My buddy is on leave from fort Benning this weekend and is flying out to san Antonio to visit for the weekend. I am planning on taking him to choke on Saturday. Does anyone have any tips for this time of year. I have never been there so any warnings or general advice is much appreciated.

They say that november is a great time to get your arm ripped off throwing a blade. I also heard that the spook bite was very good recently. You had to make the spook make a long slow walk and they would crush it. Hope this helps.

James that ole'lake is chock full of timber so take it easy out there. Try Buzzbaits and Frogs around the grass five fingers area near Dam. The Jig ( LFT M-Pack 1/2oz Green Pumpkin) bite ought to be good up around Greyhound point and the river too.

It has some Real Big Gators too... so no swimming!

hey james my 10 year old daughter and i will be out there the weekend so if you want to stop by and say hi that would be cool and i will let you know how im doing, red skeeter zx250

James,

historically this time of year the are of Oppossum Creek starts to heat up. I would definitely give the area about 300 yards on your left before the bridge a shot. There is a deep channel / tank right next to the tree line. Like everyone else is saying throw a spook, frog, but I would also mix in a strike King Sexy Shad Crank Bait right through the trees. But be careful going there the lake is about 8.5 ft low and there is a ton of stumps and timber on the way in and unless you really know the way in, no clear path exists.

If Opposum is not good, hit four fingers near the damm, I always catch fish there. Sometimes no size, but almost always numbers.

If you like topwater, find a little cut in the grass and stick your boat into it. Fan cast a spro as far back into the mat as you can--be patient. Run it over fast, stop it, wiggle it, pop it, try everything. I think what happens is the fish on the edges are so presured they can be tough to get to bite but the fish deep in the back are less spooked and more aggressive.

The only problem, and it's a big problem, is getting a big fish out of the grass 20 or 30 yards from the boat. I lose more than I boat but it's worth it to me just to see them explode out of the grass.

Nice info... hope it pans out for me when I go down there in a couple of weeks!

Thanks for all the advice guys. I am very nervous about running the lake because I have heard that it can be pretty hairy all over. Where should I put in at?

Monster,
I will keep my eye out for you. I will be in a white and red Stealth bass boat with a 175 Merc. Come holler at us if you see me.

Any good places to flip? I will definitely try out the top water. Thanks again.

Hey James, there are only two ramps there and they are both state parks. South by the dam, and Calliham about midlake. Big tourney in town- put in at the dam; otherwise Calliham is the choice.

Calliham(state park)-mid lake
South shore(state park)-dam area
mason point ramp-mid lake
Hwy99-up the frio river

James,

Since you are not familiar with the lake, I would recommend putting in at South Shore (First ramp coming out of Three Rivers) and work the 4 fingers and dam area. Lots of points and islands to work. Grass around all of them. These super clear days have slowed things down but you can still find them if you are patient. Spooks, frogs, blades and creature baits. Most any color as long as it is watermelon red..... Will be down there myself this weekend if you want to pm me for more info.

As far as trees and navigation, the East part of the lake was cleared before the lake was flooded. The only trees are close to shore and on some points and cuts. If you're worried about trees and stumps, launch at Southshore and stay on that side of the lake.

STUMPS.... Just run the lake like I do WIDE OPEN... If you see a stump turn if not just hold on and run the boat like you stole it! just joking... I do have marks all over my boat from that lake though! Its just love taps! lol

Everyone is correct about the bait choice. But bring a lot of cranks in the sexy shad color and hit that bait off everything! You will get hits. Most of the bigger fish coming from the lake this past year has been caught on a crank of some sort.

The grass has been hit like crazy in the past few months so you can bet on smaller fish. If you want larger fish you got to find them hanging out where not many people fish. Good drops and points pretty far out in the main lake is my choice for larger fish.

I have not posted in a while about Choke but I am still going fishing out there. I found some off shore drops, road beds, and old tanks that are still holding fish and its getting better. The one thing I would suggest is get a good graph and just drive around marking spots. I did this for weeks. Now I have close to 100 waypoints out there. I have not posted that info for a reason!! lol

The key to Choke is follow the bait! They follow the big creek channels up and down that lake like a highway. Find little drops or humps and if there is something different around the area then fish it. Key on that structure. I have landed a few bigger fish that way. The bite should pick up around end of November when air temps stablize.

If you find any structure in open water throw to it. If you dont catch something mark it and find another one. Check places other people do not go to and you will find some of your larger fish.

Good luck out there!!