As of January 12, 2010 the lake level at Sam Rayburn is 162.87 which has the lake about one and a quarter feet low. The water temperature during the last several weeks has ranged anywhere from the low 40’s to the low 50’s depending upon where your at on the lake. The fishing has been fairly tough during the past several weeks due to the cold weather. However, cold nasty weather on Rayburn is the absolute best time to catch the fish of a lifetime. For the opportunity to catch a few big bass I would target the top of the submerged hydrilla. I generally start each morning by throwing either a ½ oz. chrome black back rattletrap or a sebile flat shad on a PG104-7’6”. The heavier action of the rod allows you to rip the trap out of the grass a lot more effectively than a medium action rod does. As the day progresses try switching back and forth between a ½ oz. spinner bait in white and chartreuse and a ½ oz. craw patterned rattletrap. I generally throw the spinner bait on a PG144-7’0” with 15 lb. fluorocarbon. Once the water temperature reaches the mid to upper 50’s the fishing should become phenomenal. On days when I cannot get any bites fishing the tops of the hydrilla I have been throwing a DD 14 on a PGC170-7’0” on the outside edge of the grass. If the crank bait has not produced any bites in about an hour I have been switching to a Carolina rigged fluke on a PG104.5-7’6”. I have been throwing the rig on the outside grass edge and fishing it fairly slowly. Good luck on the lake.  

Thanks,
Danny Iles
www.JohnstonsFishing.com