Reservation Number : 33644
Property Name : BlackJack Ranch
Reservation Date : 08/29/2022 AM -
Total Fish/Sizes : 17 with 6 harvested; nothing over 2.5#
Lures Used : weightless flukes; TX-rigged worms, chatterbait

The vegetation (mostly coontail???) is returning at BlackJack Ranch along with quite clear water.  This reminds me of late 2018 into 2019.  There is a 10-15 foot rim around the lake (more at the northern shallow end) where the vegetation is at the surface starting to form a loose mat.  Clumps of vegetation are reaching the surface in at least 8 feet of water.  It provides plenty of hiding places for baitfish as well as the bass and that’s where I found them this morning. I didn’t have much problem moving the boat through except where very thick.  Visibility was high, 4 feet or so.

The fish were in the vegetation and seemed concentrated nearer the outer edge.  I didn’t see blowups or chasing in the open water leads adjacent to the shoreline. I caught one bass with a chatterbait but all the others were caught on a white weightless fluke or a Tx-rigged worm with a splitshot.  They were in and around clumps or the edge of surface vegetation and were very talented at getting burried into the vegetation after getting hooked.  I lost a number of bass without ever seeing them in this manner.  I didn’t find much size this morning; 6 harvested and 7 returned; nothing over 2.5# landed.  I lost my biggest potential catch (5# class?) when it buried its head in the weeds and I gave it loose line to encourage it the start moving.  It did, straight under the pier and cut me off on the metal supports. I tried a frog on top of the vegetation but only got a few half-hearted blows.  The biggest blow-up was when I was racing a fluke across the top of the vegetation in order to cast again.  The best areas seemed to be between the two marked brush piles (4 bass) and the vegetation “mat” across from the pier (7 bass).