Fishing Report - January 2010
Date: Sunday, January 10 @ 20:43:32 CST
Topic: Bass Fishing Reports
 I hope all of you had a great Christmas and a wonderful New Years. Our Texas/Louisiana area offers many wonderful opportunities for the sportsperson, and if you are lucky enough to live in this area you are truly blessed.
So What’s Happening ... Lake Conditions – As of January 10th, 2010 - The lake level is 170.62’ msl. Normal pool level is 172‘ msl. (Lake is now 1.38 feet low) Generator 1 and Generator 2 are currently running 24 hours a day so expect the lake to continue to fall. Current waterflow is 14,186 cfs. Lake water surface temperature is running about 48 to 54-degrees with water clarity on the south end rated as reasonably clear to partly stained up in some of the creeks.  Those folks that like cold weather have really enjoyed the past week or so. Temperatures down into the 20's have been common and make for a very cold ride on the water.
FISHING REPORTS: BASS
If you have been lucky enough to be on the water when the wind and rain weren't causing havoc, odds are that you may have gotten into some good bass fishing. I have had three trips since the first of the year that were really good. One one of the trips in Sandy Creek the bass were in about 33-38 feet of water and wanted a 3/4-oz jigging spoon vertically jigged slowly about five feet off the bottom. Total catch was about 30 bass with three in the five pound range.
Another late afternoon trip saw about 14 bass come into the boat (along with a couple of big crappie and a few yellow bass). These fish hit the jigging spoon and a Texas rigged Ol' Monster watermelon/candy worm, and a black/blue jig. Best depth to fish was from 19- to 23 feet. My most recent trip had 20+ bass up to 3-pounds and these were all taken in 27' of water off main-lake points.
Pick a day when the weather looks good (forget it not being cold because it is going to be cold for some time) and work these baits on creek channel drops and off the edge of humps. At this time of the year the fish will be in small areas and the bite may not last long. However, when the fish turn on you can really catch them Big Time.
Congratulations to local anglers and fellow fishing friends Ronnie Bland and Johnny Franks for their recent win in the Texas Super Team Tournament held on Toledo Bend and hosted by Fin & Feather Resort. The team fought some pretty tough weather to bag a limit of bass that pulled the scales down to the 29.29 pounds mark. Their big bass of the day weighed 7 1/2 pounds and the team walked away with a $10,000 payday. Great Job Guys!
This was the fourth tournament of five events and is sponsored by Legend Boats. John Salamone is the Tournament Director and if you are interested in more information for this fine event just give him a call at 409-594-8925. Recently I had the pleasure of meeting John and Legend President Randy Qualls and I assure you they are great folks and put on a first class event.
Hot Tips!! A couple of baits you need to be throwing in the upcoming months are the Texan jigging spoon, Stanley's Swim Max Jig/his new 3/4 and 1-ounce grass jig, Sidewinder plastic worm, the Bill Lewis "Toledo Gold" Rat-L-Trap, Creme's new Mad Dad flex plug and Buckeyes football jig and Mop jig.
Hopefully in the next few weeks we will see bass turn on to the "traps" and spinner baits. My ol’ favorite Carolina rig is still producing a few fish but you have to really slow down your retrieve, I recommend the watermelon or cotton candy centipede or a lizard in watermelon/red, pumpkin/chartreuse or the Junebug colors. Work the edges of the grass or channel drops in from 12- to 30 feet of water. 
I believe that the bigger bass usually come in first to spawn so start paying special attention to drains and channels that feed in from deep water to shallow flats and sloughs. The bigger bass will use these “highways” when coming in to and from the spawning grounds. . 
Catfish - A few really nice catfish have been caught in the past couple of weeks but from the reports I received, most have been taken on jigging spoons while the angler was fishing for black bass or yellow bass. No reports from trotliners -- I assume that they are waiting for more pleasant weather to start baiting up their lines. 
Yellow Bass – Fishing for these guys has been pretty slow but in the past week or so some of the big ones have started to show up. There are lots of shad out in the deeper water and I expect that the deep water jigging is about to explode. Try a ¼ to 1-oz nickel jigging spoon and work the edges of channels and humps in the 18-to 45 foot depths. Lots of fish are also suspended at about the 24-to 30 foot depth so if you see these fish on your graph be sure to drop a spoon in front of them. When the BIG yellow bass start showing up it is definitely time to put some delicious eating fillets in the freezer.
Crappie - All eyes on on the Chicken Coop which is a spot north of the Pendleton Bridge that is just off the main river channel. For the past couple of years the crappie fishing has been "iffy", but this may be the year that it really produces those huge stringers of fish. Best bait for January has been live shiners fished about 30'deep near drops or river channels. *************************************************
Here are a few things to consider as we go into 2010...
A Billion Dollars --
The next time you hear a politician use the word 'billion' in a casual manner, think about whether you want the 'politicians' spending YOUR tax money. A billion is a difficult number to comprehend, but one advertising agency did a good job of putting that figure into some perspective in one of its releases.
A. A billion seconds ago it was 1959.
B. A billion minutes ago Jesus was alive.
C. A billion hours ago our ancestors were living in the Stone Age.
D. A billion days ago no-one walked on the earth on two feet.
E. A billion dollars ago was only 8 hours and 20 minutes, at the rate our government is spending it. Washington, D.C .. HELLO!!! ... Are all your calculators broken??
Tax's -
Tax his land, Tax his wage, Tax his bed in which he lays. Tax his tractor, Tax his mule, Teach him taxes is the rule. Tax his cow, Tax his goat, Tax his pants, Tax his coat. Tax his ties, Tax his shirts, Tax his work, Tax his dirt. Tax his tobacco, Tax his drink, Tax him if he tries to think. Tax his booze, Tax his beers, If he cries, Tax his tears. Tax his bills, Tax his gas, Tax his notes, Tax his cash. Tax him good and let him know That after taxes, he has no dough. If he hollers, Tax him more, Tax him until he's good and sore. Tax his coffin, Tax his grave, Tax the sod in which he lays. Put these words upon his tomb, 'Taxes drove me to my doom!' And when he's gone, We won't relax, We'll still be after inheritance TAX!! Accounts Receivable Tax, Building Permit Tax, CDL License Tax, Cigarette Tax, Corporate Income Tax, Dog License Tax, Federal Income Tax, Federal Unemployment Tax (FUTA), Fishing License Tax, Food License Tax, Fuel Permit Tax, Gasoline Tax, Hunting License Tax, Inheritance Tax, Inventory Tax, IRS Interest Charges (tax on top of tax), IRS Penalties (tax on top of tax), Liquor Tax, Luxury Tax, Marriage License Tax, Medicare Tax, Property Tax, Real Estate Tax, Service charge taxes, Social Security Tax, Road Usage Tax (Truckers), Sales Taxes, Recreational Vehicle Tax, School Tax, State Income Tax, State Unemployment Tax (SUTA), Telephone Federal Excise Tax, Telephone Federal Universal Service Fee Tax, Telephone Federal, State and Local Surcharge Tax, Telephone Minimum Usage Surcharge Tax, Telephone Recurring and Non-recurring Charges Tax, Telephone State and Local Tax, Telephone Usage Charge Tax, Utility Tax, Vehicle License Registration Tax, Vehicle Sales Tax, Watercraft Registration Tax, Well Permit Tax, Workers Compensation Tax.
STILL THINK THIS IS FUNNY? Not one of these taxes existed 100 years ago, and our nation was the most prosperous in the world. We had absolutely no national debt, had the largest middle class in the world, and Mom stayed home to raise the kids. What happened? Can you spell ‘politicians?' … And I still have to 'press 1' for English. ****************************************************
Well that’s all .. Have a great January and I will see you on the water -- JB
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