Fort Loudon Fishing Report - Week of 4/4/10

This week on Ft. Loudon, large numbers of bass are being caught, both smallmouth and largemouth.  The water temperature rose drastically over the last week.  Water temperature recorded at 59 degrees in a control spot last week is now reading 65.  Over last weekend the lake rose about a foot, pushing the fish closer to the banks.  The bite has changed from light pickups to an aggressive strike.  Many fishermen are reporting catches of 20-30 fish in 4 or 5 hours. 
Currently, the baits being used most frequently are jerkbaits, crankbaits, spinnerbaits, and Texas rigged plastics or jigs.  The fish are on points and warm banks where they can be caught with any of the above lures.  It's not uncommon to catch several fish in the same spot.
Anglers, including myself, are also catching some large striped bass (aka stripers or rockfish) on these lures with 10-15 pounders being common.