Reservation Number : 38735
Property Name : Waelder Heartbrand Ranch
Reservation Date : 02/27/2024 All Day -
Total Fish/Sizes : 33 bass; 2.5# - 5.4#; no harvest-sized
Lures Used : chatterbait, squarebill, creature-bait

Okay, it was never really gone but has endured a fishkill & a long drought that had greatly increased the effort expended per bass caught.  Rainfall, a supplemental stocking a year ago, & the approaching spawn combined to create an outing featuring abundant & willing bass.  I arrived at the beautiful property under cloudy skies & gusting winds with tempered optimism.  My optimism turned out to be well-founded; 33 bass up to 5.4# & 4 catfish in 7+ hours. 

The Setting:  The lake is full.  Water temperature was 67 in the main lake & 68 in the shallow “fingers” area.  Visibility about 12 inches except less in the northern shallows. The only significant vegetation is flooded grass & brush on the lake margins. No signs of the spawn yet (visible beds, bloody tails,...). As a bonus, you get to enjoy cattle, horses, deer, wild turkeys, geese, & a pair of zebra as you fish.

The Action:  The early pattern was a red squarebill worked fairly rapidly around the pier area & at the end of the dam nearest the house (edge of the flat in front of the house). After 90 minutes, that bite died & was replaced by a chatterbait bite (green with red trailer) on the shallow flat between the boat launch & the creek.  The last pattern that worked for me for most of the day was tossing either a weightless creature bait or a small chatterbait to the base of the flooded heaviest brush (they seemed to prefer trees to grass) or wave-pounded shorelines.  The wind created abundant boat positioning challenges so the leeward sides of the fingers in the northern shallow end got a lot of attention.

The Results: I landed 33 bass & 4 blue catfish.  The action was never frenzied & there were slow periods to contend with.  Three things stood out for me: all of the bass were between 16” and 20.5”, no harvest-sized; the bass were all full-bodied; the bass were unusually strong fighters featuring long runs plus vigorous surface gyrations.

It was a great day of fishing (and catching) at a beautiful property.  Jordan & his family take justifiable pride in the property & the entire experience & he clearly wants us to enjoy our Heartbrand fishing outings.  THANK YOU for allowing us to experience your little piece of heaven. 

BTW: For excitement, try for one of the 8-10# blue catfish on a light spinning outfit.  Make sure your drag is smooth as you’ll need it!