We had a ton of fun today! The white bass were spawning around 4 fingers point along with the shad and just going crazy. We pulled up there to catch some largemouth bass, but ended up whaling on the whites for 3-4 hours straight. To much fun to stop. Caught them on chrome H2O Shad Rap style crankbaits. Once that bite slowed down with the sun getting higher in the sky we switched to fishing for largemouth.
We stayed on the lower portion of the lake and focused on the gravel areas in pockets and bushes within the pockets. Flipping and casting watermelon/red flukes dipped in chartreuse we caught quite a few. Nothing big as the majority were males and some smaller females.
They were pulling water from the lake like mad today which I feel had an effect on the bass. Many were suspended in open water. For the life of me I cannot figure out why they are pulling the lake. It is a good 13 feet low and needs all the water it can get. I guess they feel the lake drying out and going 30 feet low will be good for it for some odd reason.... grrrrrr! Very frustrating!!!
Best of luck,
Bassin' Dave
Friday, March 30, 2012
Thursday, March 29, 2012
Choke Canyon Bass Fishing Report
They are back!!! If you were wondering where the bass had gone on Choke Canyon? The answer is nowhere! They were just taking a "high pressure" break, but with the weather change of some low pressure and a little rain the bite has picked up considerably along with the spawn. Mother nature is amazing and so is the bass's attitude!
This weather pattern is supposed to hold through Saturday so the bite should continue to be good. Both the main lake and the river are producing right now. Start early with faster moving baits like spinnerbaits, squarebilled crankbaits, and chatterbaits. Slow down as the bite from the bass tells you to and go to soft plastics. Keep your eyes open for bass movement and shadows of light or dark as this can tip you off to some bedding bass. Pitch a soft plastic lure into the bed and pay attention to your line. This time of year, the bass are really good at just picking it up and moving it sideways without you feeling a more traditional tap.
There are a lot of bass that are done with the spawn at this point. Many are being caught on Carolina Rigs and Crankbaits in deeper water, around 15-25 ft. as they recoup from the spawn. It won't be long and these bass will return to the shallows to feed on bluegill and shad. In fact, from what we are catching, I think many have already.
Also, the alligators are really paired up and are beginning to show some territorial behavior. I have found that they will not bother you. They will bluff you however, so just keep fishing and you will notice that they will go under water after approaching and realizing you are not afraid of them. Actually, it is kind of cool to see them up close and hear them hiss and growl a bit!! Or, maybe I am just crazy????
Best of luck,
Bassin' Dave
This weather pattern is supposed to hold through Saturday so the bite should continue to be good. Both the main lake and the river are producing right now. Start early with faster moving baits like spinnerbaits, squarebilled crankbaits, and chatterbaits. Slow down as the bite from the bass tells you to and go to soft plastics. Keep your eyes open for bass movement and shadows of light or dark as this can tip you off to some bedding bass. Pitch a soft plastic lure into the bed and pay attention to your line. This time of year, the bass are really good at just picking it up and moving it sideways without you feeling a more traditional tap.
There are a lot of bass that are done with the spawn at this point. Many are being caught on Carolina Rigs and Crankbaits in deeper water, around 15-25 ft. as they recoup from the spawn. It won't be long and these bass will return to the shallows to feed on bluegill and shad. In fact, from what we are catching, I think many have already.
Also, the alligators are really paired up and are beginning to show some territorial behavior. I have found that they will not bother you. They will bluff you however, so just keep fishing and you will notice that they will go under water after approaching and realizing you are not afraid of them. Actually, it is kind of cool to see them up close and hear them hiss and growl a bit!! Or, maybe I am just crazy????
Best of luck,
Bassin' Dave
Monday, March 26, 2012
Choke Canyon Bass Fishing Report
Over the last few days we have seen a weather change from windy low pressure to calm, virtually no wind, high pressure. While much more pleasant for fishing, it has led to a tougher bite. The spawn has been very strange this year and has not followed a traditional cycle like I have seen the last few years. Part of that could be the low water, the lake is down around 13 ft. Some other factors could be the weather patterns, the lake has warmed very quickly, mid and upper 70s in a couple weeks from the upper 50s, and lack of grass.
On the main lake the following has been true and I would expect another push of females shallow any day so there will be some good reports of big fish caught on the main lake following this report.
There are a bunch of smaller males up shallow. These can be caught on a number of baits, but spinnerbaits and squarebilled crankbaits have been best early, with soft plastics picking up the work in the afternoon. You will find some females up here and there, but the majority seem to be staging or recovering in a bit deeper water. I have found some bigger females staging around brush in 3.5 to 9 feet of water and have caught most of them flipping soft plastics to the brush.
The river has begun to produce some really good quality the last few days. By the river, I mean above 99 bridge. Between flipping hardwoods and throwing a spinnerbait around them, I have been averaging better than 3.5 to 4 pounds per bass. Some days are producing a lot of fish while others not as many, but the quality is there.
For other species, the crappie are spawning all over the lake. There are still white bass running up the river and have begun to school on the main lake chasing shad down by the dam.
** Above 99 there are a lot of flats with super shallow water and old metal fence posts. Be aware of where you are so you don't damage your equipment.
Best of luck,
Bassin' Dave
On the main lake the following has been true and I would expect another push of females shallow any day so there will be some good reports of big fish caught on the main lake following this report.
There are a bunch of smaller males up shallow. These can be caught on a number of baits, but spinnerbaits and squarebilled crankbaits have been best early, with soft plastics picking up the work in the afternoon. You will find some females up here and there, but the majority seem to be staging or recovering in a bit deeper water. I have found some bigger females staging around brush in 3.5 to 9 feet of water and have caught most of them flipping soft plastics to the brush.
The river has begun to produce some really good quality the last few days. By the river, I mean above 99 bridge. Between flipping hardwoods and throwing a spinnerbait around them, I have been averaging better than 3.5 to 4 pounds per bass. Some days are producing a lot of fish while others not as many, but the quality is there.
For other species, the crappie are spawning all over the lake. There are still white bass running up the river and have begun to school on the main lake chasing shad down by the dam.
** Above 99 there are a lot of flats with super shallow water and old metal fence posts. Be aware of where you are so you don't damage your equipment.
Best of luck,
Bassin' Dave
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