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Falls Lake is my nemesis and I need help

6K views 10 replies 7 participants last post by  th365thli 
#1 ·
I've been to Falls Lake 3-4 times with one largemouth to show for all those trips. I thought for sure today would be the day. Cloud cover, water temps 66 degrees, wind to chop up the water. I threw a white spinnerbait with a keitech trailer which is usually money for me. Not a single fish. I swear, I read so many good things about this lake but to me it's a desert. I usually fish lower lake near the dam, specifically Horse Creek and surrounding areas.

Anyone have any tips? I fished Horse Creek, New Light, went pretty far back but no luck. Tried Carolina rig, shakey head, and spinnerbait. What makes this trip especially frustrating is that I thought I was doing everything right. Like if I had a second chance I really wouldn't change anything. Maybe I should've concentrated on main lake instead of the creeks? Maybe my baits are wrong? My experience and intuition tells me what I did was right, but I'm open to any suggestions.

I swear this lake frustrates me to no end.
 
#2 ·


I share your pain. Falls can be tough when it’s not on. I mainly fish the very top end because that’s where I live but it’s feast or famine for me on either end. This was a very good day.

Late Feb thru mid-April can be magic with big fish up shallow. Things get tough for me starting now before summer patterns start up. I just don’t know where they go or what they’re doing.

Right now, to catch a good one or two, I’d be out before sunrise to fish a frog or buzz bait or vibrating jig along shore lines until 8 or 9. But after that, I’m lost.

I noticed the carp are feeding on shad eggs from the last full moon shad spawn (I didn’t really believe in all the full moon stuff until watching the shad respond to it). An early morning visit with a new or full moon might still catch some early morning shad spawn. The bass really get on that.... for an hour or two anyway. The shad make a big commotion up against the shoreline and the table is set.

I’m a shoreline guy. I’ve learned just a couple of spots where I can get them deep later but frankly I can go to Kerr and do much better when they are deep.


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#3 ·
I share your pain. Falls can be tough when it’s not on. I mainly fish the very top end because that’s where I live but it’s feast or famine for me on either end. This was a very good day.

Late Feb thru mid-April can be magic with big fish up shallow. Things get tough for me starting now before summer patterns start up. I just don’t know where they go or what they’re doing.

Right now, to catch a good one or two, I’d be out before sunrise to fish a frog or buzz bait or vibrating jig along shore lines until 8 or 9. But after that, I’m lost.

I noticed the carp are feeding on shad eggs from the last full moon shad spawn (I didn’t really believe in all the full moon stuff until watching the shad respond to it). An early morning visit with a new or full moon might still catch some early morning shad spawn. The bass really get on that.... for an hour or two anyway. The shad make a big commotion up against the shoreline and the table is set.

I’m a shoreline guy. I’ve learned just a couple of spots where I can get them deep later but frankly I can go to Kerr and do much better when they are deep.


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Those are some awesome fish! I feel you on the feast and famine part. I wonder if the pressure from anglers factors in. It's not exactly a huge lake, but it gets a lot of fishermen. I mainly fish the lower end because it's my wheelhouse (deep, clear water and rock). So the shad spawn is already happening or almost over? I thought it happened in May. I'm fishing these lakes for the first time and still learning the timings. I've never fished the upper lake before but maybe I need to start trying. They must move out to deep structure, but getting them to bite is another story. Would you say by time the sun comes out it gets very tough?

If you see an asian on a Falcon bass boat with a Suzuki outboard, that'll be me.
 
#6 ·
I fish Beaverdam which is basically Falls Lake. I have a love/hate relationship with that lake. Spring and fall have been my best times. Multiple bass days and usually a good one or two. After that I’m lost. I have tried fishing the ledges and points with a Carolina rig to no avail. Crankbaiting and drop shotting gets the occasional fish.

I usually end up trolling and catching white bass and perch.

My next outing I’m bringing my catfish gear and I’m going to try drifting some cutbait.
~JOE~
 
#7 ·
Thanks for the replies everyone. I never fished the upper lake, guess I'll have to join the crowd and give it a shot. I know there's big fish in the lower lake, but they seem impossible to catch. Just gotta keep grinding I guess. Fishing is fun when it's you against the fish. I already tournament fish, I don't need to have all my trips feel like I'm fishing against other people.
 
#10 ·
Falls is a super tough lake. I have been gone home many a day without not even a bite. I can see them and know where they are but getting one to take a lure is a very different story. The lake has massive bait balls so why would a bass go after one little lure when it can just run through the bait ball and get a belly full. I have seen this happen more times on my fish finder than I care to talk about. Agree that the early morning bite is probably your best chance. Throw the lure into the jumping shad and the shad disappear leaving your lure. The upper lake is the better than the lower to catch fish but monsters do live in the deeper water closer the dam. They are big because they eat lots of those shad ball. Just my opinion. I drive a Champion 210 with a Merc 250. I usually go twice a week but not weekends.

 

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#11 ·
Welp, I went out today. I figured middle of the week is the best time to beat the crowd. Still a fair amount of boats at Upper Barton. It's just the reality of fishing pressured lakes. I'm not gonna let it get me down. People still catch them as evidenced by tournaments, so it's up to me to figure it out.

Managed 4 fish on a variety of lures. Had a big one shake me off near shallow stumps, and we saw a big one flash on my partners worm. So they're there. It's been frustrating trying to pattern them, I think the wacky spring we've had has something to do with it. I think most of the fish have just finished spawning, with maybe a couple of stragglers. But I don't think they're active yet, they may still be recuperating. Either that or they only feed early in the morning. I live an hour and a half away so put in around 8am. Maybe that's too late. The weather recently has been chilly, and today there was absolutely no wind. I'm hoping the next few warm days will cause it to pick up. Shad are definitely active.

The water level is also pretty low, they must've had a draw down recently. A lot of the shoreline cover is gone now. We fished mostly lower lake. We went to Ledge Creek to flip some grass, but the water was so shallow. It sort of threw a hamper on our plans to fish the upper lake, as so much cover was now out of water. This is why we eventually went back down to lower lake. Just another piece of the puzzle to figure out. They must go somewhere in the upper lake.
 
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