June 29

Lake Monticello morning surface water temperatures are in the low 80s and water levels typically fluctuate daily.  The lower end is dirtier while the upper end is still pretty clear. 

As it heats up the deep patterns for bass are coming on at Lake Monticello, and BYA Fishing’s Eric Enlow of Union reports that the biggest fish are in 20-30 feet of water around depth changes, including points, humps and ridges. The three top baits right now are a crankbait, a spoon and a big worm like an Ole Monster. However, there are some periods when they want something more subtle like a drop shot and a small worm.   Usually this is more later in the summer, though, once fish are hot and pressured.  

There is also a mid-depth pattern, with fish biting fairly well on cover including stumps, rocks and brush in the 10-20 foot range. This is almost exclusively a soft plastic bite with Texas rigs, Carolina rigs, and shaky heads. 

There is still a sporadic topwater bite shallow first thing.  

If you want to fill a cooler with eating-sized catfish, Captain William Attaway (803-924-0857) reports that the free-line drifting bite is very good.  Fish are suspended high in the water column over deep water and they are hungry. Catfish typically run up to about five pounds, and there is certainly the chance for a big one. A variety of baits ranging from cut fish to chicken to mussels will work, and it’s really as simple as pulling several rods with small pieces of bait across the lake.   

Some of the biggest fish are still focused on the spawn, but with some of the better fish starting to come off of beds the chances of catching a good one are going up again. The best pattern for targeting large fish remains to fish a lot of rods and fan-cast baits at a variety of depths from the bank out to 30 feet around long points and underwater humps. White perch and bream are the preferred baits for big fish right now, but herring and gizzard shad will also work.

June 22

Lake Monticello morning surface water temperatures are in the mid to upper 70s and water levels typically fluctuate daily.  The lower end is expected to get dirty with all the rain while the upper end should stay clear. 

Weather conditions are having a major effect on the bass fishing patterns on Lake Monticello, and BYA Fishing’s Eric Enlow of Union reports that when there is no wind the best pattern recently has been fishing a Carolina rig. Weights have been light but that is what the fish have wanted. 

However, when there is wind then a deep-diving crankbait and flutter spoon are working well in coves and over offshore humps in about 25-30 feet of water.  

But pretty much regardless of conditions, Eric is still finding the best action casting a jerkbait parallel to the banks along the first break in cuts and coves off the main lake. Chiefly this is a morning pattern. 

If you want to fill a cooler with eating-sized catfish, Captain William Attaway (803-924-0857) reports that the free-line drifting bite very good.  Fish are suspended high in the water column over deep water and they are hungry. Fish typically run up to about five pounds, and there is certainly the chance for a big one. A variety of baits ranging from cut fish to chicken to mussels will work, and it’s really as simple as pulling several rods with small pieces of bait across the lake. 

  

At the same time the bigger fish are generally mixed spawning and post-spawn, and the best pattern for targeting large fish remains to fish a lot of rods and fan-cast baits at a variety of depths from the bank out to 30 feet around long points and underwater humps. White perch and bream are the preferred baits for big fish right now, but herring and gizzard shad will also work. Lake Monticello catfish can be finicky so the best policy is to have more than one option. 

June 15

Lake Monticello morning surface water temperatures are about 76-78 degrees and the lake is clear. Water levels typically fluctuate daily.  

There are a bunch of different bass patterns going on at Lake Monticello, and BYA Fishing’s Eric Enlow of Union reports that starting early in the morning the best way to catch fish on Monticello is get on the first drop where you can no longer see the bottom and cast a jerkbait parallel to the banks. Fish are in all of the cuts and coves off the main lake, and this pattern usually lasts until late morning. It’s a good way to find numbers of fish.

When that is over then look for wind-blown pockets and throw a flutter spoon into the middle of coves in about 25-30 feet of water. Fish are stacked up there right now, and on four casts in a row this week Eric caught fish from 3 to 3 ½ pounds. You can also fish the flutter spoon on offshore humps. A deep diving crankbait like a 6XD can also be good over humps as long as the bait can hit the bottom and there is wind. 

Finally, there is a good smallmouth bite over any of the long points in about 10 feet of water. With a jig or Carolina rig you can feel the shell beds and that is where you will get bites. 

This shouldn’t change any time soon, but Captain William Attaway (803-924-0857) reports that the free-line drifting bite for catfish is very good.  Plenty of eating-sized blues are now suspended high in the water column over deep water and they are hungry. You can easily catch a cooler full of fish up to about five pounds, and there is certainly the chance for a big one. A variety of baits ranging from cut fish to chicken to mussels will work, and it’s really as simple as pulling several rods with small pieces of bait across the lake.   

At the same time the bigger fish are generally mixed between pre-spawn, spawning and post-spawn, and the best pattern for targeting large fish remains to fish a lot of rods and fan-cast baits at a variety of depths from the bank out to 30 feet around long points and underwater humps. White perch and bream are the preferred baits for big fish right now, but herring and gizzard shad will also work. Lake Monticello catfish can be finicky so the best policy is to have more than one option. 

June 8

Lake Monticello morning surface water temperatures are in the mid-70s and the lake has cleared. Water levels typically fluctuate daily.  

It’s hard to believe, but water temperatures on Lake Monticello are lagging so far behind that BYA Fishing’s Eric Enlow of Union reports that a couple of his buddies actually sight-fished this week and caught two bass off the bed! 

However, don’t be seduced by the allure of shallow fish, beat the bank, and miss the main thing. The best way to approach the fish is still to start off fishing main lake points that drop off into deeper water and cast big crankbaits like a 6XD in shad color up into 10 feet of water and pull them out into 15-20 feet. 

After that early bite then fish will feed on humps, and the humps could rise up out of 60-100 feet of water and top out at 10 feet or 40 feet. The bass don’t live on the humps, but instead move up to feed, so you basically need to hit them at the right time and look for fish.

Hair jigs and flutter spoons are good bait choices, and if it’s a particularly calm day when you can fish it they will take a bigger shaky head worm like a green pumpkin Trick worm on a 3/8 ounce football head. 

It still seems a little early, especially given the delays in water temperature, but Captain William Attaway (803-924-0857) reports that the free-line drifting bite for catfish has taken off.  Plenty of eating-sized blues are now suspended high in the water column over deep water and they are hungry. You can easily catch a cooler full of fish up to about five pounds, and there is certainly the chance for a big one. A variety of baits ranging from cut fish to chicken to mussels will work, and it’s really as simple as pulling several rods with small pieces of bait across the lake.   

At the same time the bigger fish are generally mixed between pre-spawn and spawning, and the best pattern for targeting large fish remains to fish a lot of rods and fan-cast baits at a variety of depths from the bank out to 30 feet around long points and underwater humps. White perch and bream are the preferred baits for big fish right now, but herring and gizzard shad will also work. Lake Monticello catfish can be finicky so the best policy is to have more than one option. 

June 2

Lake Monticello morning surface water temperatures are in the low 70s and the lake has cleared. Water levels typically fluctuate daily.  

Looking ahead to the weekend and beyond, BYA Fishing’s Eric Enlow of Union reports there’s no doubt that bass on Monticello will be going deep. The best way to approach them is to start off fishing main lake points that drop off into deeper water and cast big crankbaits like a 6XD in shad color up into 10 feet of water and pull it out into 15-20 feet. 

After that early bite then fish will feed on humps, and the humps could rise up out of 60-100 feet of water and top out at 10 feet or 40 feet. The bass don’t live on the humps, but instead move up to feed, so you basically need to hit them at the right time and look for fish.

Hair jigs and flutter spoons are good bait choices, and if it’s a particularly calm day when you can fish it they will take a bigger shaky head worm like a green pumpkin Trick worm on a 3/8 ounce football head. 

It’s a surprise because usually the water has to warm up a lot more than this for the free-line drifting bite for catfish to take off, butCaptain William Attaway (803-924-0857) reports that plenty of eating-sized blues are now suspended high in the water column over deep water and they are hungry. You can easily catch a cooler full of fish up to about five pounds, and there is certainly the chance for a big one. A variety of baits ranging from cut fish to chicken to mussels will work, and it’s really as simple as pulling several rods with small pieces of bait across the lake.   

At the same time the bigger fish are generally mixed between pre-spawn and spawning, and the best pattern for targeting large fish remains to fish a lot of rods and fan-cast baits at a variety of depths from the bank out to 30 feet around long points and underwater humps. White perch and bream are the preferred baits for big fish right now, but herring and gizzard shad will also work. Lake Monticello catfish can be finicky so the best policy is to have more than one option. 

May 26

Lake Monticello morning surface water temperatures are about 70 or 71 degrees and the lake has cleared. Water levels typically fluctuate daily.  

With water temperatures actually moving backwards on Lake Monticello, BYA Fishing’s Eric Enlow of Union reports that the best bass fishing right now is relatively shallow. The fish are not moving out to deeper water, and some of the ones that were out there seem to have moved back towards the banks.

A tournament yesterday was won with 15 pounds, and the winning pattern was cranking long points with a bait that dived to ten feet or deeper like a DT-14. After that ended then almost everyone that caught fish slowed down and pulled a Carolina rig in 8-15 feet of water off points. Green pumpkin was working the best. 

There are also some fish shallower, and reliable sources even spotted one or two fish on beds yesterday!

Water temperatures have not risen and so Lake Monticello catfish are still in pre-spawn feeding mode, and Captain William Attaway (803-924-0857) reports that most of the fish are relatively shallow and trying to store up energy for the spawn. This can be one of the best times to catch a good one. 

The best pattern is to concentrate on points in the 10-20 foot depth range and fan-cast a bunch of baits at a variety of depths. Also don’t overlook pockets, especially pockets with cover like stumps, that can hold a lot of the fish that catfish want to eat. 

With such abundant prey big Lake Monticello catfish can be finicky, and so the best bet is to offer a variety of baits including gizzard shad, herring, white perch and bluegill. 

In a few more weeks the free-line drifting bite will really start, and as soon as temperatures rise some early fish will start to suspend. 

May 11

Lake Monticello morning surface water temperatures are in the low 70s. Water levels typically fluctuate daily.  

The bass continue to move deeper on Lake Monticello, and BYA Fishing’s Eric Enlow of Union reports that the best pattern is to fish points or humps in 30-40 feet around standing timber. Both hair jigs and flutter spoons are effective, and bass are mostly feeding on big perch. Often they will be on the bottom, but at other times you will see them on your electronics spaghettiing under the boat when they are feeding.  

For now it’s also still worth cranking long tapering points, and early and late you can also fish topwaters lures around the dam.

With the Lake Monticello catfish in pre-spawn feeding mode this is one of the times when they are eating the best, and Captain William Attaway (803-924-0857) reports that most of the of the fish are relatively shallow and trying to store up energy for the spawn. The biggest spawning month is usually June and so May can be a wide-open feeding binge.

The best pattern is to concentrate on points in the 10-20 foot depth range and fan-cast a bunch of baits at a variety of depths. Also don’t overlook pockets, especially pockets with cover like stumps, that can hold a lot of the fish that catfish want to eat. 

With such abundant prey big Lake Monticello catfish can be finicky, and so the best bet is to offer a variety of baits including gizzard shad, herring, white perch and bluegill. 

In a few more weeks the free-line drifting bite will start, and there could already be some smaller fish starting to suspend that will eat. 

May 4

Lake Monticello morning surface water temperatures are in the upper 60s and the lake remains dirty. Water levels typically fluctuate daily.  

The bass spawn is mostly done and the shad spawn is winding down on Lake Monticello, and as a result BYA Fishing’s Eric Enlow of Union reports that most of the fish are about to move deep.  First thing it’s still worth cranking long tapering points, and if you can find the tail end of the shad spawn there should be a topwater bite.  Early and late you can also fish topwaters lures around the dam – but with all that said most of the fish are soon to be if not already in 30-40 feet.

The best pattern is to fish points or humps in that range around standing timber, of which people don’t realize how much Monticello has. Both hair jigs and flutter spoons are effective, and bass are mostly feeding on big perch. Often they will be on the bottom, but at other times you will see them on your electronics spaghettiing under the boat when they are feeding.  

With the Lake Monticello catfish in pre-spawn feeding mode this is one of the times when they are eating the best, and Captain William Attaway (803-924-0857) reports that most of the of the fish are relatively shallow and trying to store up energy for the spawn. The biggest spawning month is usually June and so May can be a wide-open feeding binge.

The best pattern is to concentrate on points in the 10-20 foot depth range and fan-cast a bunch of baits at a variety of depths. Also don’t overlook pockets, especially pockets with cover like stumps, that can hold a lot of the fish that catfish want to eat. 

With such abundant prey big Lake Monticello catfish can be finicky, and so the best bet is to offer a variety of baits including gizzard shad, herring, white perch and bluegill. 

In a few more weeks the free-line drifting bite will start, and there could already be some smaller fish starting to suspend that will eat. 

April 21

Lake Monticello morning surface water temperatures are around 68-70 and the lake remains dirty. Water levels typically fluctuate daily.  

There are still some bass spawning on Lake Monticello, but BYA Fishing’s Eric Enlow of Union reports that most bass fishermen are focused on the shad spawn right now. Smaller shad seem to be spawning in the pockets, while bigger shad are spawning around riprap. Topwater lures will work but a jerkbait is very hard to beat right now, which will be the case until the shad spawn ends when water temperatures pass about 74. Later in the day when the bass are not up feeding on shad a Carolina rig is working pretty well.

Overall the dam is the best place to fish right now.

Catfish report to follow fromCaptain William Attaway (803-924-0857). 

April 11

Lake Monticello water temperatures are in the low to mid-60s and the lake is unusually stained. Water levels typically fluctuate daily.  

As the bass spawn starts to wind down on Lake Monticello some exciting new bites are now in play, and BYA Fishing’s Eric Enlow of Union reports that in coves with cleaner water there has been a really good jerkbait bite. The action is mostly in less than 10 feet of water for post-spawn fish, and when they don’t want a jerkbait a shakey head has also been working well.

While this weekend very temporarily delayed it, there is also a shad spawn going on first thing in the morning on riprap banks – of which Monticello has no shortage!  Spinnerbaits and crankbaits will both work.  

Even as it was set back by the last cold snap, overall the shallow bite forcatfish is improving andCaptain William Attaway (803-924-0857) reports that from what he is seeing fish are now concentrating in the 10-20 foot range. Anchoring on long points that run out into the lake is the best pattern, especially if they have some stumps on them. There will also be some fish caught in pockets. The riprap at the dam will also hold some fish, but that bite usually comes on a little closer to the spawn. 

Fan-cast your baits at different depths from as shallow as 5 feet out to as deep as 30 or so feet, and then narrow down the most productive range and put more baits there. Cut bream, gizzard shad and white perch will all work. 

March 30

Lake Monticello water temperatures are in the low to mid-60s. Water levels typically fluctuate daily.  

The bass are at all three stages of the spawn on Lake Monticello, but BYA Fishing’s Eric Enlow of Union reports that the most significant numbers of fish are pre-spawn or spawning over most of the lake. But down near the power plant there are likely to be more post-spawn fish. 

Perhaps the best pattern is to crank the Highway 99 or 215 riprap first, and a spinnerbait is also good around the rocks. But once the sun gets up by about 10 o’clock then fishing in spawning pockets and looking for bed fish is the best pattern. Most any soft plastic that you have confidence in can work. 

Very soon there will be an outstanding jerkbait bite on Lake Monticello, and from shallow out to 20 feet off points it will be productive. 

The shallow bite forcatfish is improving, andCaptain William Attaway (803-924-0857) reports that from what he is seeing fish are getting very shallow and concentrating in the 10-20 foot range. Anchoring on long points that run out into the lake is the best pattern, especially if they have some stumps on them. There will also be some fish caught in pockets. The riprap at the dam will also hold some fish, but that bite usually comes on a little closer to the spawn. 

Fan-cast your baits at different depths from as shallow as 5 feet out to as deep as 30 or so feet, and then narrow down the most productive range and put more baits there. Cut bream, gizzard shad and white perch will all work. 

March 16

Lake Monticello water temperatures are in the upper 50s to lower 60s. Water levels typically fluctuate daily.  

The cold snap has delayed the progression of spring bass fishing on Monticello, but BYA Fishing’s Eric Enlow of Union reports that fish are still biting pretty well. Early in the morning the best pattern is a spinnerbait fished around rock, but after the sun gets up then an Alabama rig fished in pockets has been working the best. Last Saturday’s tournament was won on an Alabama rig. 

The catfish have still not really turned on at Lake Monticello, but Captain William Attaway (803-924-0857) reports that the best pattern remains to anchor and fan-cast baits to ledges and points covering a wide range of depths. Early in the morning look for the fish to set up shallower, but then to pull out deeper as the sun comes up. 

White perch and gizzard shad should be the best baits right now, but nothing is very consistent.

March 9

Lake Monticello water temperatures are in the 60s. Water levels typically fluctuate daily.  

It’s getting to be an exciting time for bass fishing on Monticello, and BYA Fishing’s Eric Enlow of Union reports that first thing in the morning there is a good spinnerbait bite on riprap banks. After that you have to think about what stage of the spawn the fish are in, and it may be a mix of all three stages. A few could be post-spawn, some are actively on beds, but the most are staging or pulling up and looking for places to spawn in pockets.

Probably the best way to approach the fish right now is with a Carolina rig, and it’s worth fishing it from the backs of pockets out to about 15 feet. Especially concentrate on any cover inside the pockets.

The catfish have still not really turned on at Lake Monticello, but Captain William Attaway (803-924-0857) reports that the best pattern remains to anchor and fan-cast baits to ledges and points covering a wide range of depths. Early in the morning look for the fish to set up shallower, but then to pull out deeper as the sun comes up. 

White perch and gizzard shad should be the best baits right now, but nothing is very consistent.

February 23

Lake Monticello water temperatures range from the mid-50s into the 60s, depending on section of the lake.  Near the power plant is warmer.  The lake is still dirty by Monticello standards and water levels typically fluctuate daily.  

The bass fishing is fair but not good on Monticello, and BYA Fishing’s Eric Enlow of Union reports that it has taken 14 and 17 pounds to win recent tournaments, respectively. Between the stained water and the season there is essentially no deep bite on Monticello, and checking offshore spots it’s clear the fish just aren’t there.

Fish are moving up, and particularly in the lower lake there could be some fish that spawn soon. Additionally, smallmouth bass spawn earlier (and deeper) than largemouth, and so they could be on beds soon if not already. But you may never see them.

The best patterns have been shallow cranking and throwing an Alabama rig, and the best places to fish have been the rip rap by the dam as well as the 99 ramp. It’s also worth looking in the very backs of pockets. 

The catfish have still not really turned on at Lake Monticello, but Captain William Attaway (803-924-0857) reports that the best pattern is still to anchor and fan-cast baits to ledges and points covering a wide range of depths. Early in the morning look for the fish to set up shallower, but then to pull out deeper as the sun comes up. 

White perch and gizzard shad should be the best baits right now, but nothing is very consistent.

February 15

Lake Monticello water temperatures range from the lower to upper 50s, depending on section of the lake.  Near the power plant is warmer.  The lake is still more stained than normal and water levels typically fluctuate daily.  

With Lake Monticello water more stained than usual, BYA Fishing’s Eric Enlow of Union says that these warm days have the bass moving up shallow as the stained water warms more quickly. Spinnerbaits are good early, and you can fish them all day on wind-blown points and banks. There is also a good crankbait bite around the riprap at both landings and along the dam. This is a great time to target smallmouth in the rocks which are biting better than normal. 

The catfish have still not really turned on at Lake Monticello, but Captain William Attaway (803-924-0857) reports that the best pattern is still to anchor and fan-cast baits to ledges and points covering a wide range of depths. Early in the morning look for the fish to set up shallower, but then to pull out deeper as the sun comes up. 

White perch and gizzard shad should be the best baits right now, but nothing is very consistent.

January 26

Lake Monticello water temperatures range from 53-59 degrees, depending on section of the lake.  Near the power plant is warmer.  Visibility is 3-5 feet and water levels typically fluctuate daily.  

BYA Fishing’s Eric Enlow of Union says if he were fishing a tournament tomorrow on Monticello he wouldn’t do anything differently from what Andy Wicker did last week, and he wouldn’t put down the A-rig all day and would concentrate on brush and rocky points in 10-20 feet that were near main lake and secondary points – tickling the A-rig just over the structure. 

However, he does report that you can catch plenty of smallmouth bass shallow cranking in 10 feet or less. They seem to be off the sides of points, not on the points themselves. While many of the fish are small there are some good ones like this 4-pounder Eric caught.

There are no new reports from Captain William Attaway (803-924-0857) since the Tri-Lakes Catfish Club had some pretty tough conditions last week, and there’s no reason to think the fishing has improved very much. But the best bet is probably still anchoring on ledges and covering water with a ton of baits from 15 to 60 plus feet of water.  Drifting has been useless. 

White perch and gizzard shad should be the best baits right now, but nothing is very consistent.

January 20

Lake Monticello water temperatures range from 53-59 degrees, depending on section of the lake. Near the power plant is warmer.  Visibility is 3-5 feet and water levels typically fluctuate daily.  

It was a really tough day of bass fishing Sunday on Lake Monticello, and tournament angler Andy Wicker of Pomaria reports that bites were hard to come by. In practice he noticed that the fish weren’t on his deep holes in 30-45 feet (even though there was a ton of bait) and so he abandoned that, and the only practice bites he had were on an Alabama rig in random spots. Hence he decided to throw it all tournament day. 

On Sunday he found the fish on just a few spots where he caught all his fish. One group was on brush in 18-20 feet on a sharp drop, and another group were on rocky points in 12-15 feet. They seemed to want to be near main lake and secondary points. Every single fish he caught was on an Alabama rig retrieved deep and very slowly just above the brush or rock, and if the bait lifted up any higher the fish showed no interest. He threw a shakey head, spinnerbait and a crankbait but had no bites.     

The other top weights Sunday seemed to come shallow cranking. 

While Captain William Attaway (803-924-0857) didn’t make it up to Monticello this weekend, the Tri-Lakes Catfish Club had a 13-boat tournament Saturday and conditions were rough. Nathan Morrow took first place with 40.1 pounds including an 18.7 pound big fish, Team Outlaws took second with 29.5 pounds and Team Gut Bucket took third also with 29.5 after the big fish tie breaker. The overall big fish was caught by Team Smackdown at 20.10 pounds. 

Over half the field did not weight a fish, and overall it’s clearly still some tough fishing on Monticello. 

January 12

Lake Monticello water temperatures range from the low to upper 50s, depending on section of the lake. Near the power plant is warmer. The water is still fairly clear and lake levels normally fluctuate daily.

While some anglers are certainly struggling to catch bass on Lake Monticello right now, BYA Fishing’s Eric Enlow of Union reports that there are also plenty of fish being caught. You can fish the way you want to fish if you get in the right area and on the right pattern. 

A primary pattern right now is fishing around bait, and wind blow pockets that stack up with bait are holding a lot of fish. From the bank out to about 18 feet an Alabama rig is working really well, while in the same bait-filled areas in 15-38 feet a jigging spoon is strong. On his last trip out Eric caught 18 fish on the spoon as well as numerous yellow perch and something big that felt like a catfish which they couldn’t turn. 

Near the power plant there is a shallow running crankbait bite with DT-6s, and most of these fish are being caught in 6 or less feet of water.   

While these are good ways to catch numbers of fish, the biggest bass right now seem to be coming on a jig in 15-25 feet. There are even some reports out to 40 feet, but Eric can’t verify that.  While there isn’t much deeper rock on Lake Monticello the best jig fishing is around deeper rock. 

Some big smallmouth and seven plus pound largemouth have come recently on a jig. 

It’s hard to make sense of the catfishon Lake Monticello, and Captain William Attaway (803-924-0857) reports that they are marking an absolute ton of fish. However, the trick is getting them to bite and some days they will barely eat. Perhaps it’s a time of year thing, and perhaps the problem is an excess of bait.  Maybe one reason bass fishermen continue to catch big catfish is because on days when they aren’t really hungry you can still possibly trigger a reaction bite. 

Drifting still doesn’t seem to be much good, and the best fishing has come anchoring on ledges and covering water with a ton of baits from 15 to 60 plus feet of water. White perch and gizzard shad should be the best baits right now, but nothing is very consistent.

It will be interesting to see what happens in the tournament this Saturday. 

January 5

Lake Monticello water temperatures are in the low to mid-50s. Lake levels normally fluctuate daily.

As predicted the shallow bass patterns have pretty much disappeared on Lake Monticello, but BYA Fishing’s Eric Enlow of Union reports that there has been a good bite on a jigging spoons in about 45 feet of water. The fish are relating to ditches at the center of creeks and gullies, and the bite continues to be better on the Highway 99 Ramp end of the lake instead of down near the power plant. 

It's not fast action for bigcatfish on Lake Monticello, but Captain William Attaway (803-924-0857) reports that if you are patient you can still get a big bite. Drifting has pretty much disappeared as an effective pattern, and the best action has been coming anchoring on very deep ledges with in 55-65 plus feet of water.  

White perch and gizzard shad are the best baits right now.