Submitted 7/31/2007

A highlight to any fishing trip is taking family members out for some catching of these illusive critters known to us as bass. However, watching the youngsters in the group progress in their appreciation of this great past-time is particularly exciting. I had the extreme pleasure of having my oldest grandson for the last couple of weeks and he is quickly becoming quite the adept bass fisherman.

Chris Welcome with one of many caught over the last couple of weeks.

 
On some of the trips good friend Don Willis accompanied us and although Chris plied a hot stick, Don wasn't getting left behind in the catching.

The weather over the last couple of weeks has been a bit on the warm side but cooperating bass make the heat seem less intense. Our longest day has been 4-hours, but during that time we made good use of our time and hauled in the bass. There has been several days of bonus fishing due to the increase in lake levels because of the rains that have thankfully come to our area. You can pretty much count of afternoon thunder boomers settling into the area every day now. Our weather patterns have returned to normal which is a major improvement over last summer. As you can see by the pictures, the heat hasn't stopped the bass from wanting to play.

Chris with another that fell to the deception that only a Yamamoto SwimSenko can offer.

Current generated by the farm's irrigation system has played a major part in our fishing over the last couple of weeks. As long as there was a noticeable current being produced at the pumping station, there were bass to be caught. When fishing this current position is key to catching fish. The structure and cover is comprised of humps, holes, shell beds, and grass. Ten feet in one direction or the other is all it takes to be catching as opposed to fishing. The primary rig for this situation of current is the Carolina rig. We have had excellent results using a rig with 3/8 to 1/2 ounces of weight and about a 2 foot leader.

Although the spillway has been opened a time or two, the water coming through is low quality so for the most part the fishing in that area has been more fishing than catching. However, you never know so checking it out if is flowing is always a good thing to do. Please remember courtesy in this area as it is small and will only support so many boats. The same holds true for the pump house area.

When the pump and spillway are not working it is time to hit the ditches and their adjacent levees. We have had good success on the center E/W ditch using Yamamoto SwimSenkos, and some success with a rattle trap. Any of the dark colors will produce with the Senko and a chrome/blue w/orange belly is the leader in the traps. Always keep your eyes open for shad busts and have a top water ready for such an event. Summertime is buzz bait time and we prefer this to the chug bug or other top water chugger.

If you are not finding them on the Farm side then head for the Marsh. We have found some really good fish spread out through the Marsh. Best producer has been the SwimSenko, with rattle traps coming in in second place. Again, colors for the baits are the same.

With the SwimSenko use a 1/4 to 3/16th ounce weight in either Florida weight, or torpedo. The ideal material is tungsten as you can keep the bulk down and avoid getting hung in the brush. Brass is the next chose with lead being the poorest choice. It doesn't take long before the lead gets closed up with all the brush encounters.

Line strength and rod are important issues here on our lake. Use adequate line, (17-20 pound test) and a rod with sufficient backbone to bring this fish through the brush. Ten pound line can bring in a 15 pound bass, but not here on the Marsh.

During this month of August we anticipate the fishing to get better and better. With the increase in rain we expect more and more current flow situations which will set the bass in very findable locations.

See you out there. Say hi if you get the chance.

 

Submitted 7/13/07

Summertime is upon us which brings with it early morning fishing success on top and the bite going deeper as the day progresses. Location during this warm period becomes everything during this period even though we have a huge population of bass in this lake. No longer are you able to just find the bass scattered around the obviously wooded areas. Instead, knowledge of the lake's sub-structures, good electronics, and consistently fishing the lake become much more important.

With the typical afternoon rains and thunder storms you will find the water to be more turbid. As the winds blow, this shallow water lake starts moving substantially, and the wave action kicks up the bottom's debris. One key during this time is to look for the cleaner water. As the day wears on and the sun gets hotter the next key is deeper water. On the farm side you will find this in the way of submerged irrigation canals. Finding the fish is simply a matter of traveling above these under water highways and this is where good bow electronics become so important.

The irrigation canals had levees, however they were different on both sides. The N/S canals had a levee on the west side that fell off into the crop field. On the east side of the N/S canal the levee also had a road bed so that side has a much broader top. These levees are where you will find the feeding fish, not in the canals. Watching your electronics look for fish on the rise as they move up through the column and slide out over the levees. Two excellent producing baits for this are the rattle trap and a Carolina rig. At all times while fishing the canals keep an eye out for shad busts. A sharp eye to detail can put you on a bass bonanza that will have the most experienced bass fisherman shaking his head in awe.

As lake levels increase and afternoon storms increase the chance for moving water gets greater. Moving water means an increase in food supply for all levels of the food chain. Given good water conditions, (plenty of dissolved oxygen) this increase of food flow attracts one level of the chain after the next. There are several areas of potential water flow conditions on the lake. Given the correct mix of movement and food, the attraction can put you on a day of fishing that will be a leader in your memory books.

In any of the circumstances when you find fish mark the area and work it extensively. Do not leave fish to find fish. During the summer months I spend most of my time in the one area that I locate fish. If you want to do any one thing to increase your success out here, stay put and work the heck out of an area where you have caught a fish.

Looking at the MAP  will give you an approximation of canal layouts on the Farm side. Note the main feeder canal that runs E/W across the middle of the Farm. This canal is deeper than the N/S canals. The intersections and the north side of the canal are areas to look at. The intersections can be a major area of production if there is current being produced by incoming water.

Most of my trips over the last 30 days have had  pretty good success. There have been some days when we had moving water that were absolutely fantastic. So far our biggest fish as we moved from June into July has been 8 pounds but summertime is when some of our biggest fish are caught. See my site for information on how to book a trip with us and also for information on an absolutely fantastic summer sale. At the savings offered now would be an excellent time to learn from my experience. Call and book a trip. I am pretty sure you will be glad you did. I am offering a major special on boat half day and full day trips. At this time there are no split day trips as the late afternoon is thunder boomer time and no time to be on the lake.

See you out there.