There is no doubt the fall bite is on its way, as bait balls and chasing are prevalent all over the lake. As always in the fall the bait s everywhere and we are seeing some second spawn fish right now; this is never a big spawn in the fall, but we caught a few fish with bloody tails and see them on some deeper bedding areas.
We are fishing with many moving baits. SPRO jerk baits, Duckett spinner baits, Missile Bait DBombs and Tight-Line swim jigs most of the time. There are a few exceptions, but these are the key baits. The grass is dying off either from spraying or weather in many places making it a little easier to move some faster baits.
Fall A-rig Fishing
A bait that has proven very effective in the fall over the past several years is commonly known as the Alabama Rig (A-Rig.) As the baitfish schools up and chasing becomes more the norm in the fall the A-Rig has become a very effective fall bait. Although there is lots of floating grass and thick grass as the bait moves to the mouths of the creeks the A-rig has become extremely effective. It’s also a bait that has changed over time as many versions of the A-Rig are now on the market allowing you to purchase lighter versions so you’re not sinking directly into the grass, allowing it to be fished over and around grass!
Even though for me the A-rig has not been as common on my boat as other baits, this has been my own choosing not to fish it as much because of the danger of all the hooks in the boat with customers. I also think that the different manufacturers of the A-rig are starting to create different versions of it so the bait can be fished at different depths with more flash and for a variety of fish species. Many of the manufacturers have taken weight out of the bait and reduced the size of the wire and added willow leaf blades for flash, to improve presentation.
The other change is that the A-rig is being fished in more types of cover and at different depths than the original use presented. Anglers have found that the bass have not moved to the bridges as they did in past years. I believe this is a by-product of the rig beating up the fish and changing some of their normal migration paths. Allowing anglers to move to creeks, shallow water, points and river ledge areas to find the fish that will hit it. The good news is that as the migration path changed the A-rig manufacturers were ahead of the curve and did many of the things stated above to allow the bait to take on more water other than the 20 to 30 ft. drops we all fished in past years. The thing that hasn’t changed on the A-rig is it is a bulky bait and most average and older fisherman are physically challenged to fish with it!
Come fish with me I am booking for the fall and would love to take you fishing call today 256 759 2270. We fish with great sponsor products Mercury Motors, Ranger Boats, Boat Logix Mounts, Toyota Trucks, Cornfield Fishing Gear, Costa, Duckett Fishing, Dawson Boat Center, Vicious Fishing, Power Pole, and more!
GOOD. Water clear; 85 degrees; 2.30 feet below pool. Crappie continue to be good in 15-25 feet on minnows and jigs. Report by The Bait Shop, Post, Texas. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
FAIR. Water stained; 91 degrees; 68.42 feet below pool. Black bass are fair on main lake points, sheer bluffs, chunk rock ledges in 15-25 feet are holding better fish. Weightless senkos, wacky rigs, weightless flukes, suspending jerkbaits on light fluorocarbons are giving you the best results. White bass are fair on deep water ledges around bait balls and birds in 30-50 feet up the Rio Grande. Jigging spoons, white bass rigs, Alabama rigs are getting the best results. Stripers are slow. Tight lines and have a Safe Labor Day Weekend! Report by Captain Raul Cordero, Far West Guide Service. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
GOOD. Water stained; 88 degrees; 5.79 feet below pool. Summer fishing patterns are steady. Bass are fair on points, or off docks where bass are seeking out that secondary cover. Catfish are excellent on shallow rocks with cut bait on a bobber. Crappie are biting on brush piles with jigs and minnows. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
GOOD. Water lightly stained; 88 degrees; 5.52 feet below pool. Summer pattern is still in full swing. Catfish are scattered out in open water flats and drop-offs. Drifting with fresh cut shad works best. Crappie can be caught over brush piles and the oil derricks. Report by Brandon Brown, Brown’s Guide Service. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
SLOW. Water normal stain; 87 degrees; 0.18 feet below pool. Bass are fair on jigs and artificial worms. Fish are scattered on deep grass edges out to 12 feet. Schooling bass are active but scattered as well. White flukes and small swimbaits have been catching these fish. Crappie are slow over brush out to 25 feet. Small jigs and minnows are catching fish early and late. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
SLOW. Water stained; 85 degrees; 0.69 feet below pool. Lake Austin has been good. Best at night, flipping docks with big creature baits and big worms but some good ones in the day as well, mostly early. Docks then as well, but rocky walls and along thick vegetation throwing jigs and Texas-rigged plastics are working well. Report by Bryan Cotter, Texas Hawgs. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
FAIR. Water stain; 85 degrees; 0.55 feet below pool. Water is being released into the lake from Sam Rayburn Reservoir. Mayflies are hatching, so expect some topwater bass action. Bass are fair on soft plastics in the cuts, or with frogs over grass. Crappie are fair with jigs in flooded timber. Catfish are fair on juglines. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
GOOD. Water stained; 90 degrees. Schooling bass are good early in the discharge and several places throughout the lake later on using small swimbaits with belly weighted hooks and tiny straight tail swimbaits on round head jig heads There are some good ones deep as well. Humps and deeper ledges using Carolina rigged finesse worms, flukes, and small creature baits. Report by Bryan Cotter, Texas Hawgs. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
SLOW. Water stained; 89 degrees; 0.65 feet below pool. A definite late summer trend has developed as we go into Labor Day weekend. Quality white bass are typically caught in a fairly short morning window from 6:45-7:50 a.m., then again in the evening from around 6:45 p.m until dark. Outside of these windows, short fish under 10 inches have been the rule. During these productive windows, I have been finding concentrations of fish via downrigging with #13 Pet Spoons behind 3-armed umbrella rigs, then, once fish are found, Spot-Locking atop them and fishing both vertically and horizontally with MAL Minis and MAL Originals chosen to match the bait size. Some morning topwater is occurring, but it is far from consistent. If you do not have a splasher, this is the season where they are most helpful, I strongly suggest mounting one. A splasher is very helpful in drawing these fish in toward the boat and keeping them there. Otherwise, you will catch a few, the school will depart, and your search for fish starts all over again. Work MAL Minis vertically or horizontally on long spinning rods with very full spools of light braided line to help with sink rate and casting distance. Report by Bob Maindelle, Holding the Line Guide Service. Catfish are excellent. Shallow water continues to be productive for nights and early mornings. Smaller blue catfish and trophy size catfish can be caught in 10 feet or less using live bait as well as fresh cut bait. As the sun rises drifting deeper water along river channels has been great. Flatheads have been caught near rock piles with live perch or shad. Channel catfish have been great in shallow water around timber using punch bait. Report by Brian Worley, B&S Catfishing. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
GOOD. Water stained; 80 degrees; 2.80 feet below pool. Crappie are good in 18-20 feet of water using live minnows. Largemouth bass and smallmouth bass are good using Texas rigged worms in the stumps. Catfish and bluegill are good from the bank with worms, and stink bait. Sand bass are schooling near the dam hitting spinnerbaits. Report by Benbrook Marina. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
GOOD. Water slightly stained; 93 degrees; 0.29 feet below pool. Summer fishing patterns are holding steady. Big blue catfish 15 feet or less. Channel catfish are fair in 15-20 feet of water on baited holes with stink bait. Crappie are good in 30 feet of water, or suspended in 15 feet of water with minnows. White bass are good at night in the lights with a white spinnerbaits. A few catches of white bass while targeting crappie with a crappie jig and white curly tailed jig. Report by Joey Crews, Lake Bob Sandlin Chubby Chaser Guide Service. Black bass are feeding early on shad patterns around grass and retaining walls. Main lake points are good for bass using clouser type patterns. Bream are plentiful with wooly buggers and small worm patterns. Report by Guide Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork Guide Service. Bass are good on points in 18-22 feet of water using deep water baits like deep diving crankbaits, dropshots and Texas rigs. Night fishing has the best bite and is an escape from the heat and recreational boaters. Sand bass and black bass schooling together near the dam, and bridges. Report by Mike Stroman, R & R Marine. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
stained; 85 degrees; 1.64 feet below pool. Bass are very slow early morning. The offshore bite is best midday with Carolina rigs, dropshots, Texas rigs and football jigs on structures such as brush pikes and pond dams in 15-24 feet. Report by Marc Mitchell, Lake Fork Guide Service. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
SLOW. Water stained; 85 degrees; 12.47 feet below pool. Black bass are slow with a few being caught late afternoon before dark around deeper rocky shorelines using senkos and slow rolling spinnerbaits. Catfish are slow with a few caught late afternoon into the night on cut bait. Crappie and white bass are slow. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
GOOD. Water stained, 97 degrees. Redfish are fair from the bank using live bait and shrimp also trolling gold or silver spoons 17-21 feet around the dam area. Channel catfish are fair around rock lines on cheese bait bass are slow. Report by Harry Lamb, Alamo Texas Fishing. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
GOOD. Water normal stained; 85 degrees; 11.11 feet below pool. Lake Bridgeport is hovering around ten feet low. Water clarity is good with water temperatures in the mid 80s. All ramps are open. Crappie continue to be good on minnows and jigs. Best areas have been offshore brush piles, docks and the 380 bridge. Largemouth bass have been tough though occasional big fish are being caught. Start with topwaters early and back off to deep cover as the sun warms, with deep diving cranks and slow moving soft plastics. Hybrids and sand bass are moving quickly around the lake. Look around deep structures to see if they come through. Chartreuse slabs will put them in the boat. Also, keep an eye out for surfacing fish early and late. Report by Keith Bunch, Lake Bridgeport Guide Service. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
GOOD. Water stained; 89 degrees; 3.96 feet below pool. Black bass catches up to 6.74 pounds are fair on Hag’s F8 tornados in watermelon/red flake on the ledges and brush piles in 12-18 feet with shaky heads and on crankbaits off the rocks in 6-12 feet around the mid lake to upper end early and late. Crappie are slow around docks with brush on minnows in 15-18 feet. White bass are slow on crappie jigs, or trolling crankbaits. There is some schooling action all over the lake but fish are not staying up long. Catfish are fair with catches between 5-10 pounds on prepared bait at baited holes or drifting cut baits on the main lake flats. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
SLOW. Water stained; 87 degrees. Bass are biting good midday, also right before dark while the sun is going down. Have caught them good lately on a jig off rock, and throwing moving baits in shallower areas. Darker colors have been working best.Report by the Aggie Anglers.
FAIR. Water normal stain; 88 degrees; 12.11 feet below pool. Live bait has produced a few striped bass over the week, but is still the slower technique. There are still a few schools that come up in the mornings, but it is short lived and done. Trolling with white, yellow and chartreuse �½ ounce jigs and trailers is producing stripers in 8-17 feet of water. The fish are moving fast so being in the right place at the right time will produce good results. Just remember if you are trolling the topwater fish stay on the outside of the boiling fish as that is where the trolling bite is, if you drive through the middle of them it has been sending the fish down Report by Travis Holland, TH Fishing. Striped bass bite is fair as then topwater action has slowed down. Trolling bite is slow for striped bass and white bass on ledges and main lake points in 25-35 feet of water. Catfish are good on rock piles and trees in the creek channels in 25-30 feet of water using live or cut shad or punch bait. Largemouth bass are slow to fair, but can be caught off main lake points or ledges, and shallow rock piles in 8-12 feet of water. Topwater bites over scattered brush in 5-12 feet of water. Report by Captain Aaron Dick, One Up Fishing Guide Service. Crappie are good on timber 20 feet of water. Catfish are good in 20-35 feet of water on punch bait. Report by Jess Rotherham, Texas Crappie Fishing Service. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
GOOD. Water stained; 80 degrees; 0.06 feet above pool. Never thought I would say this about Caddo this year after all the rain we had in the spring, but we need some rain. Lake is falling quickly now and the bite has slowed down some but there are still some big ones being caught on topwater lures early. River fish are still setting up decently and can be caught on june bug colored Texas rigs, dropshots and shaky heads in your cuts and curves of the river plus along the grass pad lines. Looks like some lower temperatures and chance of rain is on the forecast, so maybe the bite will pick back up some. If you are new to Caddo just put in on the river and have a fluke, pop r or Texas rig tied on and just cover the grass line on edge and you should get bit. Lake is setting up nice and is always a beautiful and majestic trip out here to see and fish this majestic lake that God spoke into existence. Report provided by Vince Richards, Caddo Lake Fishing & Fellowship. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
GOOD. Water slightly stained, 92 degrees. The fish kill is over and the oxygen level is back up along the bank line. Redfish are being caught from Jet Ski Cove to Spider Island on live bait also being caught trolling on gold and silver spoons and some plastics from the dam to 181 cove 15-19 feet. Blue catfish are being caught out in the mouth of 181 cove on cut bait channel cats are being caught around weed lines on cheese bait bass are slow Report by Harry Lamb, Alamo Texas Fishing. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
GOOD. Water normal stain; 85 degrees; 24.01 feet below pool. Water clarity is a normal stain on the main lake, and stained up the river. Bass are on grass edges in 15 feet of water being caught on a dropshot. Report by Evan Coleman, Big Bassin Fishing. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
EXCELLENT. slightly stained; 90 degrees; 1.32 feet below pool. Now that the hot weather has consistently set in, the fishing is consistently excellent. Some days are just amazing but others are just very good with big numbers of white bass being caught and hybrids are generally mixed in. If you find a pattern right now stick with it and continue to fish the same techniques. Hybrids and white bass are good early in the morning at daylight on midlake points and drop-offs along sandy flats throughout the dam area, Crappie Island, Key Ranch and the spillway humps in 13-19 feet. Cast spinners and slabs and look for schooling fish on these flats as well as deeper seawalls and shorelines. Then fish any hump in 17-25 feet throughout the lake to find fish stacked up in schools as the day heats up. Use spinnerbaits or drop a slab down to the bottom and work it fast up and down and the fish will hit it immediately. Also throwing out a slab and reeling it back with a slow retrieve is also working well. The evening bite from 5-9 p.m has also been very good. Hit up seawalls close to points in depths of 5-18 feet and cast rattle traps, spoons, slabs or sassy shads to get the hybrids to bite. The crappie bite has been getting better. Target crappie with small jigs and minnows in 5-12 feet under bridge pylons, hidden brush piles throughout the lake or under docks. Limits are being reported, although guides have been reporting conditions are improving with bigger sized fish being caught. Report by Brent Herbeck, Herbeck’s Lonestar Fishing Guide Service. Catfish are good drifting cut drum, gizzard shad or carp. Producing catches in the 10-30 pound range. The humps in 16-24 feet are still best for numbers. Report by Jason Barber, Kings Creek Adventures. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
FAIR. Water stained; 86 degrees; 30.70 feet below pool. Few anglers on the water due to the heat and low water levels. Bass are fair early in the morning or late in the afternoon on long extended points with watermelon colored soft plastic worms and flukes. Bass are chasing shad. Catfish are in 15-30 feet of water. Crappie are biting in brush piles in 20-30 feet of water on minnows or chartreuse and black grub. White bass are schooling early in the morning on long points near the dam. Report by Scott Springer, Fish Choke Canyon Lake. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
GOOD. Water normal stain; 83 degrees; 13.93 feet below pool. Channel catfish are good, with a few catches of flathead catfish. Bass up to 5 pounds have been caught. Crappie are slow. Lake is turning over and there is low clarity. Report by Lake Cisco Rentals. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
SLOW. Water stained; 85 degrees; 3.98 feet below pool. Largemouth bass are biting topwaters in the morning. Later in the day target standing timber with finesse baits. Crappie are good in Rattlesnake Cove. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
GOOD. Water stained; 94 degrees; 0.29 feet below pool. Water temp 91 degrees in the morning to 97 degrees in the afternoon. Catfish are good on baited holes and ledges near structure and shallow at night. Bass shallow early and chasing schools of bait after sun rises. Report by Brad Doyle with Bradley’s Guide Service. Crappie are hit-or-miss in 13-21 feet. Hair jigs are producing better than plastics.
GOOD. Water stained; 83 degrees: 2.00 feet below pool. Catfish are excellent in a post spawn phase hanging out in 2-13 feet of water on timber. Hybrids and sand bass are good schooling on main lake humps and points, and in the river feeding under balls of shad. Fish can be caught on spoons or slabs. Crappie are good on main lake brush piles, or in 4-18 feet of water on timber. Fish are not schooled up, so hit several trees for a mess of crappie. Minnows are out fishing jigs. Report by River Bottom Boys. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
GOOD: Water stained; 94 degrees; 0.41 feet below pool. Summer fishing patterns are consistent with an excellent bite. Channel catfish are excellent in 15-20 feet of water with stink bait. Crappie are excellent in 20-25 feet of water on brush piles with minnows. Report by Joey Crews, Lake Bob Sandlin Chubby Chaser Guide Service. Bass are good on deep water points and boat docks with deep jigs, diving crankbaits, dropshots and Texas rigs. Schooling activity has picked up on main lake points. Night fishing has the best bite and is an escape from the heat and recreational boaters. Report by Mike Stroman, R & R Marine. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
GOOD. Water normal stain; 86 degrees; 4.41 feet below pool. White bass are good on main lake structures with slabs with teaser flies. Crappie are fair to good on brush piles and main lake structure on jigs with white color combinations. Blue catfish and channel catfish are good on punch bait. Report provided by Chad Ferguson of North Texas Catfish Guide Service. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
GOOD. Water stained; 85 degrees; 47.66 feet below pool. Trophy catfish are slow but can be caught late in the afternoon with fresh cut bait. Channel catfish are excellent in 5-10 feet of water with shrimp, or in 3 feet of water on a cork rig. Alligator gar are good for bow anglers, or with rod and reel with a 3/o or 4/o with cut carp or tilapia. Bass are good in 8-20 feet of water on hard bottoms with plastic worms and crankbaits. Crappie are slow. Report by Ram Reyes, Ram Outdoors. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
SLOW. Water normal stain; 95 degrees. Only consistent fishing is perch. Early morning is the most comfortable to fish before the hot Texas heat. Bass are slow suspended in deep water. Thermocline is settled in at 12-25 feet of water. Report by Mark Fransen, Fransen’s Guide Service. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
GOOD. Water Stained; 81 degrees; 1.17 feet below pool. The early morning bass bite has been slow, but a few can be caught on windy points with spook type baits and chatterbaits in 2-5 feet. Offshore bite is best in 12-25 feet on humps, roadbeds, long points with flukes, and dingers. Deep crankbaits are still good over deep channel swings and brush piles in 20-25 feet. Report by Marc Mitchell, Lake Fork Guide Service. August brings in hot temperatures. Bass are feeding in 10-12 feet where the thermocline is not present. Look for schooling bass in the open water and creeks as shad hatch is in full swing. Also, check out the brush piles as big bass are using them to feed on crappie. Bream are excellent in the shallows, wooly buggers and small poppers should bring a strike. Report by Guide Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork Guide Service. Crappie fishing on Lake Fork has continued to be excellent. We are seeing some big white crappie on timber in 18-28 feet along creek channels. Covering water and finding the areas holding lots of fish are the ticket. Lots of single fish on pole timber and some trees may have several fish in the branches. Brush piles, bridges and lay downs have been slow the last few weeks. For the best bite try to find a structure that has not experienced a lot of fishing pressure. Minnows are working well, but some anglers are having success with hand tied jigs and soft plastics. The catfish bite is absolutely on fire on Lake Fork. We still have loads of fish in shallow trees around roosting birds. I’m also seeing a big migration of catfish moving into the 18-28 feet range along creek channels. Catfish may be following bait fish just like other fish will do as we head into the fall months. Baiting holes with cattle cubes or sour grains will hold fish to your area. Use any preferred catfish bait to load the boat once you get the fish stacked up. You can catch 100 fish in just a few hours right now. Report by Jacky Wiggins, Jacky Wiggins Guide Service. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
GOOD. Water stained; 85 degrees; 8.06 feet below pool. Hybrid stripers are fair to good. White bass can be caught trolling with crankbaits or live shad. Largemouth bass are good on topwaters along the rocks. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
SLOW. Water stained: 85 degrees; 7.80 feet below pool. Slight improvement to the bite after the recent rains. Sand bass are hit-or-miss in the evenings. Bass are slow in the evenings with catches up to 2 pounds. Carp and gar can be caught up stream. Black drum can be caught in the stilling basin. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
SLOW. Water stained; 95 degrees; 3.61 feet below pool. Bass fishing is tough. Bass are out on deep brush. Crappie fishing is good out in 15 feet deep brush. Sand bass and hybrids are schooling out on the main lake. Catfish are slow biting on cut shad out in deeper water. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
GOOD. Water stained; 90 degrees; 1.12 feet below pool. Lake Granbury water level is falling, so watch for submerged obstructions. We could use a good rain to cool things off and to bring the lake back up. Thermocline is still present around 20 feet down on the lower ends. Striped bass on Granbury are slow to fair with catches up to 10 pounds on trolled Alabama rigs and live bait fished from Striper Alley to the Dam. White bass are fair to good on trolled baits and slabs from in town by the Shores to Indian Harbor in 10-15 feet of water. Some sand bass are chasing bait in open water. Largemouth bass are fair to good on deep diving crankbaits and soft plastics worked near humps and ridges off of creek channels. Some good topwater reported in major creek entrances and main lake points. Crappie fishing is good on small minnows and jigs fished off of standing timber from near Waters Edge to Decordova Bend Subdivision. Catfish are active on many areas of the lake. Best catfish action is reported late evening or night on cut shad and prepared baits. Look for flats and humps off the main channel about 15 feet deep. See you on the water! Report by Michael Acosta, Unfair Advantage Charters. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
GOOD. Water lightly stained; 85 degrees; 0.74 feet above pool. Black bass are good to 5 pounds on worms and crankbaits fished up river and around main lake cover. Crappie are good on jigs and minnows fished over cover in 6-12 feet of water. White bass are all over the lake but most are small and undersized. Blue catfish are good on jug lines baited with shad. Yellow catfish are fair on trotlines. Report by Tommy Tidwell, Tommy Tidwell’s Granger Lake Guide Service. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
FAIR. Water normal stain; 85 degrees; 0.25 feet below pool. Rain showers in the forecast heading into the weekend that may cool the water temperature improving the bite. White bass are fair on humps in 24 feet of water with slabs and jigs or trolling with pet spoons. Use double rigs to increase the chances of bites. Fish are moving fast so you will have to frequently be on the move. Report by Omar Cotter, Luck O’the Irish Fishing Guide Service. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
GOOD. Water normal stain; 80 degrees; 49.15 feet below pool. Crappie are in standing timber. Sand bass are good. Catfish are good on minnows and worms. Largemouth bass are good. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
GOOD. Water slightly stained. 80 degrees. Bass are good with clousers around edges of grass during the day. Bead heads will tempt bream and bass. Bream will be on beds and easy to spot, remember they can see you too. Report by Guide Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork Guide Service. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
SLOW. Water stained; 85 degrees; 0.15 feet below pool. Fishing patterns are consistent. Sunfish are good. Crappie are slow on minnows and jigs. Bass are slow midday, with the best bite in the morning. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
SLOW. Water Stained; 85 degrees; 14.04 feet below pool. Bass are slow with the best bite around the north end of the dam on rocks of the overflow, and in Game Warden Cove in 4-11 feet of water on trees near the rocky shoreline. Smaller fish are biting topwaters, and bigger fish were caught on square bill crankbaits for jerkbaits for schooling bass. Blue catfish can be caught on juglines with live bait or cut carp. White bass are schooling throughout the day. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
SLOW. Water normal stain; 92 degrees; 0.13 feet below pool. Bass bite continues to be tough, some schoolers caught on topwater and swimbaits. The few we have been catching are on finesse worms and weightless worms on brush in 10-16 feet. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
SLOW. Water slightly stained; 88 degrees; 0.05 feet above pool. White bass are starting to pop up more here and there. Bass can be caught at night dragging a big 10 inch worm. Crappie can be caught on deep brush with minnows. Report by Gilbert Miller, GTB Outdoors. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
GOOD. Water stained; 90 degrees; 0.29 feet below pool. Solid summer pattern is holding steady for the bass. Bass are good with schooling activity starting to pick up. Follow the shad to find the bass. There is still some bass in the bushes along the banks pitching Texas rigged worms and jigs, or wacky rigs. Bass are good on brush piles on points on the south end of the lake in 15-25 feet of water with deep running crankbaits, jigs, wacky worms and Texas rigs. The north end of the lake is producing catches in the grass and bushes. Report by Mike Stroman, R & R Marine. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
GOOD. Water lightly stained; 80 degrees; 1.59 feet below pool. Fishing patterns are holding steady. The thermocline has settled in at approximately 27 feet give or take 4 feet depending on where you are on the lake. Fish will not be deeper as there is no oxygen below the thermocline. Crappie are great with 1/32-1/8 ounce jigs or minnows on laydowns in 9-18 feet of water and any kind of hard structure, and brush piles in 15 feet of water. There is no golden depth, but 10 foot laydowns or brush piles hold mostly keepers, not too many babies. Black bass are in 3-20 feet of water biting white and chartreuse spinnerbaits early in the morning. About an hour or two after sunlight when the bite ends, switch to a 3-6 foot diver then gradually go to a 12-15 foot diver as the sun rises higher around 10 a.m. On days bass do not react to a reaction bait, such as a crankbait, slow down your approach with a Carolina rig or Texas rig to entice a bite. There is still some submerged brush on main points and secondary points that are holding fish early morning till the drop back out 10-20 feet. Target rocks along banks, boat ramps, floating and submerged tire reefs, and rock piles. White bass are very good, but everyday is different. One day they are over here, the next day they are on the other side of the lake. Look for fish to be popping up near the dam or Mallard Park railroad track area early in the morning. If they do not pop up by 7:30 a.m., hit the main lake points and ledges in 15-20 feet with topwater plugs and swimbaits for surfacing fish, or a 1 ounce white slab for when fish are related to the bottom. Lately we’ve been seeing them pop up around the dam or Mallard Park railroad track area. Bluegills are super good on structures, such as brush piles mainly, in 15-20 feet with earthworms, wax worms, mealworms on 2-4 pound line. Crickets are catching bigger fish. Do not be surprised if you catch crappies while targeting bluegills. Report by Carey Thorn, White Bass Fishing Texas. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
FAIR. Water stained; 86 degrees; 0.36 feet below pool. Crappie are good in 20 feet of water over brush piles with jigs or minnows. Channel or blue catfish are good on punch bait in 20-25 feet of water over brush piles and creek bed edges. Report by Jess Rotherham, Texas Crappie Fishing Service. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
FAIR. Water stained; 88 degrees; 0.39 feet below pool. White bass are fair to good on humps and points in 10-25 feet of water. There has been some sporadic bird activity in shallow water and mid lake flats. Slabs, jigs, and live bait are working. Keeper sized hybrid stripers are slow. They will be in similar depths as the white bass. If you are keeping fish, please be aware that there are a lot of undersized hybrid stripers in the lake that look very similar to a white bass. Blue catfish are fair on cut shad. Drifting mainlake humps, points, and flats near the river channel have produced in 12-32 feet of water. Channel catfish are good on baited holes on punch bait in 8-25 feet of water. Crappie are fair in 6 to 26 foot of water. Check brush piles and submerged cover close to a drop off ledge. Cover close to drop off ledges has been best. Minnows and jigs are catching those fish. Report by Wes Campbell, BendARod Fishing. Water clarity is about 6-8 inches of visibility. Shad are grouped in small bait balls. Hybrid striped bass and white bass are pursuing the bait balls early and late in the day. Bests bite on live bait and spoons. Largemouth bass and spotted bass are grouping up in 3-6 fish schools chasing bait fish in open water, or sitting around brush piles and natural structure. Best bite has been on a crankbait or dragging a jig. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
GOOD. Water slightly stained; 90 degrees; 1.22 feet below pool. Summer patterns are holding steady. Fresh willow tree piles continue to be the best cover for largemouth and crappie. Thermocline is around 13-15 feet over water. Largemouth bass are good in 3-11 feet of water on Texas rig, Carolina rig, finesse jig, swim jig and at topwater frog if you can find the grass. Catfish and white bass are the same. Crappie are suspended in 8-14 feet of water on brush piles, standing timber and power line pylons on minnows. If you want to attract crappie, fresh willow trees are the best for making brush piles. White bass have been schooling in the back of the creeks. Report by Colan Gonzales, CG’s Just Fishing Guide Service. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
GOOD. slightly stained; 89 degrees; 0.26 feet below pool. Catching a lot of white bass in 8-12 feet of water with white and chartreuse slabs. Report by Michael Richardson, Lake Livingston Adventures. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
GOOD. Water normal stain; 98 degrees; 0.99 feet below pool. Martin Creek is 96 degrees at the boat ramp and 100 degrees plus west of scrapper cut. Bass are fair to good on deep brush piles using redbug worms and 6XD crankbaits. Early and late along the hydrilla with weightless senco’s.
SLOW. Water lightly stained; 80 degrees; 89.36 feet below pool. Few reports and anglers on the water due to limited access and low water level. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
FAIR. Water stained; 83 degrees; 47.62 feet below pool. The stilling basin was recently stocked with catfish and bluegill. The dog days of summer are here again, with no forecast of rain and triple digit heat, watch out for each other and stay hydrated. White bass are excellent on just about anything. Bass are good on minnows and artificials. Catfish are fair to good with crawlers, minnows, chicken liver and frozen shad. Crappie are fair with artificial baits and minnows. Trout are slow, slow and slow on powerbaits, minnows, worms, small spinners, spoons and flies. Walleye are good on minnows, grubs, and other artificial baits. Please be safe out there, watch weather reports. Life vests save lives. Report by Kenneth Wysong, SharKens Honey Hole. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
SLOW. Water stained; 88 degrees; 1.25 feet below pool. Few reports and anglers on the water. The best bite will be early and late in the day. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
GOOD. Water stained; 87 degrees; 0.92 feet below pool. Largemouth bass are good on standing timber and hard spots with a Carolina rig or deep crankbait in 15-20 feet of water. The size of bass are 2-4 pounds on average. Crappie are fair in brush with ⅛ ounce white or chartreuse crappie jigs. Catfish are poor on cut bait and live minnows. Report by Cal Cameron, Cal’s ETX Guide Service. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
GOOD. Water slightly stained; 87 degrees; 1.00 foot below pool. Keep an eye on the thermocline because this tells you the exact depth to present your offering. Even over deep water, do not go below this line. The jerkbait Jr. Plus-1 got the most bites over the weekend. If you find them hugging the bottom in 8-10 feet, dragging a Texas rig Mag-worm can be effective. Crappie population is good. Catfish are slow. Report by Eric Wolfe, NacoTack Fishing Services. Largemouth bass are excellent on Carolina rigs and small paddle tail swimbaits in 8-12 feet of water. Fish might be suspended over 20 feet of water but they are 8-10 feet below the surface. Crappie are excellent with numbers around standing timber. Fish are 10-13 inch stacked up in large groups. Catfish are fair on cut bait and live minnows, especially near the pier. Report by Cal Cameron, Cal’s ETX Guide Service. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
FAIR. Water slightly stained; 88 degrees. 0.47 feet below pool. The bass bite continues to be good on white chatterbaits and spinnerbaits early morning and evening. Midday flipping soft plastics around reed bases in 1-3 feet of water is the ticket to catch shaded up largemouth bass. Crappie were good around boat docks on chartreuse jigs and catfish were fair on cut bait and stink bait around river channel bends. Report provided by the Angelo State Fishing Team. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
SLOW. Water slightly stained; 88 degrees; 0.13 feet above pool. White bass are good on chartreuse slabs. White Bass can be found in the main lake on underwater humps or schooling on the surface in the morning and afternoons. Catfish are good on punch bait and shad in the flooded timber on the west end of the lake. Crappie are good on minnows around brush piles in 15-20 feet of water. Largemouth bass are fair on crawfish jigs near the dam. Report by Clay Major, Major Guide Service. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
GOOD. Water slightly stained; 88 degrees; 32.46 feet below pool. Record high temperatures have got the fish a bit stingy but they’re still biting. Black bass are fair with catches up to 9 pounds on creature baits such as a rage tail Space Monkey or rage bug in Okeechobee Craw colors flipped and thick cover 4-8 feet. Still fish being suspended in bigger trees in 15-25 feet with 10 inch worms in red bug and Plum Apple. Crappie really good on minnows suspended 6-18 feet in trees 20-25 feet. White bass are being caught at night under lights with minnows and shad. Catfish fair on drop lines on cut shad and big blue cat being caught on trotlines upriver on perch and shad. Report by Wendell Ramsey, Ramsey Fishing. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
SLOW. Water lightly stained; 80 degrees; 18.57 feet below pool. Reports of bass over 7 pounds being caught on large plastic worms with large shaky heads. The Untamed Sportsman worms and Xcite on �¾ ounce heads. Swimbaits fished deep have also produced some fish. Crappie reports are improving with anglers catching limits with live bait and Bone Head jigs. Crappie are schooled up on brush piles and trees. Anglers utilizing forward facing sonar are reporting success. Report by Bronte Guns and Tackle Pro Staff. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
SLOW. Water slightly stained; 91 degrees; 0.36 feet below pool. Cooler weather in the forecast, so fish should become more active. Blue and channel catfish may continue through the day on stronger baits, such as shrimp. Some hybrid stripers have been caught by trolling redneck rigs with 2 inch Pet spoons over humps and roads. A large factor has been the thermocline, which continues to be high in the water column, only about 13 feet down, less in shallower water. Report by Jim Beggerly, Jim’s Fishing Lake Palestine. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
GOOD. Water normal stain; 96 degrees; 1.87 feet below pool. Crappie are biting about 3 feet off the bottom and brush piles and tree stumps own live minnows. Sand bass and hybrids are good early morning late evening on minnows or roadrunners. Blue catfish are slow while the water temperature is hot. Report by David Holt, Lake Palo Pinto RV Park and Resort. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
GOOD. slightly stained; 88 degrees. Largemouth bass are excellent with fish varying from2-5 pounds. Bass are in timber suspended over 20 feet about 8 feet below the surface using big swimbaits, small 5 inch white swimbaits, and dropshots. Crappie are fair with fish scattered and very few on brush piles with crappie jigs or live minnows. Catfish are poor with cut bait. Report by Cal Cameron, Cal’s ETX Guide Service. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
GOOD. Water stained; 88 degrees; 1.38 feet below pool. Striper are fair and live bait is putting fish in the boat every trip. Downriggers are very slow at the moment. Any kind of artificial bait is fishing slow at the moment. Look for them in 30-50 feet of water. They are moving fast and not staying in one spot long. Be willing to try multiple spots in a trip. Sand bass are still slow. Look for them in 10-20 feet of water. Use live shad or small slabs and jigs or rattle traps. You may need to cast them to keep from spooking them out of the area. white and silver are good colors. Catfish are fair. Cut shad or your favorite brand of stink bait, also known as punch bait, is producing good numbers of fish in 20-30 feet of water fished on or near the bottom. Water clarity is steady at 6-12 feet of visibility. Report by TJ Ranft, Ranft Guide Service. Bass are scattered on ledges, points, and deep timber hitting crankbaits, Carolina rigs, dropshots. Report by JK Outdoors Bass Fishing Guide. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
SLOW. Water stained; 85 degrees; 4.12 feet below pool. Fishing is slow for all species. Catfish are slow but can be caught from the bank on punch bait, in deep with cut bait, or on jug lines. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
FAIR. Water stained; 83 degrees. There is some rain and cooler temperatures in the forecast to help improve the bite. Crappie are fair on minnows and artificial grubs. Bass are fair on soft plastic artificials. Catfish are fair on worms fished off the bottom. Bluegill are excellent at the boathouse dock on crappie bites and worms. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
GOOD. Water stained; 88 degrees; 1.27 feet below pool. White bass are fair on points and long ridges on the shorelines in 12-17 feet of water. Fish are also in shallow humps 13-16 feet, but they are moving fast. Fish and a horizontal presentation throwing Bo-Blade slabs and slow rolling. Very little early morning schooling on flats. Trolling is also producing white bass 13-16 feet of water. Crappie are fair and relating to brush 24-35 feet deep suspended around 16-20 feet with minnows working best. Crappie are showing up suspended on bridge piles. Catfish are fair around the north end of the lake around timber using cut shad working best in 5-12 feet of water. Report by John Varner, John Varner’s Guide Service. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
GOOD. Water slightly stained; 83 degrees; 0.23 feet below pool. White bass schooling up on top early mornings late afternoons. Crappie are decent in 15-30 feet on brush piles and bridge pillars on minnows and small jigs. Channel catfish bite is great on punch bait 10-20 feet of water. Report by Justin Wilson, Wilson Outdoor Connection. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
FAIR. Water normal stain; 88 degrees; 0.31 feet below pool. Richland Chambers continues to have very few anglers on the lake on any given weekday. It can be difficult to find fish and the summer heat seems to be the primary reason. Those that are fishing have found the action only fair. The lake level is 4 inches below full pool level. A thermocline has set in at around 25 feet on the main lake. White bass fishing is poor as the fish are scattered with very few being found or caught on the main lake. A few reports of white bass being caught on slabs up the Richland and Chambers Creek channels on points and humps in 10-15 feet of water. Hybrid stripers are fair at best early morning in 25 feet of water. Check out the South Shoreline from Fisherman’s Point Marina to Ferguson Point. Live bait and shad are the key to catching the hybrids. Trollers are also catching a few. Blue and channel catfish are good on shad or punch bait in 20-25 feet of water in timber on the Richland Creek Arm of the Lake. Chum with Range Cubes and, or fermented grain. Report by Royce Simmons, Gone Fishin’ Guide Service. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
GOOD. Water stained; 87 degrees; 0.40 feet above pool. Water is off-colored like the lake is trying to turnover. Water is being released. Hydrilla is surfacing and could be a good place to cast for bass. Bass are slow in shallow water in brush with many smaller fish being caught on frogs, and spinnerbaits. Deeper bass bite is fair with Carolina rigs. Crappie are slow moving to and from the brush to timber. Catfish are all over the lake in 20 feet of water and in 12 feet of water in the creek channels. White bass are on points in the south end of the lake near the dam. Report by Captain Lynn Atkinson, Reel Um N Guide Service. Bass are feeling the heat as well. Lake level is fluctuating due to recent rains. Bass are biting on finesse baits, dropshot or jig head minnow or Carolina rig. Mid lake to north lake is the most productive area. Lots of fish schooling on main lake flats and ledges. Falling water creates current so fish congregate and now that the lake is risen again the fish are scattered. Report by Hank Harrison, Double H Precision Fishing. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
FAIR. Water normal stain; 85 degrees; 0.29 feet above pool. Only changes this week are water level, temperature, clarity and white bass bite. Lake is 2 inches above normal, discharge is 90 cfs at the dam. Water temperature is 85 degrees and clarity is now clear. At the Somerville Marina crappie bite is slow, bluegill and catfish are fair. Crappie are fair on jigs and minnow on main lake brush in 8-16 feet of water. Catfish are fair in 3-10 feet of water with cut shad or punch bait. White bass are fair trolling with various spoons or anchored with shad and ghost minnows. Hybrids are fair in deeper water, afternoon bite is best when you locate them, using cut bait. Below the dam fishing is fair, while water is being slowly released. Report by Weldon Kirk, Fish Tales Guide Service. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
SLOW. Water stained; 85 degrees. 50.66 feet below pool. The overall black bass bite has improved slightly from last week with anglers reporting some success on soft plastics such as the Hags Cheat code, craws and stick type baits. Catfish bite has been fair to good. Reports of blue catfish and yellows are being reported on cut bait such as carp and shad. The Yellow Cats are being caught on live bait as well. Shore anglers are also having success. The White Bass bite have begun to get active. They are being caught on top water baits and spoons such as the K.T. Slabs and Bomber Slab spoons. Report by Bronte Guns and Tackle Pro Staff. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
FAIR. Water normal stain; 85 degrees; 0.99 feet below pool. Crappie are fair with increased angler traffic targeting the species. Focus on deeper brush piles and concrete. Catfish are fair. Bass are fair but should improve with the promise of cooler weather. Cast into the reeds with senko type bait, or creature bait. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
SLOW. Water stained; 88 degrees; 1.41 feet above pool. Largemouth bass fishing has had to transition away from reliance on hydrilla-related patterns due to the total loss of this reservoir’s hydrilla due to extended flooding in May and June. Anglers targeting fish on structures positioned on irregular topographies are often rewarded with multi-fish catches as fish consolidated on the sparse cover remaining. Texas-rigged, dark soft plastics have produced consistently in 12-18 feet. Tournament anglers report a feeding window about 20 minutes either side of sunset in the evenings, but very tough, hit-or-miss fishing beyond that. Report by Bob Maindelle, Holding the Line Guide Service. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
GOOD. Water lightly stained; 86 degrees; 0.72 feet below pool. Lake Tawakoni continues to fish good despite very hot water temperatures. We consider these the dog days of summer, but even with that said the hybrid striper, white bass, catfish and largemouth continue to bite well. The hybrid striper and whites are up shallow as oxygen content in the water is high. Some schooling is happening early and late. Middle of the day fishing is best on humps and ledges working in-line spinners and slabs. Trolling is also catching fish. Best depths have been 8-14 feet. The eating sized catfish are as good as it gets right now. Prepared bait such as punch and dip bates are working best in 2-15 feet. The trophy catfish are showing signs of biting again. Medium sized cut bait in 12-20 feet is best. The crappie bite is slow. Largemouth bass are good early and in the evening in the pads on frogs. Report by Captain Michael Littlejohn, Lake Tawakoni Guide Service. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
FAIR. Water stained; 80 degrees; 0.80 feet below pool. Catfish are good on the south end of the lake. Crappie and bass are fair on the north end. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
GOOD. Water stained; 75 degrees; 0.40 feet below pool. Striped bass fishing is slow to terrific! There are a lot of schooling fish in deep water across the main lake river channels and bigger fish schooling on shallow flats. Small top waters, slabs and live bait are working depending on the school and depth. Look for bigger fish under the schoolies. Crappie fishing is slow on hair jigs and paddle tail jigs swam slowly above brush and on structure. Use electronics to locate fish roaming in 15-20 feet of water near main lake points. Bass fishing is okay throwing top waters early on main lake points and sand flats. Jerk baits below the surface mimicking injured shad in the backs of coves on the bluffs. Fish brush and structure later in the day and top waters again late evening. Catfishing is good on punch bait over baited holes for keeper blues and channels. Points and humps in 15-20 feet of water. Bigger fish are roaming around the thermocline on flats and ditches in 40-50 feet of water. Report by Jacob Orr, Guaranteed Guide Service Lake Texoma. Striped bass are good with a slab bite one day and the next on topwaters. As the weather starts to cool fish will move fish into shallow water. Expect to land bigger fish shallow with topwaters, and box fish in deeper water. Some big groups of fish beneath surfacing fish, so just keep moving to find the fish. Report by John Blasingame, Adventure Texoma Outdoors. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
FAIR. Water normal stain; 92 degrees; 3.60 feet below pool. With the moon on the fall, the night fishing has slowed down. Few fish are still being caught on Texas rig big worms in 12-18 feet, but for most part, it is slow at night. The day fishing continues to be tough, just very little to no early topwater bite at all. A few good reports of fish schooling in the afternoon, this is happening when we get few clouds around the lake, not many good fish, but reports saying good numbers and some large groups are showing up all around the lake. The deeper bite should get back going anytime. Crappie are slow too, but the few that are being caught are good size, these coming on minnows on standing trees and brush piles. Report by Stephen Johnston, Johnston Fishing. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
FAIR. Water slightly stained; 89 degrees; 40.24 feet below pool. Bass fishing is tough and a pattern has not emerged. Fish are in the marinas but the bite is just slow with a few fish being caught on a variety of baits. The water temperature should begin to cool over the week and hopefully improve the bite. Bait fish are tiny, so downsize your lure. Report by Randal Frisbie, Central Texas Fishing Guide, LLC. Lake Travis is fishing decent. Lots of fish offshore. Have to use your electronics to find them bunched up. Throwing jigs, shaky heads, and Texas-rigged soft plastics are the best for those. There are some decent fish up shallow as well around the flooded bushes from the lake rising. Cast 4-5 inch soft stick baits are working for those. Report by Bryan Cotter, Texas Hawgs. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
FAIR. Water stained. 88 degrees; 39.49 feet below pool. Lake level is low, so navigate with caution. Channel catfish are fair holding near the thermocline on cheese bait and nightcrawlers. White bass are chasing shad on the surface, even during the heat of the day. A lot of small fish to sift through. Crappie are slow in cover in 7-10 feet of water in brush with live bait or jigs. Report by Captain Michael Peterson, 4 Reel Fun Guide Service. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
SLOW. Water normal stain; 91 degrees; 0.50 feet below pool. Rain in the forecast heading into the weekend. This should cool the water and improve the bite. Night fishing is good for catfish and crappie in the lights. Crappie are slow using minnows on brush in 16-25 feet of water. Catfish are slow in 16 feet of water shrimp, and liver. Bream are slow on red worms off the barge and throughout the lake. Bass are slow in 10-12 feet of water with topwaters, spinnerbaits and crankbaits. Report by The Boulders at Lake Tyler. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
SLOW. Water stained; 80 degrees; 0.19 feet below pool. Summer fishing patterns are steady. Crappie are good in 10-20 feet of open water on brush piles with live minnows or jigs. Largemouth bass are slow and scattered. The best bite is early or late in the day with soft plastics. Sand bass are excellent on small slabs, small crankbaits, small swimbaits and small spoons in 15-35 feet on open water humps, points, ridges, roadbeds, and on the Old Dam. Blue catfish and channel catfish are good with cut bait or live shad on juglines or rod-and-reel in 10-30 feet of water. Hybrids up to 7 pounds are being caught with 5 inch swimbaits or spoons at the Old Dam. Best colors are white and chartreuse or chrome. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
GOOD. Water normal stain; 85 degrees. Bass are good with schooling action on sunny days. The frog bite has produced some large fish, and 5 inch senkos are good on sunny days. Hybrids are slow. Bream have been good. Report by David Townsend, Austin Fishing Guide. Catching lots of bass throwing worms mostly with some still on frogs and flukes and on swimbaits when they are schooling. Both sides of the lake can be good. You just have to check both sides as one side may not be producing very well. Report by Bryan Cotter, Texas Hawgs. There is a good bass bite early in shallow water. Seeing a lot of fish pushing shad into the pockets. Small topwaters, flukes and small swimbaits are good. Fishing the very backs of pockets with a frog is also producing a few nicer fish. Majority of the fish right now are suspended out in deeper water around bait balls with quite a bit of schooling activity. Making direct casts with a topwater to fish coming up on the surface has been good as well. Chrome and clear are good color choices. Spooks are good for reaching out to fish surfacing at a distance. Launching a full-size bass boat is still doable but for not much longer. Report by Carson Conklin, ATX Fishing. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
FAIR. Water heavily stained; 88 degrees; 3.14 feet below pool. Cooler weather in the forecast, so the bite should improve as the water cools. Catfish are fair along the rocks with cut bait and shad. Crappie are fair with the best bite in the crappie house and deep brush piles with minnows. Bass are slow on deeper water ledges with crankbaits and soft plastics. The lake is heavily stained with about 6 inches of visibility compared to the normal 1 foot. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
GOOD. Water normal stain; 85 degrees; 22.34 feet below pool. Catfish are good. Crappie are good on minnows. Largemouth bass are biting in deeper water ledges with soft plastics. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
FAIR. Water slightly stained; 88 degrees; 0.51 feet below pool. Catfish are poor using cut shad in 25-35 feet of water. Striped bass bite is slow on live bait or drifting in 25 feet of water. Very few are caught on artificial baits while trolling umbrella rigs and Alabama rigs. Crappie are fair on small jigs and minnows in timber in 15-20 feet on the north end of the lake. White bass fishing is slow. Largemouth bass fishing is slow. Report by Captain Cory Vinson, Guaranteed Guide Service. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
FAIR. Water normal stain; 86 degrees; 2.69 feet below pool. White bass are good in shallow water main lake points and fish are reported being caught on main lake structure on slabs. White bass are good on main lake structures on slabs with teaser flies. Crappie are fair to good on brush piles and main lake structure on jigs with white color combinations. Blue catfish and channel catfish are good on punch bait. Report provided by Chad Ferguson of North Texas Catfish Guide Service. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
GOOD. Water stained; 83 degrees; 0.58 feet above pool. The lake level is high and water is being released. Be sure to check ramp status before heading out. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
GOOD. Water normal stain; 95 degrees; 0.09 feet below pool. Largemouth bass are in the shallows early around structure roaming off to submerged points and docks when the water heats up being caught on swim baits, worms and grubs. Catfish are abundant in fresh caught shad and perch. White bass are slowly showing up to the main lake being caught on swim baits. Crappie are good in Luce Bayou fishing structure in 8-14 feet of water. Report by Captain Zackary Scott, Zack Attack Fishing. Anticipate increased boater traffic due to the Labor Day weekend.
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Saltwater Weekly Fishing Report Week of August 28, 2024
Redfish Bay
GOOD. 86 degrees. Tides have risen, but the bite is good. Black drums are on fire hitting freelined dead shrimp. Trout are good on piggy perch, with the occasional bite on croaker. Redfish are good on cut mullet or live finger mullet with a slice �¾ down the body to create a scent trail. Captain Aerich Oliver, Rockport Paradise Outfitters.
San Antonio Bay
GOOD. 88 degrees. Trout and redfish are good in the surf on live shrimp or live croaker. Tarpon 3-6 feet in length are being caught in the surf and jetties. Winds are low so the water so surf fishing has been excellent. Report Captain Lynn Smith, Back Bay Guide Service.
Sabine Lake
GOOD. 88 degrees. Starting at 6:00 a.m. at the jetties for trout, redfish and drum with live shrimp under a popping cork. When the sun rises the sharks show up. Move to the channel for catches of trout and redfish during outgoing tides using salt and pepper with a chartreuse tail artificials on rock piles and shell flats. There is finally some bull redfish schooling on the south end of the lake. Threadfin shad are coming out of the marshes, this is usually a sign the bull redfish are coming. The best bite has been during the incoming tide. Report by Captain Randy Foreman, Captain Randy’s Guide Service Sabine Lake.
Bolivar
EXCELLENT. 85 degrees. Black drums are feeding off the surf and jetty. Lots of speckled trout, redfish, croakers, sand trout, a few flounder, black drum, speckled trout, and crabs caught along the jetty plus lots of stingrays and sharks. The shark tournament this past week produced some almost 10 foot sharks. The surf is still producing limits of speckled trout, lots of bull reds and black drum, lots of stingrays, and bigger sharks along the whole peninsula. People are using all kinds of different things for bait with awesome results. Report by Captain Shane Rilat, North Jetty Bait Camp.
Trinity Bay
SLOW. 88 degrees. Fish are moving up the channel, and the best bite is on the spoil islands lining the Houston ship channel. A few speckled trout showing, but a good number of black drum and redfish on live shrimp under popping corks. Those throwing soft plastics over shells near the channel are picking up fair numbers of speckled trout. Report by Captain David Dillman, Galveston Bay Charter Fishing. Trout are on structure in the shallows early especially around rocks being caught on live shrimp and artificial shrimp rigged weedless. Redfish are in the shallows in a high tide moving to current and cooler waters when the water heats up hitting live shrimp and artificial shrimp. Drum and sheepshead are right to rock groins and reefs in both the middle of the bay and right to the bank being caught on live shrimp. Report by Captain Zackary Scott, Zack Attack Fishing.
East Galveston Bay
GOOD. 88 degrees. Water conditions only fair with scattered trout and a few redfish being caught over open bay reefs. Report by Captain David Dillman, Galveston Bay Charter Fishing. Surface water temperature 87 degrees. The water clarity is improving slightly for the majority of East Galveston Bay, with clearer and saltier water as you get over towards Elm Grove Basin, and beautiful water the closer you venture over towards Galveston. We are spending more and more time locating trout, redfish and flounder in the intracoastal relating to structure, in areas closer to deep water with active bait in the area. We are starting out on the jetties, to find a solid early morning trout bite with artificials on most outings when the wind cooperates. We are still having good success on MirrOdines, rattle traps, �¼ ounce soft body swimbaits, and tails with 1/8 ounce heads in light colors on the shallower ends and �¼ ounce when we are fishing in deeper water. Our clients are still enjoying solid success using Fish Smack Popping corks with a 1-2 foot leader above shrimp imitation lures, as well as salt and pepper tails by WacAttack and blue moon rat tails by Deadly Dudley. After the sun rises, we are venturing over to the reefs and that bite has started to heat up for us, as the water continues to improve. We found a few birds working this week on a couple reefs, but had to weed through a good number of Gafftop to find the better trout. The Topwater bite has still been strong when utilized on our early morning and late afternoon trips, so if you like throwing walking baits, now is a great time to get on the water and make it happen, with bone being one of our favorite colors we have the most confidence in. The crowds are starting to slack up now that summer is winding down, so now is the perfect time to get out on the water and make some memories. Until Next Time Report by Captain Jeff Brandon, Get the Net Guide Service, LLC.
Galveston Bay
SLOW. 87 degrees. Scattered good catches of trout, along with a few sheepshead, and black drum from the gas wells in the middle of Galveston bay. Best bite on live shrimp. Rock spoil islands are still producing speckled trout, black drum and a few sheepshead, along with the occasional upper slot redfish. Report by Captain David Dillman, Galveston Bay Charter Fishing.
West Galveston Bay
GOOD. 90 degrees. Live croakers and live shrimp have been the ticket to good catches of speckled trout and redfish, along shoreline guts and over deep shell reefs. Report by Captain David Dillman, Galveston Bay Charter Fishing.
Texas City
GOOD. 87 degrees. Galveston jetties are still fair for speckled trout, but bull redfish catches have improved. Surf still coughing up good catches of trout, best along beachfront rock groins. Plenty of big sharks being caught just outside the Galveston jetties. Report by Captain David Dillman, Galveston Bay Charter Fishing. Anglers are catching plenty of speckled trout, more redfish, and a few flounder every day with some occasional black drum, sheepshead, sand trout, and gafftop. Live shrimp and finger mullet have been the best baits. Report by Captain Shane Rilat, North Jetty Bait Camp.
Freeport
GOOD. 89 degrees. Fishing been steady for trout, redfish, and flounder around the San Luis Pass, Bastrop Bay, Christmas Bay, Chocolate Bay and the west end of Galveston Bay. Wade fishing has been good in the guts at the pass and in west Galveston bay with croaker and shrimp for trout and redfish with a few flounder mixed in. The Freeport Harbor is steady for sheepshead, drum, redfish and mangrove snapper free lining shrimp with a split shot. Report by Captain Jake Brown, Flattie Daddy Fishing Adventures
East Matagorda Bay
GOOD. 90 degrees. The trout and redfish bite is good after the recent rains cooled the water. As small fronts roll through the bite will only continue to improve. Drifting for catches of trout, redfish and drum with live shrimp under a popping cork and artificial lures. Report by Captain Charlie Paradoski, Captain Charlie Paradoski’s Guide Service.
West Matagorda Bay
FAIR. 90 degrees. The trout and redfish bite is good after the recent rains cooled the water. As small fronts roll through the bite will only continue to improve. Wade anglers are producing catches off mid bay reefs with croaker. Drifting for catches of trout, redfish and drum with live shrimp under a popping cork and artificial lures. Report by Captain Charlie Paradoski, Captain Charlie Paradoski’s Guide Service.
Port O’Connor
GOOD. 85 degrees. Fishing patterns are holding steady. Oversized black drum outside of the south jetty at the end on live crab and dead shrimp. Trout are biting in the surf on live croaker. Slot redfish are good at the end of the north jetty with live crab and Spanish sardines. Keeper drums are biting in the flare of the jetties. Tarpon are good, drifting the ship channel with large croakers on the bottom. Bull redfish continue to good in the morning in incoming tides at the back of the jetties to Bird Island. Report by Captain Marty Medford, Captain Marty’s Fish of a Lifetime Guide Service.
Rockport
GOOD. 84 degrees. Trout are great on croaker along grass and shell in 3-4 feet of water. popping cork and shrimp have been produced in flats while drifting Reds have been great on shrimp piggy’s and cut skipjack or mullet in flats fishing sand pockets. Black drum are good on live or dead shrimp and fish bites in drains, sand pockets and along oyster beds. Report by Captain Kenny Kramer, Kramer Fishing Charters.
Port Aransas
GOOD. 84 degrees. Redfish are good on shrimp and cut bait. A few pompano are starting to show up. Trout are good with croaker or shrimp free lined along rocks. Black drum have been good on shrimp. Surf fishing has been producing good redfish and trout in first and second gut with an occasional shark king fish are good drifting ribbon fish around first rigs and sips. Report by Captain Kenny Kramer, Kramer Fishing Charters.
Corpus Christi
GOOD. 81 degrees. Tides have risen, but the bite is good. Black drums are on fire hitting freelined dead shrimp. Trout are good on piggy perch, with the occasional bite on croaker. Redfish are good on cut mullet or live finger mullet with a slice �¾ down the body to create a scent trail. Report by Captain Aerich Oliver, Rockport Paradise Outfitters.
Baffin Bay
GOOD. 90 degrees. Late summer fishing can be touch and go. There is so much food in the system, and no real reason for the fish to worry, so, it can get interesting! If there is no tide, Baffin has no tide, and no wind to move the water, the fish do not actively feed. It seems they do not know what to do with water that is not moving, either tidal or wind driven. Sometimes waiting them out is the answer. The wind is usually going to blow in the afternoon, so drop off of the edges and catch fish.
Port Mansfield
FAIR. 90 degrees. Water levels remain low as of this writing and water temperatures are still very hot. Our temperatures start out around 87 degrees and end around 92 degrees toward the end of the day. Best bite has been early morning and most fish are coming in shallow water close to deep water access. Still finding good pods of redfish and have even found some bigger schools along the flats. We are catching a lot of smaller trout and the occasional big trout just about each day. Flounder are still good near the pass. Report by Captain Wayne Davis, Hook Down Charters.
South Padre
GOOD. 85 degrees. Very light southwest winds and the water temperature is holding at 85 degrees .Water temperature holding at 85 degrees. Trout are still holding on edges of deeper water. Redfish are good on the Gas Well Flats drifting with live shrimp under popping cork. Still a few small schools of black drum near the causeway. A few bull redfish at jetties. Mangrove snapper excellent at end of Brownsville Channel. Stay safe out there. Report by Captain Lou Austin, Austin Fishing South Padre.
Port Isabel
GOOD. 85 degrees. Very light southwest winds and the water temperature is holding at 85 degrees .Water temperature holding at 85 degrees. Trout are still holding on edges of deeper water. Redfish are good on the Gas Well Flats drifting with live shrimp under popping cork. Still a few small schools of black drum near the causeway. A few bull redfish at jetties. Mangrove snapper excellent at end of Brownsville Channel. Stay safe out there. Report by Captain Lou Austin, Austin Fishing South Padre.
Zebra Mussel AlertTo prevent the spread of zebra mussels, the law requires draining of water from boats and onboard receptacles when leaving or approaching public fresh waters. Get details.
Get Your Hands On The Best New Rod & Reel Systems For Bass
By The Fishing Wire
Voted Best Rod & Reel Combo at ICAST 2024 just two weeks ago, all-new St. Croix GXR Bass Systems are available to elevate bass-fishing experiences starting August 1. St Croix rods are my favorite rods.
Park Falls, WI – St. Croix Rod exists to give every angler the upper hand on the water with over 800 fishing rod models, engineered and handcrafted to deliver excellence in any fishing technique or presentation.
One year ago, the 76-year-old privately-owned American company introduced SEVIIN Reels, a new brand established with the goal of creating the most dependable reels available, so anglers can enjoy fishing more and worry less.
Today, St. Croix Rod and SEVIIN Reels announce the availability of St. Croix GXR Bass Systems – a carefully curated collection of eight high-performance technique-focused St. Croix rods, precision-matched and balanced with smooth and dependable complimentary SEVIIN GXR casting and spinning reels. Voted best new rod and reel combo by fishing tackle retailers and media members at ICAST 2024, GXR is the first and only off-the-rack precision-matched rod and reel system to combine St. Croix performance and SEVIIN reliability. Four casting models and four spinning models are available at an angler-friendly retail price of $200 to $225. Two-piece GXR models are also available.
GXR begins with a proven St. Croix performance platform – crisp, strong, and responsive SCII carbon-fiber blanks mated to lightweight and durable hybrid stainless-steel guide trains that promote exceptional balance and reliable performance with all line types. Handles are an angler-preferred traditional split-grip design with premium cork grips, blank-through nylon reel seats, and black stainless-steel and nylon hoods. “GXR casting and spinning rod share DNA with several of our most popular bass series, including Bass X and our retired (previous generation) Mojo Bass rods,” says St. Croix Brand Manager, Ryan Teach. “These are proven, technique-optimized rod platforms that fish light with surprising power and exceptional balance.”
A 7’1” medium-heavy power, fast action ALL AROUND model is available in both GXR casting (GXRC71MHF) and spinning (GXRS71MHF). It’s a rod that can do about anything well, from skipping docks to swimbaits to jigs, flukes, topwaters, and more.
Get Your Hands On The Best New Rod & Reel Systems For Bass 1
On the casting side, a 7’2” heavy power, moderate action REACTION BAIT model (GXRC72HM) provides a parabolic design optimized for crankbaits, chatterbaits, and other swimming lures, while a 7’4” heavy power, fast action FROG & FLIP (GXRC74HF) is the GXR model anglers will want to have in their hands when pitching, flipping, frogging, or fishing other lures in and around heavy cover.
Two additional spinning models round out GXR’s technique-optimized lineup. A 6’10” medium-light power, extra-fast action FINESSE (GXRS610MLXF) is optimized for light-line applications such as drop-shotting, as well as presenting Ned rigs, downsized creature baits, and smaller hair jigs. An additional 7’1” medium power, fast action STICK BAIT spinning model (GXRS71MF) excels in presenting wacky rigs, light Texas rigs, shaking minnows, heavier Ned rigs, and more.
Finally, Teach says GXR’s appeal is further widened by the availability of a pair of two-piece models. “Because not every bass rod lives on the deck of a bass boat full time, two-piece bass rods are trending,” Teach says. “GXR gives bass anglers two-piece convenience for travel and storage and one-piece performance in the unique GXRC71MHF2-C (ALL AROUND) and GXRS71MF2-C (STICK BAIT) models.”
SEVIIN designed complimentary GXR casting and GXR spinning reels from a blank canvas to balance and enhance the performance of these technique-optimized GXR rods. “The goal was to create a new series of bass-fishing systems for anglers of all levels that are ready to fish with heightened St. Croix performance and SEVIIN castability and reliability,” says SEVIIN Reels Product Manager, Robert Woods. The SEVIIN and St. Croix Product Teams worked together to create a series of hard-core bass rod-and-reel combinations with wide appeal and performance that exceeds their retail price, fully backed by St. Croix and SEVIIN warranties and customer service.”
SEVIIN GXR casting reels are crafted on a compact, 100-size lightweight graphite frame. Castability and operation are enhanced by anodized aluminum spools with Japanese stainless-steel spool bearings, magnetic cast control, and 6+1 stainless-steel bearings that support key moving parts. Strong and exceptionally smooth drag comes from a carbon fiber and stainless-steel drag stack, while a versatile 7.3:1 retrieve ratio provides optimal performance in a wide variety of bass presentations.
Lightweight and strong SEVIIN GXR spinning reels feature 3000-size carbon fiber bodies and rotors with anodized and ported aluminum spools. 8+1 stainless steel bearings yield silky-smooth operation, while a carbon fiber and stainless-steel drag stack ensures slick, consistent, and reliable drag performance in all conditions at all settings.
St. Croix GXR Bass Systems Features
• Precision-matched high-performance rod and reel systems (4 casting and 4 spinning), optimized for popular, technique-specific bass presentations • Premium SCII carbon fiber blanks with FRS (Fortified Resin System) for increased flexural strength with reduced weight • Lightweight, black stainless-steel guides with aluminum-oxide rings for reliable performance with all line types • Traditional split-grip premium-grade cork handles with premium EVA accents • Nylon reel seat with black stainless-steel hood and nylon and stainless-steel locking nut • 5-year rod warranty backed by St. Croix Superstar Service • 100-size SEVIIN GXR casting reels feature 6+1 bearings, durable and lightweight graphite frames, aluminum spools and accents, high-performance carbon fiber + stainless-steel drag stacks, soft-touch rubber paddles, and versatile 7.3:1 gearing. • 3000-size SEVIIN GXR spinning reels feature 8+1 bearings, lightweight and rigid carbon fiber bodies and rotors, ported aluminum spools, high-performance carbon fiber + stainless-steel drag stacks, premium EVA paddle, and versatile 5.1:1 gearing. • 1-year reel warranty backed by SEVIIN • Designed in Park Falls, Wisconsin, U.S.A. • Retail price $200 to $220
St. Croix GXR Bass Systems Models
• GXRC71MHF-C / ALL AROUND – 7’1”, medium-heavy power, fast action, casting / Retail $210 • GXRC71MHF2-C / ALL AROUND 2 – 7’1”, medium-heavy power, fast action, 2-piece casting / Retail $225 • GXRC72HM-C / REACTION BAIT – 7’2”, heavy power, moderate action, casting / Retail $210 • GXRC74HF-C / FROG & FLIP – 7’4”, heavy power, fast action, casting / Retail $210 • GXRS610MLXF-C / FINESSE – 6’10”, medium-light power, extra-fast action, spinning / Retail $200 • GXRS71MF-C / STICK BAIT – 7’1”, medium power, fast action, spinning / Retail $200 • GXRS71MF2-C / STICK BAIT 2 – 7’1”, medium power, fast action, 2-piece spinning / Retail $220 • GXRS71MHF-C / ALL AROUND – 7’1”, medium-heavy power, fast action, spinning / Retail $200
Get Your Hands On The Best New Rod & Reel Systems For Bass 2
Put simply, GXR Bass Systems are the right tools for the job – a collection of premium, technique-optimized rod-and-reel combinations designed and crafted to give bass anglers of all levels a series of synergized tools that move them forward towards new wins on the water, including more and bigger bass, and more exceptional fishing moments and memories. Embodying trusted St. Croix performance and SEVIIN reliability… right off the rack… all-new GXR Bass Systems are available at St. Croix dealers and online at stcroixrods.com starting today, August 1, 2024.
Headquartered in Park Falls, Wisconsin, St. Croix has been proudly crafting the “Best Rods on Earth” for over 75 years. Combining state-of-the-art manufacturing processes with skilled craftsmanship, St. Croix is the only major producer to still build rods entirely from design through manufacturing. The company remains family-owned and operates duplicate manufacturing facilities in Park Falls and Fresnillo, Mexico. With popular trademarked series such as Legend®, Legend Xtreme®, Avid®, Premier®, Imperial®, Triumph® and Mojo, St. Croix is revered by all types of anglers from around the world.
Any shooting like the one in Uvalde, Texas where innocent children are killed is horrible, but do not blame me and other law-abiding gun owners. Blame the low-life evildoer that did it.
Unlike the gun ban vultures that started circling and crying the “do something” mantra before the first body was recovered from the school in Texas, I tried to listen to all the conflicting reports and wait for valid information.
The “something” gun banners always demand is “common sense” gun bans. There is nothing “common” about their demands and if they made “sense” they would not have to exaggerate and tell half-truths to outright lies.
I have been disappointed and amazed, but not surprised, by the bald face lies and stupid comments to uninformed babbling from everyone from personal friends to the president.
Biden’s comments have been weird. First, he said something about the 2nd Amendment not really meaning “shall not be infringed” because citizens could not own cannons when it was passed. When he was told by constitutional scholars like John Turley that he was wrong, in fact you can still own a cannon today, he continued to tell that lie.
He then began babbling about how a .22 caliber bullet would lodge in the lungs, but a 9 mm “big caliber” bullet would blow the lungs out. That is an inane comment by anyone familiar with guns and bullets.
But somehow it relates to banning “assault” weapons, meaning the AR-15. AR stands for the company that developed the gun, Armalite, is in no way an “assault” weapon, no military in the world uses it. And the most common caliber for it is .223, apparently less dangerous to Biden than the dreaded 9 mm.
One TV commentator said it was ridiculous an 18-year-old could go buy an automatic rifle and more than 300 round of ammo without a background check. Fortunately, a guest on the show pointed out the rifle was not automatic, he went through a background check and it is not uncommon, especially in that area to buy large amounts of ammo.
Personally, I have purchased more than 1000 rounds of 7.62×39 ammo at one time for target practice to save money. Shooting more than 100 rounds in one target shooting session is not uncommon. And common .22 long rifle bullets I shoot in my semiautomatic squirrel gun I have owned since I was eight years old come in boxes of 525 rounds.
Calls for extended background checks are another “common sense” waste. The background check in place for years did not work this time so let’s make you get one on your child before giving them a gun for Christmas with an “extended” background?
All guns bought from licensed gun dealers must go through the current background check. The proposed “extended” check would have made no difference since the shooter in Texas bought his gun from a licensed dealer, already covered in the current law.
The sale of over 100 brands of rifles defined as “assault” guns were banned for ten years, from 1994 through 2004. One liberal commentator told this lie: “Mass shootings dropped by 40 percent during the ‘assault weapons’ ban.”
Here is what Factcheck.org says: “A RAND review of gun studies, updated in 2020, concluded there is “inconclusive evidence for the effect of assault weapon bans on mass shootings.” Seems a 40 percent drop would be pretty “conclusive” evidence, if it was true.
It didn’t work the first time, lets lie about it and do it again.
I keep hearing “Nobody needs an assault weapon.” Yet they can’t define what they consider an “assault weapon,” it is a constitutional right and there are many reasons to own one. That is why there are somewhere between 10 and 20 million correctly called “modern sporting rifles” in the US.
One senseless murder is too many, but if these guns were the problem such shootings would be much more common.
Confiscation of all guns is the ultimate goal of some. But if you confiscate all rifles, from my old .22 through all deer rifles to modern sporting rifles, you might somehow eliminate guns that are used in 2.9 percent of all homicides in the US.
The most recent data I can find from the FBI shows homicides by all rifles in 2019 was 364, compared to 1476 by knives, 1591 by blunt objects and 600 by fists and feet.
If you want to have a rational discussion on gun control, don’t exaggerated, tell lies and make up numbers to try to push your agenda. I will rely on facts, not emotions.
If you just have got to do “something,” go spit on the insane murderer’s grave. It may make you feel better and it will be just as effective as all the proposed gun control laws put together.
Poles Down For More Fish, you can catch more fish by using yourshallow water anchors correctly
By The Fishing Wire
By Mike Frisch
Various innovations designed for helping anglers control their boats while trying to effectively present baits has been a part, or maybe better put, a challenge, of anglers for decades. Recently, shallow water anchors, which deploy from a boat’s transom and spike into the lake bottom, have been gaining popularity. These anchors, often working in pairs with one on each side of the transom, do a great job of locking a boat in place, allowing anglers to fish and not worry about boat control. I have been using a pair of Power-Pole anchors this summer and have been very, very pleased with how they help my fishing. Here are some examples.
Bluegills on beds
This past June, our Fishing the Midwest TV crew headed to Big Stone Lake on the Minnesota/South Dakota border to fish bluegills and crappies. We fished with guide Tanner Arndt. Tanner used the side scanning technology on my boat’s sonar to “look” to the boat’s sides to see spawning beds the bluegills were using. When a good number of beds were found, we would “pole down” a casting length or so from the beds and start fishing. We caught a bunch of bluegills and the poles contributed to our successes. Using side scan, we could stay away from the beds to avoid spooking the fish as we located them. Then, with the poles down, we could cast to the beds and concentrate 100% on the fishing and not worry about the boat drifting over the beds.
Walleyes on the rocks
Earlier in the fishing season, I fished some lakes that have off-colored water and shallow walleyes. These fish often relate to rocky shorelines or rock piles along shallow to mid-depth flats. In either case, holding the boat out from the rocks to be fished and casting to them is usually a good technique for targeting these fish. With the poles down off the boat’s transom, a partner and I would share the front casting deck on my boat and make casts to the rocks and hopefully the fish. Once again, we could concentrate fully on fishing and not worry about boat control. This came in handy for presenting jig and minnow combinations or slip bobber rigs, particularly on windy days when this bite often peaks. The poles were especially advantageous when a fish was hooked because the angler with the hooked fish only worried about fighting the fish and leading it to the net, while the other angler could concentrate fully on netting the walleye.
Bass on the docks
Dock fishing for largemouth bass is often a move down the shoreline while skipping, pitching, and flipping baits under and alongside docks coming out from shore. When targeting docks as a right-handed caster, I like to keep the docks to the boat’s left side and present my bait to the dock while slowly moving along. When a bit past the dock, I angle the bow of the boat to the shoreline and use roll casts where I skip the bait along the lake’s surface and under the dock. From this angle I can target the face of the dock and the entire length of the dock as well. Plus, an angler fishing off the back casting deck has good access to the dock too. If a fish is caught, or I know a dock is a “good dock” from previous fishing trips, I will often deploy the Power-Poles and hold in place while making multiple casts the entire length of the dock.
The above are just three of many examples of how I use my shallow water anchors to help me better present my baits. After all, better presented baits, often lead to more fish in the boat. And more fish in the boat usually makes for happy anglers!
As always, enjoy your time on the water and remember to include a youngster in your next outdoors adventure!
Mike Frisch hosts the popular Fishing the Midwest TV series available on the Sportsman Channel, World Fishing Network, and more. Visit www.fishingthemidwest to learn more.
I try to listen to both sides, I really do. But on some issues, like guns, it is almost impossible to hear both sides.
When trying to read Jesse Jackson’s Griffin Daily News July 14 Editorial “Assault weapons are weapons of war” I had to stop in the second paragraph. When he wrote “They are useless for hunting” I knew I was wasting my time.
That proved to me he was clueless about his topic and was just pushing an agenda. Nothing that came after such an inaccurate statement could be relevant. When I read something patently untrue, I cannot keep reading.
First, the 2nd Amendment has nothing to do with hunting.
Second, “Assault weapons” are a fake term given to what sportsman call “Modern Sporting Rifles.” One of the most common designs is the ArmaLite Rifle Model 15, usually shortened to AR 15. It is a type gun that comes chambered in more than 60 different calibers. The vary from rimfire calibers like the .22 long rifle, bullets usually used for squirrel hunting, to .30 Remington, specifically designed for deer hunting to even larger calibers.
The .223 caliber is one of the most common in the AR platform and it has been legal for deer hunting in Georgia for years. That cartridge is a relatively small caliber and does not have a lot of powder, so it has much less kick than rifles like by old Marlin 30-30, but it is legal and efficient for killing a deer.
It is a good choice for young hunters and those that don’t want a gun that kicks hard. I am using mine for deer hunting rather than my 7 mm Mag since I have a port in my right shoulder and am afraid to expose it to too much recoil.
It scares me that, in a recent PEW poll of “journalists,” 55 percent say every side of an issue DOES NOT deserve equal treatment. The same poll found that 76 percent of all Americans say both sides SHOULD get equal coverage.
Maybe that is why a recent Gallup poll shows only 11 percent of Americans trust television news and only 16 percent trust newspapers.
Almost as bad is a PEW poll showing 64 percent of US adults approve the recent gun control laws passed by congress, but 78 percent say the law will do little or nothing to affect crime. But 63 percent say they want more useless laws like the one passed that they know will do little to no good.
Maybe the reason they support useless laws is they hear only one side. Most mall shootings are hyped 24/7 for days, but the recent shooting in Indiana got little coverage. Was it because a good guy with a legal gun killed the shooter before he could kill many people?
As long as only one side is pushed by the media, I will adamantly oppose any gun control legislation, not matter how often those pushing the agenda call it “sensible” or “reasonable.”
Their call for compromise always means “do it my way” even if you know it is useless.
A current political ad says the recent “Constitutional Carry” law in Georgia makes it easier for criminals to carry loaded guns in Georgia. I question any law enforcement officer that claims criminals would not carry guns if it was just against the law.
A good example of the mindset of the gun banners is New York Governor Hochul. When the Supreme Court overturned a state law that made it almost impossible to get gun or carry it in her state, she got laws passed to make it a felony to carry guns in almost every building in the state.
Her reason? In response to a reporter’s question if she had any data to prove her claim that citizens carrying guns would endanger millions of New York residents, she said “I don’t need to have numbers. I don’t need to have a data point to say this.”
I will fight “feelings” from gun banners like her with facts and truth, if I can be heard.
Easy-swimming Z-Man® Guppy GrubZ™ sports serious longevity in its genes.
Ladson, SC – It’s the question all anglers eventually answer: If you woke up on a deserted island and had to pick just one bait to catch fish for the foreseeable future, what would you choose to cast?
Hypotheticals and shipwrecks aside, you’d likely want something versatile, proven and universally appetizing to a wide range of fish. (All the better if said fish tickled your own tastebuds, in turn.) Like many anglers, you might opt to tie on a good old curly tail grub and cast away. But which grub would grab your attention?
On make-believe islands, casting a bait that holds up to dozens of fish is a matter of survival. In the real world, softbait durability means more fish in your livewell, less time rigging and fewer baits in the trash can—all of which highlights the new ElaZtech®-enabled Guppy GrubZ™, the newest softbait to join Z-Man’s trending Micro Finesse system.
The new 2″ Guppy GrubZ offers exceptional swim action and durability for days.
While traditional curly tails made from PVC plastics catch fish aplenty, the baits’ unfortunate fragile nature means they’re equally likely to sacrifice their tails after a mere strike or two. It’s why cutting-edge crappie and panfish anglers continue converting to Z-Man’s Micro Finesse baits and a radical, made-in-the-USA superplastic known as ElaZtech.
“The new Guppy GrubZ is anything but just another curly tail bait,” notes Z-Man brand manager and multispecies angler Ryan Harder. “Not only does this bait swim and tail-spiral at the widest range of speeds, but it’s also designed to withstand numerous bites from toothy critters and those little machine-gun tail bites from smaller panfish.”
For its 10X Tough ElaZtech durability alone, the 2” Micro Finesse Guppy GrubZ might be the most valuable crappie-sized curly tail bait ever made. (Picture limits of crappie, perch and sunfish, all on a single, game-used Guppy GrubZ . . .)
Next-level details begin with the bait’s purpose-driven, paper-thin curly tail. “The Guppy GrubZ’ softness and expanded tail surface area empower it to activate and corkscrew at even the slowest retrieve speeds,” notes Harder.
“Foremost in designing the bait, however, we first addressed several common curly tail issues. To bolster its soft, razor-thin tail, we implemented a slightly thicker, semi-rigid ‘spine’—essentially a thicker slice of ElaZtech, which extends into the initial (dorsal) section of the curly tail.
“You might not even notice it’s there, but this seemingly minor enhancement serves two functions,” Harder explains. “One, the little spine helps prevent the tail from fouling during faster retrieves, which is often an issue among traditional curly tails. And two, to reinforce and strengthen the tail section, the specialized spine prevents it from being prematurely cut or sliced, allowing you to deploy a single bait for hours of fish-catching action. That’s a huge bonus when you’re catching and sorting through dozens of fish in short order.
“Just caught over a hundred white perch on a single Guppy GrubZ this morning. That’s pretty incredible for a curly tail grub—or any softbait.”
Further empowering the bait’s allure and water-thumping action, the Guppy GrubZ’ natural minnow torso and head boost the bait’s physical presence among crappies, perch, trout and all panfish. “We built the bait with a flattened face, which matches right up with either a Micro Finesse ShroomZ™ or Micro Shad HeadZ™ jighead,” adds Harder. “The result is a clean, seamless profile that presents fish with a totally natural target. Alternatively, try rigging it on a ChatterBait® Flashback® Mini for incredible underwater action.”
Creating extra fish-attracting visuals, the Guppy GrubZ is imbued with bulging eyeballs and accentuated ribbing all along its torso. “The rib cages produce subtle vibration, but also generate micro bubble trails that predatory fish easily detect and track back to the source,” Harder explains. He also suggests adding dabs of scent, such as ProCure Crappie & Panfish Super Gel, which adhere especially well to the bait’s 3D ribs.
If you happen to awaken on a random island, pray your pockets include a pack of Guppy GrubZ. Or, slightly more likely, for impromptu outings to your local panfish pond, this is one grub you can’t live without.
Landing at fishing tackle retailers in November, the new Z-Man Guppy GrubZ delivers freewheeling action, lifelike buoyancy and the toughness to survive countless panfish attacks. Crafted with care at Z-Man’s South Carolina based bait labs, the 2” Guppy GrubZ features ten alluring crappie/panfish colors, including glow and high-vis hues as well as earth tones for tricky bites. MSRP $4.99 per 8-pack. For more updates and intel, check Z-Man’s website or social media.
About Z-Man Fishing Products
A dynamic Charleston, South Carolina based company, Z-Man Fishing Products has melded leading edge fishing tackle with technology for nearly three decades. Z-Man has long been among the industry’s largest suppliers of silicone skirt material used in jigs, spinnerbaits and other lures. Creator of the Original ChatterBait®, Z-Man is also the renowned innovators of 10X Tough ElaZtech softbaits, fast becoming the most coveted baits in fresh- and saltwater. Z-Man is one of the fastest-growing lure brands worldwide.
“I’d rather be lucky that good.” Kenneth Hattaway, one of my mentors in the bass clubs back in the 1970s and 80s, used to say that a lot. He was one of the best club fishermen in the area back then and did well in bigger tournaments, too. In many ways he was both good and lucky.
Over the years I have come to believe what he meant was you can be good consistently, but when you are lucky you do even better. Anyone can win a tournament with the right luck, but it won’ be consistent over time.
All the pro fishermen on the Bassmaster Elite Series are good. I have fished with more than a dozen of them and they have all the details and mechanics of fishing down pat. They can skip a jig under a dock into places most of us never reach. They can read electronics like a printed report. And they keep all their equipment in top condition.
But to win an Elite tournament when competing against 87 other fishermen just as good as you are takes some added luck.
Boyd Duckett sitting on the porch of his cabin after the first day of a tournament, seeing fish schooling and going there the next day and winning is mostly luck.
Leaving your bait in the water while eating a sandwich for lunch, and your boat drifting over an unknown rockpile and getting a bite, then winning the tournament on those rocks is a lot of luck. My partner in a BASS Regional in Kentucky did that.
When I do well it is a lot of luck. To do well one day of a two-day tournament is luck, to do well each day takes some skill. There have been multiple times I have done well one of two of the days in our state top six, but I have done well both days only five times, making the state team each time.
Sunday I got lucky enough to stop first thing on a bank with a little current moving, and caught six bass in the first two hours. The next six hours produced only two more fish. Stopping on that particular bank was as more luck than skill, and the current died before 8:00 AM.
In the Flint River Bass Club tournament Sunday at Sinclair, eight of us fished from 6:00 AM to 2:00 PM to land 18 12-inch keeper bass weighing about 28 pounds. There were two five-bass limits and three people did not have a bass.
My five weighing 10.42 pounds was first. Niles Murray had three at 6.45 pounds for second and his 3.34 pound largemouth was big fish. Doug Acree had five weighing 6.22 pounds for third and Lee Hancock came in fourth with three at 2.83 pounds.
My first stop was on a deep bank with docks and grassbeds and I started casting a buzzbait. When I came to a shallow seawall a cast with a weightless Trick worm produced my first keeper, one that was very skinny and barely 12 inches long.
A few minutes later I skipped a wacky rigged Senko under a dock and landed my biggest bass, a 2.94 pounder. Then another good keeper hit my buzzbait between docks. Another dock produced my fourth keeper on the Senko at 7:00. I was pleased with the fast start.
A few docks later I caught another good keeper, filling my limit, then, right at 8:00 caught my sixth keeper, culling the small bass. I was happy with my catch and started trying to find something else that would work.
At noon I had not had another bite, then I caught my seventh keeper on the Senko on a dock and my eighth, my second biggest of the day, on the Senko on a shady seawall.
Other than hooking a 20-pound blue cat on a shaky head near a dock at 1:00 PM, I did not get another bite until weigh-in.
