February 3, 2011
Sorry I missed my last report… I was in Florida for a few weeks trying to catch some fish at Lake Toho. Not a great tournament outing for me. Contrary to popular belief, Fl. fishing is actually pretty tough. I am glad to be back at Lake Amistad where you can actually pattern fish, and enjoy constant action. Since my return I have found the lake continues to provide very consistent fishing despite the drastic shifts in weather patterns. I have seen some fish moving into pre-spawn locations on the Mexican side of the lake and it seems the Texas side is just a little behind and winter patterns still provide the better quality fishing there. Water temps are steady reading in the mid 50’s and the lake level is at conservation pool (1117ft above sea level). The cold front that is upon us will drop the water temps into the low 50’s and will slow down the fish movements for a few days.
Current Patterns -
Shallow: In the 1-10 foot depth range I have seen very little bass activity over the past week. I have noticed some bait lurking in the shallows when we get a few days of warm weather stung together but the bass have yet to commit. With the cold front we are experiencing it will be a few more weeks until activity picks up in this depth range.
Mid-Depth: I have had a good bit of success in the 10-20 foot depth range casting deep diving jerkbaits and deep running crankbaits around spawning bays and main lake flats. These are the first few fish that have begun to stage for the spawn which should kick in toward the end of the month and in early March. I have found some good concentrations of fish around dormant hydrilla and along trees lines with deep water access nearby. I have also had success when fishing rocky banks and points leading into spawning coves with a football jig in this depth range. Don’t be afraid to cast your Omega jig right up on a bank with quick slopping drop offs. It will be interesting to see how the cold front affects these fish in the days ahead.
Deep: Fishing main lake and creek channel ledges continues to be very productive. Many active fish are located around this type of structure in the 25-45 foot zone. I am casting Omega football jigs, vertically fishing a dropshot with an Optimum Wacky shad and also slabbing for best results.
See you on the Lake,
Kurt
