Lake Jackson Fishing Report – January 2009

Jackson: Level: 0.4 feet above full pool. Temp: 54-57 degrees. Clarity: Lightly stained.

Bass: Aaron Batson reports: “I fished in a tournament on Dec. 20, and it took 13 pounds to win and 9 pounds to get a check. It seems like the best bait for numbers was a shaky-head worm. I would try a 1/4-oz. Net Boy Baits screwball head with a Zoom Finesse worm in a natural color, like watermelon or green pumpkin. The best bite seemed to be in 8 to 14 feet of water on main-lake points. Crankbaits have been producing some also. Try a big No. 9 Shad Rap or No. 6 Fat Free Shad in crawfish and shad colors. The crankbait bite has not been as strong but should produce better quality.” Eric Perkins reports: “Man what a difference a week of warm weather makes! Last week the water was in the low 40s, and Saturday (Dec. 20) we found surface temps around 55 to 56 degrees. The fish were very turned on by this last week of warm weather. Everything was feeding heavy. Stripers, largemouths and spots where fired up and schooling and chasing bait almost everywhere we went. But the cold weather is coming back for a little while. This will bump the green fish off a little bit. But they won’t go far. Look for the best bite to be from 7 to 12 feet, and as always I am fishing places they will winter up on. Channel swings or maybe deep, rocky points and chunk-rock banks with deep water next to them. January is going to be about how much cold weather we get and how long it stays here. If we get three or four days of warm weather, the fish will move back very shallow again. This past Saturday we were catching fish in 2 to 3 feet of water. If I had to pick one bait right now that you can go to the lake and catch a ton of fish on, it would be a 1/2-oz. chrome/blue Rat-L-Trap. Just cover water, and you will get bit. Also a great bait this time of year is a Net Boy Baits Finesse Jig in green craw with a rootbeer Zoom Pro Chunk. We throw the 7/16-oz. jig. It casts like a bullet, and you can stay in contact with the bottom so much better with it. Those big spots love that jig. My arsenal for January will be mainly a series of crankbaits from shallow to medium divers and a couple of jig rods. I like flat crankbaits like a Gulp or Spro Little John, Shad Raps and Bandits. Once we figure out exactly what depth they are in, we adjust.”