Lake Conditions
Lake level: 1066.24 (4.76 feet below full pool and falling)
Water temps: mid 80’s in the morning and high 80’s in the afternoon
Water clarity: Clear lake wide
July means deep-water fishing on the south end as stripers settle into their summer pattern.
What’s Working
- Huge schools of stripers are holding from Brown’s Bridge to the dam in deep drainages, creek channels, and the river channel.
- Expect fish in 40–60 feet early, sliding into 80–100 feet later in the day.
- Trolling while searching is the most efficient way to stay on active fish.
- Lead core or Cannon downriggers paired with the Striper Tackle Super Spin Shad (White/White or Chartreuse/Chartreuse Glitter) or the Striper Tackle Fat Hawg Spoon (Pearl/Silver Flash or Nickel/Blue Flash) continue to produce.
- Use Humminbird Apex or Xplore side imaging to cover 150+ feet instead of relying only on down imaging. Once you locate a school, switch to downlines with a 1.25–1.75 oz Striper Tackle Pro Pencil swivel weight, 6–8 feet of 10–12 lb fluorocarbon, and a #1 Gamakatsu Circle or Octopus hook. Herring are still the best bait, with small to medium gizzard shad producing some of the larger fish.
- Keep a 2 oz Capt. Mack’s Chipmunk tied on. Drop it through the school and power reel it back up—the faster you think you’re reeling, the faster you probably need to go.
What’s Not Working
The biggest mistake right now is staying in one area too long. These fish are constantly roaming as they follow suspended bait pods. If you’re not marking bait and fish, keep moving. Down imaging alone also limits how much water you can effectively search compared to side imaging.
Looking Ahead to August
Unless we see an unusual weather pattern, expect the deep summer bite to continue into August. Fish should remain grouped on the south end around creek channels and the river channel, with live bait and trolling continuing to be the primary techniques during most of the month.
Captain Ron’s Final Thoughts
These fish will stay on the move all month following suspended bait pods, so don’t get locked into one spot. Cover water, trust your electronics, and once you find them, slow down and fish them thoroughly. Get out there and catch ’em up!
Captain Ron’s Note
Habakkuk is one of the minor prophets not because he was not as important but because he didn’t write down a lot. What he said was extremely important. Questioning God is not bad. We just have to realize that waiting for answers is important. In chapter 1:2, Habakkuk says “How long shall I cry for help and you will not hear?…” Know that God is always working in our lives. We might not see it and struggle because we don’t, but that doesn’t mean He isn’t. In chapter 2:3, God answers “If it seems slow, wait for it, it will surely come, it will not delay.” He calls us to live by faith in Him alone. We have to trust in Him that He will take care of us. In chapter 3:17-18, “Though the fig tree doesn’t blossom, nor fruit on the vines, the produce of the olive fail and the fields yield no food, the flock be cutoff from the fold and no herds in the stalls, (for an agrarian society this means we have nothing and nothing to live on or for) yet I will rejoice in the Lord: I will take join the God of my salvation.” Habakkuk realizes that we must have confidence that He will take care of us.
I know that this is wordy and a lot for a fishing report, but we all need to choose His presence in our lives during any and all suffering and know that there is nothing in our lives that Jesus doesn’t go through with us.