning areas with a junebug or watermelon candy Big Bite Bait Trick Stick.  You will be fishing for bedding bass that you can't see, and the bait will need to be fished extremely slow to draw strikes.
 
 Shad are starting to show up in their spawning areas, and should start spawning over the next couple of weeks.  When this happens, the action will be fast and furious for a short time early in the morning, especially around rip-rap.  Spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, top-water baits, or shallow running crankbaits such as a Stanford Razor Shad in the grey ghost color can all be productive.  Once the shad spawning activity is over in the morning, your best bet will be to go back to areas where bass have been spawning, but focus more on post-spawn fish with top water lures or a weightless 6 inch Big Bite Bait finesse worm or Jerk Shad.
 
The main thing to remember is that things change on a daily basis this time of the year, and you need to start every day with an open mind.  As always, enjoy God's creation, and do your part to help protect it!
Dr. Tim

April 14, 2008

Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows. 

The current lake elevation is 189.48  The surface temperature is running in the low 70's.  The water on the main lake and in the creeks north of the causeway is slightly to moderately stained with isolated areas that are clear.  The water on the south end of the lake is clear to slightly stained. 
 
Fish are in all stages of the spawn right now, and there has also been a limited amount of shad spawning activity early in the morning.  This combined with the fluctuating water level over the past several days has made it more difficult to find concentrations of fish, but if you keep moving and trying different areas and techniques, you can put together a decent stringer.  On my last trip there were two primary patterns that prevailed.  The first was to fish around concentrations of shad on rip-rap with a spinnerbait.  Look for spawning activity early in the morning or birds lined up on wind-blown banks later in the day to help locate the shad.  Also pay close attention as you work you spinnerbait.  A lot of times you can actually feel shad hitting the spinnerbait blades or see them following the bait as it approaches the boat when you are in an area where there is a large concentration of them. 
 
 After the sun gets up, your best bet will be to concentrate on spawning areas.  There are still some fish bedding if you are in an area where the water is clear enough to see them.  If the water is more stained,  fish around grass in the same areas with a watermelon-candy colored Big Bite Baits Trick Stick or a spinnerbait until the surface temperature is consistently above 70 degrees.  Then, be ready for that long-awaited top-water bonanza on the lake.  The weather forecast calls for some unseasonably cold weather tonight, and things could change for several days,  but this should get you pointed in the right direction.  As always, enjoy God's creation, and do your part to help protect it!
 
Dr. Tim

 

 

2009



 

April 6, 2009     

Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows. 

The current lake elevation is 189.58.  The surface temperature is running in the mid to upper 60's.  The water in the creeks and on the main lake is heavily stained to muddy except for a few isolated areas on the south end of the lake.  Despite all of the rain we have had, the corps of engineers has been able to maintain the water at a fairly steady level, and the fishing continues to be extremely good.  Most fish are still being caught shallow in spawning areas.  With the muddy water, spinnerbaits and chatterbaits fished around grass have been very productive.  Big Bite Bait 6 inch junebug lizzards fished Texas rig with a light weight have also been productive.  When fishing this bait, you will actually be blind casting for spawning fish, so just remember to really slow down and cast to any hole in the grass or other areas that look like a fish may be bedding.  As always, enjoy God's creation, and do your part to help protect it!
 
Dr. Tim

 

 


 

2010

April 5, 2010   

Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows: 

 
The current lake elevation is 187.90.  The surface temperature is running from the low 60's to the low 70's.  The water on the main lake and in the creeks is slightly stained to stained.  Bass are in all stages of the spawn right now and can be caught using a variety of lures and techniques.  In spawning areas, I like to start the day with a spinnerbait, especially if it is overcast or windy.  You will be fishing for aggressive pre-spawn fish, so move at a quick pace and fish every piece of cover you come by.   Once the sun gets up, I tend to slow down a little and look for beds as I fish.  Once you find a suitable-sized fish that you believe will bite, it is critical to pay close attention to boat control.  Fish in extremely shallow water are very skittish in general.  If they are on the bed, they can be even more so, especially if they have already been fished for by other anglers.  With this in mind, move around slowly and quietly.  Use a push pole if necessary.  Once you determine the best angle to see the fish, try to position your boat as far away as possible.  This may even mean not being able to actually see the fish, but blind casting to the spot where you have marked the bed.  I like to anchor my boat once I determine a good position for the boat, especially if there is any wind.  On bedding bass, I like to use a 3/8 oz. PB&J Spro finesse jig with a green pumpkin Big Bite Baits baby bush pig trailer to mimic a crawfish invading the nest.
 
When fishing between bedded fish, a weightless green pumpkin Big BIte Trick Stick has been productive over the last several days.  This is a finesse bait that needs will catch fish in any stage of the spawn in these areas, including fry-guarders.  If the fish are fairly aggressive, swimming the same jig combination mentioned earlier will also work well, especially around scattered grass.  As more fish come off of the bed, the top-water bite will get better over the next several weeks.  Finally, if you prefer fishing off-shore structure, you can catch pre-spawn and post- spawn fish out from the spawning areas along channels and ditches in 4-10 feet of water.  Bigger fish are being caught on crankbaits such as a Spro Little John MD in citrus shad.  For numbers of fish in these type areas, fish with a Carolina-rigged green pumpkin Big Bite Baits finesse worm.  No matter how you like to fish, now is a great time to be on the lake, especially before the pleasure boat traffic picks up.  As always, enjoy God's creation and do your part to help protect it!
 
Dr. Tim

 

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May 28, 2007

Conditions on the north end of Lake Eufaula are as follows: 

The main lake and creeks are clear.  The lake elevation is 186.73.  The surface temperature is running in the mid to upper 70's.  Things haven't changed a lot since the last report.  Your best bet to put together a decent stringer right now is to fish a top water bait early around grass next to deeper water.  Once the action slows, you will need to move out to shallow ledges in the 8-12 foot range.  A lot of small fish are being caught in these areas, especially if there is some current present.  Bigger fish are still hard to come by, but you can put the odds in your favor with the right baits.  A Stanford Cedar Shad crankbait in the citrus shad color has been a particularly good choice lately, especially if there is some current being generated.  If the fish are less active, you will need to slow down and fish with lures such as jigs or Texas rigs.  A Zoom O'l Monster is a good choice in this case in either a green-pumkin or watermellon seed color.   In both cases look for irregular features on the ledges such as points, shallow spots, brush piles or deeper grass and fish them thoroughly.

 As always, enjoy God's creation, and do your part to help protect it!

 Dr. Tim

 


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May 1, 2008

Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows. 

The current lake elevation is 189.52.  The water on the main lake and in the creeks is clear to slightly stained.  The surface temperature is running in the mid 70's.  Since the last report, a lot of fish spawned around the full moon.  As is normally expected just after a major wave of spawning activity, the fishing has been a little tough over the last couple of weeks.  The best patterns going have been to target "fry guarders" with trick worms around hydrilla just out from spawning areas.  Some fish are also being caught in the same areas with top-water baits.  Finally, a few fish are showing up on shallow ledges in the 8-10 foot range, and are being caught on Stanford Cedar Shad crankbaits in the sexy shad color.  The fishing shouldn't change a lot until the water temperature approaches 80 degrees.  Then you can expect more fish to start moving out to the ledges, especially if the water level drops to below 188.0. As always, enjoy God's creation, and do your part to help protect it!
 
Dr. Tim

May 27, 2008

Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows. 

The lake is holding at 189.5 and the corps projects this level for the coming weeks. Water has light stain and the temp is in the mid 70's. The top water bite is starting to pick up and this seems the best way to catch larger fish but the topwater bite does not last long. Once the sun hits the water it is over. Pop r's, buzzbaits and frogs are the best baits right now.

Some fish are on the ledges but you have to cover allot of water to find them. Once you locate the fish they seem to be biting throughout the day. Off course when they are generating water at the dam the ledge bite is allot better. C-rigs and medium crankbaits are working best out on the ledges. The ledge bite will get stronger in the next month.

Tim is on his way to Hot Springs Arkansas to fish the BFL All-American, we want to wish him the best of Luck!

Tight Lines
Ken


 

 

 

May10, 2009     

Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows. 

The current lake elevation is 190.06.  The surface temperature is running in the mid to upper 70's.  The water on the main lake is clear to slightly stained. The water in the creeks around the Lakepoint area is muddy due to recent heavy local rains with the remaining creeks being clear to slightly stained.
 
The fishing continues to be excellent on the lake, and several techniques will work right now.  With the water level higher than it has been this time of the year in a long time,  a lot of fish are continuing to hold in the Eufaula grass.  These fish are actively feeding as they have recovered from the spawn and can be caught on a wide variety of lures. I would start out the day with moving baits such as a spinnerbait or buzzbait.  The fish have been very active early in the morning, and you will increase your odds of catching some really nice fish by covering a lot of water.  Once the bite slows, you can still catch fish in the grass, but you will need to slow down and fish a Texas-rigged Big Bite Bait junebug lizzard or a white Big Bite Bait jerk shad.
 
If you prefer fishing offshore structure, some fish are being caught on shallow ledges in the 8-12 foot range.  Crankbaits in the sexy shad color have been productive, especially when there is some current present.  If the fish don't seem to be in a feeding mood, slow down and fish a Carolina-rigged Big Bite Bait six inch junebug finesse worm.  Pay close attention as you are fishing as the fish will be relating to some type of change on the bottom such as stumps, points, indentions, high spots, different bottom composition, etc.  Also, when you catch one fish, fish the area thoroughly.  These type areas will often hold large schools of fish, and once you get the first one to bite, they will go on a feeding frenzy.
 

As always, enjoy God's creation, and do your part to help protect it!

 
Dr. Tim

May 5, 2010   

Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows: 

 
The current lake elevation is 189.52.  The water on the main lake and in the creeks is slightly stained to stained.  The surface temperature is running in the low 70's.  The fish are extremely scattered right now and can be caught from less than two feet deep to twenty feet deep.  On my last few trips, fish have been caught in grass, blowdowns, brush piles and ditches, as well as on creek channel ledges, humps and rip-rap.  Catching numbers of fish has been easy, but quality fish have been more hard to come by.  There is a sporadic shad spawn early in the morning.  If you notice any shad activity or birds lined up on the bank, fish the area thoroughly with a spinnerbait, top-water, shallow crankbait, or watermelon Big Bite Baits Trick Stick depending on the mood of the fish.  Once this activity ceases, start covering as much water as possible.  Crankbaits will allow you to cover water rapidly and will put the odds of catching bigger fish in your favor if the fish are active.  If they are less active, you will need to key on high percentage areas such as points, etc. with a slower moving bait. Watermelon 10 inch Big Bite Baits Kreit Tail worms or a PB&J jig with a green pumpkin Big Bite Baits creature bait trailer are good choices. Over the next few weeks, the fish will start schooling up more.  In the meantime, just keep covering a lot of water and trying as many types of cover as you can.  As always, enjoy God's creation, and do your part to help protect it!
 
Dr. Tim

 

 


May 3, 2011  

Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows: 

The current lake elevation is 187.19.  The surface temperature is running in the upper 70's.  The water on the main lake and in the creeks from the causeway south is clear to slightly stained.  There is a lot of stained water moving down the river and in the creeks north of Cowikee Creek from recent heavy rains farther north.  A lot of the lake is in a post-spawn funk right now and the fishing is extremely sporadic.  This is evidenced by the overall weights on tournaments held on the lake this past weekend as well as the fact that the winner of the FLW Everstart Series tournament actually locked through and fished on Lake Seminole for two of the three tournament days.  With that being said, your best bet right now is to be in the right place at the right time first thing in the morning to target actively feeding fish around spawning shad.  You may have to experiment a little bit to find the best bait, but be prepared to try small top-water lures, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, ar shallow-running crankbaits like the Spro Little John in the Nasty Shad color.  Once the sun gets up, you will need to head to the south end of the lake where the fish are a little further along in the post-spawn cycle and are starting to show up on shallow ledges.  Fish in this area of the lake are reportedly being caught by slow rolling spinnerbaits or fishing medium-diving crankbaits for more active fish.  Otherwise, slow way down and fish the same areas with a Texas-rigged watermellon seed Big Bite Baits Trick Stick.  If you aren't getting bites, keep working your way south.  I fished the middle part of the lake on the Weekend Series tournament and was only able to catch two small keepers.  As always, enjoy God's creation, and do your part to help protect it!
 
Dr. Tim

May 21, 2012 

Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows:

The current lake elevation is 187.58.  The surface temperature is running in the high 70's to low 80's.  The water on the main lake and in the creeks is clear to slightly stained.  The fishing on the lake is really tough right now, especially for bigger fish.  There is a hit or miss top water bite first thing in the morning around grass next to deeper water.  This is as good a way as any right now to catch a kicker, but it doesn't last long once the sun gets up.  After that, you will have to just grind it out fishing deeper brushpiles and ledges in the 12-15 foot range.  I like to start out using a crankbait and fish for more aggressive fish, especially if there is some current present.  With the current water clarity, I like to use a Little John MD or DD in the rootbeer color.  Choose which one to use based on how deep the fish are or how deep you are seeing shad on your depth finder.  Unfortunately, on my last trip, there was no current, and you really had to slow down to catch the fish.  Jigs, Carolina rigs, Texas rigs, shaky heads and drop shots will all work.  The key is to get your bait in the cover and really fish it slowly.  Green pumpkin was the best color for plastics on my last trip.  Big Bite Baits makes a wide variety of soft plastics suitable for use with any of these rigs, and sometimes you will have to experiment with different styles of baits as well as weights until you find the exact combination that will draw a strike when the fish are in a neutral or negative mood.  If all else fails, stick with the Big Bite Baits four inch finesse worm on a shaky head or drop shot using 8 pound fluorocarbon line.  This isn't my favorite way to fish, but it can save the day when the fishing gets really tough.  As always, enjoy God's creation and do your part to help protect it!

Dr. Tim

 

 

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June 10, 2007

Conditions on Lake Eufaula north of the causeway are as follows:  The current lake elevation is around 186.6.  The water on the main lake and in the creeks is clear to slightly stained.  The surface temperature is running in the mid 80's.   

Fishing has really been hit or miss lately.  There is still an early top-water bite around grass next to deep water, but it doesn't last long and is unpredictable.  Also, the corps has been spraying some areas of hydrilla which causes the fish to abandon an area quickly.  More fish are showing up on off-shore locations, but the bigger fish still haven't schooled up in any numbers.  This past weekend, the key to catching keeper fish was to find some type of wood cover (stumps or brushpiles) on points or shallow ledges in 8-12 feet of water.  You then had to get a bait such as a jig, Texas-rig, or Carolina-rigged worm down in the cover, and fish it very slow.  Also, areas which produce fish one day may yield nothing the next.  You just have to fish as many high percentage areas as possible while still fishing them thoroughly.  I look for the bigger fish to really start bunching up in their usual summertime locations over the next couple of weeks with the hot weather we have had.  You can really put the odds in your favor by fishing during the week when the corps. is generating power.  This will also help avoid some of the boat traffic from pleasure boaters.

 
As always, enjoy God's creation, and do your part to help protect it!

 Dr. Tim
 


June 28, 2007

Conditions on Lake Eufaula north of the causeway are as follows: 

The main lake and creeks are clear to very slightly stained.  The surface temperature is in the mid to upper 80's.  The current lake elevation is 186.54. 

The fish have finally really ganged up in their typical summertime locations, and the fishing is as hot as the afternoon temperatures right now.  On my last outing, there was a recent mayfly hatch.  Although I only caught small fish around the flies early in the morning, there is always the possisbilty of catching some nice fish when you notice this going on.  I like to fish with a small top water bait or a Senko in this situation.  By far, your best bet right now is fishing off-shore areas, especially main-lake points and ledges.  When no current is present, the productive depth has been 14-18 feet.  The key recently has been to fish stumps along a ledge in the proper depth.  Once you catch a fish, fish the area thorougly as I caught at least 2-3 fish in every location on my last outing.  Once the corps starts generating current, the fish are moving up slightly and are really bunching up in 10-12 feet of water.  On my last trip they were annihilating a Citrus Shad-colored Stanford Cedar Shad in the 8-12 foot model.  At one point I caught five nice keepers on consecutive casts on this bait.  If you plan on fishing Lake Eufaula, these are some crankbaits you will want to try.  They can be ordered on-line at www.stanfordlures.com  If they don't have the exact color you want, they will also custom paint the baits to suit you preference.  Check out their web site and give them a try.

As always, enjoy God's creation, and do your part to help protect it!

Dr. Tim

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June 2, 2008

Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows. 

The lake temp has jumped to mid 80's, you know what that means, ledge fishing but not so quick! With the lake still at almost full pool there are still allot of fish up shallow, plus a mayfly hatch is helping to keep plenty of fish shallow.

The topwater bite continues to be good but does not last to long. The ledge bite is there but you really have to cover allot of water to find the schools. Once again if you can go when water is being released at the dam, it increases your odds.

The Lee King benefit tournment will be June 14th at Lakepoint make your plans to fish!!


Tight Lines
Ken


June 18, 2008

Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows. 

The current lake elevation is 189.60.  The surface temperature is running around 90 degrees.  The water on the main lake and in the creeks is clear to very slightly stained.  The fish are in their typical summer pattern right now.  A few fish can be caught around grass next to deeper water early on top water baits and spinnerbaits.  This bite dies quickly once the sun gets up and quality fish are scarce.  The quality fish are being caught on river ledges and deeper creek channel ledges.  As is typical this time of the year, you can really increase your odds of catching a decent stringer by fishing when current is being generated at the dam.  The fish feed much more aggressively when current is being generated and they are bunching up in slightly shallower water (14-15 feet)  On my last trip,  a deep-diving crankbait in the sexy-shad color produced some nice fish under these conditions. 
 
If current is not present,  the fish feed less aggressively and are much more scattered.  Under these conditions, it has been necessary to really slow down and fish a Carolina rig, Texas, rig or jig in the thickest brush you can find in water anywhere from 8 to 22 feet deep.  A June Bug / Red Bio Bait 6 inch finesse worm has been particularly good the last couple of weeks.  The fish will be in the same general areas that they group up when water is moving.  Again, however, they will be more scattered and more difficult to catch. These patterns should hold up for several weeks unless we have an unforeseen drastic change in water levels.  As always. enjoy God's creation, and do your part to help protect it!

Dr. Tim


June 8, 2009     

Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows. 

The current lake elevation is 190.76.  The water on the main lake and in the creeks is clear to slightly stained.  The surface temperature is running around 80 degrees.  The main thing that has changed since the last report is that there has been a big mayfly hatch on the north end of the lake.  Look for areas where there is surface activity from feeding bream.  A small top water lure is a good bet to catch some good fish in these areas.  Once the action stops on top, more fish can be caught in these areas by fishing slowly with a green pumpkin Big Bite Bait Trick Stick.
 
With all of the rain we have been having lately, the Corps of Engineers has been pulling water more than normal resulting in a good bite on ledges in 8-12 feet of water.  Stanford Cedar Shad crankbaits in the sexy shad color have been productive along with a Carolina-rigged Big Bite six inch green pumpkin finesse worm.  Look for areas with a hard bottom where there is an irregularity such as a point, indention, high spot, etc.  The presence of stumps or brush will make an area even better.  Just keep hitting high percentage areas until you find a school of fish that is actively feeding.

As always, enjoy God's creation and do your part to help protect it!

 
Dr. Tim

 

June 3, 2010   

Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows: 

 
The current lake elevation is 188.87.  The surface temperature is running in the high 70's to low 80's.  The water on the main lake and in the creeks is clear to slightly stained.  The fishing continues to be excellent right now.  Most tournaments are being won with five fish limits in the 25 pound range.  Some nice fish can be caught around grass next to deeper water on a white buzzbait or a Spro white popping frog early in the morning.  If it is overcast, this bite can last for several hours.  Once the sun gets up, you can still catch some nice fish in the same areas, but you will need to slow down and flip the thick grass with a Big Bite Bait black/blue fighting frog using a heavier weight.  If this doesn't fit your style of fishing, once the top water bite stops, concentrate on brush piles in 8-10 feet of water or ledges in 8-18 feet of water.  If there is current being generated, the fish are generally slightly shallower and feed more aggressively.  Cover as much water as possible with a medium or deep-diving shad-colored crankbait until you catch one.  Then make repeated casts to the same spot as the fish are starting to bunch up in some places.  If no current is present, you will generally have to fish a little bit deeper and slow down a little bit.  I like fishing a green pumpkin Big Bite Bait Kreit Tail worm with a 1/2 oz. wt. and a 5/0 Gamakatsu offset shank hook, especially in heavy cover.  If the fish are more finicky, try a green pumpkin Big Bite Bait six inch finesse worm on a Carolina rig.  Try to establish a pattern and then concentrate on high percentage areas.  As always, enjoy God's creation and do your part to help protect it!
 
Dr. Tim

 


June 7, 2011  

Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows: 

The current lake elevation is 187.61.  The water on the main lake and in the creeks is clear to slightly stained.  The surface temperature is running in the high 80's.  A lot of fish have moved out to main lake ledges since the last report.  The Corps of Engineers is also getting into their summer generation schedule which really puts the fish into more predictable locations as well as a feeding mood when the current is present.  Most fish are being caught in 10-15 feet of water.  Look for irregular areas in this depth range such as humps, points, indentions, etc.  The presence of shad in such areas is a big plus.  If there is current, crankbaits such as a Spro Little John MD or DD depending on the depth of the fish is hard to beat.  I like the Nasty Shad color with the current water clarity.  If there is no current present, or a school of fish stops biting the crankbait, switch to a Carolina-rigged Big Bite Baits six inch finesse worm in either watermelon seed or green pumpkin.  Fish the rig fairly quickly until you contact brush, etc. Then, really slow down and fish the structure thoroughly. As always, enjoy God's creation, and do your part to help protect it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

July 7, 2007

Conditions on Lake Eufaula north of the causeway are as follows: 

The main lake and creeks are clear.  The surface temperature is up to 90 degrees in the afternoon.  The current lake elevation is 186.17.  Things haven't changed a lot since the last report.  There is still a good top water bite early around grass next to deeper water, but expect to cull through a lot of short fish to catch a few in the 2 1/2 to 3 pound range.  As the water continues to ease down, most of the bigger fish are in deeper off-shore locations.  Your efforts right now should be concentrated in 15-18 feet of water.  A Stanford Cedar shad crankbait is a good bet, especially if you are fishing for bigger fish.  Try to tick the top of the cover that the fish are holding in.  When you do this, the fish will often hit if you pause the bait temporarily.  If the fish are less active, slow down and fish a Texas-rig or Carolina-rig in brush or around stumps, especially on points or other irregular features close to the river channel.  This pattern should remain stable for several weeks unless we have some heavy rains and the water level comes up significantly.

As always, enjoy God's creation, and do your part to help protect it!

Dr. Tim
 



 

July 23, 2007

Conditions on Lake Eufaula north of the causeway are as follows: 

The main lake and creeks are clear.  The river is slightly stained.  The surface temperature is running in the upper 80's.  The current lake elevation is 186.3.  The week after the last report, the lake seemed to go through a lull.  As fate would have it, I had invited lake guide, Billy Darby, to go out on a trip on one of the worst days I have had on the lake in several weeks.  After a fruitless morning in some areas I had been catching fish, Billy suggested that we go to the south end of the lake and fish some of his summertime  locations.  Although we didn't slay them, we were able to catch a few quality fish.  I don't know of anyone as knowledgeable of Lake Eufaula as he is, and there are always at least a few fish in his brushpiles.  If you need a guided trip on the lake, he can be contacted at imfishing4u@alltel.net.

Thankfully, things picked back up somewhat on the north end of the lake this past week.  There are still some fish being caught around hydrilla early.  Other than that, most of the fish are being caught in 8-12 feet of water in their normal summertime locations, i.e. ledges.  Bigger fish are coming on crankbaits such as a Stanford Cedar Shad with numbers of fish being caught using a variety of techniques such as Carolina-rigs, Texas-rigs, and jigs.  The key is to find a school of fish that is the right size or hit enough high percentage areas as possible after you catch a limit to put the odds in your favor of catching a couple of good kickers  As always, enjoy God's creation, and do your part to help protect it!

Dr. Tim
 


 

 

July 31, 2007

Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows: 

The current lake elevation is 186.27.  The surface temperature is running in the mid
to upper 80's.  The water on the main lake and in the creeks is clear.  The river is
slightly stained.

The fishing continues to be very good on Lake Eufaula.  This past weekend, my
partner and I enjoyed one of the best days I have had on the lake in a long time in
the Fishermen For The Hungry Tournament.  We wound up catching 16 keepers between 2
1/2 and 4 pounds during the day to cull up to a total of just under 18 1/2 pounds
which was good for a first place finish.  Many competitors reported a good early
top-water bite.  We concentrated our efforts on ledges in the 8-12 foot range and
were able to catch fish all day long.  The mood of the fish seemed to change
throughout the day, and we had to constantly change techniques to entice bites.  We
started out fishing with a medium diving Stanford Cedar Shad crankbait early, but
wound up catching fish on Carolina-rigs, Texas-rigs, jigs, and Spotsticker jig heads
/ finesse worms at different times during the day.  Things should remain fairly
constant over the next several weeks unless we have some heavy rains and the water
gets stained or comes up significantly.  For complete results of the tournament,
visit www.fishermenforthehungry.org  As always, enjoy God's creation, and do you
part to help protect it!

Dr. Tim


 

 

July 8, 2008

Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows. 

The current lake elevation is 189.5. The surface temperature is running in the mid 80's.  The water on the main lake and in the creeks is clear to very slightly stained.  Things haven't changed much since the last report.  Some good stringers are being caught on ledges in 14-18 feet of water on deep-diving crankbaits, jigs, and big Texas-rigged worms when current is being generated.  Sexy shad has been the best color choice for crankbaits. Black/blue or green pumpkin gets the nod for jigs. My preference for the Texas rig is Big Bite Bait's 10 Inch worm in green pumpkin or plum apple. If current is present, you don't need to spend long in one area.  If the fish don't bite quickly, keep moving. This will increase your chances of finding an actively feeding school.
 
When there is no current present, the fish have been a lot more scattered and can be caught using a wide variety of techniques and in a wide range of depths. A white buzzbait around grass next to deeper water was particularly good on my last trip early in the  morning. Once this action is over, you will need to slow down and fish around brush in depths from 8 to 25 feet with Carolina rigs, jigs, or Texas rigs. Under these conditions you will do better to concentrate on a small area and fish it thoroughly to coax bites.
As always. enjoy God's creation, and do your part to help protect it!

Dr. Tim

 

 

 

 


July 6, 2009     

Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows. 

The water on the main lake and in the creeks is clear to slightly stained.  The surface temp. is running in the mid to upper 80's.  The water level is 189.01.  Since the last report, the fish have really ganged up in their summer locations and the fishing remains excellent.  Your efforts right now should be concentrated on major creek channel and main river ledges in the 10-15 foot range.  You can really improve your catch if you are able to fish when current is being generated at the dam.  The fish feed much more actively and move slightly shallower when there is some current present.  A deep-diving crankbait such as a Stanford Cedar Shad in the sexy shad color is a good choice, especially if the fish are actively feeding.  A crankbait will allow you to cover more water in search of an actively feeding school of fish and also tends to catch bigger fish.  If the fish are less active, a better choice would be a 10 inch Big Bite Bait Kreit Tail Worm in the Tilapia color on a Carolina rig or Texas rig in the same areas.  Once you locate a school of fish on deeper offshore structure, they should remain there for the next couple of months unless the water level gets unexpectedly high.  Finally, some fish can also be caught flipping blow downs up the river above Florence on a green pumpkin Texas rigged 4 inch Fightin Frog .  This is a new bait from Big Bite that has a different look than anything on the market and it should really excel when the bite is extremely tough.

As always, enjoy God's creation and do your part to help protect it!

 
Dr. Tim

 


July 2, 2010   

Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows: 

 
The current lake elevation is 189.15.  The water temperature is running in the upper 80's.  The water on the main lake and in the creeks is clear to slightly stained.  The last month has seen a lot of changes on the lake.  Toward the first part of June, the water was higher than normal for this time of year and there was a huge mayfly hatch.  This resulted in a lot of fish moving up shallow.  Buzzbaits, top-water baits, bream-colored shallow crankbaits, swimbaits and jigs were all productive around the flies and bream that were feeding on them.  By the time of the BFL tournament on June 19 the mayflies were gone and the water had slowly but steadily dropped. This resulted in most of the fish moving offshore.  In the BFL tournament, I was fortunate to catch a dozen or so keepers with the best five weighing 16 1/2 pounds to finish in 8th.  All but one of my fish were caught out of cover I found in practice with my Humminbird 998 side imaging unit.  I have had the unit for several months now, and it has honestly changed the way I am fishing, especially when the fish are on offshore structure.  The majority of the fish were caught on green pumpkin Texas-rigged Big Bite Kreit Tail worms using a 1/2 oz. weight in 8-12 feet of water.  My kicker fish came on a 3/4 oz. PB&J custom jig made with a 6/0 heavy wire Gamakatsu hook and a green pumpkin Big Bite Bait four inch creature bait trailer.  The fish should remain in these offshore areas for the next couple of months, and really start to school up.  Start your search in the 8-12 foot range, but be prepared to fish deeper, especially if no current is present.  If you can stand the heat, the fishing can be as good as it gets, especially during the week when there is current being generated.  As always, enjoy God's creation, and do your part to help protect it!
 
Dr. Tim

 

 

 


July 13, 2011  

Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows: 

The current lake elevation is 187.61.  The surface temperature is running in the mid to upper 80's.  The water on the main lake and in the creeks is slightly stained to stained.  As the water temperature has increased, the fish have continued to move slightly deeper in their summertime locations.  Your best bet right now is to fish during the week if possible.  There is a lot less pleasure boat activity, and the Corps of Engineers has settled into a predictable generation schedule.  This makes the fishing much better and more predictable on week days.  Concentrate your efforts right now in the 15-20 foot range and look for main-lake bottom irregularities that cause current breaks such as humps, points, indentions, etc.  Stumps or brush are real fish magnets on these type places, especially if shad are present.  I can't say enough about my Humminbird side imaging unit and how it has cut down on the search time required to find these "sweet spots" and let me concentrate on high percentage areas. 
 
 Once you find an area with the right ingredients, start out with a crankbait.  I really like the Spro Little John DD when the fish are deep like they are now.  You will be fishing for actively feeding fish with the crankbait, and once you get the first bite, the whole school will often go on a feeding frenzy resulting in hookups on cast after cast.  With the current water clarity, I like to use either the Citrus Shad or Spooky Shad color.  Once a school stops biting the crankbait, you can often pick up another fish or two by slowing down and fishing with a Carolina rig or Texas rig.  On the C-rig, I like using a Big Bite 6 inch finesse worm in green pumpkin.  On the Texas rig, try a Big Bite Kreit-tail worm in green pumpkin using a 3/8 oz. weight.  With both of these rigs, fish them fairly rapidly until you get into some type of cover.  Then, really work them slowly and thoroughly to coax those last few bites.  As always, enjoy God's creation and do your part to help protect it!
 
Dr. Tim

July 7, 2012 

Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows:

The current lake elevation is 186.1.  The water in the creeks and on the main lake is clear to slightly stained.  The surface temp. is running in the high 80's.The fish have really showed up in large numbers in their summertime locations over the last couple of weeks.  You should concentrate your efforts right now in the 14-18 foot range along ledges and humps next to deep water.  Look for irregular features such as points and indentions, especially those with baitfish present.  I like to start out fishing these areas for aggressive fish with a crankbait.  Deep cranking is especially productive if some current is present, but at times you can excite a school of  neutral fish into a feeding frenzy even when no water is moving.  A Spro Little John DD will really dig and deflect off of objects at the depth the fish are holding and the rootbeer chartreuse color is hard to beat with the current water clarity.  If you can't turn on a school of fish with the crankbait, it will be necessary to really slow down and fish either a Texas rig, Carolina rig,  football jig or shakey head.  Some days the fish seem to prefer one technique over the other, and you may have to experiment to determine what works best.  In general, the less active the fish, the smaller the worm or jig trailer you will need to use and the slower you will need to fish.  I tend to fish with more natural colors such as watermellon seed or green pumpkin when fishing these baits under tough conditions.  Big Bite Baits has an excellent assortment of soft plastics in a wide range of colors to match any condition you face when fishing these baits.  Visit their web-site at www.bigbitebaits.com to view their product selection.  As always, enjoy God's creation, and do your part to help take care of it!

Dr. Tim

 

 

 

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August 11, 2007

Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows: 

The current lake elevation is 186.04.  The surface temperature is running in the low 90's.  The water in the main lake and creeks is clear to slightly stained.  With the water level continuing to ease down and surface temperatures consistently over 90 degrees, most of the bass have moved deep.  Ledges in the 20 foot range have been the ticket over the past several days.  The fishing is better when current is being generated in the afternoons if you can stand the heat.  A deep-diving crankbait such as a Stanford cedar shad in the citrus shad or lavender shad colors are a good choice to cover a lot of water.  In order to get these baits down to the depth of the fish, you will need to use light line and make long casts.  I also like to weight the baits to a neutral buoyancy which will allow you to get them down 1-2 more feet.  If you don't like fishing crankbaits, Carolina-rigs, Texas-rigs and jigs will also produce.  This pattern should hold up for several weeks unless there is a significant change in the water level.  As always, enjoy God's creation, and do your part to help protect it!

Dr. Tim


 

August 27, 2007

Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows: 

Things haven't changed much since the last report except that the water level continues to drop.  This can make navigation dangerous outside the marked channel if you aren't familiar with the lake.  The current conditions on the lake are as follows:  The lake elevation is 185.29.  The surface temperature is running in the low 90's.  The water on the main lake and in the creeks is clear to slightly stained.  The low water level has really concentrated the fish remaining in the grass on key, predictable locations next to deeper water.  The top-water bite in these areas has been explosive early in the morning.  Up in the day, ledges in 15-20 feet of water are key.  The action can be fast and furious with a deep-diving crankbait if you trigger a school of fish into a feeding frenzy.   Otherwise, Carolina-rigs, Texas-rigs, and jigs are producing.  As always, enjoy God's creation, and do your part to help protect it!

Dr. Tim


August 5, 2008

Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows. 

The current lake elevation is 189.14.  The water on the main lake and in the creeks is clear.  The surface temperature is running around 90 degrees.  Bass fishing is fair to good on the lake right now for numbers of keepers, but big fish continue to be hard to come by unless some current is present.  It also seems like the fish are moving around more this year since an area may produce fish today and not tomorrow.  With this in mind, be prepared to cover a lot of water until you catch a fish, then slow down and fish the area thoroughly.
 
On my last outing, it was overcast for a long time in the morning and the shallow-water bite was better than it has been in a while.  It is still important, however, to be close to deep water.  The presence of shad is a plus and there has been some schooling activity if you are in the right place at the right time.  Rip-rap, grass, or lily pads are all worth a try under these conditions.  A chatterbait, spinnerbait, and 10 inch Texas-rigged worm in green pumpkin all produced on my last trip in these type locations.   
 
Once the sun gets up, you will need to move out to the ledges and fish irregular features with Carolina rigs, Texas rigs, jigging spoons and jigs. To put the odds of catching bigger fish in your favor, stick with bigger baits.  As far as depth, the fish are being caught deeper than normal this year with reports of some fish being caught as deep as 30-35 feet on the south end of the lake.  To determine the depth to concentrate your efforts, spend some time studying your depth-finder and look for the depth of the shad and bass.
As always. enjoy God's creation, and do your part to help protect it!

Dr. Tim


 

August 14, 2009     

Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows. 

The current lake elevation is 188.58.  The surface temperature is running in the mid to upper 80's.  The water on the main lake and in the creeks is clear to slightly stained.  With the water level remaining fairly high, some fish are still being caught shallow around Eufaula grass and lily pads.  A buzzbait or Big Bite Baits Top Toad in watermelon seed will produce in these areas, especially early in the morning or on overcast days.  You will get fewer bites fishing shallow, but some of the bigger fish are still being caught there.  Fishing in 18-20 feet of water has been more reliable for numbers, and there are some schools of quality fish in deep water, but you have to be in the right place when the school turns on to feed.  This is more predictable when there is some current present.  Texas-rigged 10 inch Kreit Tail worms in the Tilapia color are a good choice, especially when fished slowly around brush.  If the fish are actively feeding crankbaits that will reach 18-20 feet on a long cast and with light line are a good bet for a kicker fish.  If the deeper fish are really finicky, a 1/4 oz. jig head rigged with a green pumpkin-colored 6 inch Big Bite finesse worm should draw a few strikes.   As always, enjoy God's creation and do your part to help protect it!
 
Dr. Tim

 


August 7 2010   

Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows: 

 
The current lake elevation is 189.03.  The surface temperature is running around 90 degrees.  The water on the main lake, in the creeks, and up the river is clear to slightly stained.  The fishing on lake Eufaula has been extremely tough over the last few weeks.  The best thing going has been to go up the river and fish in the River Bend area.  You may be able  to pick up a fish or two early around grass with a buzzbait or Pop-R type bait.  Once the sun gets up, look for the darkest shaded areas you can find under overhanging bushes and fish with a Spro Popping Frog in the natural red color.  If you prefer fishing in the main lake area, start early around grass with the same baits metioned earlier.  Concentrate on grass that is next to deep water and has shad present.  The grass bite won't last long, so fish rapidly and cover as much water as possible before the sun gets up.  Once the sun is up, you will need to fish on main river ledges.  On my last trip, some of the fish we caught were extremely deep for this time of the year ( up to 35 feet ), and almost all were caught over 20 feet deep.  A Carolina rigged Big Bite Baits six inch finesse worm in green Pumpkin or a Texas rigged Big Bite Baits Kreit Tail worm in green pumpkin are a good choice.  Fish these baits fairly rapidly until you get around cover.  Then, slow down and try to keep the bait in the cover as long as possible.  Once you catch a fish, throw out a marker buoy and try to make the exact same cast repeatedly.  You may be able to catch multiple fish in one spot once you locate a school and get the first one to bite.  As always, enjoy God's creation and do your part to help protect it!
 
Dr. Tim

August 22, 2012 

Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows:

The current lake elevation is 186.05.  The water on the main lake and in the creeks is clear to slightly stained.  The surface temperature is running in the mid to upper 80's.  A few bigger fish are being caught early in the morning on top-water baits around grass or rip rap next to deeper water.  This is short-lived, however, and can be unpredictable, so your best bet right now is to concentrate your efforts fishing deep.   

The deeper fish are being caught mainly in the 18-22 foot range right now.  This time of year, I always idle over a potential deep water spot with my Humminbird 998 Side Imaging unit to see if any baitfish and fish show up on the structure or cover I am fishing.  If I don't see the bait or the fish, I will spend little, if any, time fishing the spot before moving on.  If bait or fish are present, I pay close attention to the  depth they are holding and how they are relating to the structure or cover to determine my lure choice and angle to fish from.  Most recently, most of the fish have been in the 18-22 foot range which somewhat limits the productive baits to use.  I always like to start with a deep-diving crankbait and a Spro Little John DD is hard to beat when the productive zone is at this depth.  To really get maximum depth out of you crankbait, downsize your line to 10 pound test and use fluorocarbon which sinks.  Also, make as long a cast as possible by using a long rod with a parabolic action and a smooth reel.  Finally, stick your rod in the water during the retrieve to add a few more inches to the crankbait's running depth.  As far as colors, I'm not sure how much difference it makes when the fish are at this depth, so I just stick with colors I have a lot of confidence in on Lake Eufaula such as Rootbeer Charteuse and Citrus Shad.   

Crankbaits will consistently catch bigger fish, but on days when the crankbait bite is dead, you will need to stick with slower-moving baits. My favorite, especially for bigger fish is a 3/4 oz. football jig.  As mentioned earlier, I'm not sure how much difference color makes when the fish are this deep, but my confidence color is PB&J with a green pumpkin trailer.  I alternate between a Big Bite Baits Fighting Frog and a Big Bite Baits four inch creature bait trailer.  I have found that at times it can really make a difference which one you use.  If the bite is really tough, I will resort to using a Big Bite Baits six inch finesse worm on either a Carolina rig or shaky head.  

As the days get shorter and the water temperature starts dropping over the next several weeks the fish will start their fall migration, so take advantage of some deep water fishing on Lake Eufaula while it is at its best.  As always, enjoy God's creation, and do your part to help protect it!

 Dr. Tim

 

 

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September 10, 2007

Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows: 

The current lake elevation is 185.09.  The surface temperature is running in the mid 80's.  The water on the main lake and in the creeks is clear to slightly stained.  With the water starting to cool, most of the fish have moved slightly shallower since the last report and are being caught in 12-14 feet of water.  This is typically one of the toughest times on the lake, and weights at the BFL tournament this past weekend reflected it.  The most reliable pattern on the tournament was fishing irregular features on ledges with  Carolina-rigged plum-apple trick worms.  Some fish were also caught shallow arund hydrilla early in the morning and docks or other shallow cover in shade on up in the day. For complete tournament results, visit www.flwoutdoors.com   

As the water continues to cool, the fish will continue to move shallower and start their fall migration into the creeks and ditches on the flats.  This is one of my favorite times of the year.  Get your crankbait rod and some Stanford cedar shads ready. It's just around the corner.   As always, enjoy God's creation and do your part to help protect it!

Dr. Tim


September 24, 2007

Reported by Chris Lynch - After winning the BFL Super Tournament on Eufaula Sept. 9, Dr. Tim will be spending his spare time on Seminole practicing for the upcoming BFL Regional Championship to held Oct. 25-27.

Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows:
 

The current lake elevation is 185.36 and the main lake surface temperatures are ranging from the lower to mid 80’s with visibility 3-4 foot.  I fished the Eufaula Bass Trail this weekend and only managed a small limit weighing 9.3 pounds taking a little over 13 pounds to win.  Although we caught a lot of fish, unfortunately they were all small.  The most productive pattern is fishing a Carolina rig with an Old Monster worm on the main river ledges in the 10-12 foot range around any trash that you can find.  During the afternoon hours when the Corps is generating water the bite is a whole lot better and fish are easier to catch.  Crankbaits on shallow ledges seem to be the most productive pattern during this time for larger fish, and for smaller largemouth and spotted bass try a jig head with a small finesse bait on shallow flats in 7-10 foot of water.  I really don’t see any thing changing until cooler temperatures arrive and the bass start their fall migration. 

 Good fishing, Chris Lynch


2008

September 10, 2008

Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows. 

The current lake elevation is 189.4.  The water on the main lake and in the creeks is slightly stained.  The surface temperature is running in the low to mid 80's. 
 
The fishing over the last couple of weeks has been sporadic at best.  I think a lot of the inconsistency has had to do with the higher water levels which has the fish more scattered than normal.  Also, the generation schedule has been a lot more inconsistent this summer due to tropical storms / hurricanes.  During most summers, once the corps gets into a consistent generation schedule, it's almost as if the fish can sense when generation of current is going to happen and when it's time to really feed.  This hasn't been the case this year with some days of continuous generation and some days with none at all.  In addition, during the weeks that the corps has generated long hours on continuous days, it seems to have caused the shad to suspend and scatter over the river channel and adjacent flats.
 
With that being said, there are three general patterns that have been hit or miss.  Some fish are being caught shallow around Eufaula grass and hydrilla.  Top-water baits, spinnerbaits and a Texas-rigged 6 inch Big Bite Bait finesse worm in green pumpkin will all produce.  Your other option is to fish deeper ledges. Deep-diving crankbaits such as a Stanford Super Deep Cedar Shad in a shad color are working well if the fish are actively feeding in the 12-18 foot range.  If there is no current being generated, expect the fish to be deeper in the 18-25 foot range.  Under these conditions, slow down and fish key areas with a Carolina-rigged finesse worm, a Texas-rigged 10 inch Big Bite Bait Kreit Tail  Worm or a heavy jig.  Again, shades of brown have been productive recently.  With shorter days and cooler temperatures around the corner, the shad and fish will start their move into the creeks and pockets shortly.  Pay close attention to your depth finder to stay on top of the fish when this starts.  As always, enjoy God's creation, and do your part to help protect it!

Dr. Tim

September 6, 2008 update
The Eufaula Team Trail fished Saturday (9/6) out of White Oak Creek.
The top three finishers were:
1) Wise/Watford with 5 bass weighing 20.95 lbs. they also had big fish as 7.08 lb.
2) Kirkland/Odom with 5 at 12.63
3) Thomley/Holley with 5 at 12.38
Seems that the best places were deep grass lines and main lake points.. We don't know what baits were used
 


September 21, 2008

Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows. 

The current lake elevation is 189.49.  The water in the creeks and in the main lakes is clear to slightly stained.  The surface temperature is running in the low 80's. 
 
My last outing on the lake was the BFL Super Tournament and things hadn't changed much since the last report.  Fish were caught shallow around grass, lily pads and hydrilla as well as deep, especially on points with timber.  The most productive bite was in the 17-25 foot range as evidenced by four out of the top five finishers claiming to have caught their fish from this depth range.  As has been the case all summer, I wound up having to fish multiple locations both days to find only two concentrations of fish that were biting.  Also, the fish I caught seemed to have a distinct different bait preference each day.  On my last practice day, the fish were on a strong crankbait bite.  I wound up catching several nice fish including one in the eight pound range on a Stanford Super Deep Cedar Shad in a new color pattern I am working on with Stanford Lures.  I really believe that this color is going to consistently out-produce other colors on Lake Eufaula and the bigger fish seem unable to resist it when they are on a crankbait bite.  Call Dieter at (229) 732-6609 or (706) 566-1411 to check for availability.  Ask for Dr. Tim's Eufaula Special.  On the first tournament day, as is often the case on the weekends, the fish got really finicky and I wound up catching them on a Carolina Rig using a Big Bite Bait green pumpkin 6 inch finesse worm using their BioBait formula.  Finally, on the last day, the fish seemed to have a distinct preference for a jig, and I wound up catching my fish on a brown-colored jig with a Big Bite Bait green pumpkin 4 inch creature bait as a trailer.  In summary, I can't overemphasize how much the mood of the fish has seemed to change from day to day on the lake over the last several months, and how critical it has been to fish with an open mind using a variety of baits and techniques. 
 
The shad and bass will begin making their annual fall migration into the creeks and pockets over the next few weeks.  This is the time of the year I really like fishing with a shallow to medium-diving crankbait, so be sure to get an assortment of Dr. Tim's Eufaula Specials and give them a try in areas where you find concentrations of shad.  This is also one of my favorite times of the year to fish up the river flipping a jig or Texas-Rigged Big Bite Bait Kreit-Tail Worm.  The weather is more enjoyable, and the fish generally bite better this time of the year, so get out and enjoy some fall fishing on Lake Eufaula.

Pay close attention to your depth finder to stay on top of the fish when this starts.  As always, enjoy God's creation, and do your part to help protect it!

Dr. Tim


 

 

 

September 4, 2010   

Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows: 

 
The current lake elevation is 189.01.  The surface temperature is running in the mid to high 80's.  The water in the creeks and on the main lake is clear to slightly stained.  Things have picked up since the last report thanks to a huge mayfly hatch on the north end of the lake.  Once you find the flies, you will need to fish with lures that imitate the bream that are feeding on them.  I like to start out with a buzzbait or a Spro popping frog in the Leopard color.  The frog in this color scheme closely resembles a dying bream on the surface and will catch some really nice fish.  One trick that will help get you more strikes is to trim the legs on the frog.  Just keep experimenting until you determine exactly what the fish want on any particular day.  If you can't generate any action on top, I like to throw a shallow running crankbait like the Spro Little John in the Pig Pen color.  If the fish are really not in a chasing mood slow way down and fish the same areas with a Big Bite Baits Trick Stick in watermellon candy.  The mayfly hatch may not last long, so be prepared to try other patterns if necessary.  Over the next few weeks as the days get shorter and the water starts to cool down, the fish will start really keying on shad and following them into the creeks and coves.  Spend time learning how to use your electonics to locate the shad and you can really cut down on your time searching for productive areas.  That's what I really like about my Humminbird 998 side imaging unit.  It allows me to rapidly cover huge areas of water in search of the shad and fish-holding cover.  It is unbelievably more efficient than searching with traditional sonar.  As with any new tool, it just requires spending a little time on the water to learn how to use it.

 As always, enjoy God's creation and do your part to help protect it!

 
Dr. Tim

 

September 6, 2011  

Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows:

The current lake elevation is 186.20  The surface temperature is running in the mid to upper 80's.  The water on the main lake and in the creeks is clear to slightly stained.  Shad will be migrating into the creeks and pockets over the next several weeks, and finding them will be the key to success.  Once you find a good concentration of shad, pay close attention to the depth at which they are holding as well as any type of cover they are using as ambush points, such as points, humps, channel swings etc.  Since the fish will be keying on the shad, use baits which mimic them.  I rely a lot on crankbaits from now through the fall, especially Spro's Little John line.  I choose which bait to use based on how deep I am showing shad and fish on my Humminbird 998 side imaging unit.  I choose the color based on the water clarity, and right now Nasty Shad is a good choice.  If you can't get anything going on the main lake, there is sometimes a late mayfly hatch up the river in September.  It is always worth checking.  If you do find a good hatch of flies, start out fishing a bream-colored Pop R, especially if there are bream hitting on top.  If this doesn't work,  try a 6 inch green pumpkin Big Bite Baits Trick Stick.  I like to dye the tip of the tail chartreuse and fish it weightless.  The shimmy action of the bait resembles a dying bream which is what the bass are feeding on around the mayflies.  As always, enjoy God's creation and do your part to help protect it!

Dr. Tim

 

 

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October 9, 2007

Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows: 

The current lake elevation is 185.06.  The surface temperature is running around 80 degrees.  The water on the main lake and in the creeks is clear to slightly stained.  With the unseasonably warm weather we have had over the last few weeks, most of the fish have not made a major move and are still being caught on shallow ledges in 10-12 feet of water.  Your efforts should be concentrated around the mouths of creeks and ditches as the shad are starting to bunch up in these areas, and the fish will not be far from them.  When the water temperature cools down into the 60's, you will need to really pay attention to shad movements, as this will dictate where you need to fish and it can change daily. Shad-colored medium diving crankbaits such as a Stanford Cedar Shad will be a good choice for the next several weeks.  If the crankbait bite is slow, a Texas rig, Carolina rig or jig fished slowly in any available cover around the shad is productive.  Another option that will really pick up over the next several weeks is to fish up the river in the River Bend area.  Texas rigs and jigs around blowdows and stumps will produce some nice fish.  Top water baits can also be very good especially early in the day or on overcast days.  Just remember that this is a time of the year when the fish start moving around more, and you may have to cover more water than was necessary over the past several weeks.  As always, enjoy God's creation, and do your part to help protect it!

Dr. Tim

 


 

October 6, 2010   

Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows: 

 
The current lake elevation is 188.38.  The water on the main lake and in the creeks and river is slightly stained.  The surface temperature is running in the high 70's to low 80's.  Things are really about to start changing on the lake with the days getting shorter and the water temperature starting to drop.  My last trip on the lake was before the current cool snap and things were somewhat hit or miss.  I was. however, able to catch a few really nice fish by fishing with a Junebug-colored 1/8 oz. Texas-rigged 10 inch Big Bite Bait Kreit Tail worm.  These fish were caught on irregular features on flats in 6-8 feet of water and out of blowdowns up the river between Florence and River Bend.  With that being said, just keep in mind that things can change on a daily basis this time of year as the shad start  moving into the creeks and coves,  It is imperative to be able to use and interpret your electronics to locate and follow the migrating shad, and in turn the bass that are feeding on them.  I can't emphasize enough how much my Humminbird 998 side imaging unit cuts down on the required search time which allows me to spend my time in productive areas.  If you are considering getting a new sonar unit, send me an e-mail and let me give you some specifics on the Humminbird side imaging units.  You won't regret investing in one.

 As always, enjoy God's creation and do your part to help protect it!

 
Dr. Tim

 

October 9, 2011   

Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows: 

Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows:  The current lake elevatiion  is 184.96  The water on the main lake and in the creeks is clear to slightly stained.  The surface temperature is running around 70 degrees.  The fishing has really picked up since the last report.  On my last trip, a guide client and I caught several fish in the three pound range on a half day trip.  You can catch at least a few fish early on any small, shad imitating top-water bait.  I would concentrate on areas about half way back in the creeks where the creek channel swings in against the bank.  Look for shad and fish activity on the surface and pay close attention to your electronics to help pinpoint key areas.  Once the top-water bite is over, your best bet for numbers and quality fish is to throw a crankbait on shallow main lake and creek channel ledges in the 6-10 foot range.  A Spro Little John MD in the Spooky Shad color is a personal favorite.  Again, concentrate on areas where you find shad and look for key stuctural features such as channel intersections, stumps, brushpiles, etc. to improve your success.

 As always, enjoy God's creation and do your part to help protect it!
 
Dr. Tim

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

November 1, 2007

Sorry about the delay in posting a current report.  Since the last report, all of my time has been spent preparing for the BFL Regional on Lake Seminole.  This weekend, I will be fishing the Highland Marina State Team Championship on West Point.  Then, things should settle down a little bit.  
Editor's Note! Check out Dr. Tim's page for details on the BFL Regional

Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows: 

The current lake elevation is 185.41.  The water on the main lake and in the creeks is clear to slightly stained.  The surface temperature is running in the low to mid 70's.  Most fish are being caught about halfway back in the creeks right now in 6-10 feet of water.  The key is to follow the movement of the shad.  The bass won't be far away.  In general this time of the year, the fish are more active and feeding on shad before the water turns really cold.  To take advantage of this increase in activity, you should fish with faster-moving, shad-imitating baits such as a Stanford Cedar Shad crankbait that runs at the depth of the shad.  Top-water lures and spinnerbaits will also work well.  Following a cold front, or if you are fishing in an area receiving a lot of pressure, a better choice is a 1/2 oz jig dressed with a Big Bite Bait Yo Mama or a Carolina rig with a 6 inch Big Bite Bait finesse worm.  I have had good success recently with this bait in watermellon seed with a chartreuse belly.  If you haven't tried it yet, try these Big Bite Baits in their new line of Biobaits These baits are biodegradable, and impregnated with fish oils and other attractants.  I believe they will help you catch more fish overall, especially when the fish are not actively feeding.  One other pattern that is always worth trying is flipping a jig to wood cover in the River Bend area.  Just remember that the shad and the fish move around a lot this time of the year, and you may have to make daily adjustments to stay on top of the fish.  As always, enjoy God's creation, and do your part to help protect it!

Dr. Tim


November 15, 2007

Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows. 

The current lake elevation is 185.16.  The water on the main lake and in the creeks is clear to slightly stained.  The surface temperature is running in the mid 60's.  The fishing has been a little bit sporadic over the last couple of weeks, but good overall.  The majority of the fish are being caught in the middle part of the creeks and bigger pockets.  I can't emphasize enough the importance of locating big concentrations of shad to stay in the vicinity of the fish.  This time of the year, look for diving gulls and surface activity to get you in the right general area.  Then, pay close attention to your electronics to pinpoint the exact location of the big schools of shad and fish. 

Although the fish are generally more active and feed frequently this time of year, there are some predictable weather patterns which deserve close attention to improve your success.  Cold fronts can be counted on every 3-5 days.  Immediately preceding the front, there is always cloud cover / rain and a drop in the barometric pressure.   There are lot of theories attempting to explain fish behavior during these hours before the front, but the main thing to remember is that the fish will go on a feeding frenzy.  This is when you need to be fishing with faster moving "horizontal" baits such as crankbaits  and spinnerbaits searching for the actively feeding fish.  A 3/8 or 1/2 oz. Buckeye Lures spinnerbait or a Stanford Razor Shad would be good choices.  My preference right now in the clearer water would be a white skirt and double silver willow leaf blades on the spinnerbait, and any of the Razor Shads in the foil finish.  These type baits will remain effective until the front passes through which is signaled by blue bird skies and a rising barometric pressure. 

 Adapting quickly once the front moves through will make a huge difference in your fishing efforts.  This is the time you will need to swap to slower moving "vertical" baits such as jigs, Texas rigs, Carolina rigs, drop-shot rigs, or jigging spoons.  Again there are several theories why their behavior changes, but the main things to remember are: 1) The fish will not be actively feeding and often have to be coaxed into biting.  2)  The fish will often move deeper and / or bury deep into the nearest available cover.  Unless the front is accompanied by enough rain to muddy the water, there is no need to leave the general area you were catching fish before the front.  Once again, concentrations of shad are important, but you will usually have to use your electronics to find them since they move deeper following the front as well.  Once you determine how deep the shad moved following the front, look for any type of cover in that depth range and fish it slowly and thoroughly.  My preference would be a 1/2 oz. black / blue Buckeye Lures Mop Jig with a Green Pumpkin Yo Mama trailer made by Big Bite Baits.  I know that I will get a lot fewer bites than before the front moved through, so I go for bigger fish with these baits.  Just remember to make SLOW presentations where you put the bait right in front of the fishes nose and keep it there as long as possible.  Hopefully, these tips will help you catch more fish on your next trip to Lake Eufaula.  As always, enjoy God's creation, and do your part to help protect it! 

Dr. Tim


November 29, 2007

Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows. 

The current lake elevation is 186.08  The water on the main lake and in the creeks is slightly to moderately stained.  The surface temperature is running in the low 60's.  The recent rains we have had have brought the water level up about a foot and stained the water up more than it has been in a long time.  The fish are still in the same areas as they were in the previous report about half way to 3/4 of the way back in the creeks and big coves.  The last trip I made, the fish were less active than they have been and required a slow presentation with a 3/16 oz. Big Bite jig head & a 6 inch green pumpkin finesse worm combination.  They were also in very specific locations around stumps in the outside bends of the creek channels in 8-12 feet of water.  There have also been some fish being caught around hydrilla in similar locations, but the creek I fished in on my last trip didn't have any hydrilla, so I stuck with the stump pattern.  

A good indication of the activity level of the fish this time of year is the activity of the gulls.  If they aren't circling / diving / feeding on shad, you can bet that the fish aren't actively feeding either.  When you do notice the gulls go into a feeding frenzy, however, swap to a 1/2 oz. rattletrap or a Stanford Cedar Shad or Razor Shad which dives to the depth of the most of the shad activity you notice on your depth-finder.  The action can really be fast and furious for largemouths, spotted bass, and hybrids around large schools of shad under these conditions.  Another pattern which is always good this time of the year, especially for quality fish is to flip a jig around wood cover up the river around River Bend.  My preference is a black / blue Buckeye Lures mop jig with a green pumpkin Yo Mama trailer by Big Bite Baits.  If there is not a lot of current, I mainly use a 3/8 oz. jig, but if there is a lot of current, I will use a 5/8 oz.  As with any technique, this is a general rule, and you should always experiment and let the fish show you what they want.  You should be able to put together a decent stringer of fish on one of these two patterns until the water temperature drops into the low 50's.  Then it will be time to start fishing jigging spoons if you are fishing in the creeks down on the main lake.  As always, enjoy God's creation, and do your part to help protect it!

Dr. Tim


November 4, 2008

Conditions on Lake Eufaula North of the causeway are as follows. 

The current lake elevation is 189.04.  The surface temperature is running in the mid 60's.  The water on the main lake and in the creeks is clear to slightly stained. 
 
With the cooler water temperatures, the fishing has really picked up on the lake over the past couple of weeks.  Your efforts right now should be concentrated around large concentrations of shad on main lake flats and shallow ledges or along creek channel ledges in 10-12 feet of water.  With the fish really keying on shad, a shad-colored crankbait has been very productive with reports of 20 plus keepers per day being common.  Over the next few weeks, the fish will really be on the move following the shad into the creeks and pockets, so pay close attention to your electronics to stay in areas with the largest concentrations of bait.  The weather is nice and there are a lot less pleasure boaters right now, so get out on the lake and enjoy some great fall fishing on Lake Eufaula.  As always, enjoy God's creation and do your part to help protect it!

Dr. Tim


November 5, 2009     

Conditions on the north end of Lake Eufaula are as follows. 

 
The current lake elevation is 189.6.  The water on the main lake and in the creeks is heavily stained.  The surface temperature is running in the mid to upper 60's.   With all the recent heavy rains, the corps of engineers has been moving a lot of water through the lake resulting a really good crankbait bite on main lake ledges and flats in 8-10 feet of water.  Look for the shad to determine the exact area and depth you need to be fishing.  I like to fish a bait with some chartreuse in it when the water is as stained as it is now.  Some shad and fish have also started moving into the creeks and pockets.  If you don't like fishing a crankbait, look for shad activity in these areas and fish around any vegetation you find.  A Big Bite Top Toad in green pumpkin/ chartreuse, or a 4 inch black and blue Big Bite Fightin Frog flipped into the vegetation using as heavy of a weight as needed to get the bait down are good choices.  As always, enjoy God's creation and do your part to help protect it!
 
Dr. Tim
 

November 9, 2010   

Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows: 

 
The current lake elevation is 187.89.  The surface temperature is running in the mid 60's.  The water has a cloudy appearance in some areas due to the recent fall turnover, but otherwise is clear to slightly stained.  The bass are on their fall migration into the creeks and pockets binging on shad.  The real key to success this time of year is becoming proficient using your electronics to locate and follow these bait fish.  Once you find a concentration of shad, pay attention to the depth that they are showing up and fish with a shad-imitating crankbait that runs in that depth range.  Last week, a lot of the shad were in the 10 foot range.  A Spro Little John MD crankbait is perfectly suited to fish this depth, and I like the Spooky Shad color in the clearer or slightly stained water.  A Spro ArukuShad 75 is also an excellent choice, especially since you can adjust your retrieve speed to match the depth and mood of the fish. The Spooky Shad or Blue Shiner colors get the nod with the current water clarity.  The pleasure boaters are off of the lake, and a lot of other "fishermen" are in the woods hunting right now, so get out and enjoy some of Eufaula's tremendous fall fishing.

As always, enjoy God's creation, and do your part to help protect it!

 
Dr. Tim

 

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December 15, 2007

Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows. 

The current lake elevation is 186.55.  The surface temperature is running in the low 60's.  The water on the main lake and in the creeks is clear to slightly stained.  Since the last report, fish have been caught in a variety of areas and using a variety of techniques.  Some are being caught in extremely shallow hydrilla on rattletraps in large coves.  The best pattern, however, on my last outing involved fishing irregular features in the mouth of larger creeks along the channel in 12 feet of water. Consistent with the previous report, keys to finding and catching fish were to fish in the area of gulls and at the depth of the shad noted on electronics.  

As mentioned in the last report, I can't overemphasize the importance of paying close attention to the general activity of the wildlife in the area you are fishing to fine-tune your presentations and improve your success.  On my last outing, for example, Lake Eufaula guru Ken R. Greene called me on my cell phone to let me know he was fishing in a similar area in a different part of the lake and catching fish on a crankbait around diving gulls.  Although there were gulls in the area I was fishing with friend and web-master Jake Everett,  they were not actively circling and diving on shad.  I was unable to catch any fish on a crankbait while Jake caught a nice keeper and broke off another one slowly working a black / blue Buckeye Lures mop jig with a green pumpkin Big Bite Baits Yo Mama trailer.  In summary, bass fishing isn't an exact science, but if you pay attention to small details, it will help put the odds in your favor.  As always, enjoy God's creation, and do your part to help protect it. 

Dr. Tim


December 14, 2008

Reported by: Chris Lynch

Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows. 

The current lake elevation is 189.21.  The surface temperature is running in the mid to upper 50’s.  The water on the main lake and in the creeks is muddy with some clearer water on the south end.

Up until last Wednesday and 7” of rain, the fishing had begun to pick up on the lake due to the cooler water temperatures and stable lake levels.  Fish could be caught using several different techniques from fishing shallow ledges 6-8’ with shad colored crankbaits on the main lake, to fishing the grass in the creeks and small pockets right off the main river with spinner baits and texas rigged worms. The key is to find the schools of shad and the bass were pretty close by.

I fished an ABA draw tournament out of Lakepoint on Saturday and was lucky enough to catch 21.9 pounds. Second was Jim Pass with 9+ lbs. and third was Dick Evans with 7+ lbs.  I also had big fish with one right at 6 pounds. All of my fish came off spinner bait just below the causeway in Eufaula.  Others reported catching their fish on Texas rigged worms and lipless crank baits.

The fishing should return to the normal fall pattern as mentioned above, once the water clarity improves and the lake level stabilizes.  If and when we get some colder weather and the water temps drop in the 40’s look for the fishing to slow down considerably. 

Good  fishin'
Chris Lynch

December 12, 2009     

Conditions on Lake Eufaula are as follows. 

 
The current lake elevation is 188.54.  The water on the main lake and in the creeks is muddy.  The surface temperature is running in the low 50's.  With all of the rain we have had recently, the lake has been higher and muddier than normal for this time of the year.  The corps of engineers has also been moving a lot of water through the lake to prevent local flooding.  Under these conditions, the most productive pattern has been to look for the clearest water you can find on the south end of the lake, and fish around grass with a spinnerbait.  I like using a bait with gold colorado blades and a chartreuse skirt in the colder, muddier water.  Spro makes a spinnerbait with a modified colorado blade that puts out a lot of vibration and is perfectly suited for these conditions.  Remember, when the water starts to clear, it normally starts clearing up the river first unless there is a lot of local rain in that area of the lake.  When the river starts clearing there should be a good jig bite using a 3/8 oz. black/blue Spro jig with a black/blue Big Bite Baits Fighting Frog trailer.  There is a lot less boat traffic this time of the year, and the fishing can really be good, so head to the lake the first chance you get.  As always, enjoy God's creation, and do your part to help protect it!  Take time to worship Jesus and acknowledge Him as the Savior of the world during the Christmas season. 
 
Dr. Tim

 

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