May 22, 2015
Seems like we are living in the North West United States with all this rain we are having… but I am not complaining! I am loving it! Gosh… Texas has needed this so bad for the last several years. I hope it continues for months to come. Lake Amistad is holding water levels nearly steady for the past 6-7 months. The lakes current water level is just over 28 ft. below full pool or 1088.33 above sea level. I anticipate to see some draw down soon as they irrigate the valley for farming, but I would be really surprised if we lost more than 8ft of water this summer. Water temps are currently in the low 70’s and the fish are in typical early summer patterns which means most are shallow (less than 10ft.) but some are already deep (30-35ft). That leaves the bass somewhat scattered, but as I mentioned… a majority are still in 10 feet or less. I have been averaging 15-20 bass per day with some over the 3lb mark every trip. Bigger fish have been a wild card but some larger bass up to 5lbs have been hoisted over the sides of my boat in the past week. Looks like the lakes health continues to improve and grass is beginning to blossom all over the lake with grass heights up to 10 feet tall in some locations. Anglers… ‘Big Friendly’ is coming back… no doubt! Current Patterns -
Shallow: Topwaters are working well on days with good amounts of sunshine… the sun is moving the bait fish into the shallows instead of suspending over deeper water on cloudy days. Popper type topwaters have been working best fished on extended shallow points. You have to cover a lot of them to get bites but the size of fish on this pattern are worth working for. Texas rigging and light weight Carolina rigs (mojo rigs) with smaller plastics on 3/16 and 1/8 oz Ten Bears Tungsten is working well for numbers of fish.
Mid-Depth: An iMA Flit 120 jerkbait is the go to lure for covering water fast in the mid-depth range. Currently it is by far the best reaction bite on the lake. Fishing the jerkbait over drains is the most productive way to get keeper bites. A 1/8oz or 3/16oz shakey head paired with a straight tail worm has also been productive in this depth zone around rocky humps.
Deep: I have caught some fish drop shotting on moderate sloping drops that fall off points from 20-35 feet. A Carolina rig will pick up some fish in the depth range as well. I have not found schools of fish out deep yet, only ‘one here or there’.
Tight Lines!
