1097 I think you are right about needing the low pressure system; hopefully with some rain. At what depth is the thermocline under the bridge? I would think under the bridge to be the only place to fish during the day without suffering from the heat.

this is a classic example of what I call "likely spot fishermen" fishermen that'll drive their boats to a spot and say "this looks like a likely spot" and fish there all day then go home and tell their wives the fish just weren't biting today. this is an example of just no one trying to locate the fish and also I don't understand this one lake name vs another lake name ... bluecat are bluecat no matter what lake you're talking about ... I've been to several lakes in my life and never fished those lakes prior to going there and still was able to catch as many fish as I thought I possibly could on my home lake that day compared to the new lake and that's because I use fish location methods that work pretty well on any lake that has bluecat. I'll share one with ya.

pick out yourself a good large flat or area where the wind is blowing across and get on the upper end where the wind is coming from ... sit back and relax with your motor off and let the wind push your boat along watching your color lowrance if you've got one and using the method I mentioned in a previous post some months ago on how to set your locator's colorline so that any yellow arch will be a skinned fish like bluecat. bluecat are an open water hunter ... they don't relate to structure nearly as much as channels and flathead exept in extremely clear waters but they will ... this is just to explain how they hunt for food as they're not a stationary or loaner type fish ... they hunt in groups of 5 to 50 or more fish but they don't school like other fish(shoulder to shoulder) such as striper or sandies. they just swim in close proximity to one another so if you find 3 or 4 fish within 20 yds of boat path/transducer path with your fish finder there are probably lots more fish in the area. drop anchor and broadcast your rods in all different directions ... 6 to 8 rods using bottom float rigs ... never and I mean NEVER use a rig that allows your bait to sit on bottom ... always use fresh cut or live or a mixture of cut vs live ... I normally run a couple of live baits sometimes if the water is a little clear or even if it's not I'll run a couple live baits out of 6 to 8 rods but I've found that more times than not my live baits will just get knocked off if the fish in the area aren't all that big. anyhow this is just me running off at the brain so take what you can use but if you follow this exactly as I've written it then you'll start catching a lot of fish no matter what lake you're fishing. don't sit in one spot all day ...that's just counter productive ... if you're not catching fish every 15 minutes then you're in the wrong spot. but like I said ... if you've got a trolling motor and can use it while watching your graph(color lowrance) is preferrable then that's the best way but if you don't let the current or wind carry you across the water ... this way you don't disturb the fish with your motor noise and you get an accurate view of what's down there. this time of year you should restrict this search to no less than 8ft deep and no deeper than 12 to 15 ft or if you've got a color fish finder then figure out what depth the thermocline is at and start there at that depth then casually let the boat drift across areas ... if you don't see fish and feel like it looks like a likely spot then forget fishing there if you don't see the fish ... I never fish to find fish ... I find fish and then put them in the boat and this is one of the methods I use. pretty simple method isn't it. just know this, bluecat are just in close proximity to one another ... 5 to 10 yds apart when they're on the hunt and usually if you find 3 or 4 within 20 yds of each other then you've found a good group of fish. the reason I say don't do this in any shallower water than 8 ft is because your transducer will only be covering about 4 ft of area below the boat so you need to be at least 8 ft deep to 15 or so depending on the thermocline. so use common sense ... that's an important factor in catfishing ... common sense ... once you start using common sense you'll start coming up with all sorts of fish location methods and pay attention to everything ... analyze everything ... I tend to over-analyze things sometimes but you get my meaning. think about what the bottom is like when you're throwing out a standard carolina rig ... whether or not your bait is going to fall down into mud, weeds, rocks etc etc ... you can also cast a lot further using a bottom float rig like the one described on my tips section (there's photos too) covering as much water as possible from one spot where your boat is anchored is essential to your success as well ... I can cover almost a 200 yd diameter when I'm anchored and this helps me put a lot of fish in the boat ... the reason I do this is because of the nature of the way bluecat run together ...I'll say it again "they're just in close proximity to one another" so covering a lot of water from your anchor will do two things ... it'll help establish the way you need to move most of the time ... sometimes when you do this you'll only catch fish on a couple rods so that helps you decide which way you need to move or gives you an idea of which way you need to move to locate more fish because you're catching fish off to the northeast of the boat more so than anywhere else. and also it allows you to spread your rods out to accomidate those loosely packed fish so you've got a good shot at catching multiple fish from one anchor ... think about that ... throwing carolina rigs out 20ft around the boat you're just covering enough water to catch 2 or 3 fish ... 200 yd diameter you're liable to catch 10 to 15 fish. I'll cut n paste this on a fresh thread so that everyone can read this ... it may be of help to others that may not click on a lake conroe thread. mainly because this method of fish location will work on any lake that has a good number of bluecat

Same results here. I always fish the bridge, but couldn't buy a bite the 4 days I fished last week. At least we know where the fish aren't!

From what I have read, the ticket right now is 5am-8am chasing down schools of hybrids around party island.

Tiny, I appreciate the info for locating fish.I used to do many of the things you describe, then came to the conclusion that catching fish is more fun than hunting for fish. When i found how good the fishing is-and consistent- under the 1097 bridge, I stopped hunting for fish. I have been fishing under that bridge for several years, mostly late spring, summer and fall, and keep going back because I always catch fish there. I may have to move from one set of posts to another several times, and I move in 20 min if no fish. I have never been skunked, in all those trips, until this past week. This is not a case of the place just looking fishy. In this heat, I just don't enjoy hunting all over the lake. I'm a lazy old fisherman, and like the deep shade. But I would not keep going back if I was not catching fish. Some of the regulars will know me by the home made bumper on the side of my boat. I guarantee you something about the weather has turned off the fish there. I will print-out your post, lots of good info. Who knows, we may have caught them all under the bridge, and I may have to go hunting them again:)

Good grief, it finally dawned on me what happened to the catfishing under the 1097 bridge: Thermocline (divingcat mentioned it). Fishing for catfish on the bottom in 18-25 feet og water puts your bait in the oxygen poor lower layer of cold water. Darn, now I will have to either have to brave the heat in the sun to go shallower or stay home. Please, someone,tell me I'm wrong!