Big Bear Sporting Goods

Grandpa-grandson bonding time done right! Dallas and Frank hit the water over the weekend and put in some solid work. Mice tails on slip bobber at 10 feet were irresistible! Frank Pat Lodes

Trout fishing is surprisingly good despite the hot weather we've been having. They're still hanging around 10 to 15 feet of depth between sunrise and sunset and then rising toward the surface from sunset on. The full moon has pushed the morning bite later into the day, so no need to wake up in the dark. Hit the water for a couple of hours around 10:00am or wait until the evening bite starts after 6:00pm. Slip bobbers are a good bet from both the shore and boats. Leadcore trolling is always a good idea, too. Either way, with current water temps you'll need to stay down near the dam.

The bass seem to sense fall is approaching, so they're feeding up pretty well. Drop shots and other finesse techniques worked through good rock structure are bringing in solid numbers of smallmouth. Don't be surprised if a channel cat eats your lure, too!

Speaking of catfish, they're still taking big chunks of cut bait floated up off the bottom on Santee rigs, but they're also making their seasonal shift into deeper water. Try fishing somewhere between the observatory and windy point.

Trout numbers are unseasonably high with reports of multiple limits coming in daily. Shore stompers are having luck on slip bobbers set between 10 and 15 feet during daylight hours. Powerbaits, nightcrawlers, and floating trout worms are all getting bit. In the evenings, the fish are moving up to the surface, so readjust your depths or start throwing some lures instead. Either way, most of the action is happening between the red house and the dam.
If you really want to cash in on the abundance, hop on a boat and do some trolling. Small pink or copper spoons on 2 to 4 colors of leadcore are hard to beat. Small crankbaits that hit the right depth are best on mono. Sunrise and sunset are the times to be out there.

The bass are grouping up nicely, too. Lots of smallmouth are being caught on finesse applications off of main lake points. Largemouth are being pulled off of shallow structure like docks and brush on weedless rigs and jigs.

Some big kitties have been coming in this week as well. Mackerel and anchovies have been good bait choices. The trick is to float them up off the bottom with a Santee Cooper rig.

Crew crushes it again - 30 fish in the boat! The Santee Cooper rig proves golden once more!

The trout are still packed in down by the dam. Slip bobbers set between 10 and 20 feet are the best choice for shore anglers fishing while the sun's up. Readjust so that your bait is just below the surface if fishing at dusk or later. Lures such as spoons, spinners, mini jigs, and even flies are also working after sunset.

Boaters can stick to slip bobbers, too, but trolling has been producing especially well. Flicker Shads and Harvest Shads work great on monofilament, but getting just a little bit deeper with a pink or copper spoon on 3 to 4 colors of leadcore is also a good idea.

The bass bite has been on fire lately. Finesse techniques like dropshots, ned rigs, and shaky heads worked over main lake points and good rock structure are the key to landing good numbers. The evening topwater bite is still happening, too, so dont forget to bring some poppers or walking baits with you.

It's also a great time to hook some late summer catfish. Post up between the observatory and Juniper Point and toss out a Santee Cooper rig baited with a big hunk of mackerel or other cut bait. They'll start to get active around sundown, but the biggest ones usually don't show up until after midnight.