Fishing on Amistad has been exceptional during June and several of the same patterns should continue to produce during July.  Most fish will be relating to hydrilla which can be found growing as deep as 23' in all of the major creeks including Evans, San Pedro, Caballo, Tulle, Burros, and Zorro. Early and late fish will be relating to the edges of the grass and be caught on Texas rigged senkos and 7" and 10" worms.  Watermelon and green pumpkin purple are always good colors here. There is also a good topwater and swimbait bite that can be found around shallow grass in these same areas.  Look for inside grass edges or holes inside the grass in 3' to 6' and pay close attention to areas where perch are present.  Vixens in gold or perch patterns work well.  The Tru-Tungsten swimbait in white tilapia or bluegill pattern has also been working real well.  Fish this bait on a fast stop-n-go retreive.  I would also recommend using 65# braided line and a stout rod like the Power Tackle SBP5-8'0".  This rod offers the right combination of tip and backbone to cast these big baits without wearing you out.

As July wears on and the grass continues to grow taller, the flipping bite will continue to improve.  Try positioning your boat just outside the grass in 18'-24' and flipping into it.  Look for areas where grass intersects with a creek bend or where brush is positioned just on the outside edge.  The best flipping baits for me have been a 1 -1/4oz. Oldhams Jig tipped with a beaver, a Larue Salt Craw or my favorite, a Strike King Rage Craw. Shades of green or brown with copper or green glitter usually work best.  When flipping grass you may want to rig 3-4 rods up.  Action can be fast paced once a school is located.  A stout rod is a must for this kind of fishing and the only one I have found that will hold up is a PT05-7'6" or PG105-7'6" or the Grassmat Special GM5-7'3".

Good Fishing

Keith Combs