8/15/23 Lake Conditions & Fishing Report

Wow, another summer flying by, again I have been remiss in keeping my report up to date.  Currently our lake level is around four feet above the zero level it is measured by.  What that means it is about three and a half feet from its full level and should also mean that we will have plenty of water to keep our launch ramps open until the rains this fall.  The water conditions overall seem to be typical for this time of the year,  some areas have some algae blooms,  some have darker water color while others are fairly clean and have decent clarity.   The hot days create the algae and windy conditions  move it around so the conditions and areas can vary day to day.   On the fishing side of things,  for me the bite is always tougher and slower in the hot summer days.  For those people who can throw the glide baits, work the weeds with chatter baits and lipless crankbaits and rip baits, and stay with those patterns and are just looking for the big bites, they are having success.   This is not the norm for most fisherman,  the drop shot, jig, shakey head, underspin, and small swim bait   patterns are currently slow for me and putting seven to maybe ten fish in the boat for a five hour trip has been my results.   What does seem to be different this year is that the offshore weed beds do not seem to be near as prevalent as in past years,  and that has made it more difficult to find some defined weed lines to work your bait.   I was able to get on a good top water bite with a popper style lure a few weeks ago, but now cannot seem to find an area where the fish are actively working a top water lure.     
      Overall the lake for boat traffic has been pretty slow,  That will change as we go into September and the weekend tournaments start back up.    The hot days are keeping the water temperature around 78 to 81 degrees in the hotter afternoons so when you catch your fish, take a picture and release them.   Carrying them around in a hot live well will only stress them and they can die after being released.   Take care, be safe, be courteous, have fun,  God Bless