Date: April 10, 2025
Lake: Malouf Lake, Lancaster
Number of Fish Caught: 25 – most in the 1 to 1 ½ lb range. A couple up to close to 3lbs. 
Primary Baits: White & Chartreuse Chatter bait with a white trailer, Brown Brush Hog, Green 8” Zoom Lizard with red flecks
Conditions: Bluebird sky, 92 degrees high, limited wind

We arrived a little after daybreak, probably around 7:30 am. The lake is at full pool, and the algea bloom is already prominent. We began by throwing white/chartreuse chatter baits, working up the west bank towards the south after launching, picking up a few. The bite was fairly steady throughout the morning hours up to about 11:30. The trick is to limit the exposure of the chatterbait to the algal blooms while targeting points and other structure. Some bites occurred while throwing in very shallow water around points. If you could keep the blade “chattering,” there was a good chance you could get a bite if running close to the grass. Just be prepared to clean your bait after almost every cast. We worked all around the lake, having limited success on the east bank, and more down towards the dam and the cove by the spillway section. Fish were also caught on a Texas-rigged brush hog under the power lines. We tried a square-bill crankbait in that area as well – nothing. We had caught around 18 fish in the morning, with another two or three that got off. After lunch, we caught one from the bank and then proceeded to venture out once again. We didn’t anticipate a still day. It felt like July in the afternoon. No wind, bluebird skies, and getting pretty warm. We switched to a finesse pattern, working a weightless 8” Zoom green lizard and a smaller white chatter bait, picking up another 7 or 8 fish with each of us missing a couple larger bites. It was slow going from 1:00 on, so we decided to call it a day at about 3:00. The largest fish were in the neighborhood of 3lbs, but we’re quite sure bigger fish are in there. Remember to stay hydrated! All in all, a great time. We just didn’t suspect a “summer day” would arrive before the middle of April!