It's still a bit early for the rattle trap bite at Athens IMO. Im still throwing topwaters and flipping grass and docks. Water needs to get in the low 60's for them to really turn on that moving bite. Possibly this weekend with the colder weather will do the trick

Thanks, I am prepared to change my tactics if what I'm doing isn't working. I was at Lewisville last weekend and couldn't get any of my normal baits to work until I put on a chrome rat l trap,

sounds like he didn't catch any fish........but he did real good with the buzz bait and the baby brush hog,,, early.
did not stay out past 10am......Sunday

Fished the afternoon Wednesday, slow. 8 hooked 6 boated but nothing big. Haven't been on lake in a year, that grass seems thicker than I remember. Use to be able to throw all around the docks and fairly close to shore but that grass is thick and further out it seems to me. I may have needed a heavier weight or a lighter weight but 5/16 with a fluke kept me fighting to get it through grass mats. Squarebill on outside edges yielded nothing for me but partner managed 2 on one to finish off right at dark. Love it out there, was so peaceful and beautiful, wish it was closer.

When everyone talks about the grass, are we talking about the thick grass on the shore and carries out into the water a few feet or the underwater grass that seems to cover most of the shallows in the lake? not sure which grass line were talking about

I went out yesterday (Thursday). Man, it seems the grass is taking over... I really felt lost as where to fish. I did however, catch 6 late in my day. After the wind picked up I went past the bridge as far west as you could go and threw a lipless crank bait (SK red eye shad) up near the pads (from a ways back, those things will cast a looooong way) and caught 6 pretty fast (2 pounders, nothing big) It worked best in the areas where you would snag thin patches of hydrilla and rip it out.

This perfectly describes lake Athens, you go on Tuesday and find a huge school of bass running shad in the back of a pocket and proceed to catch 35 or 40 bass between 2 and 4 lbs,and all is well in the world. You brag to your buddy about how well the fish are biting and how you smoked am. Go out there 2 days later and the fish are gone you can't buy a bite or you kill them on a fluke and 2 days later they will only hit the senko. That's Athens The fact that its full of grass is the sure sign of a healthy fishery. Grass(hydrilla especially) equates to big fat healthy fish. Athens is fine, just because 20 bass are not busting shad on the surface where you can easily pick um off doesn't mean that the lake is dead but I will admit that the bite is constantly changing.

not sure there are bass in lake lewisville, I spent most of the summer weekends out there

Try the bank on the south side of the rr tracks near tower bay, and the flats on the east side of the dam with a crank bait, there are lots of rocks under water, I don't always load the boat there but I almost always catch some

Grass gets crazy in some spots out there

Amen
& I fish it all the time.