Got on the lake somewhat early (7:30am) looking at some very nice weather. Partly cloudy skies, light breeze and clear, green water. I started out by throwing a popping plug with zero luck. Moved around the lake for 3 1/2 hours, only catching a double on an A-rig, another skinny fish on a small crank and one bluegill. I just couldn't find any fish. This has happened way too many times recently. I don't know how much that full moon could have contributed to my poor day.

There was no significant schooling at all.

This lake has not been the same for me for about the last 12 months. I firmly believe that the mysterious disappearance of 75% of the eel grass has a lot to do with it. I may be done with Bastrop for about 4 months.

A tough day on the water makes a good day a whole lot better!

Couldn't have said it better...

Hey Rayzor,

I commented on fishing a little deeper on Bastrop a month or two ago on your other post. With the vegetation somewhat gone, spawn over, and the morning shallow bite fades away, I move out to 15-30 feet of water. I've never caught what I'd call a good bass on Bastrop. Biggest fish out there for me, although I've only been on it 7 or 8 times, is probably around 4 pounds. But I can generally catch quite a few out deeper. This is a short video using the Active Target I did after the spawn. I used down and side scan while looking for bait on points and humps out there, then Active Target to see what kind of reaction and what kind of fish (as best as I can tell on it because I've only had it about 6 months) are there. Out of this group of fish I caught 8 or 9 bass, and one nice crappie. All on a ned rig. And I HATE to fish with a fairy wand/light line/tinybaits, but in the clear water down here it just seems to work when nothing else will. Next time you're headed out there give me a week heads up and I'll try to meet you. Maybe we can figure out how to catch a few more.

Well, I'm trying to load the video but it says that the file is too big. Not sure why, it's only 18 seconds long. I'll try to figure this out and post it up.

Thank you!

I will be out there Friday - I have never been an offshore guy I just beat the banks. Might be time for me to turn on the sonar and try to find some ledges or offshore structure it sounds like.

I have noticed in my limited time on Lake Bastrop that the early morning bite and dusk bite is good along the banks in this heat but between like 10am and 7pm I have been struggling along those main lake reeds where during spring / fall they are up there all day.

Im aware of 1 ledge right when you are leaving the south shore dock where the wake zone ends. I have tried to mark in on my Lowrance and do a straight down vertical drop shot but can never quiet get in on the ledge or right at the bottom in real time but i see them there when passing over it it seems

I plan to also go tonight after work from around 7pm to dusk if anyone sees a cream tracker getting skunked say hi.

Look at your map and find the long points or there are a few places where the old creek channels bend near one of them. Look for bait with your side and down imaging. If you find a ball of bait there's a good chance some bass will be near them. I usually start at around 15 feet and work my way down to 30 or so. Some days you can get em, some days ya can't.

Let's see if this video works. Sorry I said Livescope a couple of times. Obviously it's a Lowrance Active Target. Old.

https://youtu.be/6SylrjJTH9A

just my $.02 as someone who has been fishing bastrop since the mid 70s -

they did SOMETHING to make the eel grass disappear even though they swear they and it was heat related. fayette did not experience the same vegetation kill and it is a nearly identical lake.

there have not been big fish in bastrop for decades despite tpdw taking surveys in the early 2000's asking anglers what WE thought should be done to help the lake. they did not heed any advice given. opinions ranged from change the slot to 18-21" with1 over 21" allowed, change bag on under 14" to 10 fish and only 1 over 18" and may many more.

when the lake record is nearly 10#, but hasnt been sniffed in his century and nothing over 4.5# ever gets caught something needs to be done.


that said, the lake will produce fish even without vegetation. as has been mentioned there are numerous humps and some ledges to be fished. i remember finding the with my dad on the old lowrance flasher type graphs. there are lots of "humps" ranging in depth to 15' on the east shore as you leave south shore ramp. in the south shore office there is a map of them building the lake, at least there used to be, which can give you some indications of where other bottom changes occur.

i haven't been on the lake since about february, but there was some grass still in the comping cove of south shore from the point on in.



QUESTION FOR FIVEBITES - i have trouble with my console flush mounted hds9 live mounted at the console getting extremely hot, so much so that the touch screen is not usable and the unit will thro an error warning that it is dimming itself. the bow mount hds12 live also gets hot but not to the same extreme. also, active target freezes at times and at other times says "no source" for no apparent reason when nothing has changed with regard to settings on either unit. have you experienced this? i've seen it on forums, but no one has an answer and lowrance customer service is non-existent. i even had basspro, where i bought the boat, contact them and they got no response.

Since I'm not from this area I can't really add to the info on what happened to the grass. I do know if the three years or so I've fished Bastrop that the grass on the north end of the lake and all in front of the dam that looked to be hydrilla, has "dissappeared".


QUESTION FOR FIVEBITES - i have trouble with my console flush mounted hds9 live mounted at the console getting extremely hot, so much so that the touch screen is not usable and the unit will thro an error warning that it is dimming itself. the bow mount hds12 live also gets hot but not to the same extreme. also, active target freezes at times and at other times says "no source" for no apparent reason when nothing has changed with regard to settings on either unit. have you experienced this? i've seen it on forums, but no one has an answer and lowrance customer service is non-existent. i even had basspro, where i bought the boat, contact them and they got no response.[/quote]

I know you've had some problems with your boat. Basspro sucks after the sale. I'd still be up their arse like a mad, near sighted proctologist regardless.

Lieber, I've heard of your issues with your graphs and A.T., but have not had any of them. Check you pm's.

He could not give me many details, but one of the Northshore Park employees told me that the lake was sprayed. Like I have said in the past, in the Winter, the eel grass dies back. It does not vanish. In the Summer, it grows back. If the lake is low, there are other types of "bad" vegetation that will show up.

I've have problems with my livescope getting error messages. Only happens when the transducer is in contact with the sun for a period of time. I drop the transducer in the water for a few minutes, restart unit then everything is good. I thinking about putting a cover on my transducer when traveling around on the water.