Reservation Number : 37743
Property Name : BlackJack Ranch
Reservation Date : 11/07/2023 All Day -
Total Fish/Sizes : 22 with 8 harvested; most 15-16"
Lures Used : dropshot, TX-rig, Pop-R, prop bait, chatter bait

Bob Scheidemann and I discovered that the bass at BlackJack Ranch wouldn’t hit moving lures yesterday.  Almost all the 22 bass we landed were caught on essentially stationary lures (dropshot, TX-rigged stick worms) or on stationary Pop-r’s or stationary prop baits.  The only exceptions were two on chatterbaits that must have landed in the mouth of the bass and two strikes on worms being retrieved. We observed a few follows on flukes and squarebills but couldn’t get a solid strike.  There was no frog bite.  Keeping tight lines to feel soft worm bites was a challenge in the stiff breeze. We ended up with 22 bass of which 8 were harvested.  Most of the returned bass were 15-16” and the largest few were about 18”.  18 of the bass were caught before our midday break and then we went two hours without a bite before a final flurry of 3 or 4 bass just before we left at 3PM.

The lake remains very very low.  The extensive thick vegetation shows the first signs of tattering and thinning at the surface but remains robust a few inches below the surface.  No fish came from the clear water area near the dam (we tried and tried).  Water temp is 70-72 degrees and the water is clear.

An enjoyable day of fellowship and fishing in a beautiful ranch setting.