Wilson Reservoir: Channel Cat - You might try shad side and gizzards if you want some cold water catfish. Cut bait often works this time of year in the back of Hell Creek and in the horseshoe Bend area. Crappie - They will be in deepr brushpiles so try jigs in those areas to find any concentration of crappie. The deep water brushpiles off the steep rocky bluffs often produce crappie in late winter and early spring.
Stripers - I would be throwing some big slab spoons or bucktail jigs now in deeper water structure. We have caught stripers EVERYWHERE in our fall netting - lots of 3 to 6 pounders. They also often take cut bait fished on the bottom at this time of the year.
Walleye - Slab spoons will work now - or big jigs with plastic bodies in chartruese and orange. I would guess that they will be deeper now along the edges of the creek and river channels. A good percentage of walleye are legal size so you should not catch as many little ones this winter. The lake is open and boat ramp access is wide open right now.
White Bass - Slab spoons will be working now and the whites will be in with the other fish around the brushpiles and along the river or creek channels. We were seeing a few really nice white bass in the nets but not big numbers by any means.
Black Bass - It will be spring before the bass awaken and really get going again!
White Perch - You should be able to catch them on small slab spoons, small white jigs, and tailspinners off the points and on the traditional fall and winter spots - near the brushpiles and along the edges of the creek and river channels. Continue to keep all you catch and remember - IT IS NOW ILLEGAL TO HAVE A WHITE PERCH ALIVE IN YOUR POSSESSION - IF YOU CATCH IT AND WANT TO KEEP IT - IT HAS TO BE DEAD IN A COOLER OR LIVEWELL. THEY ARE NO LONGER LEGAL AS LIVE BAIT FOR STRIPERS OR OTHER FISH!!!!!
The lake level is now about conservation. The COE has been dropping the water and the outflow is now 100 cfs . There will be some fishing now in the outlet area as the moving water has brought fish up the river. All the lake boat ramps are open now and might stay that way - we hope.