Lake Amistad, TX Fishing Report

Water clear; 72–76 degrees; 61.08’ low. Black bass are very good on Yamamoto Senkos, minnows, and watermelon soft plastics and topwaters. Striped bass are good on Sassy Shad, swimbaits, and Rat–L–Traps. White bass are slow. Crappie are slow. Catfish are fair on bloodbait and punchbait. Yellow catfish are good on trotlines baited with live perch. Everyone in a boat must have a Mexico fishing license (if fishing the Mexico side) whether fishing or not.

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7 May 13

It’s been awhile since I got a report out, so this is what I got….. The Big Blue has shrunk just a little currently 60.7ft low. I can tell you we still have plenty of water. I’ve fished this lake since 1994 and the lowest it got in the mid 90’s was 58ft. It fished very easy back then because the fished grouped up in areas and you could whack em. Why isn’t it fishing that easy now? Well a couple reasons, one the water has not been sustained at a constant level long enough. Once the water sustains the fish can set up and we can start growing a little grass. Two we still have fish trying to figure out where they want to spawn. Yes we still have pre spawn fish….. Majority of our fish have spawned but we are still catching females full of eggs (leave the debate that bass spawn more than once). All of our cover is on the bank and the spawning bays and flats the fish have been going to for years are out of the water also. Big fish on this lake have spawned on ledge shelves for years and the same has taken place this year the only problem is less ledges and more fish trying to do it. I’m excited for the future of this fishery, we saw this happen in the late 90’s and once the flood hit and filled the lake 2000-2007 lake catches were record breaking. Amistad will be fine, all lakes cycle. With that being said here’s what’s been working for me.

Shallow pattern- Top water in the morning is finally starting to heat up. Repo man, Spooks, River 2 sea and Sexy dawgs are working, feather on the back hook is key. Square bill bite is also working on shallow flats and points. What brush and trees you can find flip it!

Mid Depth- Points are the ticket anywhere the channel swings up to a point. You may be in 30-80ft of water casting up in 5-15ft. T-rig with a Mag trick worm. The football jig bite has been slow for me compared to years past. Series 5 and 6 cranks have worked well on windy points and middle of ditches.

Deep Pattern- SWIM BAITS! Optimum BLT, Osprey and Top Shelf 5-7 inch baits. This bite is tough but rewarding. Parallel the deep ledges and SLOWLY retrieve the bait and hold on. Remember you are only going for a few bites so patience is key. DD22 and Drop shot have also been working in the ledges.

Hope this helps ya out, and feel free to give me a shout if you are headed down. Tight lines!

Olin Jensen (830)734-8715    Jensensguideservice.com

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Water clear; 60–64 degrees; 51.73’ low. Black bass are good on green tubes, Senkos, and spinnerbaits in 20–40 feet. Striped bass are good on Red Fins. White bass are slow. Crappie are good on minnows and trolling hellbender crankbaits. Catfish are slow. Yellow catfish are slow. Everyone in a boat must have a Mexico fishing license (if fishing the Mexico side) whether fishing or not.

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Water clear; 58–62 degrees; 39.29’ low. Black bass are fair on watermelon spinnerbaits, crankbaits, and soft plastic worms. Striped bass are fair on slabs and grubs. White bass are fair on slabs and crankbaits. Catfish are fair on shrimp, nightcrawlers, and cheesebait. Yellow catfish are good on trotlines and droplines baited with live perch. Everyone in a boat must have a Mexico fishing license (if fishing the Mexico side) whether fishing or not.

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Amistad report 10 DEC 12

Lake level 34ft low, water temp 63-64. With a cold front that moved thru last night we should see the water temp drop and start seeing some more fish in the backs of creeks. Points are still my go to, with a channel swing the better. Fished two tourneys Saturday. Val Verde Bass Club 15.02 was the big sack 3 fish! Bill Blair smoked’ em with a 7.68 kicker (knocking off my 6.20 for big fish!). We weighed in 16.10 for the Bud Light tourney, good enough for 5^th place and a check. 19 ½ took 1^st. We caught 25 fish, majority of them in 1-10 ft of water. Square bills, Jerk baits and Sweet beavers. The good news is, out of 70+ Anglers that weighed in at least 10 fish brought in were 5-7 lbs, which is a good sign.  We are averaging 20-30 fish a full day trip and 10-20 for a half day. Around 1100 the fishing gets TOUGH, ya gotta work at it. If you’re headed down to Lake Amistad and have any Q’s like lodging, guides and dinning check out www.fishlakeamistad.com. As always feel free to give me a call if ya need any help. (830)734-8715

Olin Jensen

jensensguideservice.com

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12 November 2012 Amistad Report

We finally got a cold front last night, and we need the water temp to drop (currently 71-72) so the shad will start migrating to the backs of creeks and pockets. My only predictable pattern has been points. Main lake or secondary points with deep water nearby like a channel swing has been producing most of my fish.  We’ve been using Square bills, spinner baits and jerk baits 1-10ft.  Watch your electronics as you work across the point they could be stacked in one area in the 15-25ft range if so swing back around and switch to a jig or drop shot. Fishing has been tough and you gotta do some work, if you can catch 1-3 fish every other point your looking good. Sunrise until around 10:00 is key, after that it’s a GRIND. Back of pockets with grass has been a little slow, but we have caught some decent fish on the edge of the grass with flukes. If you’re looking for some good info on Amistad and Del Rio check out fishlakeamistad.com. Tight Lines!

Olin Jensen

Jensensguideservice.com

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Lake Amistad Report 29 Oct 12

The Big Blue is starting to heat back up with the cooler temps. As the water temperature drops (currently 72-73) the bite will improve as the fish will be following shad to the backs of creeks and pockets. I had trips 4 of the last 5 days and majority of our fish all came on main and secondary points. Flukes (watermelon red flake) belly weighted were the ticket for us. Early top water bite is average and should improve through the next few weeks. If there is cloud cover they have been smashing spinnerbaits. As far as the points go, if deep water is close the better the point. My deeper bite has been slow. I’ve been concentrating in 1-15ft. The frog bite has slowed a bit but don’t be afraid to throw it in the voids in between the bank and the grass. Chatterbaits and rattle traps around the grass have been a productive pattern also. If you’re headed to Amistad don’t be afraid to give me a shout I’m always willing to help fellow anglers. Tight Lines! Olin Jensen

Jensensguideservice.com

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Late Summer 2012 Lake Amistad
 
Lake Amistad is just over 28 ft low as of Aug 24th 2012 with the water temps in the low 80's early with it getting to mid to upper 80's by late afternoon.  The nights are starting to get longer and the mornings are a little cooler it won't be long and we will be looking at water temps dropping into the 70's over night.
It has been amazing how much the grass has grown the past month. There is more hydrilla in the lake than I have seen in several years. With all the new fertile lake bottom now with lower water levels it has enough nutrients to take off and it has. I am starting to see hydrilla growing out to 25ft is some areas. There is one problem with all the new grass growth... Many areas haven't seen grass in over 5 years, which means there hasn't been congregated schools of fish in those areas in over 5 years. Its going to take those schools of bass some time to relocate and find the new grass but when they do it will open up parts of the lake we haven't fished in a while. This will spread out the fishermen which will take some fishing pressure off the community holes.
 
I have been mainly fishing stained or dirty water  and also the steeper banks. These areas have a the bass in a tighter area... The dirty water won't let the hydrilla grow out very far and the steep banks fall off fast keeping the outside grass edge close to the bank. This tightens the fish up some making them easier to locate. Areas where the it is flat and clear, the grass just goes on for ever with no real defined outside edge YET. There are fish in those areas also but seem to be a bit scattered and harder to find groups of bass. Fishing the dirty/stained water and steeper banks is always something I do during the late Summer doldrums. As the grass in those flat clear areas hits their final horizontal growth and start to grow vertically making a solid defined edge, LOOK OUT...  Thats when you will be able to find schools of bass relating to the edge and easier to pin point.
The baits I have had the best luck with the past few weeks are Frogs over the duck weed/pepper grass, chug bugs at the edge, weedless swimbaits through the the grass, Sq bills also. When they won't hit a moving bait I will slow down and fish a light Tx rigged worm  snapped in and out of the top of the grass. A belly weighted fluke dead sticked at the edge of the grass can get some attention.  I have also fished a crank bait over some of the long flat main lake points and in the center of the flat bays and have caught decent fish. The areas where the grass has made a solid edge already I have been flippin' a 1 3/4 oz Lateral Perch through it with some success.
 
Thanks,
Ray Hanselman 

The lake is 25ft low, the water temps are in low 80's early and mid to high 80's late in the day. Since the last report the aquatic vegitation has really taken off due to the high water temps and sunny days.
There is a good mixture of different types shallow grass out to 10 feet. Hydrilla out to 20 ft has taken off almost lake wide, even starting to see some scruff growing down on the east end of the lake.
 
The topwater and frog bite is still good, as well as the soft plastic weedless swimbaits and don't forget the sqaure bill fished around that shallow grass and brush...
Although with the grass reaching out deeper there are bass moving out to the 10 to 15 ft mark catchable on light Tx rigs, and weightless and belly weighted flukes and senkos. Medium to deep cranks are starting to catch decent numbers also.
We have caught some flipping the deeper hydrilla with a 1 3/4 oz lateral perch where it has gotten tall enough.
I have spent so much time shallow the past several weeks I have not fished any open water deep structure but this is the time of year to find giant schools hanging off the river ledges.
 
Not much has changed the past few weeks other than the deeper grass has opened up some new fishing territory....
 
 
Thanks,
Ray Hanselman 

Lake Amistad, Late April, early May 2012
 
Amistad is now about 20.65 ft low, so that is actually staying steady since last month...looks like the water pull is stabilized!  Water temperatures are rising too.  70-72 degrees is most areas of the main lake with temps rising daily  in the backs of creeks.
 
Still not much signs of hydrilla growing, but we are all very hopeful that the water depth has stabilized and temps are rising, very condusive to grass growing.  Could be a Classic Summer Time Grass lake again!!!
 
Still some spawning going on, but for the most part, looks like is about over, with the girls headed back out a little deeper...sunny days we have found them on rock ledges in about 15-20 feet.
 
The baits that are still catching them are the ever popular swimbaits, like the 3:16 and Osprey baits, 6" and 7" on the points and staging drains,  3/4 Revenge swim Jigs fished over and ripped through the grass, 1/8th oz belly weighted flukes dead sticked at the edges of grass and bushes, methiolate trick worms fished like a jerk bait shallow, Fury sq bills ripped through the grass, also flipping bushes with a Reaction Innovations Beaver, and sight fishing with a Zoom white speed craws tips dipped in orange dye. I have also just started catching some good fish on top water around the grass, this should only continue to get better. We have also seen the Senko bite coming back.  The Lateral Perch is going to be the next big winner...throwing them off of ledges in 20-25'...Go with the 1oz.- 1 1/4 oz...in all the natural colors.
 
Power Tackle PG104-7'6" has been our go to rod for Texas rigging, Carolina rigging, (mag fluke).
 
Tournament weights this past month have been around 22-27#/5 fish..not bad, and we expect them to get even better this Spring.

Give us a call if you have any questions or need anything here at Power Tackle!

Thanks again,
Judy Reneau