Upper Lake Mary Fishing Report
The fish will drop to deeper, stable water as wind and pressure rise.
THE CALL: Start with a 3/8oz chatterbait or swim jig (white/chartreuse) on the wind-blown north and west banks from first light to 9 AM—this pattern wins because falling pressure and strong wind trigger reaction strikes, and the 76°F water has bass moving shallow pre-spawn in protected coves.
WHY IT WINS
- Water temp is 76°F and trending up 8.3°—that’s the peak for pre-spawn staging, with fish holding on shallow cover waiting to spawn.
- Falling pressure (1010 mb now, dropping through the day) and gusty SW winds (23 mph with gusts to 36) push bait into wind-blown banks, firing up aggressive feeding before the front bottoms out.
- Natural imagery (May 17) and thermal imagery (May 28) show protected coves on the north and west sides with visible hard edges—these will concentrate activity even in heavy chop.
START HERE
Hit the north shoreline first—especially the first cove west of the boat ramp. Work the wind-blown bank from the point at the cove mouth back to the shallow flat inside. The clarity is mapped (likely stained from wind), so focus on transitions where chop meets calmer pockets.
THROW THIS
- Primary: 3/8-1/2oz Z-Man ChatterBait or Strike King Thunder Cricket in white/chartreuse. Run it fast enough to stay in the top 3 feet—slow-roll with a steady retrieve, occasionally kill it near cover. Heavy head fights the wind and keeps the bait tracking.
- Backup: If the shallow bite dies after 30 minutes or the wind becomes unmanageable, switch to a 1/2oz deep crankbait (shad or chartreuse/blue) off the first breakline dropping from 8 to 15 feet. Work that deeper edge with a medium-paced retrieve, bumping bottom.
- First verification: Cast the chatterbait into the wind-blown bank’s pockets and around any visible laydowns or rock. If you don’t get a blow-up or a follow in 20 minutes, slide 200 yards down the bank and repeat.
BEST WINDOW
6 AM to 9 AM. The hourly forecast shows wind under 5 mph from 6-9 AM, air temps rising from 34 to 55°F. That low-wind window lets you fish the chatterbait effectively before the heavy wind (23 mph) sets in after 9 AM. The full moon (solunar 4/5) also pushes fish shallow at dawn.
NEXT MOVE
If the chatterbait bite dies by 8:30 AM or you catch nothing after covering a half-mile of wind-blown bank: slide offshore to the main-lake humps in the south basin (7-12 feet deep) with a 1/2oz football jig (plum or green pumpkin) or a 10-inch worm (plum). Fish slow, dragging and pausing. The fish will drop to deeper, stable water as wind and pressure rise.