Joe Joslin reports he and his clients have been fishing early from first light, until around 9 a.m. then returning to the lake at 5 p.m. and fishing until dark.

Bass ...

Summer patterns are definitely in vogue with the closest an angler gets to sunup and sundown the better the bite will be. On our shallow patterns we are using a favorite topwater bait top water called a Berkley Chopper 90 in shad patterns. We continue to take some nice bass wacky rigging The General in green pumpkin and pumpkin party. We also are using a wacky rig Senko in Mad Melon and Watermelon blue flake.

The biggest change this week is the bass are wanting the Carolina Rig. We are using the same rig we have always used with a medium heavy rod like a Fenwick Elite 7’ and a Revo STX reel.

Joslin prefers a 4-foot leader made out of the same line he uses on his main line which is 17-pound test Trilene 100% Fluorocarbon.

He likes a 4-foot leader with at least a ½ oz. sinker, he prefers a ¾ oz.  This rig helps to make long cast which you need in fishing Carolina rigs in deep water like 15 to 25 feet. "On our C-rigs Berkley’s Pit Boss in Bama Red, also Baby Brush Hogs in green pumpkin and Watermelon Red. 

"We also use a Texas rig with a heavy sinker from ½ or ¾ oz. and fish those with the same baits we did on the Carolina rigs with Berkley’s Pit Boss and Baby Brush Hogs. However, we also use a lighter sinker 3/16 when fishing from 4 to 12 feet when targeting bass in that depth of water. My normal bait in that depth I like to use is a Bottom Hopper in June Bug also Red Bug.

Crappie ...

Crappie guide Tater Reynolds said the numbers of crappie are increasing as well as the size. They normally are using live shiners but occasionally a group of crappie will prefer a crappie jig. They continue to fish around their brush piles in 26-27 feet with crappie suspending 13-14 feet in the water column.