Reservation Number : 38590
Property Name : Hickory Creek Ranch Lakes
Reservation Date : 02/18/2024 All Day -
Total Fish/Sizes : 29 bass (8-19"); 6 bass and 4 crappie harvested
Lures Used : Ned rig, craw, tube, medium-diving crankbait

It was a cold, clear morning with a moderate breeze at beautiful Hickory Creek Ranch and the clouds stayed away all day.  The bass were sluggish after the cold front and with the bluebird skies but Ron Dupree and I were determined to find something that would entice a good bite.  While we never really found a lasting good bite, we had a few good streaks and ended the day about 3:30PM landing 29 bass and 4 crappie.  After a slow start from the shoreline, we headed to deeper water in the boat and started picking up a couple of bass off each brushpile before the bite quit and we moved to the next one.  We toured most of the lake and tried the shallow end in the afternoon, hoping the warmer water there (53 vs 50-52 elsewhere) would be an attraction but that end of the lake only yielded 4 bass.  The bite ended by 2PM and we gave up about 3:30 and had a chat with the landowner Wade before heading home.

The best action was around brushpiles in 8-9 feet of water.  Only one bass came from less than 4 feet of water. Soft plastics (Ned worm, craw, tube,...) in various shades of green were the best producers with a few additional bass caught on crankbaits.  The bass were all chunky (except for the 6 small ones harvested) and ranged from 14-19”.  The crappie were small to mid-sized.

As usual, the Hickory Creek wildlife were entertaining to watch.  The deer and ducks were nice, but the pair of bald eagles easily stole the show!

Can’t wait for a little warmer water to really turn the bass on!