Fish On! March 2018 Fishing Report for Lake O’ the Pines

Lake Conditions

Water Temperature, 58 to 62 degrees. I was fishing today and the water temperature was 62.8 on Johnson Creek.

Water Clarity, with the recent rains the lake is stained in the main body and muddy up the creeks, but the clarity is improving every day.

Water Level, 7.18 feet over the normal elevation of 237.18 and dropping. The release rate as of this report is 3019 CFS which is dropping the lake level around 1.5 inches a day.

Crappie Fishing Report

The Crappie are moving up the creek channels and are suspended in 12 to 8 feet of water on structure. Several fisherman are reporting catching limits in a few hours. There are several boats fishing north of the bridges on Alley Creek, Johnson Creek and Hurricane Creek every day. Crappie are hitting good on both minnows and jigs. Some of the fishing guides are using jigs tipped with minnows. Fish are also being caught under the bridges. A few male fish are starting to bite in the shallow water ahead of the spawn. With water temperatures increasing it will not be long before the spawn will start. I anticipate no more than a week.

Bass Fishing Report

The bass are spawning and are active in the flooded water. Nice sized fish are being caught all over the lake in the flooded timber and at the edges and drop offs exposed when the lake is at normal elevation. Fish are being caught on sluggo worms, black salamanders with blue tails and crawfish crank baits and bladed jigs. Fishing is slow, probably due to the recent rains, high water and muddy water.

Catfish Fishing Report

Flooded ground is always good for Catfish as it brings the worms to the surface and the fish have a heyday scooping them up. If you fish from the banks fish in the flooded areas with worms and a treble hook directly on the bottom. You should catch plenty of fish. Catfish are also good on cut bait on trot lines and jug lines. As the water temperature increases the fishing will only get better.