HH Livingston April & May 2004

Starting in April the spawn will be winding down. Most but not all the fish will have spawned. The first fished to have spawned will generally be on the North side of the lake and the spawn progresses towards the south end where the water is deeper and cooler. So if you are looking for fish still on beds fish the mid lake to south lake creeks down by the dam if you want to find clearer water and fish still on beds. However most of your fish will be post spawn and the post spawn bite can be feast or famine at times. Most of the fish remain in shallow water in the back of the creeks adjacent to the spawning flats. Once the fish have recovered from the spawn they will go on a feed. This is when the top water bite gets really good and can be the most exciting time of the year. Most off these fish will be in 5 feet or less of water.

We had some great days last year throwing nothing but Leverage Buzz baits. I like to throw a 3/8^th ounce Buzz bait in Black Neon, Chartreuse & White and White. I like to choose my colors based on water color and cloud cover and fishing pressure. If everyone is throwing chartreuse I will throw black. Don’t rule out white in muddy water I have had some great success with it also. Sometimes a small profile ¼ ounce model is preferred when the baitfish are small and there isn’t any wind. This is a really good size for numbers of fish. I like to fish my bait around lay downs, brush and along the reeds. Keep a rod ready with a Gambler Flap’n Shad and Daiichi Butt Dragger Bleeding Bait Hook tied on to follow up on any missed strikes or boils on your buzz bait. At other times a chugger style top water bait works the best. I like to fish a Storm Baby Bug or Chug Bug in shad colors.

Spinner baits are also good on Livingston year round. So if you don’t have any luck with your top water baits try picking up a white, chartreuse or white and chartreuse spinner bait with double Colorado blades. I use both ¼ and 3/8ths ounce sizes. Work the same cover and reeds you fished with your buzz bait or chugger . If the fish aren’t in a spinner bait mood try a Gambler Sweebo Worm rigged wacky style with a nail in it or a Gambler Lizard rigged with a 3/16 Florida Rigged Ratlin weight. My favorite colors are Black Neon, Watermelon or Green Pumpkin with a Chartreuse dye on the end or tail. I spray all my baits with Bang.

Towards the end of May when most of the fish start the move out of the backs of the creeks towards the main lake the main lake docks can be productive. These docks are best fished with Fire tiger colored crank baits; spinner baits and flipped with a Gambler 4” Bacon Rind. I will use all the same colors I mentioned in the earlier part of his column. The further you can flip your bait up under the shade of these docks the better you will do. Sometimes the fish will strike your bait just as a reaction as it passes dock pilings.

I use Castaway Rods, which are technique specific, and Daiwa Reels for all my baits and use a quality monofilament line ranging from 12 to 18 lb test depending on the application. I hope this information helps you put a few more fish in your boat. If you need some help call me or check out my new website at www.texasfishingpro.com