Reservation Number : 35502
Property Name : Malouf Lake
Reservation Date : 03/24/2023 All Day -
Total Fish/Sizes : 31 LMB, a few dinks up to 2lb 14oz
Lures Used : Buzzbait, weightless stick bait, chatterbait, squarebill

After grinding hard my last few outings, I just really wanted a good numbers day.  I had high expectations heading to Malouf after all the recent reports, and I was not disappointed.  I had more than my share of mishaps (ex. I got to the lake at sun up only to realize I left my battery at home...so lost about 1.5 hours with the extra round trip.)  But at least the fish were cooperative once I got back.

Conditions: The day started off stormy with a pretty good southerly breeze, but I never got dumped on.  Water was between 62-72 degrees throughout the day and stained with 12-18 inch viz.  By 1pm the sun was peeking through partly cloudy skies and it continued to clear up to full sun through the afternoon/evening.  I got “caught” down in the far south end of the lake when the wind completely shifted from the NE, so my plans to drift back up either bank went out the window.  I had quite the challenge navigation wise all day with the thick hay-like grass just under much of the surface.  I’d be interested in how the rest of you who have fished there handle that as my 55lb motor was constantly getting bogged down.

Fishing:  I started at the NW corner from the launch and caught one on my first cast on a red squarebill.  I must have found the only clean spot to cast to as I quickly found out there was too much grass around to fish a crank.  I tried a frog for a few mins along the shore grass, but nothing.  I caught another by the dam on a chatterbait.  When I gave up the frog, I decided to tie on a gold buzzbait with a black toad.  That would probably be the smartest thing I’ve done since joining the club.  I had never caught a fish on a buzzbait before yesterday.  I proceeded to slay them on it for the rest of the day just changing out the plastics here and there!  Now I know how much fun it is (but all topwater is fun).  Everywhere I went on the lake that had shallow grass I would catch at least a couple or get several blowups before following up with a stickbait or Tx Rig or just moving on.  If I had hooked up to half the ones I missed or that I had on but got off in the grass I would have been close to 50 probably.  I caught 4 dinks, the vast majority were 1.5-2 lbs, and the biggest was almost 3 lbs, but all of them crushed the buzzbait like they were 5 pounders, so I never knew what I had for sure until I got them up out of the grass.  Other baits tried that didn’t produce: swim jig, lipless, Tx Rig swimming worm.