Reservation Number : 42148
Property Name : BlackJack Ranch
Reservation Date : 01/17/2025 All Day -
Total Fish/Sizes : 59 with 21 harvested; most 15-17"
Lures Used : swim-worm, drop shot, underspin

Bob Scheidemann and I just couldn’t entice more than a few bass to bite at BlackJack Ranch.  Conditions weren’t bad (50 degree air temp, cloudy skies, and breezy) but the water temp had dropped to 47.8 degrees.  We toured the lake from the boat and the shore  and tried many lures with minimal luck; just six bass up to 17” with three of them harvested.  Three were caught from the pier on weightless stick worms and three from the middle of the lake over submerged vegetation.  Bites were typically very soft. 99% of the action on the lake came from the nutria colony and their antics.

Two weeks ago, Ron Dupree and I had a vastly different experience, landing 53 bass (18 harvested) and having fairly steady action when fishing from the boat.  We caught only a few bass from the pier or from shore.  The most productive baits were swim-worms worked slowly through the submerged vegetation, underspin, drop-shot, and chatterbaits.  Bites were firm rather thn soft. Most of the returned bass were 15-16” with the largest about 17”.

Lake conditions: water level slowly dropping, 47.8 degrees, surprisingly clear water, some submerged vegetation seems to be “falling over” making extensive areas have 2-5 feet of water over the vegetation tops, shoreline “weeds and algae” are only a thin rind so bank fishing is easy.