August 4, 2011
I’ve been to a lot of lakes all over the country and Lake Amistad never ceases to amaze me. The weather is hot and we are in the ‘dog days of summer’ and most lakes in Texas (except for Falcon and Fork) are tough as nails; although, at Lake Amistad we continue to catch high quantities of fish and it puts out high quality bass as well. This lake is a little piece of heaven on earth. We are having steady summer patterns as the water temps continue to rise and are now in the mid 80’s. The lake’s water level has been dropping very slowly and is at approx. 1111 ft above sea level.
Current Patterns -
Shallow: In the early mornings there is a sporadic frog bite. In the really thick mats of grass I am using an Optimum baits Furbit frog and as I fish the scattered grass quickly for a reaction bite the bass are exploding on El Grande Lures Sapo frogs. Crankbaits, rattle baits, and spinnerbaits have been producing some as well over the hydrilla grass in 5-10 ft depths.
Mid-Depth: A more consistent pattern for the early mornings is the edges of the hydrilla grass in 10-15 feet. I have been tossing both straight and ribbon tail worms to the grass cover. The size of the worms can make a big impact on how many strikes you receive. Some mornings the bass seem to prefer a 7inch worm and other mornings a 10inch worm will produce better. When the sun gets high then I will switch to more finesse presentations if the wind allows for lightly weighted baits. Wacky rigged Hatch-Match sticks and the larger Yum Dingers are producing late in the mornings when the conditions allow. The punching bite has been slow for me and I have caught a few with this technique but the quantity and quality is not as good as other techniques.
Deep: The deep bite continues to be the most consistent as the afternoon hours arrive. Drop-shotting and some spooning have worked best around the deeper lake structures and ledges.
See you on the Lake!
Kurt
