Reservation Number : 29496
Property Name : BlackJack Ranch
Reservation Date : 08/19/2021 AM -
Total Fish/Sizes : 30 / most 2-2.5# / 4 harvested
Lures Used : buzz bait, squarebill, swimbait, shakey head worm

I arrived at BlackJack Ranch at sunrise and started throwing a black buzzbait in the shallow north end. My first catch was my largest of the day (3.5#).  Action was steady for a while but many of the hits seemed like mouth-closed smacks and thus the hookup ratio was low. After landing 4 on the buzzbait, the action shifted to the shorelines where bass started herding small minnows against the bank and then exploding on them.  This wasn’t typical schooling, but there often were 2 or maybe 3 bass involved.  I switched to squarebills and paddletail swimbaits and and threw slightly offshore into the “staging area” where the attacks originated. Action shifted from area to area and was brisk until 9:30 when the visible chasing stopped.  I changed to a red-colored deeper running round-bill crankbait and continued catching bass at a slower pace on long casts in deeper water.  At 10:30, a stiff breeze started and the bite really slowed down.  I ended up catching another half-dozen on shakey head worms in the corner of the dam.

This great morning ended with 30 bass, most were 1.75 – 2.5# with 5 over 3#; only 4 were harvest-sized.  The submerged vegetation has reduced and I didn’t observe the extensive matted areas seen earlier in the year. Crankbaits dragging the bottom pulled up a mix of live and dead vegetation. water level is near normal. I visited with the landowner and her “pack” of (well-behaved) dogs and thanked her for allowing us access to this beautiful property.