New Bullards Bar Reservoir
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New Bullards Bar Reservoir Fishing Reports
Stay up to date with the latest fishing reports from New Bullards Bar Reservoir. Reports are submitted by local anglers, fishing guides, and our team of fishing experts.
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- Species
Spotted BassTechniqueMedium Diving Crankbaits (7'-12')SeasonSummerStructureLedgesFirst the bad news....mussel inspections have finally made their way to my lake. Good news is they're using commons sense and just inspecting boats to be sure they're clean. At this point, there's no special stickers, dry dock requirements or chaining your boat to the trailer nonsense. Now to fishing. I know this is supposed to be the dog days of summer...but Bullards is still fishing so strong. Check out the banks in the background of my picture. Set up at about 35-40 feet depth off the banks and crush them with a jerk bait or crank bait. Then move in a little and mop up with a shakey head, Texas rig or drop shot.
- SpeciesSpotted BassTechniqueDrop ShotSeasonSummerStructureRock Pile
Wow...things are changing fast out here. All summer, I've done so well offshore on extended points, with crank baits and jerk baits....not so much now. So I went exploring into all the many coves trying this and that, and when I finally got around to a drop shot, it was on! They were definitely relating to submerged rock piles. The juggle minnow is so realistic looking on a drop shot. They just can't lay off it!
- SpeciesSpotted BassTechniqueTexas Rigs (Pitch/Flip)SeasonSummerStructurePoints
Man, I love this lake! Just get yourself up above and into the 5 MPH and start fishing. As usual, I had to go thru several different techniques to land on what they wanted. Today, it turned out to be a Texas Rig Craw. I bought these Christie Craws, with blue specifically for this lake. The bass love to eat Kokanee, so I've found sticking with blues and purples is the way to go.
- SpeciesSpotted BassTechniqueTexas Rigs (Worming)SeasonSummerStructureBoulders
As usual, I spent the first half of the day chasing the monster Spots that live in this lake....and then I go catching! Putting a Zoom Plum Trick Worm on a Texas Rig set up and fishing the boulders at this lake is absolutely a blast. No big fish to brag about, but lots and lots of 1 to 2 pounders that kept me busy all afternoon! I practically went through an entire bag of those trick worms pulling in those fish today.
- SpeciesSpotted BassTechniqueNed RigsSeasonSummerStructureBoulders
Went out on Saturday, Sept 3rd. Conditions were tough. Super high winds (that was surprise) made staying in position kind of tough. Plus, there were about 3 times as many wake boaters out as usual (not a surprise for Labor Day weekend) so it felt like I was out on the Pacific Ocean. I headed straight up the main fork until I got into the 5 mph zone, which thankfully took care of the wake boarder issue. Once I was up there, I started with a drop shot using a Yamamoto Shad shape worm in a blue/silver flake color, hoping to entice a Spottie into thinking he had himself a small kokanee...but they weren't falling for that. So I switched over to a Ned Rig, using the 3" Senko in Plum Apple and had immediate success! I stayed off shore about 20' and was getting all the way to the bottom (10-12') and bounced it back to the boat from there. I landed six bass in a couple of hours of fishing before I just got tired of battling the wind to call it a day. I love fishing this lake! Still looking for the really big ones that I hear are out there. But large or small, the fishing is great and it's really a beautiful lake.
- SpeciesSpotted BassTechniqueDeep Diving Crankbaits (13'+)SeasonSummerStructurePoints
Wow! Water level has dropped at least 20 feet since I was out here 4 weeks ago. And it changes everything. All those submerged ridge lines I was crushing a month ago are now on dry land, and the hunt was on for new ones. That's why I have to give a shout out to the 6th Sense Cloud 9 crank. I was using that to cover as much water as I could to locate fish. And once I found them, I would switch back and forth between the crank and a Senko Sexy Shad on a wacky set up. Fun day. Drop shot was working also. You can just never stop learning, even on your home lake.
- Species
Smallmouth BassTechniqueCarolina RigsSeasonSummerStructureLedgesWent out to Bullard Bar July 23 & 24. After knocking out some morning trolling for Kokanee (Limit of 10 on Saturday, 6 on Sunday, which was fun!) I headed up the main fork for my real purpose of being there, in search of some bass. It was tough sledding all afternoon. It was very hot (100 degrees) and the water continues to drop, so there was very little cover. I settled on using a Carolina Rig and was fishing submerged boulders and any drop offs I could find. I spent the day in 10-30 feet of water and was only able to land 4 bass, all in the 1 lb range. Nothing much to brag about, for sure. But I caught two using a 4" Strike King Rage Craw in Green Pumpkin and two more with a 5 1/4" Zoom Super Fluke in White Pearl. I must have tried at least 10 other bait/color combos, but those were the two that worked on this day. For sure my toughest day bass fishing at Bullard's Bar. My previous 3 trips there, I caught at least 20-30 bass each afternoon. This is my first year of fishing Bullard's, so I'm still learning the lake and how each season impacts what I do. I love going there, so I plan to keep learning and happy to share the results....even if they aren't the best.
- SpeciesSpotted BassTechniqueDrop ShotSeasonSummerStructureLedges
I love this lake! First off....the Gee Crack Bellows Stick is fast becoming a favorite when I'm using a drop shot. It flutters so naturally, that even with a slow and steady return, it's wobbling all over the place. And the Natural Pro Blue is a perfect imitation for the kokanee those Spotties love to feed on. They can't resist. Those Woo Drop shot weights are pretty nice also. They slip through rocks and cracks very easily and if it does get hung (not often) the fact they slip off your line instead of breaking off your entire set-up saves you a lot of hooks and baits. Also, a strong recommendation for the Zoom Trick Worm in Plum for your Texas Rig set-up.
