Fishing Report Aug, Sept, Oct  Lake Livingston

 As we move towards the end of summer and into the fall we still have some hot days ahead of us. The August heat is tough to fish in at times so unless it’s necessary for me to fish during the mid-day hours I will usually fish the early mornings and late afternoons. My wife Euna enjoys night fishing when it’s cooler and the fish will usually go on a feed. If the fish go on a feed she will usually catch several fish in the same area quickly. No matter when you fish make sure you drink plenty of water. Dehydration is no joke.

  As far as fishing Lake Livingston in August I would recommend starting your search south of the Hwy 190 Bridge in the deeper cooler water. The area south of the Hwy 190 Bridge has several docks, boathouses and offshore structure such as humps and roadbeds. I have had some good days fishing boat docks and structure near the State Park and down by the dam. Another good pattern for the south end is fishing rip rap and timber that has collected on the banks. For fishing the offshore structure I would try a Carolina Rig. Around the docks, rip rap and lay downs I would throw a Texas rigged worm or crankbait. I would also make a few casts in these areas early and late with a buzzbait.

  On my Carolina Rig I am using a 30lb-braided line with a ½ ounce sinker and a 2 or 3-foot 12lb mono leader and a 3/0 wide gap hook. On the hook I like to use a 4” Bacon Strip or Bacon Bit in a green pumpkin candy, June bug or watermelon colors. If you prefer to target cover or rip rap with a Texas rigged worm try a 7” Gambler Ribbon Tail worm in the new watermelon or black grape blue glitter color depending on water clarity. More often than not I dye the tails of my watermelon & green pumpkin candy worms chartreuse. I fish my plastic worms on 15-pound line with a 3/16 Florida Rigged weight and a 3/0 Daiichi Bleeding Bait hook.

  If crankbaits are your forte or you can’t get the fish to eat your worm pick up your cranking stick and start cranking. When fishing your crankbaits around docks and cover make sure your bait comes in contact with the cover as much as possible. When your bait hits a piece of cover stop your retrieve and allow the bait to float up. Some fish will react while the bait is floating up others will swat at the bait as it passes them. If you hook the fish outside the face chances are they are swatting at it.  When cranking on Livingston pick a small profile bait in a fire tiger, chartreuse blue back or chartreuse black back color. I change my front crankbait hook to a Daiichi Bleeding Bait Hook. This hook adds a reflective red flash to the bait that fish will react to.  

  When the first small cold fronts start passing through the area look for the fishing to pick up. Once the water temperature starts to drop the fish will become more active and start feeding for the approach of winter. This is when I will start moving into the creeks and following schools of baitfish. The bass won’t be far behind the baitfish. I usually move up to creeks north of the 190 bridge for my fishing when this occurs. I will start fishing the White Rock area and Palmetto Creek. This is just my personal preference and the fish will be still be plentiful in the creeks on the south and mid lake sections. Such as the Penwaugh Slew and Kickapoo Creek areas. If we have a lot of rain like last year and the water gets muddy you can usually find me fishing the Penwaugh Slew.

  When fishing the creeks I will use a lot of the same baits and colors I used on the south end during the August heat. I will expand my bait selection to include a spinnerbait with double Colorado blades and match the skirt to suit the water clarity. If I could only pick one skirt color it would be chartreuse and white. Crankbaits will also produce especially if you can flip them under trees hanging over a creek channel. Use the same colors as mentioned earlier. I also throw a buzzbait more often once the water temperature starts to drop. I use a black buzzbait in a ¼ or 3/8 ounce size. Try to run your buzzbait as close to any visible cover as possible. I have had some awesome days fishing creeks channels with just a buzzbait.

  If the fishing is slow or the fish are holding tight to cover go to a Sweebo worm fished wacky style or try flipping a worm or a Gambler Bacon Rind. I don’t think you can go wrong with a green pumpkin candy or black grape blue glitter color plastics sprayed with Bang. These colors and baits put me in the money in several tournaments on Lake Livingston last year at this time. I fish all my baits on Castaway Rods. Each is designed for a specific fishing technique so picking the right rod is as simple as reading the label. Until next issue be safe, zip that life vest, drink plenty of water and remember to use a good sunscreen to protect your skin. If you would like to book a trip please call me @ 713-254-7594 or e-mail abasspro2000@aol.com