Lake Amistad Fishing Report for April 2009

Not much has changed since the last report.  We are still having cold fronts hit us about every 7-10 days.  This has continued to keep the bass in a holding pattern. The BASSMASTER ELITES held their first stop on the tour here in mid March and though there were a few big bags weighed in, most would agree that the bite is not like it was this time last year.  Most attribute this to the big rise in the water and the water temps. Slow reluctance to rise. There have been three or four consecutive days with afternoon temps in the low 90's which had sent some bass into the backs of the major creeks and protected coves. Males and smaller females are all I could find. I say again that with the lake full, it is just taking longer to warm up than normal.  It might be a trickle spawn where no big wave hits, just a long and drawn out spawn for 2 1/2 months.
I have been fishing about four patterns during a day to keep a steady bite.  Not all fish are on the same pattern. Winter, pre-spawn, staging, and spawn, these are the four patterns I will put together during a day. Steadier weather will narrow it down to one or two patterns.
The mornings we start out fairly deep 25 to 30 ft in the center of flat drains or points that are lined with huisache bushes. Either weightless 7" senkos or Tx rigged senkos or trick worms. I have caught a few on a big 1 1/4 oz spinner or a 6" mission fish slow rolled through the tops. 
Cold mornings I will graph some river ledges.  The top of the ledge could be from 35 to 50ft dropping into 100 plus ft, if they are there the screen will light up. Football jigs, heavy carolina rig, jiggin' spoon.
As the day warms I will spend a lot of time close to the inside edge of grass 18 to 19 ft (KEEP THAT IN MIND!!) A lot of where I fish will be in drains and ditches that cut into a flat or that lead to a spawning area. Main creek channels are great but that can be too obvious.
My go to bait here has been that weightless 7" senko just cast it out and FORGET ABOUT IT! . You can also get bit on 5 or 6" mission fish bumping cover, DD22 or a fat free shad, or a big spinner.
I will leave the inside edge and follow the drain and BUSHES up to 10 to 15 ft no grass but BUSHES!! You should be able to see a few tops under the surface you could flip a 3/4 oz tx rigged beaver or fan cast that 7" inch weightless senko or a 1/8th oz belly weighted fluke. The hard swimbaits like a Tru-Tungsten tilapia or some of the big plastic swimmers like an osprey talon that looks like you are casting a tennis shoe will work when the bass suspend in the tops.
Late in the day I will be close to the head of the drain where the visible green bushes start to appear.  Flippin' 3/4 oz beaver, or fishing swim baits, spinners,  jerk baits (hard and soft like a methiolate trick worm), square bills, STRIKE KING - KING SHAD,  flukes don't forget the  magnum fluke, and hollow body swimmers.
 Look in Burro, Zorro and in San Pedro behind Hwy 277 bridge for the flat brushy drains.
DON'T FORGET TO LOOK.
The canyons from marker 18 to 22 on the Mexico side are great for looking at them.

Don’t give up on the Big Blue…though the numerous big bags are not showing up yet, I feel very certain that by the end of April, Amistad will produce the type of stringers that we are so famous for.  Get out there and be one of the first to get ‘em!
 
Thanks,
Ray Hanselman