Lake Jackson Fishing Report – April 2009

Jackson: Level: Full pool. Temp: High 50s to low 60s. Clarity: Stained.

Bass: Good. Eric Perkins reports, “We have been catching a bunch of fish on chrome/blue and chartreuse Rat-L-Traps and Spro Aruku Shad rattle baits just running and gunning flats, red-clay points and secondary points. Other good baits have been No. 5 and No. 7 Shad Raps. The bigger spots are up shallow, as are the largemouths. They are feeding heavy right now, and the spawn is not far off. Also, there are a good number of fish already in the pockets, and you can catch some good fish on a white/chartreuse spinnerbait worked around shallow wood. Another way to catch a big fish right now is skipping and pitching a 3/8-oz., black/blue NetBoy Baits flipping jig to shallow wood and docks.” Aaron Batson reports, “This will be the month that huge waves of spawning fish get very shallow. Look for the largemouths to be in 1 to 3 feet of water. There will also some big spots spawning in the 5- to 8-foot range. Both types can be caught with the same type baits right off the beds. Look for them to eat soft plastics right over beds, like a Zoom lizard or tube. They can also be caught off jigs; try a light 1/4-oz. NetBoy Baits football jig head in all white with a Zoom Critter Craw or Sweetbeaver. Sometimes a jerkbait will get them to bite; a LuckyCraft pointer 78 is hard to beat for these bites. Once the spawn is over, look for the shad-spawn bite to start. Early in the morning, try an Ol-Nelle 1/4-oz. spinnerbait with twin willow blades on seawalls and rocky banks. Using one with an all-white skirt will kill them.”