Matt Fly

Since alot of Tx is post spawn, I keep the ditches and travel routes in mind when locating fish. bass don't just move back to summer haunts, they will stay in that area for 2-4 weeks to recover. The shallows are were the shad, minnows, perch, and fresh hatch is found. Target the prestaging areas you did before spawn. Flukes and other baits that mimic the types of bait in the shallows will work all day. Cranks and spinners are also prime baits with the standard topwater bite exploding across Tx. Brim had the first chance to raid the basses roe, now its role reversal time, and the bass will feed on the brim beds that are fixing to erupt across Tx. This would be an excellent time to throw something like Mattlures baby bluegill or something similar in blue gill patterns. Watermelon candy is a good color for this time of year.

A stout rod and line are needed to horse those fish out before they are tangled. If they are wrapped tight, this enables turtles to move in, if some leader is left for them to swim with, they might, might survive.

My topwater bite takes off as soon as there are post-spawners. Thats now!!!

ShareLunker No. 422 Caught by Rodney Hill of Floydada, TX April 22, 2006 in Alan Henry 13.22 pounds, length 25.75 inches, girth 20 inches Bait/Lure: Blue Flake Power Worm Water Body Record? No Day of Week: Sat Moon Phase: LQ+1

ShareLunker No. 421 Caught by Sam Trinca of Monroe, LA April 21, 2006 in Lake Fork 14.02 pounds, length 26 inches, girth 21 inches Bait/Lure: Grande Bass Mutant Water Body Record? No Day of Week: Fri Moon Phase: LQ --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

ShareLunker No. 420 Caught by Travis Darley of Del Rio, TX April 19, 2006 in Amistad 13.58 pounds, length 27.25 inches, girth 20.25 inches Bait/Lure: Water Body Record? No Day of Week: Wed Moon Phase: LQ-2

I like clothes and hats to be at least 7 years old, got to have experience to have the power in them or smell. I always fish better with my pint of chocalate in the boat. I have found out with Willie as my partner the last year, every time I have brought candy bars out in the boat, he gets skunked, and the two paychecks we have earned, no "paydays" in the boat. Its taken a year to learn these things as new partners always adjust. No candy bars for Willie, and he makes sure I have my breakfast, chocalate milk. You think its funny, but we believe the results. Thus its the un-written rules or Jinx's.

My dad pointed out when I was a youngster about fishing some of the ranchers stock tanks, they had requested nothing new "types of fish" be added to their ponds. My dad point out, that people trap and siene bait from other areas and transports the bait to other lakes, ponds and rivers. The ranchers didn't want carp or goldfish as my dad explained to me. My dad pointed out six types of fish in our minnow buckets, suckers, bluegills, red horse minnows, mud minnow, baby bass and a gar. We removed the suckers and gar the rest was okay to use. I'd say sometimes as kids, we bring home a catch and don't want to clean them and release them into our local ponds or we as fishermen introduce them by transporting bait that was bought or caught. i have had baby bass mixed into my minnows before. I always throw what minnows didn't get used into the water.

I will target bigger (8+) fish in a bed if I see them, but do think that the fish is trying to reproduce and I will pass the small ones by. I personally think lakes like Fork has caused the larger females to bed deeper, specially when the lake level is down as it has been this year. So I choose to go for deeper beds not seen. Blind casting takes alot of patience. How would your wife feel if she was being targeted during child birth? In a tourney, I'm on beds like every one else. Maybe since I have busted double digits before, its not as important to me.

I was always taught to not chase them, by that I mean cast towards them when they are swimming and off the bed. Can I ask how far off you are from the nest? Is this a pressured area where she might have been stuck already and she's nervous due to the boats close proximity.

#25 picture finally showed up. 13.05

ATHENS, TexasLake Alan Henry continued its amazing run of big fish Tuesday when Jamie Bonner of Amarillo caught a 13.43-pound largemouth bass while pre-fishing for a tournament. The West Texas lake has produced the last four entries in the Budweiser ShareLunker program, and with seven entries this season to Lake Fork's five appears to be poised to take the honors for most entries for the second year in a row. Bonner caught his fish in 4 feet of water using a 4-inch white Mad Man Craw Worm. The fish was 25.75 inches long and 20.75 inches in girth. Total number of entries in the program now stands at 28, the most of any year since 1996. Last year there were 24 entries. From 2000 through 2004, the average number of entries per year was 11.5. The long-term average number of entries into the program is 21 per year. Bass fishing appears to be as good as it's ever been, and not just on Lakes Alan Henry and Fork. Eleven public lakes and one private lake have contributed fish this season. Fish have come from Lakes Lewisville, Conroe, Amistad, Casa Blanca, Mill Creek, Ratcliff, Toledo Bend, San Augustine City and Purtis Creek State Park in addition to Alan Henry and Fork. The Budweiser ShareLunker program will accept entries through April 30. To enter a largemouth bass weighing 13 pounds or more that was legally caught in Texas waters, call (903) 681-0550 or leave a numeric page at (888) 784-0600. The Budweiser ShareLunker program is made possible through support from Anheuser-Busch, Inc. Since 1991, Anheuser-Busch, in partnership with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Foundation, has contributed millions of dollars in funding to support conservation causes and fishing, hunting and outdoor recreation programs in Texas.

8-9lbs

Knowing more pieces of the puzzle can help formulate a plan of attack. What is the seasonal pattern. Cloudy, partly cloudy, blu-bird skies. Cover/structure available Prevailing baitfish/forage in the lake wind patterns from the last 3 days expectant weather, fronts, high pressure lake levels, falling or dropping, steady? current due to water release? When do they release? current water temps and the past few days, cooling, warming? Water clarity? What is it normally, stained, clear, cloudy/muddy A thread has been discussed on each and every one of these topics. Each and every one of these topics can or will position fish accordingly.

Crawldads that live in the rocks around the dam are usually dark in color in clearer water. (reddish to dark browns/ blue tints) Some of our lakes have the red clay banks, as Ain't Tx said, throwin reddish colors works, and those that are in vegitation can be caught with the standard black and blue or the watermelon pumpkin colors. On Toledo Bend, in the middle of June, we have our first mud-bug hatch, and if you look at the cranks tied on in all the boats, the number one bait is a fred Arborgast reddish/brownish muddbug, they are metal square billed divers.

Ditto, I was born in Odessa, the closest place back then was Oak Creek, since those days, OH Ivey and AH have been formed.

Deadeye32, Its those things, stories, memories that makes father and son bonding never to be forgotten. Thanks for sharing that story. Welcome to the forum. Hookem Matt

If you noticed, all 3 of these sharelunkers came from out-of-staters. I would have rather seen the call signs of Hawg Hunter, Dirk-jig-lure, and LBH, better known as "Low Budget Hookers" posted with those fat pigs. It just goes to show that Texans are not the only ones enjoying good bass fishing in Texas. Hookem Matt.

ShareLunker No. 418 Caught by Tim Trulove of Silt, CO April 14, 2006 in Alan Henry 14.26 pounds, length 25.75 inches, girth 22 inches Bait/Lure: Rubber Bluegill Water Body Record? No Day of Week: Fri Moon Phase: F+1

Sharelunkers 25-27 all came from Lake Allen Henry, AH is a section of the Brazos River that was damned creating 2800 surface acres of deep canyon fishing. AH donated 9 sharelunkers last year, the first time in 20 yrs that Fork was de-throned from the crown during this time of the year. She is currently one up on Fork this year. With last years accomplishment, the debate between Lubbock Tx and the DFW area fishermen commenced. I was raised in West Tx, we didn't have a couple of the fisheries that are out there today in west Tx. For now, the title of "Little Fork of West Tx fits well. #25 No picture at this time ShareLunker No. 416 Caught by Franco Vallejos of Albuquerque, NM April 13, 2006 in Alan Henry 13.05 pounds, length 25.75 inches, girth 20 inches Bait/Lure: Waterdog Water Body Record? No Day of Week: Thu Moon Phase: F #26 ShareLunker No. 417 Caught by Mike Trulove of Carbondale, CO April 14, 2006 in Alan Henry 14.24 pounds, length 26.5 inches, girth 21.25 inches Bait/Lure: Water Body Record? No Day of Week: Fri Moon Phase: F+1 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Never had a problem either way. Communications is key when fishing with a new partner. A quick rundown on what your plans are should cover it. Out all day, cover lots of water, no coming back to the dock, no cell phones on. And if I invite someone, I expect to pay for my expenses, after all, I invited the person. Bring drinks, snacks, bring this much tackle as my boat has small storage. Having a fishing buddy is part of the experience sometimes. Fish on!

Two sounds comes to mind this time of year in Texas. The silence of a lake that is glassed and your working a top water very slowly and a big bass can't stand it and hits it, the sound is like a commode flushing, thats one, the other is me saying " incoming " which means I got a little anxious and jerked to soon before I felt the fish and my lure is flying back to the boat faster than it left. Thus INCOMING!!!!

Thats a question for Dr. Raul. Paging Dr. Raul please.

Welcome to the forum Jason F. Hookem Matt.

The wind is your friend. 1. after 2-3 days of steady wind out of the same direction, it postitions the planktons along the wind blown points and banks which shad and other minnow type baits feed upon. Find the shad and find the bass, thus wind positions them. 2. As mentioned above also, mirror like surfaces with clearer waters will cause bass to dive deep into the cover making a money cast harder to achieve some times. With surface chop as mentioned, you can't see into the water, and bass can't see you as easy and will/might position them selves on the edge of cover vise deep into the cover/structure/docks. Making it easier to cast into. I have found it is easier to drop anchor on rough days and fish points more thoroughly. If I am throwing a search type bait, spinner, crank, I also use a drift sock/anchor to slow the drift down.