Fishing report July 2010

Fishing on the “Big C” is still holding its own with some good stringers still coming to the stage. The fish are here and when you find them you can still sack them up. Look for the fish to feed heavily on offshore structures in July. Last year one of the biggest sacks ever weighed in at a CONROEBASS.COM tournament came in July. David Perciful and Wesley Ialacci caught a 3 fish stringer that weighed over 23 pounds fishing deep structure on a busy weekend, with boats everywhere, no wind, and temperatures near 100 degrees. This just goes to show you when you find them and they are feeding you can still wack’em. The shad spawned again last month and the hatch is about 1 inch long and growing. This puts smaller baits in the mix. Finesse baits should produce well this month. Look for the bass to relate to major structures like docks, heavy brush and, large rocks. Look for bass to be strong on the south end of the lake this month. Carolina rigs will produce well. I like to use Kickerfish high tail worms because these baits float off the bottom which helps it to pull through the brush easier which leads to less tying while you are fishing as well as keeping the bait in the strike zone longer. These baits also produce bubbles, as well which has helped me catch some solid fish while the bait is sitting still after casting. When you cast these baits let it sit for about 20 seconds before moving it. I will take this bait and cast it a long way then right when it hits the water I will jerk my rod to produce as big a splash as I can. Then I let out line so the bait falls straight down and let it sit there. The High tail worm does all the work. The fish see the splash and go investigate like they do with any bait. The main difference with the high tail is that when they look at the bait it doesn’t look like the other thousand baits they have seen. The bait is suspended off the bottom with little bubbles coming off the bait.  You will get a lot of your bites as soon as you move the bait. I like to start with a 4 foot jerk followed by a very slow drag that will last for about ten feet. Look for that soft spongy bite and even when you think there might be a fish on the line you have to keep pulling slow until you feel the line get heavier and let him back up with it. They will mouth the bait and follow along until they decide to swallow it.  When you throw High tails you can get away with using number 2 hooks which will help you catch more fish in a number of ways. The fish can get the bait in their mouths easier, you have a smaller diameter to pull through the brush, and best of all they can’t see the hook as easily.  Another big producer this month will be the Norman DD-22. This bait is well known on Lake Conroe and it is no secret that a DD-22 will catch giants. There are a few secrets though when it comes to how you throw it. You need to use 10-12 pound line so the bait will get down to the deeper brush. You have to make long casts. I like to start reeling fast for about 4 turns and then slow way down. These baits are designed to go deeper the slower you reel them. I will reel slowy until I feel the bait come into the brush and then jerk the bait through the brush. Some people like to pause the bait after it hits the brush but I prefer pulling it away and reeling fast for a few feet and then stopping the bait and let it sit for a few seconds. This works better when you use the suspending model DD-22 in Tennessee Shad or Chartreuse- blueback because the bait will sit there like a stunned shad.  Check out CONROEBASS.COM for all Lake Conroe fishing and boating information. We have a tournament schedule along with all the contact information. Feel free to E-Mail me at BASSSPLASH@YAHOO.COM if you have any questions and comments about the lake (not my grammar). Check out CONROEBASS.COM for the upcoming tournaments like the Big Bass benefit at Wolfie’s on July 17 from 3pm until 10pm.  Entry fee is $100 per person=1 fish,  as well as the CONROEBASS Midnight madness series starting on July 24th from 5pm until 12am. It is a 3 fish tournament, entry fee is $150 per team, with 4 Monthly tournaments and a Championship.  Thanks to all our sponsors...Wolfie’s Restaurant…Montgomery Custom pools..Katy Steam…Conroe Carpets…Lakeconroe.com…American Rodsmiths...Walden Golf Club…Kickerfish baits…and CONROEBASS.COM.