Reservation Number : 33338
Property Name : Deer Trail Ranch
Reservation Date : 07/30/2022 AM -
Total Fish/Sizes : 20 up to 2.5 lbs
Lures Used : Frog, Swim Jig, Flashy Swimmer, Tx Rig, Wacky Rig, Shakey Head

My goal for this trip was not numbers or size, but I wanted to learn how to catch fish on a frog.  This is a great lake to learn or practice this technique as the lily pad fields South of the boat ramp and lining much of both shores are made for it.  I arrived before daylight, and by the time I loaded up the boat there was topwater action all over the place.  I started throwing a Spro Popping Frog in Outback color right from the boat ramp and was greeted with my first taste of that blow-up rush of adrenaline.  I missed a few, but caught my first frog fish from the bank before sunrise.  I finally set out in the boat and made my way South into the pocket between lilly pad fields.  Over the next hour or so I caught a number of additional frog fish, had some near misses, and had a few come off before I could land them.  Now I get it when guys say it’s their favorite way to catch bass.  After the frog bite died down, things slowed way down as I couldn’t figure out what they wanted next.  I caught a few on random baits (1 Tx rig worm, 1 Wacky Worm, 1 Flashy Swimmer), but there was no consistent spot or technique.  With maybe an hour or so left to fish, I switched to throwing a shad/white pattern 6th Sense swim jig up to the edges of the lily pad/grass line and finally cracked the code.  That last hour I made my way up the Western shore line and caught fish even more frequently than the frog action including on 3 casts in a row.  As I was unloading the boat, I threw one last time with a Tx rig Brush Hog down the edge of the boat ramp, and got the always welcome bonus fish.

A few notes:

Water was a murky green color with only about 10-12 inch visibility.  It started at 85 degrees and got up to 87 when I quit.

I saw either an otter or a beaver swim by several times but it was not light enough to tell which.

All fish were between 1.5-2.5lbs and 15-17 inches, no culls.  They all looked like carbon copies of each other which was the same as my previous trip to this lake.

Thanks to PWF and the landowner for providing such a productive lake to fish.