Almost all summer fishing for bass is done in deep water, but one of guide Maynard Edwards’ favorite areas at Badin Lake is only 6 feet deep — if that.
Edwards said his favorite shallow-water area at Badin, the tailrace below Tuckertown Dam, is good nearly all the time but best during power-generation periods.
“It’d be easier to know those times if Alcoa would release their power-generation schedule or put it on line, but they don’t and don’t care if anybody likes it or not,” Edwards said. “You can call ’em and ask, and they won’t tell you.”
Currents caused by water releases trigger a summer bite from many species in the tailrace, which resembles a wide spot in the river more than a traditionally narrow, heavy-current tailrace.
“The current triggers striped bass, largemouths and big white bass to bite when the gates are open,” he said.
During those times, Edward said, the channel’s maximum depth is approximately 6 feet, but only near the right side of the river.
“And that’s when they’re letting water out,” he said. “You want to go slow up there and be careful of rocks so you won’t tear up a lower unit. You can’t depend on your depth-finder, because by the time you see a rock (on the screen), it’s too late.”
When the current’s moving water, Edwards likes to throw a white spinnerbait across the flow, walk a white Zara Spook or throw a white buzzbait.
If water isn’t being released through the dam, he uses what he calls an “E-rig” — an Alabama rig-style bait that his Extreme Fishing Concepts manufactures with 4 1/2- to 5-inch white swimbaits.
“My rig has a 1/8- to 1/4-ounce leadhead and .003-diamater wire, and I cast it with a flippin’ stick or 7 1/2-foot rod with 40-pound braid,” he said. “You have to start reelin’ as soon as it hits the surface because it’s so shallow. You’ll catch a lot of 3- and 4-pound bass up there, and you might get a striper.
“When the water’s not moving, you can catch some whopper white bass up there, too, along with big perch.”
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