Muskegon, MI – There’s an electricity in the air this time of year along the Great Lakes as anglers turn out for an annual bite that’s tough to pass up. As soon as the launches open, you’ll see all manner of small boats (and pier fisherman, too), forming lines to chase near-shore coho salmon.
Although these fish leave something to be desired in size – with most fish between a pound and 3 pounds – their table fare is excellent, with many anglers preferring the young, bright red flesh for everything from grilling and baking, to pan frying and filling up smoker racks – to the larger species that occupy the Great Lakes.
One angler who loves the annual rite is charter captain and Great Lakes Angler editor, Mike Schoonveld, of northern Indiana, who started fishing them this spring in March.
“What happens is the cohos that were two years old last fall migrate to the south end of Lake Michigan, because that’s where the water temperature stays in their comfort range the longest. Once they get down here, there’s no place to go. Then, in the spring, when the water starts to warm up, the fish that are in the southern basin of the lake storm the beaches in Indiana, southern Michigan, and the south side of Chicago, because those are the parts of the lake that warm up the quickest,” noted Schoonveld.
“Basically, what you’ve got are two-and-a-half year-old cohos in the lake crammed within a few hundred yards of the shoreline and streams,” added Schoonveld.
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Where Schoonveld fishes off the Indiana coast, limits are five cohos per person, but he says you can also catch the errant brown trout, lake trout, steelhead, or Chinook salmon. And the chance of a mixed bag only increases as spring progresses. Average cohos right now are 16 or 17 inches to 22 inches – “basically eater-walleye size.”
The bite is ongoing and will last until the water temperatures reach the mid 50s, around May 1stduring a typical, warm spring. The bite can last through the middle of May if temperatures stay cooler.
Even when it does warms up, Schoonveld says you don’t have to abandon the fight, just move a few miles offshore where the fish migrate to colder water. But then you lose the advantage of fishing near the shoreline and have to be cautious on what days you go out if fishing from a smaller boat.
And when the fish leave the Indiana coast, they tend to follow the shorelines up the Lake Michigan coast. There are typically fish off the north coast of Chicago by May 1st, as well as up around Kenosha and Racine, Wisconsin. The same thing happens over on the Michigan side with fish moving from St. Joseph towards Grand Haven.
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Small Boat and Tackle Friendly Bite
One of the coolest things about the annual coho bite is that it’s accessible to anglers with smaller, multi-species boats, as well as pier anglers. You don’t need a large charter boat to access these fish, with a lot less worry about the weather given proximity to shore. And you won’t see a lot of large boats out on the bite either; most are still iced up where they’re moored for winter.
Plus, you don’t need downriggers to fish springtime cohos. The fish are high in the water column and susceptible to shallow-diving crankbaits fished on standard gear.
“For whatever reason, they love orange,” says Schoonveld. “There are literally millions of cohos so you can catch them on pretty much anything, but you’ll probably catch them faster if you’re using orange-colored lures – and most bite in the top several feet of water. There’s no reason to use riggers to get your baits down 15, 20, 30 feet or whatever. Most anglers are running bigger planer boards or walleye-sized line planers.”
Of all the crankbaits Schoonveld runs, his favorite is the Storm Rattlin’ Thin Fin, but says Flickr Shads and Rapalas are fish-catchers, too.
In terms of gear, when fishing occasionally with buddies, Schoonveld runs 12 pound hi-vis monofilament on his trolling rods, but if he’s making daily trips, he’ll size up to 20-pound, which stands up better to the use and abuse.
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Schoonveld says orange is the color de jour for spring coho salmon.
“I like the anti-freeze colored lines so I know exactly where all of my baits are when running planar boards. And I use 20-pound fluorocarbon leader to attach to my crankbaits.”
With three lines allowed per angler and up to four anglers total in his 21-foot boat, Schoonveld has become accustomed to running up to 12 lines – typically three planar boards off port; three off starboard; plus Dipsy Diver’s and downriggers in the rear, just because he has them.
“But 85% of the fish will come on the planar board lines. I don’t use weights or anything, just whatever the lure will dive. And maybe 10% of the fish will come on the Dipsy Divers and you’ll catch one or two fish on the downriggers. The ‘riggers are permanently mounted on my boat, so I figure why not use them.”
As far as rods, he’s using the same kind of gear walleye trollers use – in his case, 8’6” medium light trolling rods for the planar boards. He does go heavier and to nine feet with the Dipsy rods and the same thing for his downriggers.
“We’re not really expecting huge fish, so I stick to light walleye gear for the cohos. Later in the season, we’ll start catching bigger fish regularly, so I’ll move up to medium or medium-heavy rods.”
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DRESS FOR COLD DESPITE WARM LAND TEMPS
While the tendency is to dress for fishing according to land temperatures – which might even be in the 70s as spring progresses – Schoonveld advises anglers not to forget that we’re in a time of year when Lake Michigan water temperatures are in the 30s to low 40s.
“Even if it’s 50 to 60 degrees on shore, it’s more like late-season ice fishing out on Lake Michigan. You’ve got wind, rain, sleet, snow, and squalls will blow through. It can get chilly if you’re not dressed for the part.”
To combat the weather and stay comfortable on his daily coho forays, Schoonveld has been wearing the aptly-named Whitewater Great Lakes Pro Insulated Jacket and Bib, and has been impressed.
“The past few weeks have been pretty cold and I’ve worn the Whitewater suit and it’s performed. From shedding water, spray, and easy clean up from blood and scales, it’s been great. And comfortable. It bends at the knees and elbows and all the places you move when getting in and moving around a boat setting up a rods and fishing.”
He also says that the suit is warm in and of itself, not requiring the layers he’s normally worn underneath other winter parka and bibs he’s used in the past.
“Besides warmth, you also need to make sure you take the precautions necessary for this time of year,” added Schoonveld. “I wear an inflatable PFD underneath my Great Lakes Pro jacket, and I file a flight plan.”
TABLE FARE
When asked if he has a favorite way to prepare cohos, Schoonveld says he has “dozens of favorite recipes.”
“There’s really no bad way to prepare them. The easiest is to fillet them, leave on the skin, add a little bit of seasoning and salt and lay them on a high grill for six or seven minutes. That’s absolutely perfect. But I’ve had them fried, which my kids used to like, and lately I like to smear them with a Panda Express Thai Chili sauce and grill them like that. My wife likes them grilled with ranch dressing. And you can smoke them. Bake them. Whatever. I’ll also make salmon cakes, fry them up, and eat them on a sandwich with a slice of cheese and some tartar sauce. In fact, that’s what I just had for lunch. But like I said, there’s no wrong way to cook coho. They are probably the best eating of all of our Great Lakes salmon.”
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About Whitewater
Whitewater performance fishing apparel gives anglers distinct advantages whenever Mother Nature’s unpredictability conspires to ruin angling adventures. Whether faced with wind, rain, snow, sun, or extreme temperatures, Whitewater apparel equips anglers with the ability and confidence to overcome the elements, so they apply their focus and energies on fighting fish, not the conditions. Whitewater is a brand by Nexus Outdoors, headquartered in Muskegon, Michigan, USA. Learn more and order at whitewaterfish.com.
In just a few short weeks, anglers across the United States will be gearing up for one of our favorite pastimes: spring largemouth bass fishing. Depending on where you are located, spring bassing could mean cool, crisp mornings, long days in the sun and rod-bending action for hours. No matter if you’re flipping soft plastics into heavy cover, casting buzzbaits or just plugging the shoreline of your favorite lake or reservoir, you’ll benefit from a good pair of fishing gloves.
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One of the most popular options is the Stubby from Fish Monkey. This design has been a best-seller since the first season it was introduced, and for some very good reasons. First, it was crafted for comfort and all-day wearability, with ultra-lightweight, quick-drying fabric and a second-skin fit, plus shorter fingers and cuffs (hence the name). The Stubby offers UPF 50-plus sun protection for the sensitive skin on the backs of your hands and has a non-slip silicone palm print.
For those who want a bit more protection, check out the Half Finger Guide glove. It differs from the Stubby in that the fingers and cuffs are a bit longer. It also retains the same qualities of quick-drying fabrics, second-skin fit and UPF 50-plus sun protection too.
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FAIR. Water clear; 43 degrees; 0.98 feet below pool. Crappie continue to be good in 14-30 feet of water on jigs and minnows. Report by The Bait Shop, Post, Texas.
GOOD. Water normal stain; 62 degrees; 65.75 feet below pool. The bite has slowed some with cooler water temperatures. White bass are great off of points and ledges with spoons and trolling crankbaits, channel catfish are great on nightcrawlers in shallows. Crappie are fair on jigs, flatheads good on live bait. Report by Shon Riley, Lake Amistad Fishing Guides. Bass are in a prespawn mode with quality fish and limits possible. Bass are best utilizing forward facing sonar using jighead minnow presentations, Texas rigged plastics and jerkbaits. Water temperature was 62 degrees, but expect it to fall to the upper 50s by the weekend. Weather should become more stable in March. Report by Kurt Dove, Pro Bass Guide.
SLOW. Water stained; 50 degrees; 0.08 feet above pool. After the arctic blast fish should be lethargic and slow to bite in deeper water. Use slower approaches.
GOOD. Water lightly stained; 40 degrees; 5.84 feet below pool. The fishing pattern remains consistent. Catfish can be caught drifting fresh cut shad and spot locking out on the main part of the lake. Report by Brandon Brown, Brown’s Guide Service.
SLOW. Water normal stain; 55 degrees; 0.54 feet above pool. Bass are slow and can be caught in grass 5-15 feet with Texas rig worms, wacky rig senko and lipless crankbaits. Crappie are slow on small jigs over deep brush 25 feet. Report by Reagan Nelson, Lake Athens Bass Guide.
GOOD. Water stained; 55 degrees; 0.43 feet below pool. Bass fishing is improving rapidly with a good shallow bite going on right now. The water temperature in some of the creeks is in the low 60s, so anticipate bass to spawn within the next month. The main lake is fishing well with jerkbaits, swimbaits, Alabama rigs, and Texas rig worms. A light drop shot around the grass edges is also producing a decent amount of fish. Report by Carson Conklin, ATX Fishing.
FAIR. Water stain; 52 degrees; 0.18 feet below pool. Very few anglers on the water due to the arctic blast. Expect all species to relate in deeper water and use a slow approach.
GOOD. Water stained; 63 degrees. Bass can be caught utilizing a slow approach in deep water with deep crankbait or jigs around ledges, or a Carolina rigged finesse worm. There is now very little grass on the lake. Report by Bryan Cotter, Texas Hawgs.
FAIR. Water stained; 50 degrees; 2.35 feet below pool. Before the most recent blast of cold came in on February 19, water temperatures had cooled back to the levels they were at before the record-setting, 8-day warming trend that ended on February 8. After a few smaller male white bass began to appear headed toward spawning areas around Mother Neff State Park, the migration run generally halted and will likely remain low key until our next significant warmup. For those heading upriver, light leadhead jigs with white or off-white curl-tail grubs selected to fish just inches above the bottom will produce well, as will grey and/or olive streamers fished on fly gear. Anglers remaining on the upper ends of the main lake on the Leon River or Cowhouse Creek arms, flatline trolling will be improving. Troll multiple baits that dive to different depths, then change over once fish show a preference. Fish in deeper, clearer water will remain interested in the 5/8 ounce and 3/4 ounce white Bladed Hazy Eye Slab worked with a very slow, steady upward motion where fish are seen concentrated on bottom via sonar. Report by Bob Maindelle, Holding the Line Guide Service. Catfish are fair. With cold water temperatures anglers should search for blue catfish in deeper river channels and around steep ledges in 30-45 feet of water. Larger cut baits have been effective for trophy size fish. Eater fish under 10 pounds are still active and slow drifting with small cut shad along sand flats will produce. Channel catfish are fair but can still be caught on warmer days using punch bait in 15-25 feet of water. Report by Brian Worley, B&S Catfishing.
SLOW. Water stained; 50 degrees; 2.32 feet below pool. After the arctic blast fish should be lethargic and slow to bite in deeper water. Use slower approaches.
FAIR. Water stained; 50 degrees; 0.42 feet above pool. Weather has kept water dirty in most areas besides wind-protected pockets on the north portion of the lake. Bass have started to slow down as water temperatures have dropped. Most fish have been caught in 8-14 feet of water with a jig, dropshot, or jig and minnow near docks, channel swings with timber and a steep drop off, and standing timber in 12-15 feet on steep points. Report by Blake Doughtie, Lake Country Lunkers Lures and Guide Service. Black bass are in a pre-spawn pattern. Look for females in 5-8 feet of water hanging in trees and brush. Look for males cruising the banks preparing nests. Try bait fish patterns around flooded trees and deep points. Clousers on sunny rocky shores might draw a strike. Report by Guide Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork Guide Service.
SLOW. water stained; 47 degrees; 2.87 feet below pool. Lake level is still low, but rising some. Water temperature is 45-49 degrees, and is slightly warmer behind heavy timber lines. Suspending jerkbaits are good around bushes and trees in 5-7 feet. Texas rigs and Viper XP jigs good around bigger standing timber or brush piles 5-7 feet or 15-18 feet on brush piles. Report by Marc Mitchell, Lake Fork Guide Service. Expect the crappie to become stationary to reserve energy. If the water temperature drops into the 30s a shad kill is possible. If this happens crappie will feed on the shad and follow the fish deep to feed. Crappie are good in 20-60 feet of water on timber in the creek channels. 1-5 fish in a tree but occasionally there will be 20-50 fish. The best approach is a light line with an ⅛ ounce jig. The primary species being caught is black crappie. Report by River Bottom Boys Guide Service.
SLOW. Water stained; 55 degrees; 13.89 feet below pool. The recent arctic blast will slow the bite. Target bass on first breaks just off of shallow water with Carolina rigs and rattle traps. Catfish can be caught with cut bait.
FAIR. Water stained, 60 degrees. Very few anglers on the water due to the arctic blast. Fishing should improve next week with the warmer forecast. Redfish are being caught around the jetty area trolling with rattle traps. Redfish are slow from the bank. Channel catfish are good along the weed lines and rock lines with cheese bait. Bass are slow. Report by Harry Lamb, Alamo Texas Fishing.
GOOD. Water slightly stained; 45 degrees; 8.99 feet below pool. The recent cold snap has dropped the water temps back into the 40s. All ramps are open. Sand bass and hybrids are good on deadsticking with soft plastics. As warmer temperatures return, slabs should become more effective. Do not be afraid to move around as the fish have been all over the lake. The fish have been north one day and back in the main lake the next. Catfish are good on cut bait in the north end and the mouth of the river. Crappie are slowly moving into prespawn mode. Check deep brush piles, docks and deep water near the bridge pilings may hold fish. Warmer weather will have the fish moving shallower before too long. Report by Keith Bunch, Lake Bridgeport Guide Service.
SLOW. Water stained; 51 degrees; 0.09 feet above pool. Black bass to 8 pounds are fair on scope minnows off the rocks in 8-15 feet and Hag’s bait jigs around steep banks and squarebill crankbaits in 2-14 feet. Crappie are poor on jigs and minnows in brush piles 10-15 feet of water. White bass are poor to 1.5 pounds on crankbaits and Alabama rigs scattered around the lake. Catfish are poor on cut bait and livers.
SLOW. Water stained; 54 degrees. Bass can be caught on offshore wind blown points with Carolina rigs, heavy jigs or crankbaits. Some bass are shallow on rocks with a wacky rig. Report by the Aggie Anglers.
EXCELLENT. Water slight stain; 60 degrees; 17.63 feet below pool. Last week the spring time weather fired up the fish. Limits of stripers were caught with live bait and trolling. Vertically jigging spoons are still catching limits of white bass, but the fish are on the move and you have to move around to stay on top of them. This week the up and down weather pattern may have an impact on the action along with the full moon. Target 20-60 feet utilizing electronics for the fish. Report by Travis Holland, TH Fishing. Striped bass and hybrids are good in 30-50 feet on live bait or deadsticking. White bass are good in 18-52 feet of water on main lake points and humps along the river channel on jigging spoons. There is some trolling action with crankbaits. Report by Captain Aaron Dick, One Up Fishing Guide Service. Bass are shallow anywhere near balls of bait. Target rock piles with crankbaits, shaky heads, flukes and creature baits. Crappie are good in 10-15 feet of water over brush and trees. Report by Bryan Cotter, Texas Hawgs. Crappie are fair on chartreuse jigs in 15-20 feet of water. Report by Jess Rotherham, Texas Crappie Fishing Service.
SLOW. Water stained; 67 degrees; 1.79 feet above pool. The lake temperatures have fallen 19 degrees in just 8 days down from 67 degrees to 48 degrees. This has slowed the bass bite down, but a few can still be caught with chatterbaits and rattle traps over the grass and pad stems on the main lake. It seems the midday and afternoon bite is best. The river and bayou are very muddy with lots of current, so expect the crappie bite to be tough. Still as always a beautiful time to come out and enjoy this majestic lake that God spoke into existence. Report provided by Vince Richards, Caddo Lake Fishing & Fellowship.
SLOW. Water slightly stained, 60 degrees. Very few anglers on the water due to the arctic blast. Fishing should improve next week with the warmer forecast. Redfish are being caught around the power lines trolling with plastics and spoons. Redfish are slow from the bank. Blue catfish are being caught in 15-20 feet of water on cut bait and shrimp. Channel catfish are being caught around bank lines on cheese bait. Bass are slow. Report by Harry Lamb, Alamo Texas Fishing.
GOOD. Water slightly stained; 49 degrees; 29.19 feet below pool. Largemouth bass are good on long points with hydrilla with green pumpkin 4 inch worm, or in the grass with red rattle trap in 6-8 feet of water. On the points where the grass ends use watermelon candy brush hog. Target the river channel deep points in 8-15 feet of water with an Alabama rig with a divine 2.8 swimbait pro shad colored. White bass were good in 25-35 feet of water with an Alabama rig or silver half ounce jigging spoons. Report by Charles Whited, Barefoot Fishing Tours.
GOOD. stained; 48 degrees; 0.10 feet above pool. The pattern is consistent. The hybrid and white bass winter deadsticking bite is on fire! Use half ounce to 1-1/2 ounce jigs with 4-5 inch plastic flukes depending on what the winds are and drift long lengths of the lake in the deepest water 35-55 feet. Drift at speeds of .2-.6 mph using your drift mode on your trolling motor or using drift socks. If the winds are not too bad you can just drift with the wind. Thumping on the bottom of your boat will attract fish and group them up underneath as you drift. Utilizing a splasher also works well with thumping. You will find the fish suspended between 22-28 feet when deadstricking. Look for Birds and Loons early mornings on shallow flats as the fish will come up to follow the bait and feed early especially on cloudier and colder days. The crappie bite has been tough with reports of fish being scattered. Target crappie with small jigs and minnows in 7-15 feet under bridge pylons, hidden brush piles throughout the lake or under docks. Crappie fisherman have been moving spot to spot finding limits. Lots of crappies in the 7-9 inch range. Limits of crappie will happen but you may catch a lot of small ones getting to your limit. Report by Brent Herbeck, Herbeck’s Lonestar Fishing Guide Service. Fishing patterns are holding steady and there is an influx of freshwater in the lake. Catfish continue to be deep with a few fish shallow. The best catfish bite is drifting from 18-35 feet using cut shad or rough fish along the bottom. Report by Jason Barber, Kings Creek Adventures.
SLOW. Water stained; 50 degrees; 33.43 feet below pool. Few anglers on the water while the lake level is low. It is possible to launch a flat bottom boat, or kayak. It is possible to fish from the bank at Callahan State Park. Report by Scott Springer, Fish Choke Canyon Lake.
GOOD. Water slight stain; 49 degrees; 12.71 feet below pool. Crappie and catfish are good when the wind is down on cut bait and minnows. Report by Lake Cisco Rentals.
SLOW. Water normal stain; 50 degrees; 0.47 feet below pool. Expect a slow bite due to the arctic blast. All species will be in deeper water and best targeted with a slow approach.
SLOW. Water normal stain, 55 degrees; 1.47 feet below. Bass should be slow this weekend. Target bass in standing timber in 8-10 feet of water with a very slow approach. Report by Scott Springer, Fish Choke Canyon Lake.
GOOD. 55 degrees; 0.01 feet above pool. Comanche Creek continues to boast on limits of eater sized channel catfish and numbers of black bass in this power plant lake. Largemouth anglers line up to get on this lake on the weekends. This lake is open Thursday through Sunday and a reservation is required. Report by Michael Acosta, Unfair Advantage Charters.
GREAT. Water stained; 57 degrees; 0.13 feet below pool. Catfish bite is good on baited areas from 10-50 feet deep on liver, worms, Catfish Bubblegum, and punch bait. Drifting creek channels and flats with natural baits have been producing as well. Numbers of buck bass are shallow, and even some of the big gals on beds or staging on structure near beds. Crappie seem to be pretty good on the north end but with the temperature changes fish will be moving around a lot. Report by Bradley Doyle, Bradley’s Guide Service. Crappie are being caught in 13-22 feet on or near standing timber and other structures. Minnows and hair jigs have been producing better than plastics. Many of the hits are light. Hybrids are still being caught but are scattered due to the inconsistent weather. Deadsticking will be a good tactic this week as the arctic blast drops daily temperatures in the 30s. Target fish in 16-36 feet of water on flats and drop-offs. Always wear your life jacket! Report by Mike Cason, Fishical Therapy.
SLOW. Water stained; 50 degrees: 2.00 feet below pool. The lake is low, best to launch near the dam. Historically a strong cold front will shut the bite off when the water temperature is 43 degrees or lower. Expect the crappie to become stationary to reserve energy. If the water temperature drops into the 30s a shad kill is possible. If this happens crappie will feed on the shad and follow the fish deep to feed. Report by River Bottom Boys Guide Service.
SLOW. 55 degrees; 13.22 feet below pool. Reports of nine blue catfish caught with the largest 22 inches. A few anglers catching small catfish, perch and drum from the shoreline at Weber’s Boat Landing. Water levels are extremely low. Only the smallest flat bottomed boats with the motor completely lifted out of water are capable of launching. Even with a small boat, you would have to get into the water to push your boat out far enough to let your motor down and start your engine. Report by Weber’s Boat Landing.
FAIR: Water normal stain; 50 degrees; 1.41 feet above pool. Weather has kept water dirty in most areas besides wind-protected pockets on the north portion of the lake. Bass have started to slow down as water temperatures have dropped. Most fish have been caught in 8-14 feet of water with a jig, dropshot, or jig and minnow near docks, channel swings with timber and a steep drop off, and standing timber in 12-15 feet on steep points. Report by Blake Doughtie, Lake Country Lunkers Lures and Guide Service.
GOOD. Water normal stain; 49 degrees; 4.31 feet below pool. White bass are fair on main lake structure on slabs and in mid depths on chartreuse and white cocahoes. Crappie are fair in open water roaming patterns and in mid depths and main lake structure on jigs. Blue catfish and channel catfish are good on cut bait and punch bait on structure. The report was provided by Chad Ferguson of North Texas Catfish Guide Service.
GOOD. Water stained; 53 degrees; 45.31 feet below pool. Catfish are good in 3-25 feet with fresh cut bait at the mouth of Pierce’s Cove and Marker 7 and the mouth of the Arroyo Veleno. Keeper catfish are good in 3-15 feet of water along structure, and the edges of timber with fresh cut bait and stink bait. Crappie are slow. Bass are good for quality but not for numbers in 8-15 feet of water with plastics and crankbaits. Report by Ram Reyes, Ram Outdoors.
SLOW. Water slightly stained; 58 degrees. Expect the largemouth bass bite to slow after the recent cold front. As the sunshine warms the water the bass will return to the shallows from the first drop-off. Cast shaky heads, Carolina rigs, chatterbaits and rattle traps. Report by Mark Fransen, Fransen’s Guide Service.
GOOD. Water Stained; 50 degrees; 0.11 feet below pool. Water level is a little high and has cooled down to 48-51 degrees. Shallow bite has been fair in 3-5 feet over grass with rattle traps, chatterbaits, and squarebill crankbaits. Shaky heads and dropshots are good around docks in 4-8 feet. Texas rigs and Viper XP Jigs fair around timber near channels in 4-8 feet. Report by Marc Mitchell, Lake Fork Guide Service. Warm sunny days are dictating black bass movements. Try and target fish where the water is 55 degrees or warmer water. To fly fish for bass try game changers and craw patterns in shallow water. Report by Guide Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork Guide Service. The Lake Fork crappie bite is really good this week if you can stand the cold weather and beat the winds. Patterns are changing day to day with fish on the move and the weather so up and down. Some days they will stack up on bridges and the next they will disappear. Timber in 14-34 feet seems to be the most consistent pattern. If you find a crappie and hold an artificial bait above it still enough most fish are crushing that bait. Try using hand tied jigs in two different profiles. Smaller profile jigs in deeper water mid lake or on bridges. When you head north to shallower and muddier water switch to longer and bigger profile jigs. Try to fish lighter, more neutral colors in deeper water and darker colors in shallower water. Soft plastics and minnows will still get you bit as well. We should see the fish push shallower and shallower over the next few weeks with warmer temps in the forecast after the next week. Report by Jacky Wiggins, Jacky Wiggins Guide Service.
SLOW. Water stained; 53 degrees; 7.33 feet below pool. Expect a slow bite due to the arctic blast. All species will be in deeper water and best targeted with a slow approach.
SLOW. Water stained: 56 degrees; 10.67 feet below pool. Surface temperature at the Russell Park ramp was 56 degrees, and 53 up the river. Sonar showed staging white bass in the upper lake and lower river. Bite was very slow to nonexistent. Minimal surface activity was observed.
SLOW. Water stained; 50 degrees; 0.98 feet below pool. Crappie are slow in 15-17 feet on brush with jigs and minnows. Sand bass and hybrids are slow on main lake humps on jigs and spoons. Catfish are slow, drifting main lake Creek channels with cut shad.
GOOD. Water stained; 50 degrees; 0.02 feet below pool. Lake Granbury continues to be full and water temperatures are around 50 degrees and falling heading into the weekend. The majority of the baitfish are huddled deep near the channel in 30-40 feet of water. Sand bass and striped bass bite is good, slowly working 5 inch soft plastics in deep areas near bait. Some good reports for striped bass are from in town near the railroad bridge, Indian Harbor and in Striper Alley on the lower ends. Some sand bass are upstream spawning near Tin Top. Largemouth bass have been better on those warmer days near main lake points slowly working soft plastics. Crappie are good in the river near deeper holes and on the main lake near deep pilings and timber with small crappie jigs. Big blue and yellow catfish to 30 pounds are hit-and-miss on the upper ends using cut bait. Report by Michael Acosta, Unfair Advantage Charters.
GOOD. Water lightly stained; 50 degrees; 0.09 feet below pool. Black bass are fair up river on jigs fished around cover. Crappie are moving shallow to the backs of coves when the water warms up after three warm nights. White bass have been good with the warm weather but will slow down with this cold spell. Blue catfish are very good to 50 pounds on jug lines. Yellow catfish are slow. Report by Tommy Tidwell, Tommy Tidwell’s Granger Lake Guide Service.
SLOW. Water Slightly stained; 51 degrees; 0.78 feet above pool. White bass are slow after the arctic blast. Target fish in deep water with white slabs on a stinger hook with a small jig head with a power gulp minnow tied two feet above. Drop bait to the bottom with a slow retrieve to the fish. Catfish are mixed in below the white bass. Report by Omar Cotter, Luck O’the Irish Fishing Guide Service.
SLOW. Water normal stain; 55 degrees; 45.23 feet below pool. Water level is extremely low. Call ahead to inquire about launching conditions before heading out.
GOOD. Water slightly stained. 55 degrees. Larger Chain Pickerel should be ready to spawn in shallow water. Focus on areas with stumps, brush, and vegetation, and do not forget to de-barb your hooks. Small bass are active in shallow areas relating to vegetation and structure. Report by Guide Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork Guide Service.
SLOW. Water Stained; 50 degrees; 13.55 feet below pool. Expect a slow bite due to the arctic blast. All species will be in deeper water and best targeted with a slow approach.
SLOW. Water stained; 55 degrees; 0.22 feet above pool. Bass have backed off the bank to brush in 8-16 feet of water. Best baits are chatterbaits and rattle traps.
SLOW. Water normal stain; 55 degrees; 0.47 above pool. Very few anglers on the water due to the arctic blast. Expect fish to relate to deeper water until the weather warms next week. Report by Gilbert Miller, GTB Outdoors.
FAIR. Water slightly stained; 50 degrees; 1.94 feet above pool. Weather has kept water dirty in most areas besides wind-protected pockets on the north portion of the lake. Bass have started to slow down as water temperatures have dropped. Most fish have been caught in 8-14 feet of water with a jig, dropshot, or jig and minnow near docks, channel swings with timber and a steep drop off, and standing timber in 12-15 feet on steep points. Report by Blake Doughtie, Lake Country Lunkers Lures and Guide Service.
GOOD. Water lightly stained; 45 degrees; 0.46 feet below pool. The fishing patterns are consistent, but the pattern should change in two weeks. Crappie are in 10-20 feet of water on brush piles and deep submerged timber. There are a few fish sitting 15-18 feet on the structure. Crappie are hugging the bottom so you have to let a ⅛ ounce hand tied jig touch the bottom and then slowly lift to entice a bite. Minnows or soft plastics of any color will produce fish. A lot of times in the winter they will hit it in the fall so be prepared. Use a bigger profile lure, so keep a couple 1/8 ounce jig heads. You can also find Fish spider rigging, or dragging a jig through the depth of the baitfish. Sometimes the fish will be laying on the bottom next to the dam, usually no more than 100 yards off the rocks. Fish are laying at the base of the riprap where it turns into silt, and on the first tier of the riprap going underwater up to the rocks, to the dam. White bass are in 20-30 feet primarily on deepwater humps and levees, but some will be on points. Thumping the boat making noise will attract them to the boat if they are in the area. Slabs and 3-4 inch flukes have been getting them. Black bass are in 1-5 feet on rocks or concrete, and in 5-10 feet of water shoreline structure. Texas rigs and bass jigs are pulling them out of 15-20 feet deep brush piles. The swimbait bite dragged a couple inches or so above brush piles has been stellar. Along with Alabama rigs if you can take the arm beating, it gives you. If you have side imaging, scan to find any kind of anomalies that these fish can hold on. A lot of the fish are out in open water suspended at 20-30 feet with stick baits and lead heads with a soft plastic paddle tail. Blue catfish are great in 35-40, and there is also a nice population in 5-10 feet of water. Bigger fish seem to be shallow with a lot of eaters out in the deeper water. Drag cut gizzard shad, drum, sunfish and carp on a Santee rig behind the boat at approximately .03-.05 mph. Every day the school moves so you have to locate them. One day they will be on one side of the lake and the next they will have traveled 3-4 miles to the other side of the lake. There is a great school of 15-25 pound fish roaming out there and once you find them, it can be an incredible outcome. If the wind suddenly changes directions, you will notice on your side imaging, the catfish are now laying in the mud and are not giving you a sonar shadow, but you can see them, sitting there. When they do have a shadow that means they are on the hunt and those fish are catchable. To chase monsters sit 3-10 feet on the north end of the lake. Bluegills are becoming harder to find in numbers but can be found in 20-30 feet of water brush piles. The dam has trees and brush bluegill and crappie are mixed in. Worms on a very small hook and a split shot above just to keep it in the strike zone will still produce a nice table of fish. Crickets have been king as they also catch a few crappies. Using a cricket cage bait holder is imperative. Report by Carey Thorn, White Bass Fishing Texas.
GOOD. Water stained; 59 degrees; 0.31 feet below pool. Lower end of the lake 52-55 degrees and The Colorado River is 48-52 degrees. In the river target bass with a suspended jerkbait, dropshot and Alabama rig between dock, and the big granite boulders. The boulders warm up the fastest so fish will stage there to spawn. On the lower end of the lake target the mouth of canals where the water is warmer using wacky rigged senkos, jerkbaits or Alabama rigs. If you can find any grass left on the lake use an Alabama rig, jerkbait or dropshot with a 3-4 inch favorite plastic. Report by Charles Whited, Barefoot Fishing Tours. Crappie are fair in 25-30 feet on brush and boulders with minnows. Report by Jess Rotherham, Texas Crappie Fishing Service. Bass are good near laydowns and brush piles with jigs, Texas rigged soft plastics, lipless crankbaits and square and some days a spinner baits. Bigger fish are 14-20 feet and as shallow as 5 feet. Report by Bryan Cotter, Texas Hawgs.
FAIR. Water stained; 47 degrees; 1.31 feet below pool. White bass are fair to good on deep flats and in river channels in 42-64 feet of water with jigs, slabs, and live bait. Keeper sized hybrid stripers are fair 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 drifting cut shad on main lake flats near the river channel, and in the river channel in 20-55 feet of water. Crappie are fair in 4-38 feet of water on brush piles, bridge pilings, and submerged cover near a drop-off ledge with minnows and jigs. The feeder creeks are producing as well. Report by Wes Campbell, BendARod Fishing.
GOOD. Water normal stain; 52 degrees; 1.38 feet below pool. After this cold front anticipate the fishing pattern to begin to transition to the spring time patterns. Water clarity is clear on the main lake with a slight stain in creeks from big rain this week. Catfish, crappie and largemouth bass are suspended this week. Catfish are on main lake points in 5-20 feet of water with cut bait and fresh shad. Crappie are in 10-18 feet on brush, standing timber and power line columns with minnows. A lot of crappie are roaming the creek channels getting ready to push to the creeks for the spawn. Largemouth bass are in 8 feet of water On docks, rocks and bulkheads with Texas rigs and chatterbaits. White bass are on main lake points, mouths of creeks biting silver jigging spoons, squarebill crankbaits, rattle traps. Many are funneling through the 3371 Bridge headed up the Navasota River to spawn in the river. The main lake is 51-55 degrees and the back of creeks is 59 degrees. Many fish cleaned this week had fully developed egg sacks. 60 degrees is the magic number for the fish to push shallow and it will be any day now. Report by Colan Gonzales, CG’s Just Fishing Guide Service.
GOOD. normal stain; 55 degrees; 0.58 feet above pool. White bass have moved to the creeks right now. Should be there for the next month. Catfish are shallow in the river flow. Large mouth should be pushing to spawn on beds if not on beds they will be on wind blown points. Report by Michael Richardson, Lake Livingston Adventures.
GOOD. Water slightly stained; 59 degrees; 0.09 feet above pool. Bass are good, fishing the hydrilla with underspin swimbaits, lipless crankbaits and weightless senkos. Crappie are fair to good in brush piles in 15-25 feet of water with minnows and powerbait champ minnows. Sand bass and catfish are good at the warm water discharge. Reported by Hambone guide service. Report by Hambone Guide Service.
FAIR. Water stained; 41 degrees; 47.53 feet below pool. White bass are good with silver blue rapalas and minnows. Largemouth bass are good on artificial grubs and minnows in Sanford Yake Cove and Bugbee. Catfish are good around Harbor Bay with chicken liver and frozen shad. No reports of crappie this week. Bluegill and perch are fair with worms underneath the docks and shallow areas around the lake. The walleye bite has slowed some after the recent arctic blast but are still good at night and early morning on minnows, or chartreuse and baby blue artificial grubs. Numbers of trout and channel catfish are in the Stilling Basin, or Spring Canyon. Report by Dave Wright, Wright-On Bait, Tackle and Watercraft Rental.
SLOW. Water stained; 53 degrees; 2.72 feet below pool. All species continue to be slow, but expect the bite to improve when the water temperature increases to 60 degrees. A few catches of blue catfish in deep water on juglines.
GOOD. Water stained; 53 degrees; 0.63 feet above pool. Largemouth bass are excellent in shallow grass with a bladed jig or a rattle trap. Crappie are slow roaming in standing timber with chartreuse jigs. Forward facing sonar will help locate fish. Catfish are slow. Report by Cal Cameron, Cal’s ETX Guide Service.
GOOD. Water stained; 52 degrees; 0.50 feet above pool. Big water temperature rise over the last week, but expect the temperatures to drop due to the cold front. Large numbers and quality sized bass have been boated with a deep-diving crankbait, jerkbait and the Alabama rig. As always, natural shad imitations get bit. Some fish are pre-staging in the grass, so a chatterbait through the tops of the grass. Crappie population is good. Catfish are slow. Report by Eric Wolfe, NacoTack Fishing Services. Largemouth bass are excellent with dropshot and Carolina rigs in 15 feet of water. Crappie are good with chartreuse crappie jigs roaming around timber and brush piles. Catfish are slow on live or cut bait. Report by Cal Cameron, Cal’s ETX Guide Service.
FAIR. Water slightly stained; 50 degrees. 0.42 feet below pool. The bass bite has been fair flipping soft plastics around reed bases in 1-3 feet of water. The key is to cover water until you find a good stretch that holds multiple bass. It is also important to slow down your retrieve this time of year to trigger these lethargic winter largemouth. Crappie were fair around main lake 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.
SLOW. Water slightly stained; 48 degrees; 0.15 feet above pool. Crappie are roaming the main lake and very skittish. Catfish are good throughout the lake on cut bait. Starting to see white bass along the banks biting minnows. Report by Navarro Mills Marina.
FAIR. Water slightly stained; 48 degrees; 23.07 feet below pool. Black bass are fair to 5 pounds on jerkbaits, Alabama rigs and deep diving crankbaits. Catching numbers in 12-21 feet of water in main lake drains. One bass over 13 pounds reported this week. White bass are still good on main lake flats in 30-35 feet of water on slabs and spoons. Some crappie are suspended over the tops of the big pecan trees in the Turkey Bend area with minnows. Channel catfish being reported on stink bait and punch bait on 12-18 feet ledges in the Concho River. Report by Wendell Ramsey, Ramsey Fishing.
SLOW. Water lightly stained; 45 degrees; 18.46 feet below pool. Expect a slow bite due to the arctic blast. All species will be in deeper water and best targeted with a slow approach. Black bass can be targeted utilizing forward facing sonar to locate bass then use a swimbait or Alabama rig to get a reaction. Report by Bronte Guns and Tackle Pro Staff.
SLOW. Water slightly stained; 50 degrees; 0.89 feet above pool. Fishing has slowed due to the arctic blast. Target all species in the creek channels and drop-offs or ledges near shallow areas utilizing a very slow approach.
GOOD. Water normal stain; 52 degrees; 0.23 feet below pool. Hybrids are great with fresh cut shad. The cold weather has pushed crappie to roam deeper water. Blue catfish are slow with an early morning bite in shallow water with fresh cut bait and shad. Black bass and sand bass are slow. Report by Lake Palo Pinto RV Park.
FAIR. normal stain; 51 degrees. Largemouth bass are good with large swimbaits or Carolina rigs on points in 15 feet of water. Crappie are fair with primarily smaller size fish being caught with white jigs. Catfish are slow on live minnows. Report by Cal Cameron, Cal’s ETX Guide Service.
FAIR. Water stained; 48 degrees; 0.18 feet below pool. Expect the water temperature to drop a couple degrees during this next cold front. Stripers are fair in 20-40 feet of water with live bait, or deadsticking with pink jig heads with fluke tails. If deadsticking, stay still and let the fish come to you. Hold your rod still and set the hook at the slightest hint of a bite. If using live bait, put your baits in the water and just slowly move around until you catch a fish. Once you catch a fish, stay there for a little bit and try to catch a few more. Sandbass are fair. Look for them in 20-40 feet of water with live shad. Some can be caught using small deadstick baits, too. Catfish are still fair to good up the river near Rock Creek Camp. Cut shad is producing good numbers of fish in 2-5 feet of water fished on or near the bottom. Some people like to use cut carp and Buffalo and have good luck with that. It might be worth a try if no other fresh bait is available. Water clarity is steady at 1-8 feet of visibility and slightly stained. Report by TJ Ranft, Ranft Guide Service. Bass slow but will bite when located. Bottom baits such as jigs and bottom bumping crank baits. Bass biting from deep to shallow depths following shad movement. Located in typical winter locations. Report by JK Outdoors Bass Fishing Guide.
GOOD. Water stained; 45 degrees; 0.13 feet above pool. White bass are in big schools on the upper part of the lake before the I-30 bridge. Look for big bait balls in 20-34 feet of water with 3/4 ounce slabs with 2 jigs tied above working best spread at least 16 inches apart. Hybrids can be caught closer to the bottom with 1 ounce jig heads with 4 inch flukes. Drifting has been best with drift socks. Let your bait fall to 1-3 feet off the bottom then reel up to the fish. Large numbers of white bass are showing up in the feeder creeks above the lake. Small road runner type baits and small crappie jigs working. Crappie are fair and relating to brush 18-28 feet deep moving on and off structure and starting to roam the deep flats. Minnows working best. Catfish are good on the deep flats drifting cut shad, buffalo or carp. Blue catfish up to 25-30 pounds best on long drifts. Report by John Varner, John Varner’s Guide Service.
GOOD. Water slightly stained; 50 degrees; 0.54 feet below pool. White bass can be caught on live bait and slabs on deep water humps near creek channels 35-55 feet. Fish should transition to the creeks as the weather warms. Blue catfish can be caught drifting or anchored with cut bait in 45-65 feet near the creek channels. Starting to see some catfish in shallow water as well and this will only improve once the cold weather gets out of here. Report by Justin Wilson, Wilson Outdoor Connection.
FAIR. Water normal stain; 48 degrees; 0.12 feet above pool. Another week of cold temperatures, rain and brisk winds has kept most anglers at home and off the Lake. The lake is 3 inches above full Pool with a couple of spillway gates open. The water clarity is stained far up the Major Creeks, but clear on the main lake. This has combined to have a negative impact on the overall fishing. White bass and hybrid striper fishing can be rated only fair with very few reports due to weather and lake conditions. White bass and small hybrids are scattered, but can sometimes be caught on slabs in 35-40 feet of water on the main lake points. Eater size blue and channel catfish have slowed but are still fair on punch bait in 30 feet of water on the Richland Creek Arm of the Lake as well as scattered timber in coves on the south shoreline of the main lake. Chum with range cubes and fermented grain for best results. Drift Fishing with cut bait or shad along creek channels and flats is producing trophy blue catfish for those looking for larger catfish but do not mind a slower bite. No reports from anglers targeting crappie or largemouth bass. Report by Royce Simmons, Gone Fishin’ Guide Service.
SLOW. Water stained; 55 degrees; 0.11 feet above pool. The cold front early in the week will shut the bite off and fish will push to deeper water. The river is flooding. Bass are going to hunker down in grass and become lethargic with some fish seeking out deeper structure. Crappie are heading toward spawning areas in 2-3 feet of water on flats, grass and cypress trees. Catfish can be caught shallow on noodles. White bass are scattered up creeks hitting rattle traps and road runners. Report by Captain Lynn Atkinson, Reel Um N Guide Service.
SLOW. Water stained; 55 degrees; 1.95 feet below pool. Water clarity is stained due to freshwater runoff. At Somerville marina the crappie bite is fair, bluegill are fair on crickets and worms, and catfish are fair on minnows and punch bait. On the lake crappie are fair on jigs and minnow over brush 8-16 feet of water. Catfish are fair in 6-10 feet of water using cut shad or punch bait. Black bass are fair moving plastics in 6-12 feet of water. White bass slow, trolling with various spoons or anchored with shad and ghost minnows. Hybrids, slow in deeper water, using cut bait and mussels. Below the dam fishing is slow since there is no water being released. Report by Weldon Kirk, Fish Tales Guide Service.
SLOW. Water stained; 50 degrees. 46.50 feet below pool. Very few reports but the white bass bite should begun to improve. Report by Bronte Guns and Tackle Pro Staff.
FAIR. Water stained; 46 degrees; 1.41 feet below pool. Crappie are slow off the concrete at the pump house, and near docks. Bass are slow on crankbaits and spinnerbaits.
GOOD. Water stained; 50 degrees; 2.92 feet below pool. Before the most recent blast of cold on February 19, water temperatures had cooled back to the levels they were at before the record-setting 8-day warming trend which ended on February 8. After a few smaller male white bass began to appear headed toward spawning areas on either side of the Gravel Crossing, the migration run generally halted and will likely remain low key until our next significant warmup. For those heading upriver, light leadhead jigs with white or off-white curl-tail grubs selected to fish just inches above the bottom will produce well, as will grey and, or olive streamers fished on fly gear. For those remaining on the upper end of the main lake, flatline trolling will be improved. Troll multiple baits that dive to different depths, then change over once fish show a preference. Fish in deeper, clearer water will remain interested in the 5/8 ounce and 3/4 ounce white Bladed Hazy Eye Slab worked with a very slow, steady upward motion where fish are seen concentrated on bottom via sonar. Report by Bob Maindelle, Holding the Line Guide Service.
FAIR. Water lightly stained; 46 degrees; 0.85 feet above pool. Lake Tawakoni as most of the lakes in Texas are subject to a major Arctic blast this week. The hybrid striper and white bass bite is slow. Massive schools of fish have made the way up the lake towards the Sabine River. During this migration these fish become difficult to catch. Trophy catfish are great with fish up to 55 pounds possible. Fresh cut shad and drum are working best. The eating catfish bite is slow, but right around the corner it will be good. The crappie bite is also slow under bridges and deep timber in 18-25 feet. The largemouth bite has been slow, but the big warm-up coming next week will change this overnight. Report by Captain Michael Littlejohn, Lake Tawakoni Guide Service.
SLOW. Water stained; 55 degrees; 5.12 feet below pool. Very few anglers on the water. With the lake level steadily dropping, boat ramp closures are in the future. Anglers should contact Lavaca Navidad River Authority about closures before traveling.
FAIR. Water stained; 48 degrees; 2.81 feet below pool. Striped bass fishing is a little slower with the arctic blast but will pick up soon after the warm-up. Fish are still in deep water along river channels and flats in 50-65 feet of water. Flukes and swimbaits suspended above the fish drifting .5-1 mph. Catfishing is decent seeing bigger blues come off shallow flats and ditches in 5-15 feet of water. Anchored up with cut shad and whole gizzard shad. Crappie are on deep structure and brush in 18-25 feet of water near creeks and coves. A slow presentation using electronics to locate active fish. Bass fishing is slow with the drop in lake levels and water temperature. Look for fish to move up in coves and on rocky banks on sunny days. Fish creeks and stumps looking for the gizzard shad this time of year for bigger bass to be feeding. Report by Jacob Orr, Lake Guaranteed Guide Service. Striped bass are best deadsticking in deep water. Catches up to 13 pounds are possible. Report by John Blasingame, Adventure Texoma Outdoors.
SLOW. Water stained; 53 degrees; 0.61 feet below pool. Fishing is slow due to cold weather. The water is in the mid 50s and should decline more this weekend. The bite should improve next week towards the middle of the week. Before the cold front big fish up to 11 pounds were being caught. The shallow bite has been best in 1-5 feet on senkos and wacky worms. Other fish coming on Texas rig and Carolina rig lizards on 6-10 feet. Few fish coming out of the back of creeks on rattle traps and square bill crankbaits. Look for clear to stained water away from the mud. Crappie are good when the weather warms, then back to tough on the colder days. Work jigs and live bait around the flooded timber. The water temperature needs to return to the high 50s and low 60s for the bite kick-off. Report by Stephen Johnston, Johnston Fishing.
GOOD. Water slightly stained; 59 degrees; 43.59 feet below pool. Good numbers of bass in 5-15 feet and 30-40 feet of water on ledges with brush hogs, medium to large creature baits, medium to deep crankbaits, squarebill crankbaits and jerkbaits. You want to run the edges of rocky shores. The rockier the better. Slow moving pumpkin worms on deep ledges are working well. Report by Bryan Cotter, Texas Hawgs. Largemouth bass are good on long points with hydrilla with green pumpkin 4 inch worm, or in the grass with red rattle trap in 6-8 feet of water. On the points where the grass ends use watermelon candy brush hog. Target the river channel deep points in 8-15 feet of water with an Alabama rig with a divine 2.8 swimbait pro shad colored. Report by Charles Whited, Barefoot Fishing Tours.
SLOW. Water stained. 51 degrees; 39.51 feet below pool. Blue and channel catfish are fair and improving as the weather cools. Catfish are moving shallow hitting punch bait, live bait and fresh cut bait. Crappie are slow but chasing shad. White bass are slow. Report by Captain Michael Peterson, 4 Reel Fun Guide Service.
SLOW. Water stained; 50 degrees; 1.75 feet below pool. Expect all species to be slow after the arctic blast. Limits of white bass are moving north up the Bosque River. Report by Greg Culverhouse, Crappie King.
GOOD. Water slight stain; 55 degrees. Water levels remain very low, and the boat ramp is still closed to power boats due to ongoing repairs. However, small personal watercraft like kayaks and canoes can still launch from the shore, and bank fishing remains an option. With the low water and exposed rock piles, the ramps are essentially unusable. Target areas with submerged vegetation that still have a few feet of water overhead. Moving baits such as weedless swimbaits, jerkbaits, chatterbaits and lipless crankbaits are effective. For slower presentations try Texas-rigged soft plastics, craws. Senkos and dropshots can work well along grassy edges or above submerged cover. Report by Team YAKUSA.
FAIR. Water heavily stained; 47 degrees; 4.83 feet below pool. Crappie are good in the Crappie House on jigs and minnows. Bass and catfish are slow deep and around rocks. Water visibility is 10 inches.
SLOW. Water normal stain; 42 degrees; 23.04 feet below pool. Crappie are good deadsticking jigs in 10-17 feet of water around brush. Catfish are slow on cut shad. Report by The Bait Shop, Post, Texas.
SLOW. Water normal stain; 55 degrees; 0.13 feet above pool. Expect all species to slow after the arctic freeze. Striped bass can be caught deadsticking flukes, or live bait in 30-45 feet of water. Crappie are good on small jigs and minnows in timber in 15-20 feet on the north end of the lake. White bass fishing is fair, some are being caught on flukes and slabs. Largemouth bass fishing is fair around the docks. Report by Captain Cory Vinson, Guaranteed Guide Service.
FAIR. Water normal stain; 49 degrees; 2.42 feet below pool. White bass are fair on the main lake structure on slabs. Crappie are fair to good on brush piles and in the river on jigs. Blue catfish and channel catfish are good on cut bait and punch bait on structure. The report was provided by Chad Ferguson of North Texas Catfish Guide Service
SLOW. Water stained; 50 degrees; 6.42 feet above pool. Fishing will be slow due to the arctic blast. Catfish are fair. Bass are slow. Crappie are staged on brush in 8-12 feet but the fish are not biting.
GOOD. Water normal stain; 55 degrees; 0.90 feet below pool. Water levels have dropped significantly for inspection of the spillway. When navigating the waters, please be careful as obstructions that are usually not prevalent can be detrimental to navigation. Largemouth bass are tight to the shorelines and in structure in shallow water but with the temperatures dropping, may go deep for a bit until it warms up. Crappie are in 8 feet of water on structure and eating small jigs good. White bass are in the rivers and creeks eating well on spins and road runner jigs. Report by Captain Zackary Scott, Zack Attack Fishing.
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Saltwater Weekly Fishing Report Week of February 19, 2025
Redfish Bay
FAIR. 64 degrees. Redfish are great in shallow water on mud minnows. Black drum are being caught on dead shrimp on shallow flats and on drop-offs. Report by Captain Aerich Oliver, Rockport Paradise Outfitters.
San Antonio Bay
SLOW. 60 degrees. The freeze is going to shut the bite down. Forecasted wind gusts up 60 mph will blow water out of the bay. Redfish will move out of the back lakes as the water drops out. Trout and redfish will relate to deep water near mud flats. The fish should resume a spring pattern next week with the forecasted warm weather next week. Report Captain Lynn Smith, Back Bay Guide Service.
Sabine Lake
GOOD. 60 degrees. Neches River and marshes are good at the mouth of the bayous for drum, channel catfish, redfish and sheepshead Carolina rigged live shrimp. Target the humps in the ditches in about 8 feet of water. Pleasure Island North Levy continues to be good early morning for limits of speckled trout on live shrimp under a popping cork, suspended baits, �¼ ounce jigheads, or with topwater. Northwest and northeast winds have kept anglers off Sabine Lake, but lighter winds in the forecast should open more opportunities. Report by Captain Randy Foreman, Captain Randy’s Guide Service Sabine Lake.
Bolivar
GOOD. 67 degrees. It is going to be another week of some wild weather changes. Check the daily forecast or call your favorite bait shop. Only two tide changes all week, changing back to 3/4 tides next week with best times for fishing in the afternoons on incoming tides. Fishing is fair to good. Water temperature warmed up last week and will cool a little with the cold weather days. Water levels are changing back and forth per usual for the winter extremes. Anglers are catching redfish all over, and nice speckled trout , sand trout, black drum, redfish, the occasional sheepshead, and crabs are being caught along the jetty. The flounder are still there but of mixed sizes. The surf is producing lots of redfish, huge black drum, occasional speckled trout and a few sharks along the whole peninsula with more activity towards Gilchrist and High Island. Report by Captain Shane Rilat, North Jetty Bait Camp.
Trinity Bay
FAIR. 61 degrees. Northern end of Trinity receiving a dose of freshwater. East shoreline seeing some scattered trout and reds. best action still in the northwest area of the bay, Tabbs Bay, Scott Bay, and Burnett Bay holding speckled trout, black drum, redfish, and sheepshead. Best bite on live shrimp. Report by Captain David Dillman, Galveston Bay Charter Fishing. There is one particular area holding salt water, but the algae is all in the water column so it is hard to fish. Great time to catch blue catfish. As the release rate decreases, at this time it is 25,400 cfs, the salt water will return. The current salinity CFU around umbrella point is 5-7 and 3-5 at Smith Point with the middle of Trinity Bay by A1 a bit more salty than that. Seems like the rigs may be the best bet for the current salinity that is being offered. Redfish and trout are great along the west shoreline by Eagle Point and even up to Morgan’s point being caught on WAC Attack’s Shad XL in the peppered pumpkin color and the WACky Fluke also in the peppered pumpkin color. Drum and sheepshead are tight to the shorelines and on reefs. With the recent temperature changes, fish may drop a bit deeper with mud bottoms. Usually, taking 3 days after a hard front to return to normal late winter patterns. Always wear your kill switch and remember to plan your trips based on weather conditions. Start warm and be prepared. Report by Captain Zackary Scott, Zack Attack Fishing.
East Galveston Bay
GOOD. 60 degrees. The warming trend has been good for fishing. Reefs near shorelines have been fair for speckled trout on soft plastics. Wade anglers are picking up a few better quality fish. Live bait anglers doing well on black drum in the intracoastal and over shell reefs. Report by Captain David Dillman, Galveston Bay Charter Fishing. Slot-sized speckled trout are showing up in the deep areas along with black drum, and redfish being caught on live shrimp and finger mullet. We are still getting a few reports of good fishing by Frenchtown Road, Siever’s Cut, and near the boat ramp by Rollover Pass. Report by Captain Shane Rilat, North Jetty Bait Camp. Surface water temperature went back down to 58 degrees from 69 last week. The water clarity is average for East Galveston Bay. In honor of Valentine’s Day, we have thrown the Salt Strong F.R.E.D. The Jerk in Pink and it has allowed us to crush the trout. Please watch the major and minor fish times, as again this past week, that has been when the bite really turned on, as well as when the water temperatures rose with the sun out. Remember the fish still have to eat in the colder water, although not as often, so be very methodical in your presentation, and fish areas where you have confidence in. Active bait in the area is important, so if you do not see bait or signs of life, do not spend a whole lot of time in the area. As the water heats up during the day, some of the fish are moving out to mud flats to feed, so keep that in mind as well. The redfish bite was not as good for us this week, around drains and in the very shallow water areas back in the marsh. We are still using Imitation shrimp lures & tails under popping corks, with a 1-foot leader to trigger bites, as well as weightless Deadly Dudley Rat Tails, and WacAttack Flukes. Remember, time of year brings some of the best opportunities for bigger fish, with fewer fishers on the water, and bigger fish on the prowl, so get out and make it happen with your family and friends. The Corky bite also is in full swing, as well as suspending hard jerk baits, so if you like throwing artificials these are great bait to throw, as well as walking topwater baits, as well as slow falling jerk baits, when the conditions are lining up. Report by Captain Jeff Brandon, Get the Net Guide Service, LLC.
Galveston Bay
SLOW. 57 degrees. Most catches consist of black drum and sheepshead on live shrimp. A few trout can be caught along with the occasional slot redfish. Report by Captain David Dillman, Galveston Bay Charter Fishing.
West Galveston Bay
GOOD. 62 degrees. Some good trout being caught by those wading with artificial baits. Live bait anglers catching a few speckled trout, but better numbers of redfish being caught along the structure. Report by Captain David Dillman, Galveston Bay Charter Fishing.
Texas City
GOOD. 59 degrees. Overall a slow week of catches. Oversized black drum catches off the dike and Galveston jetties on live halved crab. Anglers throwing live shrimp around the jetties catching fair numbers of sheepshead. Report by Captain David Dillman, Galveston Bay Charter Fishing. Anglers are catching plenty of speckled trout, redfish, and black drum with the occasional sand trout, gafftop and big croakers mixed in. Wade fishing has been sporadic, but great during the afternoon incoming tide. Along the dike has been productive from the beginning to the end still. Live shrimp and finger mullet have been the best baits. To entice a massive black drum to bite bait up some crab. We have a couple more weeks until the annual crab trap clean-up. Report by Captain Shane Rilat, North Jetty Bait Camp.
Freeport
SLOW. 60 degrees. Trout, redfish, flounder and few drum have been caught deep oyster reefs and deep drops and cuts in Bastrop Bay, Christmas Bay, Chocolate Bay, and Oyster Creek. Best bite on down south lures, gulp new penny shrimp and salt water assassin with 1/4 ounce and 3/8 ounce head. Catching drum, sheepshead, trout and redfish fishing the Brazos River and the San Bernard River with live shrimp. Report by Captain Jake Brown, Flattie Daddy Fishing Adventures
East Matagorda Bay
FAIR. 60 degrees. Expect the bite to shut off this week due to the cold front, but the weather forecast is promising next week. The Colorado River is off-colored. Redfish are fair In channels, cuts and bayous with mullet, shrimp, and artificials. Trout and redfish can be caught in open water. Report by Captain Charlie Paradoski, Captain Charlie Paradoski’s Guide Service.
West Matagorda Bay
FAIR. 60 degrees. Expect the bite to shut off this week due to the cold front, but the weather forecast is promising next week. The Colorado River is off-colored. Redfish are fair In channels, cuts and bayous with mullet, shrimp, and artificials. Trout and redfish can be caught in open water. Report by Captain Charlie Paradoski, Captain Charlie Paradoski’s Guide Service.
Port O’Connor
SLOW. 61 degrees. Slot redfish are halfway inside in the south jetty in 15-20 feet of water on blue crab or Spanish sardines. Oversized trout are on the outside the jetty freelining shrimp. Oversized redfish at the Honey Hole on blue crab. Expect the bite to be slow heading into the weekend. Report by Captain Marty Medford, Captain Marty’s Fish of a Lifetime Guide Service.
Rockport
GOOD. 65 degrees. Tides have been up and down this week, and the bite has been slower due to the full moon. Trout are fair on live shrimp and your favorite soft plastics on drop-offs and soft muddy bottoms. Redfish have been good on shrimp or cut mullet in flats fishing drains and guts. Black drum are great on live or dead shrimp and fish bites in drains and guts. Report by Captain Kenny Kramer, Kramer Fishing Charters.
Port Aransas
GOOD. 65 degrees. Redfish are good on live shrimp on the north and south jetty. Oversized redfish are good on cut crab and mullet. Trout are fair with shrimp free lined along rocks. Oversized black drums are great on shrimp and cut crab. Sheepshead are good using live or dead shrimp along rocks and structures. Report by Captain Kenny Kramer, Kramer Fishing Charters.
Corpus Christi
FAIR. 64 degrees. Redfish are great in shallow water on mud minnows. Black drum are being caught on dead shrimp on shallow flats and on drop-offs. Report by Captain Aerich Oliver, Rockport Paradise Outfitters.
Baffin Bay
FAIR. 55 degrees. Expect the bite to slow due to the arctic freeze. It is not spring yet, so stay near deep areas fish can drop into to survive. Softdine XLs and Double D’s are working great, plus soft plastics. Vary your presentations until you find what works. Report by Captain Sally Black.
Port Mansfield
GOOD. 60 degrees. Fishing is consistent and water levels are still a little low. This week things will change after this good cold front. This will have us slowing our baits down quite a bit. Bouncing soft plastics off the bottom should result in good catches. Additionally, suspending bait will also be a good choice until the water starts to warm up. Report by Captain Wayne Davis, Hook Down Charters. A minor cold front early this week dropped water temperatures congregating baitfish, redfish and speckled trout in shallow areas early in the morning. As the day progresses and the water temperature warms up, deeper areas where the water is cooler can be favorable to target trout. Pre-frontal conditions can oftentimes be stellar for targeting big trout. It is key to identify bait in the area, which right now there is plenty, focus on fishing lesser areas and spending more time in those areas, dissect it completely and fish it throughout. It will eventually lead to a solid stringer or even a personal best. Be safe out there on the water and courteous of your fellow anglers. As always, tight lines! Report by Captain Reanna DeLaCruz, Captain Reanna’s Baffin Bay Adventures.
South Padre
GOOD. 60 degrees. Trout are fair in deeper water. A few redfish on gaswell flats on bottom with cut mullet. A few schools of black drum along the Eastside to the Old Causeway. Sheepshead are fair at the Old Causeway. Whiting, sand trout and croaker are good south of the fishing pier. Stay safe out there. Report by Captain Lou Austin, Austin Fishing South Padre.
Port Isabel
GOOD. 60 degrees. Trout are fair in deeper water. A few redfish on gaswell flats on bottom with cut mullet. A few schools of black drum along the Eastside to the Old Causeway. Sheepshead are fair at the Old Causeway. Whiting, sand trout and croaker are good south of the fishing pier. 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.
The Flint River Bass Club held its first 2023 tournament last Sunday at Jackson. In it, six of us fished for eight hours in a mudhole to land 12 bass weighing about 14 pounds. There was one five bass limit and no one zeroed.
I landed five weighing 5.70 pounds for first, Doug Acre came in second with two weighing 3.36 pounds and had a 1.94-pound fish for big fish and Lee Hancock had three weighing 3.1 for third. Fourth went to Alex Gober with one at 1.71 pounds and new member Scott Smith had keeper weighing .63 pounds for fifth.
When we started at 7:30 AM I could tell the water was very muddy even in the cove at the ramp. My first cast I found out how muddy, my crankbait disappeared about two inches deep.
I fished one place in the muddy cove without a bite for about 30 minutes. When I headed up the river to try to find some clearer water to fish, I was shocked and scared when I saw all the wood floating in the water. Everything from twigs to logs twice as long as my boat covered the water from bank to bank.
That made me stop on a point and try to fish, although it was very muddy and almost every cast produced some kind of trash on my line and lure. After about 30 minutes the light breeze had moved the wood away from one side of the lake enough to run on plane if you were slow and careful.
I had hoped to go up the Alcovy River above the mouth of the South River where the water is often clearer, but when I got to the mouth of Tussahaw Creek I changed my mind. The wood going up the river covered it even worse from bank to bank and the wind had not made any open water at wall.
That condition made me go up Tussahaw Creek where there is often some clear water. And it did get better above the bridge, I could see my bait down a solid six inches!
I caught a small keeper spot by casting a brown three sixteenths ounce Bitsy Bug jig with a green pumpkin Creepy Crawler trailer to a cement seawall. Of course I dipped the tails of the trailer in chartreuse JJs Magic. There are rocks at the bottom of most seawalls and bass will hold against them to feed on crayfish and baitfish.
I kept fishing seawalls like that and every one of my fish, two more spots and two largemouth, hit the jig on a seawall. Lee was fishing the same area and caught his three on a variety of baits.
I invited the spots I caught home for dinner. When I cleaned them they had parts of small crayfish in their stomachs. That is why they liked my brown jig with the twin trailer arms!
I was on the water just a couple times this past week as the cold and wind were just not my preferred fishing conditions. We did have some success, but it seemed like every time we located fish the wind would blow us off the location and force us to have to move to make the trip enjoyable.
We were preparing for the rattle trap season so all we fished, was the SPRO Aruka Shad rattle bait the entire time we were on the water each day. The results were great for size and average for numbers but getting ready for trap season that was a great result.
It’s time to set up your spring fishing days for bass or crappie, I believe it’s going to be a great year as the numbers of small fish caught this past fall was impressive. Leaving me assured that the lake is healthy and full of fish.
Come fish with me we have days available for the spring we wish with great sponsor products Mercury Motors, Boat Logix mounts, Vicious Fishing, Toyota Trucks, Duckett Fishing, Missile Baits, Tight-Line Jigs, Lowrance Electronics, Costa Sunglasses, Dawson Boat Center, Power Pole, Lew’s Fishing and more. Looking to entertain your customers we do corporate trips, family trips and have a group of guides available to entertain your customers, or family so you can thank your employees for the job well done or entertain a family affair. Call me today for details!
Bait Size Matters
As winter slowly moves on it is a time of year where size matters; at no time during the fishing year is the size of your bait more important than now! If your wanting to catch big quality bass, fish with big baits, like 7 inch swim baits, ¾ oz. jigs with large trailers that give the jig a bulky look; even ¾ to 1 oz. spinner baits with large willow leaf blades will produce that big bite.
The thing many fishermen do not realize is that slow lethargic large bass pick their prey and the bigger the better as their feeding is very selective and large presentations entice that big fish. I know you all have heard that saying that this time of year (winter) you’re fishing for a few bites; I believe this is true so if the bites are limited than the presentation of large bait becomes even more important. Size does matter; large bass are selective, they want slow moving baits, easy prey and that large presentation as they can lead you to that 30-pound sack we all hunt in winter fishing. Large baits do have some negatives as some days it can reduce the number of bites, but the bigger fish make it all worth it. Be color aware as wintertime fishing color does matter!
Some of the baits I like with large profiles are ¾ to 1 oz. Spinner baits with big willow leaf blades that get to the bottom easily and becomes a great large profile bait to slow roll on the bottom this time of year. I also like ¾ oz. football jigs you combine that big jig with a Missile Bait D-bomb trailer or Drop Craw, or big Missile Craw and it will produce big bites with this jig as it really entices those big females. Don’t underestimate the power of a big swim bait, some of those very expensive large swim baits when worked slowly over shallow grass can become your best friend; these baits can be very expensive, but wintertime proves their worth.
Big baits produce big fish, and you’ll have a big time on the water; you just have to get on the water to prove it; call me I’ll help you become a big bait fisherman!
Fish Lake Guntersville Guide Service
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
You have to be in the Right Place at the Right Time with the right tackle For 50-Pound Musky
By The Fishing Wire
Park Falls, WI –Duncannon, Pennsylvania fishing guide and St. Croix Rod Ambassador, Joe Raymond, must be living right. Almost a month to the day after catching a 7.1-pound personal-best smallmouth bass that many believe to be the largest ever recorded on the Susquehanna River, Raymond caught another fish that has the internet buzzing. This one, however, was over twice as long and seven times heavier. No, it wasn’t a smallmouth bass.
“I was taking some time off and bass fishing up at the St. Lawrence River,” says Raymond, who always carries musky gear on the deck of his Rockproof River Rocket when plying the waters of the storied fishery. “I’m not a musky expert… just an enthusiast,” Raymond emphasizes. “I was scouting some new spots for bass the night before the full moon. Some of my areas have been getting a lot more pressure, so I was just exploring on my day off.”
Raymond was marking bass and working some scattered rocks along a grass line at about 5:00 PM when his Legend X spinning rod doubled over.
“I hooked a three-pound bass and was fighting it back to the boat when I saw a big musky charge up with gills flared right underneath it,” Raymond recalls. He describes the fish as a bona fide supertanker. “This fish was as fired up to eat as they come, but I couldn’t throw back at it because I wasn’t rigged up,” he says. Raymond unhooked the bass and hurriedly grabbed his musky rod.
After tying on a substantial chunk of white rubber, Raymond started fan casting with his Legend Elite Musky LEM86HF. “I couldn’t locate the fish on my electronics, so I was just casting and ripping the bait along that grass line,” he says. After about 20 minutes of rip… pause… rip, Raymond says his lure hard-stopped and he set the hooks into “all the weight in the world.”
The St. Lawrence River has some of the biggest muskies to be found anywhere and claims a historical world record – a 69-15 fish caught by Arthur Lawton in 1957. “Historical” because although the catch is still recognized as the NY state record by the New York Department of Environmental Conservation, it was disallowed as a world record by both the Freshwater Fishing Hall of Fame and the International Game Fish Association amidst much controversy – like so many other old musky records. That said, there’s no arguing that the St. Lawrence has produced numerous documented muskies over 50 pounds. Over the past few years, Raymond himself had already caught three fish there 55 inches or greater.
And he suspected the fish he was tied to might be his biggest yet.
“I was pretty sure the fish with my lure in its mouth was the same giant that had followed my bass to the boat,” Raymond says. “It was fighting like crazy… just dug and dug and dug, but I’ve been fooled before; I’ve caught 44-inchers that I swore were going to be a whole lot bigger. I had my drag totally locked down and was giving this fish everything my equipment and I had to get it into the net as quickly as possible.” When he got the fish near the boat, his suspicions were confirmed. “I’m sure it was the same fish,” he says. “Long, deep, and incredibly girthy all the way down through its tail. The fish was still punching and surging, but I saw it was well hooked, so I backed off the drag a half turn. I knew I had her.”
Raymond slid the giant into his net. He taped the fish at 55” long and 27” around.
“I was shaking and just wishing someone else was there to share the experience,” says Raymond, who spotted some people on a nearby beach and idled over with the fish in the net to ask for their help with a couple of photos. “They were interested in what I’d caught and were happy to help. They were so nice,” he says. While Raymond didn’t weigh the fish, he speculates it was somewhere just north of 50 pounds, making it the heaviest of his life — a statement backed up by common musky length/girth weight calculators.
After a couple quick photos, Raymond spent a few minutes observing the fish in the water before releasing it and watching the tank swim away.
Takeaways
When reflecting on the experience, Raymond wouldn’t comment on whether or not “living right” has anything to do with his recent good-fishing fortunes. But he does offer a few observations.
“If you spend enough time on the water you’re going to run into big fish,” he says. “And if you are spending that much time on the water, you’re going to have learned a lot and be a good angler. I don’t think there’s any more to it than that. I’m on the water all the time and it increases my odds of big-fish encounters.”
Raymond says he was fortunate to locate a trophy fish on a body of water known for giant muskies at the right time. “Anyone who puts time in chasing muskies knows what a grind it usually is,” he says. “Timing definitely matters. You can go days without catching or even moving one, then you hit a feeding window and the switch flips and you might see and catch several. That’s why I don’t guide for muskies; I really don’t want that kind of pressure… plus, I don’t want to ruin musky fishing for myself. I caught that big smallmouth on the same lunar period a month earlier – the day before the full moon. I was lucky to find both of those fish right when they were ready to eat.”
While Raymond wasn’t targeting muskies, he was prepared with the proper gear because of his knowledge of the fishery and his previous experiences there. “Like I said, I’m no musky expert, but I do make my living on the water, so I know the value of being prepared with the right equipment to take advantage of opportunities,” says Raymond, whose favored all-around musky setup is a St. Croix Legend Elite Musky 8’6” heavy power, fast action rod paired to a Tranx 400 reel spooled with 80-pound Smackdown braid tied with an FG knot directly to a custom Seaguar AbrazX 130-pound fluorocarbon leader.
“The 86HF is simply the most versatile musky rod you can get and anyone who’s fished the Legend Elite version will tell you it’s in a class by itself. It’s amazing how a rod that powerful can feel so unbelievably light. There’s always one in my rod locker when I’m fishing anywhere near muskies.”
Finally, Raymond dives into big muskies and what makes them so special… and so vulnerable.
“There have been fish like mine – and bigger – caught all up and down the St. Lawrence in the past decades,” Raymond says, “but they are becoming fewer and fewer. It’s sad to see what’s happened here. It’s still a viable destination and there are monsters here, just not as many. The water has really cleared up because of the zebra and quagga mussels, which has reduced the amount of grass and altered the fishery. And then you’ve got the VHS virus plus all the gobies eating most of the musky eggs. I don’t think the outlook is good. We don’t really see small fish here anymore, which is a bad sign.”
Raymond says if you are fortunate enough to catch one of these big, old St. Lawrence muskies – or a big musky anywhere – you’ve really got to be extra careful with them. “Other than taking a couple of photos and measuring it, this fish was kept in the water the whole time. That’s important. And when you do take them out, despite their size and how resilient they may seem, they’re actually more fragile than about any other trophy fish. Gravity alone can injure a fish like this, so how you lift and handle them matters.”
Whether you fish the St. Lawrence River or any other body of water where muskies swim, trophy fish time is happening right now and will continue through ice up. So, follow Raymond’s advice and get out on the water. They may be known as the “fish of ten-thousand casts,” but one of those casts could end with the fish of a lifetime.
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.
A few years ago a friend fishing with me caught a small bass and said “Now we know the pattern to fish today.” I just laughed. I am no professional fisherman, but I do not think one fish sets a pattern.
Bass fishermen search for a pattern each day, the kinds of structure, cover and depth fish seem to be holding and feeding, and what kind of food they are eating. Discover a good pattern and you can catch fish all over a big lake doing the same thing. Pro fishermen are pros because they can usually find a good pattern.
On the other hand I work to catch every fish I can find. In my mind there are always some bass shallow and they are more likely to be feeding and easier to catch. Sometimes I find a small pattern, maybe fishing the front edge of a grass bed, the back post on a dock or a rocky seawall.
In a recent tournament a club member stated, “The bass are not in the grass beds today, I never got a bite in them.” My response was that was odd since my biggest three fish hit in grass beds. Patterns are elusive for fishermen like me!
The Sportsman Club Classic last Sunday at Bartletts Ferry proved this to me. In the tournament that 8 fishermen qualified to fish, we landed 29 bass weighing about 29 pounds. In eight hours of casting, there were three five-bass limits and no one zeroed.
Wayne Teal won big with five weighing 10.69 pounds and his 3.85 pound largemouth was big fish. Raymond English came in second with five at 5.86 pounds, my five weighing 5.49 pounds was third, Jay Gerson placed fourth with two sat 5.09 pounds and Kwong Yu came in fifth with four weighing 3.77 pounds.
Two weeks ago I fished Bartletts four days, three in practice and one in the Potato Creek Tournament. Last week I camped and fished Friday and Saturday and then the tournament Sunday.
Bartletts Ferry has many water willow grass beds and are usually a good place to find bass feeding. In the 7 days I fished I tried many of them and worked a variety of baits through them. I never got a bite.
Of course, Wayne said all his fish hit in grass beds on baits I had tried!
Finding a pattern is great and I have found a few over the years. At Guntersville a few years ago I caught four bass, three over four pounds each, by pitching a jig to the right front post of docks in less than three feet of water. My partner and I never got a bite around other posts that day!
Sometimes two fishermen can be casting the same bait to the same places but only one will catch fish. Often there is a slight difference in the way the bait is worked or some other unnoticed factor.
That is why I find it difficult to figure out a pattern. I get frustrated and think maybe the fish are there, I am just doing a little something wrong.
Once again I camped at Blanton Creek Georgia Power campground. Knowing their discriminating rule against boat owners, I reserved a site on the water. When I arrived after 4:00 PM there was a map on the board with my name on it. A sign said set up and check in the next morning.
When I went to my site the wind was blowing fairly big waves into the bank, so I set up and parked my boat on the site, completely out of the road and off the grass. An hour later the campground host drove up in a golf cart to tell me I could not park my boat on the site.
We talked for a while and he was very nice, explaining a few years ago someone with a boat caused a problem how they parked, so Georgia Power made a rule no boats in the campground. So they punished every boat owner for the past four years for the actions of one.
He let me leave my boat there for the night since it was Thursday but insisted I move it first thing the next morning.
Unfortunately, two club members that had reservations to camp but not on the water had to cancel since they could not charge their batteries.
Maybe someday Georgia power won’t punish all boat owners due to the past action of one slob.
We knew fishing would be tough at Bartletts Ferry for the Potato Creek Bassmasters tournament last Saturday. The weekend before it took only 11 pounds to win a local tournament with 47 teams fishing. In local tournaments like that there are usually some very good fishermen that know the lake well and fish it several days a week to keep up with what will catch bass.
In our tournament 18 fishermen cast from 7:00 AM to 3:00 Pm to land 51 12-inch keeper bass weighing about 64 pounds. There were three five bass limits and two fishermen didn’t weigh in a fish.
I managed to win with five weighing 7.26 pounds, Doug Acree had five at 7.05 for second and Stevie Wright came in third with four weighing 6.01 pounds. Glen Anderson had three weighing 5.90 pounds for fourth and his 3.71 pound largemouth was big fish.
I went to Blanton Creek Campground on Wednesday to practice and try to figure out something on Thursday and Friday. Blanton Creek is a very nice Georgia Power campground about five miles by land and three miles by water from Idlehour Ramp where our tournaments are held.
I like camping there, it has nice shady sites with electricity and water hookups and a good bathhouse with hot showers. As usual, when I pulled up to check in the attendant said “you know you can not park your boat in the campground.”
I have run into that problem every time I camp there. My boat batteries have to be charged every night or I can not fish the next day. They want me to leave my boat in the ramp parking lot, where there are no outlets. And I have to take off all my electronics and take all my tackle with me. I am very uncomfortable leaving it exposed in a parking lot.
Some trips in the past I have been able to park my boat on my campsite, assuring the attendants I would not park it outside the gravel area or on the roads. This time I had gotten a site on the water, one of only about ten that allow you to keep your boat in the water and run an extension cord to it to charge your batteries.
Although written rules in the campground say no vehicles should be parked anywhere other than on the gravel camp sites, there were six to 12 trucks and cars parked outside campsites beside the road every day.
So they do not allow anyone to park a boat in the campground since someone might park outside their campsite, but they do not enforce the written rules for cars and trucks.
Seems very unfair to me.
I was shocked to win the tournament. My elbow started hurting the week before the tournament and I got a sharp pain in it every time I tried to cast. Thursday I tried to learn to cast with my left hand, and got pretty good at it, as long as I didn’t care where my bait went.
I cast about 20 times Friday and my elbow hurt so bad I stopped. I spent most of Thursday and Friday riding points, looking for places where I could drop a bait over the side or heave it out with no target, let it sink then drag it around with the trolling motor.
I started Saturday morning on a rocky bank where I could heave my spinnerbait toward it and not care much where it hit. I hooked and lost a fish on my third cast, then lost another a few minutes later. That was not a good start.
I next went to a hump with some hydrilla on it and heaved a topwater bait out, and got a good keeper on my second cast with a topwater plug. After that I caught three on Trick worms on seawalls. Fishing them allowed me to cast in the general direction, often landing my bait on the bank, then pulling it into the water.
After the sun got high I got my fifth keeper dragging a small jig on a point with some brush. Then, with less than 30 minutes to fish, I went back to the hump where I caught my first fish.
With five minutes left to cast I hooked and landed a 2.5 pound largemouth on a spinnerbait. It was my biggest fish of the day and culled a 12-inch spot that weighed less than a pound! That made the difference between first and fourth or so.
Last Sunday five members and guests of the Flint River Bass Club fished our September tournament at Lake Oconee. After eight hours of casting, from 7:00 AM – 3:00 PM, we weighed in eight bass weighing about 15 pounds. There were no limits and one fisherman didn’t have a keeper.
Alex Gober won with three bass weighing 4.93 pounds. Brent Drake placed second with two at 4.31 pounds and had big fish with a 2.92 pound largemouth. Don Gober had two keepers weighing 3.62 pounds for third and my one bass weighing 1.80 pounds was fourth.
Oddly enough, a Facebook memory showed up Sunday showing one year ago I placed fourth in the Flint River tournament at Oconee with one bass weighing about 1.80 pounds. The more things change the more they stay the same, I guess.
I always say September is the meanest month for bass fishing. The water is as hot as it gets and the oxygen content is as low as it gets all year. The fish have been beat up since early spring, seeing artificial baits just about every day. So they are as smart and wary as they can be.
I used to say by September bass in local lakes know the name and price of every lure Berry’s Sporting Goods sells and can probably tell you where to find them on the shelf in the store!
I had a good feeling I could catch a bass out of grass beds on topwater first thing that morning, and I guess I was right. A few minutes after starting I caught a 13.5 inch largemouth on a floating worm. Unfortunately, the size limit at Oconee is 14 inches so it did no good.
After more than an hour of trying that pattern with no more bites, I saw a lone dock back in a cove. Often a single piece of cover like and isolated dock is a good bet for a bite.
I got no bites around the dock but while scanning around it with my forward facing sonar I spotted a small brush top off to the side of the dock. It looked like a fish was holding beside it. I cast a small jig to the brush and it never hit bottom.
I set the hook as my line moved out and landed my one keeper. Without the Garmin Panoptix I would never have known that brush and fish was there.
Later in the day, as seems usual lately, as I idled over a point I spotted some brush and rocks out in 15 feet of water on my sonar. I took the boat out of gear and cast a shaky head behind the boat as it stopped. When it hit bottom my line jumped and started moving toward deep water.
Unfortunately, that direction was across the back of my boat. I set the hook and a strong fish pulled back, and I could not control it. It cut my line on my prop!
I fished grass, blowdowns, docks, rock piles and boulders the rest of the day and caught a few short bass, but no keepers.
The last one hit with less than five minutes to fish. I cast my weightless worm to the edge of a grassbed, saw the grass a foot to the left wave as a fish came out of it and hit my worm.
Just like the first one that morning, it was 13.5 inches long! But thats not why i fish!
