Fishing was surprisingly good at Jackson Lake this past Tuesday. I never expect to catch fish on a cold day with high winds and high pressure, especially after unseasonably warm days like we had last weekend. But I had to go to get information for a March Georgia Outdoor News article, no matter what the weather.

I met Anthony Shy, a local bass fisherman, at Martin’s Marina at 11:00 AM. He said the fish were biting better during the middle of the day and after lunch, so there was no reason for us to fact the cold early that morning.

The first place we stopped he caught a keeper largemouth on a Shadrap and I hooked something that took off like a bullet and broke my line. I threw a Fat Free Fry crankbait up on a shallow point and cranked it down. Something thumped it and when I set the hook it made my line sing as it cut through the water - for about 3 seconds before it popped. The fish had to be a big hybrid or striper.

We fished windblown rocky points leading into shallow coves and I netted a total of five fish for Anthony that day. Most hit Fat Free Fry crankbaits in chartreuse. The five he caught included two spotted bass between 3 and 3.5 pounds each, a two pound spot and another keeper spot as well as the first largemouth. I did not have another bite after losing my plug.

If you go to Jackson, crank a deep running plug slowly on rocky points and banks. If there is some wind on the points they are even better. Water temperature ranged from 49 to 54 degrees, not bad for this time of year. Spotted bass will feed better in cold weather and after a cold front, I think, so any lake with a good population of them is a better choice this time of year.