Reservation Number : 38247
Property Name : BlackJack Ranch
Reservation Date : 01/06/2024 All Day -
Total Fish/Sizes : 41 total; most 2-2.5#; 7 harvested
Lures Used : squarebill, dropshot, wacky stick worm

Member Ron Dupree and I found success in catching a number of winter bass at BlackJack Ranch but didn’t find any larger ones. We started the morning throwing squarebills, spinnerbaits, chatterbaits, and soft plastics from the pier and quickly found that squrebills and soft plastics worked while spinnerbaits and chatterbaits never worked all day.  After catching about a half-dozen, we launched the boat (a real challenge given the low water level and the cattle-stomped muddy shoreline) and headed down the eastern bank toward the dam.  Nothing on the eastern bank (all day) but we started picking up 1.5-2.5# bass along the dam.  Until we left at 3PM, we would move around the lake and anchor up sitting above submerged “grass” or within casting distance of a grass to bare bottom transition.  Both types of areas produced bass fairly regularly with most of the strikes coming far from the boat (water is green-clear, you can see the bottom in 3-4 ft of water).  A few bass were caught in the deep water in front of the dam on a dropshot.  Ron’s first bass of the day was probably our largest (3+ pounds).  We ended up with 41 bass, mostly 14-16”, and harvested 7.  No bigger ones this trip but good fun nontheless.

What worked: squarebill, wacky stick worm, dropshot, watermellon red flake lizard, jerk bait

What didn’t: spinnerbait, chatterbait, deep crankbait, jig, fluke, underspin, craw

The lake: even lower than 2 months ago; almost no vegetation to the surface ( no true mats any more); extensive submerged vegetation, bare deepwater areas; green-clear water with good visibity; 51-53 degrees when we were there

Access: recent rain made the cross-pasture access road slippery in spots but not a big issue.  Oil-field tanker trucks have created deep ruts and holes on the dam road