Fishing Report Lake Conroe December 19, 2006
With Christmas just around the corner, traffic on the Lake has been very light. Cloudy days with lots of fog and a little shower every now and then has kept most of the fishermen home; but, the fishing has been great.
The Lake is just below pool and there is plenty of good fishing water on all the shorelines. The water temperature continues to fluxuate in the high 50's to low 60's with the Southeast wind warming the water the past few days. The wind has been calm to 5-10 making fishing very easy in all areas of the Lake. Early and late fishermen have found the lake very smooth to slick.
Bass fishing has been very steady with good solid fish being caught on the edges of the hydrilla beds that drop off in 11 to 12 feet of water using a variety of baits. Spinner baits and Rat-L-Traps seem to be the bait of choice for many of the guides, allowing the fisherman to work large areas to locate holding fish. Texas rigged worms on the edges of the hydrilla beds have also been resulting in some nice fish. There are plenty of 14 to 16 inch fish for line stretching. Most of the fishermen are catch & release bass fishermen anyway and the smaller fish are lots of fun. Don't put any in the livewell under 16 inches. Worm colors have been plum, plum/blue flake and watermelon. The early bite along the rocks on shad crank baits have also been good baits for some nice solid fish. There are lots of brush piles on the points now and these are providing cover for both crappie and black bass.
Crappie fishing has been hit and miss this past week for most fishermen. The best results have been in brush piles in 20 feet of water. There are large numbers of smaller fish to fish through before getting some of the bigger fish. Minnows have out produced jigs this week. Brush off main lake points are resulting in some nice fish and working the shoreline in deeper water just off of creeks has also produced some nice catches. The 1097 bridge pilings have been sure bets for a few fish. Crappie fishing in the marinas hasn't been up to par yet. December and January are always good months for crappie in the deeper water.
Hybrid/Striper Bass and White Bass have been following the shad early and late. Look for the birds feeding in the flats 45 minutes to a hour before dark and out on the main lake early. Most have been getting limits of fish using a Texas Slab, Little George or Rat-L-Trap, throwing the bait into the fish schooling on the surface. Lots of fish have been pushing shad to the surface down around the dam area and the mouth of the creeks on the South end of the Lake early. After the fish quit feeding on the surface, they can be found in the same areas trolling. Trolling a Pet Spoon or Johnson Spoon 4 to 4 1/2 feet behind a deep diving crank bait or Jet Diver. Trolling has been producing some nice 22- 26 inch hybrids.
Good catches of White Bass have been caught on main lake structure using jigging spoons. The fish are in structure in 20 to 24 feet of water. Underwater structure along the river channel and creek channels is always a good bet and underwater structure just off of humps has also been producing some good fish.
Catfish fishing has been terrific. Most of the good 2 1/2 to 4 lb. fish have been in a little deeper water the past two weeks. We have also had good moon conditions to keep the fish active both for day and night fishermen. You can check the prime fishing times at www.texasprimetime.com Fishing on brush piles, around the 1097 Bridge, on the drop off's of creeks and river channels, in the marina areas are all producing limits of catfish. Fishermen are using minnows, cheese baits and my favorite, Magic Bait Company, Permo with Blood. We have been using range cubes and soured deer corn for chum.
Keep A Tight Line & Enjoy
Papa John - Anchorage Marina Fishing Guide
