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I hope everyone has stayed warm and safe this past week. I want to shed some light on the conditions of the lakes, how the fishing has been, and talk about fishing after a big freeze.
Lake Lewisville Fishing Report 2-21-2021
The water temperature before this big freeze was between 48-50 degrees. There are massive schools of shad in the deep water of Lake Lewisville, and the white bass, blue catfish, and occasional hybrid striper have been close by. Bait can be found all over the lake. I’ve been paying close attention to the bait and focusing on the shad that look to be active. The white bass I’ve been catching are concentrated in the deep river channels and deep water flats. They have been higher up in the water column than the blue catfish. The blue catfish have been staying closer to the bottom and can be targeted by simply dropping your bait farther down. The dead sticking technique has been most effective for me. I’ve been dead sticking small flukes and grubs on quarter ounce to two ounce jig heads. Crappie can be found close to the bridges, in the creeks, and on brush close to drop offs.
Lake Ray Roberts Fishing Report 2-21-2021
The water temperature on Lake Ray Roberts before this big freeze was 46-49 degrees. There are less shad on Ray Roberts than Lewisville, and it seems that the white bass, blue catfish, and crappie have been sticking even closer to the bait here as opposed to Lewisville. The majority of the white bass are still on the main lake and are abundant in both arms. Again, deep water channels, flats, and ledges have held fish. I have caught fish in depths ranging from 45-85 foot of water. The white bass, blue catfish, and occasional crappie seem to be mixed together following the shad. In the winter time, bait becomes the structure for the fish. As the bait moves, so do the fish. Dead sticking small flukes and grubs has been the ticket for me the last couple of months. Placing the bait right in front of them is crucial for a high success rate.
Fishing After a Big Freeze
Fishing after a big freeze can yield both good and bad results. Usually as the water temperature dips below 40 degrees, the shad have a hard time surviving. I think a shad kill of some kind has already taken place, based on the temperature this past week in the DFW. When a shad kill takes place, thousands to millions of dead shad will be sitting on the bottom of the lake ripe for the picking. The catfishing usually suffers the most, as they just swim along the bottom and vacuum in as many as they want. As those shad disappear, the catfishing picks back up. The extreme cold can drive stripers, hybrid stripers, and white bass to deeper water and help us find them easier by locating the live schools of shad. Sometimes the fish are more lethargic and sometimes they seem ready to eat anything. This depends on the availability of living shad left for them. Each case can depend on the lake’s shad population and the population of the predator fish. I’ll be fishing tomorrow, so I can provide some insight as to what kind of effect this is freeze has had.
Fishing to Come in the Next Few Months
Fishing in March on the main lake can be good or tough depending on if the majority of the population of striped fish (stripers, hybrid stripers, white bass) go up the creeks or stay on the main lakes to spawn. I’ve seen it go both ways. Fishing in April on Lewisville and Ray Roberts for white bass the past several years has been good to great. Fishing in May is red hot! The past several years the hybrid striper bite has picked back up in May. I’m already starting to book a bunch of trips in May, so please get with me ASAP if you would like to go then. Thank you to everyone for your support! I love fishing and helping people create memories on the water! Please let me know if I can answer any questions for you or get you on the calendar! Thanks again, Wes Campbell 214-282-7093.
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