If you go to Wheeler Dam - cross your fingers the dang buzzards don't eat the rubber seal off from around your windshield! They destroyed a truck owned by a friend of mine...

Ill be trying this next month. Looking forward to it. Ill let yall know how it goes.

the buzzards are tough. scratched my truck hood and top. looked like all my ex"s took turns with a hand full of keys.

Lonster's advice is spot-on.

If you don't want windshield-eating buzzards attacking your car, you could park at Fisherman's Resort and motor out to the lake.

Good luck, gents.

Thanks for all the great info!

But I gotta say that fishing for bass with live bait has always seemed to me like something similar to shooting a turkey out of a tree.

No doubt that it works, but something just doesn't feel right about it for me. And I've always disliked fishing in a tailrace, or off a pier, or anywhere I am crowded in with a bunch of other fishermen. Plus, I would have no idea of how to go about catching shad.

So instead, our plan is to run way up one of the creeks and bounce a shaky head worm off the rocks. Think that will catch one? Or maybe fish rocky points or banks in the river, if such places exist up there. I can catch spots and red eye without resorting to minners; I'm thinking those smallmouth can't be that different. But maybe we are in for a rude awakening.

So how would I get some shad if it comes down to either that or go home skunked?

Your plan of finesse fishing up the creeks is usually good for at least a few fish. They might not be trophy sized, but you have a very good chance at catching largemouth, smallmouth, spots, and rock bass following that plan. If you want a chance at some big smallies, find the schooling fish and throw a shad imitating swimbait, jerkbait, crankbait, etc. You don't have to use live bait to catch them in the tailrace, you can fish the current edges and seams with artificials and catch them too. You can catch all the threadfin shad you want with a throw net or even a long handled bait dip net around the dam walls, rocks, etc. There are millions of them in the tailrace area. I should add this since someone seeing this thread might decide to come up and fish Wilson or Pickwick and not have any experience fishing around hydroelectric dams: Please use caution fishing the tailrace area. Life jackets are required by law when within 800 feet of the dam. Both Wheeler and Wilson Dams are massive and create huge amounts of current and undertow, and both also have scattered boulders in the tailrace area.

Can’t speak to what they will like on the lakes you’re going to PCP but down here on the Broad River, white flukes/swim baits, Rapala cranks or jerks that resemble a shad, and in-line spinners (silver blade with white skirt) will catch them. Finding eddies and rips between rocks tends to be the best places to hook em, with logs and feeder creeks being a close second. Not sure if that will translate to where you’re going but once you hook the first one with some size to it I think you’ll be glad you chose to chase them.

Thanks again for the info. Cibola, the dangers involved in a tailrace I've never seen before also make me wanna look for a safer way to fish. We will try the other way first, and try to get in the tailrace as a last resort.

Headed to get in line to fish Lay Lake this morning.

How did your trip go?

We are planning to go to Wilson and fish Wednesday and Thursday. We set the date last week and now it looks like a hurricane is gonna center the place while we are trying to fish. Maybe it will run the buzzards away at least.