May 22 2023
Jeff Cavitt
Fingerling
Member Since :
2019
Number of Posts :
53
Reservation Number : 36385
Property Name : Pecan Gap
Reservation Date : 05/21/2023 All Day -
Total Fish/Sizes : 6 Bass 2 lbs to 5.6 lbs
Lures Used : A lot
Hardest fishing in perfect conditions. First trip ever to Pecan Gap for my best friend and PWF member Tommy Reyna and myself. Beautiful body of water that fishes larger than it’s size. So many targets to throw at and we wore ourselves out. If you have fishing A.D.D. you can easily be distracted with all of the options to fish. Everywhere you look is picture perfect vision of bass hotspots.
We graphed a lot of fish, but the Deeper Chirp doesn’t separate by species. We found fish near the dam on the downslope, on points, around one of the humps, around grass all over, some banks, and at the pier. Mostly hugging the bottom or slightly suspended in 10 feet or deeper water. So there wasn’t really any one hot spot. Found out during the trip that this property was fished the day before. So not sure if that had anything to do with their activity or not. They just didn’t bite that much. No bites in the beautiful flooded timber areas or humps.
Water was warm from 78 to 81 degrees.
Mostly cloudy with very little wind. Mostly glass top surface throughout the day. I remember fishing with a PWF member named Mike at one of the Cody Ranch group trips. He had said that you want at least a little ripple on the water from wind for good fishing. Well this proved true for this trip.
The lures that worked: Weightless Yamatanuki (black w/blue fleck) / Weighted Shad color Zoom MagnaFluke / Senko/Stick Worm (Watermelon with Chartruese Tip) / Bluegill pattern Swim Jig with Watermelon/bluepearl Eeliminator trailer.
The lure that nearly worked: Ribbit Top Toad – Multiple bites were missed and a major blow up broke off on the hookset.
We caught 6 in total. 3 @ 2+ lbs, 1 @ 4lb, and 2 @ 5.5 lbs. One of the 5 pounders was spawned out and the other had bloody spots on the tail. So these could have been 6 pounders a few weeks prior.
We got on the water between 8 and 9 AM. We fished the pier with frogs for the first 15 minutes. Once on the water we focussed with the top toad with very few bites. One huge hit opposite of the pier on the treelined bank, broke off after hookset. That was one of 3 breakoffs for Tommy on the Frog and Senko. He uses braid and I just don’t trust braid. We believe it was his knots that were the issue. I picked up our first fish of the day around 10 AM. 5.something on a weighted Zoom Magnafluke Shad color. This was off of the point of the penninsula closest to the pier. Aimed at the wood pieces and about the 2nd pop of the lure, she took it and swam right at the boat. About 1:35 PM Tommy picked up a very nice 4+ pounder on the black w/blue fleck Yamatanuki, after switching to Fluorocarbon line. That was a long gap between catching fish. It wasn’t for a lack of trying. We stopped somewhere after 3 PM to go grab lunch at Krootz Brewing Company, based on the many fishing reports that all mentioned going there. Good choice.
After the late lunch, we got back on the water after 5 PM to witness the turtles swimming around the pier/boat dock. Within a couple of minutes the fish feeder went off and it was party time for the tilapia, bluegill, and turtles. Then it was party time for me as I picked up my 2nd 5+ pounder from the North side of the pier. I was using the previously mentioned swim jig. Tommy picked off a couple of 2+ pound bass at 2 of the 3 wooded points. Both of which were on the Yamatanuki. They are sold out nearly everywhere, but get you some if you haven’t already. They work really well and since these are hard to come by, the bass haven’t seen them before. Find them on online stores because I haven’t found them in any main stream store just yet.
We cleared out the boat and packed up around 8:30 PM and headed out for the long drive home. Will plan on coming back someday in the future.
May 23 2023
John Freeman
Keeper
Member Since :
2020
Number of Posts :
252
You did ok for first time out there. Lots of big fish-yes. Well fed fish. I have been out there several times (first time skuned- on me, 2nd 3 3 lbs- better), I learn something new every time about that lake. It is an amazing piece of work- passion. I think it was 5th time I had a 3 6’s and a 7. Had a couple good trips there past that. Do I have Gap bass figured out- doubtful, they will toss a curveball at me eventually. I’ll rig up and make another run at them. This lake in my top 3. I think the challenge keeps me going back, as they bite when they want to, not when a zingy, flashy thing comes swimming by. The F1’s stocked there a couple years ago are more forgiving than the native honking big fish there and are coming along nicely.