It seems every time I get a day off and a chance to go fishing these days, the wind blows a gale. I mean, I can’t catch a break folks! I had plans for last Sunday, but no… I woke up to nice and sunny, but the pine trees are practicing yoga. It wasn’t just white capping; it looked like a deleted scene from the movie “A Perfect Storm.” I half-expected to see Wahlberg drift by.

I would give a fishing report right now, but let’s be honest, the water is so muddy I saw a squirrel trying to bury an acorn near the I-20 bridge. I mean, he walked out into the middle of the lake and started digging. The catfish he scratched was none too happy about the situation. He had his bags packed and was heading to better environments, probably Florida like everyone else. I hear Miami is big with its kind.

Crappie fishing right now is pretty good. From what I hear from my buddy, Richard Malcom, his clients are catching some big slabs right now. Of course, it’s on livescope and, of course, I know that’s just like cheating. Save the mad emails and mock outrage for the next beer commercial. But, the jonquils have bloomed, and the water temp is rising into the 60s so you know they are scattered out on both sides of the spawn.

Bass fishing is hit or miss. On both lakes it can take over 20 pounds to win a tournament right now, or you can hit 13 pounds and walk away a winner. Spinner baits, DT6s, crank baits, chatterbaits, and livescoping jerk baits are all producing — from docks and rocks to laydowns and dropoffs. The fish are moving and are spawning in some cases. You just better cover some water and hunt them down. As fish move on to spawn one of my favorite tactics is a weighted wacky rig. If you aren’t familiar with this then know I peg a small bead weight (1/16 ounces) made by Epic Tungsten on top of my wacky rig hook. This causes the bait to drop straight down, and lets you keep it in place easier.

Striper/hybrids are being caught, to the best of my knowledge, in Richland Creek and into the main lake when it clears up. If you find a mud line, fish it. I know guys like Kevin Wahl are having good success trolling mini-Macks and umbrella rigs. I hear Jason Duncan has caught some on live bait. To the best of my knowledge, Doug Nelms’ Derby has not had a big striper weighed in yet. By that I mean one over 15 pounds, but I could be wrong. Last year there were two I believe over 20 pounds. I expect that if the water clears a little and the temps stabilize things will change quick for the anglers.

White bass. Now on this one I have a question for you folks: Have any of you been hunting white bass this year yet? This used to be a huge thing around this time of year. The white bass would run up the Oconee River and people would flock there to chase these fish in some of the best fishing action our area has to offer. I’ve always liked to throw small fluke style baits and small jerk baits. Maybe a ¼ ounce rat-l-trap.

In other news, the turkeys are gobbling. I have even seen two out strutting lately. The dogwoods are starting to bud nicely, and I expect the people at Augusta National are working overtime to make sure nothing blooms before the tournament right now. Spring is such a beautiful time of year around here. So, get out there and enjoy it!

Tight lines and following seas y’all!

—Outdoors columnist James Pressley can be reached at jameskpressley@gmail.com