Fayette County Fishing Report

February/March 2004

 

            Is it Spring yet?  You might think so on Fayette County: shallow water and big fish! Days should be getting longer and the weather a bit warmer in February and that means the fish will be moving shallow.  The lake will be a bit low as the LCRA tends to do that during the winter and there is fog—watch where you go and how fast you do it!

            If the weather in January has been cold the fish will still be deep.  I always look on Fayette for fifteen-foot humps and points.  My bait of choice this time of year is a crankbait: shall or deep, a crank bait.  Rapala is a bait of choice.  On these deep humps a DT 16 in the Shad color cannot be beaten.  Use ten-pound line, make long casts and be ready. You have got to bump the bottom, if you expect to consistently get bit.  Another technique that is really paying off is to throw a Storm four inch Wilde Eye Swim Shad in; you guessed it, a shad color. Lemon Shad and Shad have produced some real good fish for me. But wait! Don’t chunk and wind. Instead, allow the bait to fall on a tight line to the bottom. In doing so, the bait will stay upright and sit nose down on the bottom.  Simply work the bait in slow very small hops along the bottom and hold on. It looks like a feeding fish paying little attention to its surroundings. What more could a bass ask for?  A nameless touring pro fished Fayette and boated 60 fish in just under 5 hours.  Give it a try.

            If the weather has really begun to warm the spawn will be underway in much of the lake. Remember the fish spawn from west to east as the water warms.  Plan accordingly.  I do not fish for bedding fish unless a client insists.  It is just too crowded there and to many people spook those skittish fish.  If you choose to fish for these fish, make sure you have a push pole and move slowly and quietly.  Traditional spawning baits will work well on Fayette. You might also try your drop shot. Cast it past the bed and lower your rod tip until the bait is in the bed and just jiggle.

            I prefer to fish for pre and post spawn fish rather than spawning.  Why? They take far less time and are easier to catch.  So where do I start?  Main lake points and the secondary points.  Yes, I am throwing crankbaits most of the time.  Again, I prefer the Rapala DT 10, shad crankbait.  But since December, I have also been throwing something else we have all been waiting for: the Rapala Glass Shad Rap.  This baby looks great and catches fish.  You may recall that last year I threw the Strike King Series 3 chartreuse/blue all spring.  Well, this year, I switched to the Glass Shad and have had the same spectacular results.  Generally I sit my boat in about ten to twelve feet of water.  And throw parallel to the shoreline.  If we do not get bit, I move to eight feet.   The fish will be there. Either they are will be heading on to spawn or coming back from doing so.  Either way, you will get bit.  I will also throw a watermelon/red/black Senko in the same water.  Bass Pro Shops also have a super soft stick bait and it is much less expensive. Both baits will serve you well.

            By March, the spawn will have moved across the whole lake and I will still be fishing shallow secondary points.  Last year, we stayed on them all spring and had a great time.  You will start to get a good topwater bait this time of year and I highly recommend the Leverage buzzbait or a Yellow Magic topwater.  I will work these baits shallow on the same secondary points.  When the bite dies move back to the crankbaits at eight feet and then to ten or twelve. 

Please watch the weather this time of year.  Dress in layers and strip them off as it warms.  Nothing keeps me warmer than a good helmet and a 100 mph suit from Bass Pro Shops.  For two years I have been using Seal Skin gloves to fish in.  The waterproof model will keep your hand dry and you can cast them with on, still feathering your line!  The insulated ones are just a bit too thick to cast but they sure are warm.

Finally. I want to thank all of you that came by the Red Wing Boat Company and Bass Pro Shops booths at the Houston Boat Show and The Spring Fishing Classic at Bass Pro Shops. I appreciate the good conversations and fellowship we had. in Katy. It runs

If you would like to book a trip to Fayette you can email me at my new email address and website: Bill@TheFishingCoach.com      http://www.TheFishingCoach.com