Lake Amistad Fishing Report 2009

Water level is slowly falling and is only about a foot below conservation level. The surface temp is in the mid 80's, water clarity is 5 to 10 ft visibility depending where you are on the lake.  The shallow grass has exploded the last few weeks... duck weed, fine hair grass, and a few othertypes of aquatic veggies.

There are thousands of perch, small baitfish, crawdads, and small tilapia in and around the shallow grass.  Haven't really found a consistant shallow bite yet, but there is fish to be caught up there. Weedless frog type baits and belly weighted hollow and solid body swimmers like skinny dippers and basstrix type baits work well over and through thick shallow grass. I use a POWER TACKLE  PT04.5-7'6"  or a SBP4-8'0" either with 65# braid or 25 lb flouro.  These are great rods for long casts and have enough POWER to get a giant out even at the end of a long cast.

The DROPPIN'/FLIPPIN' grass is looking good for those that like to flip visible hydrilla. Not too much of the flippin' grass is deeper than 20 though.  Water fluxuation and clarity problems has kept the deep grass from growing in most areas. Although you can find some isolated patches where the grass has done well in 25 to 30 ft.  Flippin' grass you should use a GMP5-7'3" or a PT05-7'6"  with 65# braid. I use a 1 or 1 1/2 oz Tx. rigged beaver to start a scrape then back it up with a 1 1/4 Oldham jig/beaver.
Drop shotting is still catching good numbers, I use a trick worm with a 2 ft leader and a 1/2 oz weight on 14 lb flouro. A SPN43-7'0" spinning rod ,it works great.  I have been fishing this from 20 to 60 ft.   Yes I said 60 ft that is why fishing is on again off again,because there are tons of bass cruising those old river ledges and suspending out in the blue water.

 I bet there is only 20% of the bass relating to normal fishable structure the rest are scattered to the wind!! They will tighten back up and it will be back to business as usual with 30lb sacks and 15lb bass.
 
Thats all,
Ray Hanselman