July fishing report

OVERVIEW: Fishing will be fair. Most fish will be found in deep water this month. Water temperature will be in the upper 70s to low 80s. Early morning and late night will be the best times to try your luck.

Largemouth bass: Fishing will be good. Best lures will be Texas-rigged plastic worms, Carolina rigs, shaky heads and deep-diving crank baits. Most largemouth bass will be caught around rock piles, ledges and brush piles near deep water. Deep docks will also be productive as they provide lots of shade. Best depths will be from the surface to 20 feet. Night fishing will be good. Some bait fish will continue to come to the shoreline late at night.

Smallmouth bass: Fishing should be fair. Best areas will be on ledges, deep rocky banks, humps and long flats. Best lures will be deep-diving crank baits, top-water lures, drop-shot rigs and shaky heads. Best areas will be in the mid- to the lower sections of the lake. Cloudy days and at night are the best times to try your luck.

Striped bass: Fishing will be good. Stripers will be caught mostly in the mid- to lower sections of the lake. Best lures will be top-water lures, swim baits, buck tails and Zoom flukes fished with 3/8- to 1/2-oz. lead heads. Live bait and trolling also will be productive. The best depths will be from the surface to 40 feet. Stripers will continue to feed some at night. Best time will be early mornings.

Crappie: Fishing for crappie will be fair. They will be found 10 to 18 feet deep this month. Best areas will be in the main creeks around deep docks, fallen trees and brush piles in the mid- to upper sections of the lake. Small live minnows and 1 1/2-inch tubes fished on 1/16- to 1/8-oz. lead heads will work best to catch crappie.

TIP OF THE MONTH: Try using fluorocarbon fishing line when fishing during the day. Fish can't see this line as easily as monofilament line. Wear your life jacket and always keep your running lights on when fishing after dark. Take a kid fishing.

Capt. Dale Wilson, 297-5650, 874-4950, www.captaindalewilson.com