SAM RAYBURN
As expected, recent rains have Sam Rayburn up almost a half foot to 159.4 feet with full pool at 164.4 feet. Rayburn is still down 5 feet but the present reading is the highest in a few months. Water temperatures are running from 51 to 54 degrees and the upper portions of the lake have stained-to-muddy water with the southern portions having slightly stained to mostly clear conditions. According to The US Army Corp of Engineers office at Rayburn's Dam, both turbines are currently shut down.
Bass fishing continues to be good and boat activity remains moderate-to-high with weekends showing very high boat activity. Shallow water tactics are what many Rayburn fishermen are using with high numbers chunking and winding lipless crankbaits. There was a time when the only lipless crankbaits out there were Cordell Hot Spots and Rat-L-Traps. However, that is certainly no longer the case as Berkley Frenzy Rattl'r, XCaliber, Lucky Craft and Strike King, to name a few, are all quality lipless crankbaits.
Top colors of lipless crankbaits on Rayburn include red craw, pumpkin/shad and blue/silver. Many fishermen are fishing these in 2 to 8 feet using a variety of retrieves. My favorite lipless crankbaits includes the newly designed Frenzy Rattl'r in one half and three quarter ounce versions in Red Craw and Chrome Threadfin Shad. I fish these with Abu Garcia's Revo STX-HS reel which has a 7.1 to 1 ratio with a Fenwick Techna MHF(med-heavy-fast tip) 7' rod and Berkley's new 17 pound test line Big Game.
Berkley just came out with 17 pound test Big Game as it used to go from 15 pound up to 20 pound test. The 17 test size is very useful and also works great on spinnerbaits, topwater, jigs, Carolina and Texas rigs. Numerous anglers in this area, both salt and freshwater, are huge fans of Big Game. Two main reasons for its popularity are high quality and low price. Spinnerbaits are also producing along shoreline points with grass.
I always have a 3/8 ounce Stanley Wedge spinnerbait on one of my rigs while fishing Rayburn and Toledo. This rig has accounted for the majority of bass over 5 pounds for us the past three months. Frenzy Rattl'r and Rat-L-Trap have been a close second followed by a wacky rigged Sinking Minnow and Senko. Rayburn anglers are also using Carolina rigs to work the shallow grass as well as brush piles in 12 to 18 feet. Jig fishermen are working the edges of creek beds in the mid and back portions of major feeder creeks.
CRAPPIE: The bridges have been giving up crappie as have brush piles along the river and mouths of major creeks in 18 to 30 feet. At night under the bridges with lanterns and crappie lights, crappie are suspending about 15 to 20 feet from the surface. Live shiners have been the best choice and some are using a jig tipped with a small shiner. Some