Where to Find Them?

[KalimanMX]

Well im going to fish a tournament this weekend and i would like to know your opinion of where to find the fish and what lure would you use...
This a little history of the Dam:

Temp 2 weeks before was: max-> 88 min -> 68
Temp is been the same for more than a week and is: Max-> 70 min->42

Water is semi-clear (you are able to see 3 maybe 4 fts)

and here is the dam:


The number are:
1.- Shallow whater, no more tha 5 or 6 Fts
2.- Big trees in the water that make a good shadow, from 2 to 8 ft deep
3.- Creeks (we have more than 2 months without rain, it they have no water), from 3 to 12 ft deep
4.- Its the Dam, it has 20 or more Ft deep

Thanks for your help!!
(sorry for my bad english )

[Rebbasser]

kaliman-any idea of the water temp? That is more important than the air temp-I was out this morning and the air temp was 38 but the water temp was 67-we were catching them on spooks and buzzbaits bundled up in cold weather gear. It was rather bizarre catching them on topwater when you could see your breath-for South Texas anyway

[KalimanMX]

I know that water temp its more important, but cant really tell, but it has been cold for 2 weeks and the lake it not to big, so i guess that the water is getting cold... but its just a guess :S

[Rebbasser]

In that case I would head for the creeks and for the shallows around cover. They are feeding for fall, so shad imitating lures-cranks, spinnerbaits and jerkbaits are what I would try. Even though there is no water running in the creeks the fish will still be moving shallow. One area that jumps out at me is the area marked with one of the 2s in the lower center-you have a point, with cover, and based on the appearance of the terrain around it there is deep water nearby. I'd use shad imitating baits up in and around the cover, and I'd also try the edges-if there is any vegetation on that point try a C-rig parallel to the edge-you might be able to pick up a bigger fish by going a little deeper. Good luck!

[Rodman_Rob]

also middle of the screen where those two mountain ridges bottleneck the lake right at the entrance of the pool, seems like there should be some current in a shallow area near deep water, I'd park my boat right in the middle and run deep diving cranks on the bottom in that spot.

[lizardsrule]

Fish the WOOD. That is if the fish aren't hitting the baitfish hard, which if so, Rebasser nailed it as usual . But when the vegetation thins, the bass still want cover if available. IMO. When they are feeding on the baitfish, then dropoffs, or coves are good points to start. I just didn't really get any of the Fall feeding frenzie this year, in fishing tourneys or leisurely, the fish were caught off of wood. Since there was little vegetation. Looks like a wonderful place to fish Hope you catch a ton. Have you done any or are you gonna do any pre-fishing If the fish aren't chasing the baitfish, then wood in the 2'-8' of water is where I would be working, pitching, cranking and spinnerbaits. If the water is decent temps, then a buzzbait will also be effective. From what you just posted, my strategie would be to see if they are chasing the baitfish. If so the hit them with what Rebasser said, hopefully get some hot action quickly. If they aren't then hit the wood. The points would be my third choice. But if I could pre-fish I find out all of that beforehand

Lizards

[ROBZILLA]

I cant belive you left out the narrows ! you might want to try this area where the water gets thined out these are usually like fish highways.In this case you have three of them, I do alot of scuba diving and usually see lots of fish schooled up in these areas. Not to mention I fish these narrows with great sucess. you might want to give them ago!

Robby.

[fishinboy]

personally, i like the logs and trees in the water. i usually fish them with a 7"-10" plastic worm.

[Fishie]

I would do a little prefishing if I were you. You are going to basically have to figure out the mood of the fish. You might find they are catchable on faster baits and if this is happening you will want to move around more. When you catch one on a crank or other faster bait I would throw it maybe a little more and if nothing hits slow down a little with a dropshot rig. The morning should be a time when you want to hit as many spots as humanly possible. I would fish a rattle trap or small spinnerbait in the morining and cover some water and it might just involve going down the bank on a good looking stretch. Later in the day I would either slow down and flip a jig to shallow targets or back out and crank the points and Dropshot fish them. The fish will tell you and it's going to be hard to tell you a whole lot without seeing the lake myself. Around the dam area if there is riprap that might pay off with a crank early. Usually riprap is better in spring. Hit a lot of targets early and try to figure out the fish. The lake is not that big so You should be able to eliminate a lot of water in prefishing if you get a chance. How long is the tournament by the way? It would help to know this. I would fish shallow water with deep water next to it. That is paying off for me. I think you should fish faster in the moring though. Got any history on the lake? Like what it usually takes to win and stuff?

[Fishie]

Your water temp should be good for covering a lot of water. The narrow section at the west side should have current. Might be a good bet to fish this area. Throw into the current and retrieve your bait with it. Also whenever you see a good looking windy bank go to it and throw a rattletrap or spinnerbait. Odds are in your favor on windy banks in a clear lake. It makes the fish less spookey. Hope my tips help.

[KalimanMX]

Thanks a lot for your help....
I couldnt do any pre fishing because my parther got sick this past weekend, so i have to go without any pre-fishing. The good thing is that i know the lake, this is the last tournamen... its the final!! hehehe and the winer gets more than 2000 dollars!

Well the tournamet consist in 3 sets (2 days), with 3 fish in each set...
The first one goes from 8am to 12pm (sat)
The second one goes from 12:01pm to 4pm (sat)
And the last one goes from 8am to 12pm (sun)

In the last 3 Tournamets the winner have about 23lbs - 30lbs (9 Fish)
Last tournamet i end in place 7 with 16lbs (7 fish)

More info of the lake:
Sun rise is at 7:20
Sun set is at 6:30
The lake has not acuatic vegetation, but has lots of logs and brush

[Fishie]

Get around that brush early with a buzzbait or a spinner or crank and fish fast.

[River stumps]

Kaliman, First of all, I hope you win the tourney and pocket the prize. These guys are giving you some good pointers ( Some better than others) but you don't have enough time to try them all. I know who I would go with, But that is me. Look at their resumes and you will come up with two or three good fish catching tactics... Go back check some of their past post, and that will give you a good feel for who you want to go with. If it were me I would PM Lizzard, Rebbasser, zooker. P N J because I feel they have the most experience. Not taking anything away from the others, for they are had good input.