Black bass: Bass have been biting a jig pretty well all year long. Here lately the jig bite has been on due to the cold fronts and cooler weater. The fish are still scattered throughout the creeks with the majority of them being near the creek mouths and closer to deep water. Trolling the shorelines flipping a 1/4 oz Stanley jig with a no.11 Uncle Josh pork frog has been the best bait for me for the last two months. The bait falls slow and this is what the fish are looking for this time of year. On warmer days the water has a chance to warm a little and you may need to go to a 3/8 oz or 1/2 oz jig for a little faster fall. Caney, White Rock, Kickapoo, Carolina, and Bethy are all good creeks to flip a jig this month. White bass: Mostly scattered throughout the north end of the lake in creeks. They are slowly pushing their way north and feeding in the creeks on shad. Sometimes they will school around Caney and White Rock and also in Carolina Cove. The schooling is sporadic because the fish are always on the move. 1/4 oz chrome rattle traps are probably the number one bait for locating and catching white bass right now. Crappie: Crappie fishermen have been catching good numbers of crappie in 10-18 feet of water around standing timber and brushpiles. Minnows and jigs have been the best baits. Creeks with clear green water have been producing the most crappie. The standing timber in Kickapoo usually holds good numbers of keeper crappie this time of year. Catfish: Fishing creek channels and the main river channel has been productive this fall for whisker fish. Chicken liver rolled in strawberry jello, prepared dough baits, nightcrawlers, and shad have worked well for producing catfish. Bill Cannan Professional Fishing Guide
