Fishing this week

HOT SPOTS

CANE CREEK LAKE Early morning and late evening have become extremely productive times to fish. Bream are biting nightcrawlers. Redear sunfish (shellcrackers) have started biting more frequently in shallow parts of the lake with visible insect activity on top of the water and structure underneath. With the heat, catfish have started to become increasingly nocturnal. Bait trotlines with strong smelling baits such as chicken liver and live baitfish late in the evening. Bass are increasingly active in the mornings and are hitting light-colored topwaters and natural-colored Rat-L-Traps from daybreak until about noon. Crappie are biting minnows over deep structure at the lake’s southernmost end, across from the park all the way to the levee.

LAKE NORFORK Striped bass are biting live threadfin shad, shiners and small bluegills. Large schools of stripers are on the bottom in 70 feet of water on points and large deep flats near the dam and at the start of the Big Creek area. Stripers also are hitting spoons and 3-inch grubs on ¼- or 3/8-ounce jigheads and 4- and 5-inch swimbaits. Hybrids are schooling at 25 feet in the mid-lake area and are hitting shad. Walleye are being caught on the bottom at 18-25 feet on trolled crawler harnesses with bottom bouncing weights and on 4-inch, deep-diving crankbaits such as a Flicker Shad. For shallow-diving crankbaits, add some inline weight to get the bait to the 20-foot level.

WAR EAGLE CREEK Smallmouth bass are hitting topwater hoppers and poppers, Rooster Tails, crawdad and grasshopper crankbaits, 4-inch soft plastics, live minnows and live crawdads caught from creek. Largemouth bass are hitting in the stretch of War Eagle running into Beaver Lake on topwater lures, spinnerbaits, soft plastics, jigs and crankbaits. Goggle eyes are hitting topwater hoppers and poppers, small jigs and live worms. Bowfishing is good on bluff lines and below War Eagle Mill to Beaver Lake.