Rating: Good

Mittry Lake can be a bit frustrating at times, especially for bass fishermen; the bass are sometimes finicky, and it can be challenging to bring any in on some days. Other days, the bite can be wide open. Changing weather, including wind, often brings on the bite. There are plenty of bass in the lake, with a few in the eight to 10-pound range, and occasionally larger. The department’s 2018 fall survey caught good numbers of bass of all sizes indicating there should be plenty of bass for anglers to catch now and small bass that should provide good fishing for anglers in the future.  Several very large bass were sampled, including one fish that measured 23.5 inches and 8 pounds! Bass should be active and in shallow water during this period. The most successful anglers will start fishing at the crack of dawn with top-water lures, then move to reaction baits, like crankbaits or spinnerbaits, then fish deeper and slower with plastics such as drop shot rigs as the morning progresses.

There is also a very healthy population of catfish in Mittry Lake. Channel catfish are the most numerous, but there are also a number of flathead catfish, which can reach weights of 30 to 40 pounds here, perhaps even larger. Flatheads prefer live bait such as sunfish or small common carp and fishing is best at night when the water temperature is more than 70 degrees. Channel catfish are widespread throughout the lake, and will bite on nightcrawlers, hot dogs, chicken liver or prepared stinkbaits. They are occasionally caught by bass fishermen on plastics, spinners and crankbaits. They can be caught year-round, but nighttime fishing during the summer is probably the most effective.

Sunfish species are abundant in Mittry Lake. Bluegill and redear can be caught around structure such as docks, vegetation, or artificial structure using mealworms, nightcrawlers, or small crappie jigs.