Good day at Butler

Aug 09 2021

Ron Dupree

Fingerling

Member Since :
2015
Number of Posts :
75

Reservation Number : 29390
Property Name : Butler Lake
Reservation Date : 08/07/2021 All Day -
Total Fish/Sizes : 42 12" to 21" bass 1 crappie
Lures Used : plastics, Crankbait

Fellow PWF member John Shepard and I went to Butler Saturday 8/7 and had a good day. The bite was slow but steady throughout the day. Drop shot prevailed as the technique that produced the most but it seemed like a weightless whacky rig with a dark colored stick worm worked best to produce the biggest. We worked the banks if front of the mat all around the tank getting bit most on the shallow south end and the east bank. Red bug finesse trick worm on a dropshot worked well pitching in front of the mat.

We crossed the lake in the middle  several different ways and did not see any signs of activity so we did not spend any time fishing the middle.  

Water color seemed a little stained possibly an alge bloom in the making. Water temp was 86 at day break and 88 by 6 pm. We had a prttty good shower around 2 pm that may have helped cool the water a little but not much.

Something interesting we noticed on a couple of the bigger fish was they had bloody tails like a bedding fish. Is it possible they are still spawning or going through a second spawn? Seems a little late but dont know how else to explain the bloody tails and may explain some of the big bellies we saw. 

We ended with 42 bass and 1 big crappie  culling the crappie and 13 of the bass. 

Aug 09 2021

Joshua Massoud

Keeper

Member Since :
2021
Number of Posts :
487

Bloody tails on females can be from spawning on hard structure, suspending on hard structure/brushpiles (especially if they are football types vs longer types), or moving from cold water that has stratified (low oxygen) to shallower warm water which can burst the capillaries in the extremeties.  Like all things with fishing – just depends.  Nice work Ron, 20+ fish per person is a good summer day!

Aug 09 2021

Steve Alexander

Admin

Member Since :
2002
Number of Posts :
1176

Originaly Posted By Joshua Massoud

Bloody tails on females can be from spawning on hard structure, suspending on hard structure/brushpiles (especially if they are football types vs longer types), or moving from cold water that has stratified (low oxygen) to shallower warm water which can burst the capillaries in the extremeties.  Like all things with fishing – just depends.  Nice work Ron, 20+ fish per person is a good summer day!

Bloody tails in August is a mystery. Like Horticulture you can get a “false bloom” or “false spawn” in the fall. Generally when the water temperatures and candle light hours mimic Spring. But, not sure about August. Did you happen to take a picture?

It warms my heart when I hear 42 bass was a slow bite. 

Aug 10 2021

Ron Dupree

Fingerling

Member Since :
2015
Number of Posts :
75

Originaly Posted By Steve Alexander

Bloody tails in August is a mystery. Like Horticulture you can get a “false bloom” or “false spawn” in the fall. Generally when the water temperatures and candle light hours mimic Spring. But, not sure about August. Did you happen to take a picture?

It warms my heart when I hear 42 bass was a slow bite. 

Steve, I agree bloody tails in August in Texas is not the norm for black bass.  I caught the first one in the shallow end it weighed 4.54 lbs i noticed it but shrugged it off, but when John caught the 4.82 on the east side in deeper water and it also had the blood spots around the base of the tailfin I thought could they be spawning. When john had his hangin on the scale a small watered down blood drop formed and drip off of the tail. We both thought how strange for the time of the year. Another point worth mentioning is John reeled in a crank bait and noticed something on the tip of one of the treble hooks. He showed me what looked to be a ¾ – 1 inch long almost transparent what looked like a baby bass. I was looking at freshly hatched baby bass online last night and what he had looked like the pictures online. What it said was freshly hatched baby bass form a ball and feed on algae. I think John’s crankbait ran through such a ball and stabbed a fry and he was able to reel it in. I wished we had taken pictures but we did not.

BTW I did not mean to say 42 bass was a slow day in August, i meant it was slow and steady all day not a big morning flury and then nothing  which is more typical in a summer pattern. It was a good day!

John and may have to go back and do some more research. LOL

Aug 10 2021

Ron Dupree

Fingerling

Member Since :
2015
Number of Posts :
75

Originaly Posted By Ron Dupree

Steve, I agree bloody tails in August in Texas is not the norm for black bass.  I caught the first one in the shallow end it weighed 4.54 lbs i noticed it but shrugged it off, but when John caught the 4.82 on the east side in deeper water and it also had the blood spots around the base of the tailfin I thought could they be spawning. When john had his hangin on the scale a small watered down blood drop formed and drip off of the tail. We both thought how strange for the time of the year. Another point worth mentioning is John reeled in a crank bait and noticed something on the tip of one of the treble hooks. He showed me what looked to be a ¾ – 1 inch long almost transparent what looked like a baby bass. I was looking at freshly hatched baby bass online last night and what he had looked like the pictures online. What it said was freshly hatched baby bass form a ball and feed on algae. I think John’s crankbait ran through such a ball and stabbed a fry and he was able to reel it in. I wished we had taken pictures but we did not.

BTW I did not mean to say 42 bass was a slow day in August, i meant it was slow and steady all day not a big morning flury and then nothing  which is more typical in a summer pattern. It was a good day!

John and may have to go back and do some more research. LOL

What it said was freshly hatched baby bass form a ball and feed on Plankton not algae.