Reservation Number : 31231
Property Name : Deer Trail Ranch
Reservation Date : 03/12/2022 All Day -
Total Fish/Sizes : 27 bass / up to 4.7 lbs - 1 crappie @ 2.1 lbs
Lures Used : Most effective were: paddletail and c-rigged fluke

Wife and I fished Deer Trail on Saturday on what turned out to be a really fun day. You never know what to expect when you are driving to the lake and the info on the dashboard shows 25F and ice warnings. But hey, you gotta give it a shot and I’m glad we did. Nothing like being a weekend angler and getting punched in the mouth with a spring cold front – but that’s part of the game! With the cold morning, we didn’t rush out there and ended up fishing from about 9:30 to 6:30 with a good break and shore lunch. We landed 27 bass to 4.7 lbs and 1 slab (2.1 lb) crappie. After trying an arsenal of baits, it was the Mrs. who saved the day with patience and a methodical retrieve of a shad colored 4.3 in paddletail. The fish were shallower than we thought they’d be and only caught some deeper ones along the dam (those deeper ones fells for a shad colored c-rigged fluke). We never “felt” a bite the entire day – only a little line pressure (very little) and you just had to lean on them with some added rod pressure. Once hooked they put up a good fight though. Only harvested 2 and they were at 13.5 in. The majority returned were 2 ¼ to 3 lbs with one Pam caught at 4.7 lbs. We ran into the owner on his ATV along the dam – he is very kind and hospitable. Deer Trail (and sister lake Timber Bluff) are a real treat and gems to have in the club!

Oh, the water was 50F at arrival and ticked up to 56F in the peak of the day. It was a perfect green tint with about 30 in of viz and the vegetation was subsurface and very manageable with only a small number of algae blooms.