Showing posts with label John Varner. Show all posts
Showing posts with label John Varner. Show all posts

Lake Ray Hubbard Fishing Report

Lake Ray Hubbard Fishing Guide Report 

Lake Ray Hubbard has been very good for mid May thru Mid June . It is the start of summer and the weather is already heating up just like the fishing has. Early morning shallow excitement then looking on structure. I am starting early so hopefully we can get off the water before the temps get too hot!   Please remember I offer trips 7 days a week and if you get the chance to fish during the week and beat the boat traffic it usually pays off.  



 

White Bass Patterns

Lake Ray Hubbard from mid June till August can get hot. The early morning schooling has started and truthfully it usually gets better the hotter it gets. We had the Shawn spawn about 4-6 weeks ago and now white bass are chasing them baby shad all over the lake. I am starting on the flats around the Harbor, Robertson Park , Jetty and Red Barn Cove. You have to just pick your spot and go with it. The white bass schools are getting bigger and when they school its pretty exciting. Once the sun rises they seem to get going. Later in the morning they move off the shallows and roam the deep parts of the lake, don’t be surprised to see fish schooling in 35 ft water through out the day. When the early morning action slows down I put my nose in my electronics and search on humps, levees and long points. As the water warms the thermocline will start setting in around 16-17 ft and the fish will be located in that depth and shallower most of the summer. When it heats up and looking on structure don’t forger to check the deep water around those areas and they will suspend.  








 White Bass Lures

I use a couple set ups this time of year.  I will start the morning off with an inline spinner . My slab set up with 1 jig tied above 12 inches.The slab I use is 1/2 oz or 3/4 slab as the bait they are feeding on is small. If fishing an open flat I throw the inline spinner , throwing shallow and of coarse on humps the slab set up.   












Lake Ray Hubbard Fishing Guide

We target White Bass year round 7 days a week .  Lake Ray Hubbard has a great white bass and hybrid Striper population.  For more information on Lake Ray Hubbard Fishing Guide, follow this link.

 



Lake Ray Hubbard Fishing Report


Lake Ray Hubbard Fishing Guide Report 

Lake Ray Hubbard late winter early spring fishing is here. The fish finally turned on and came to the usual haunts. Lake Ray Hubbard can hold some great fishing at times. The great thing about Texas is there are days that you can wear a T-shirt in February and March. Spring break is here and because of the current situation some of those breaks have been extended. 


White Bass Patterns

Lake Ray Hubbard in late February and March means spawning season. The white bass will start their swim up the creeks to spawn. Not all the fish do this and I am usually very successful on the main lake. White bass will stage in deeper water off of primary points, secondary points and large flats. I am usually looking in water from 25-35 ft deep. Very popular areas for this are the Red Barn cove , which have long points and big flats as well as Chandlers cove. Some days the fish will gather in huge schools and other days they are scattered along the bottom hugging so tight if you did not know your electronics you would probably not know what you are seeing. As the spring warms up you will also have to throw shallow around these same points and flats. They will move up to spawn and move back out to deeper water. March fishing can be great one day and struggle the next. It can make the best fishermen look humbled and some of the average look like heroes. One thing that makes this deeper water fishing successful is thumping the bottom of your boat. It was a well kept secrete not long ago. This day and time somedays it sounds like carpenters building hoses on the lake. It works, it is effective and easily done. You have three ways, either beat the boat with a stick  , build an automatic thumper or buy one. You can use youtube to figure out how to build one or look up BoBo’s thumper made by Jeff Bobo and purchase one. 

Lake Ray Hubbard Fishing

Lake Ray Hubbard Fishing



 White Bass Lures

I use a couple different set ups this time of year. It all depends on how hard the wind is blowing. If you have a light wind I will use a 1/2 slab and above that about 1 ft a single hook with a 2 inch crappie jig. When the wind picks up I have heavier slab. When I am throwing shallow its usually a small swim bait about 2-3 inches. Another very effective lure is the road runner or a small rattle trap.Colors usually don’t matter, although I primarily use shad colored plastics with chartreuse jig heads our slabs. 

white bass

Ray Hubbard fishing





Lake Ray Hubbard Fishing Guide



We target White Bass year round .  Lake Ray Hubbard has a great white bass and hybrid Striper population.  For more information on Lake Ray Hubbard Fishing Guide, follow this link.

Lake Ray Hubbard Fishing Report

Lake Ray Hubbard Fishing Guide Report 

Lake Ray Hubbard August fishing was pretty consistent with some really great days to some tough days. When the water temps reach that mid to high 80’s it can be challenging. September is the month everyone gets excited but it is still summer and hot. The great thing about September is it is the start of hunting season , football and school. Lake Ray Hubbard can be a very busy lake in the summer especially past 10:00 am when all the pleasure boats start getting out. The weekends now are pretty quiet , way less boat traffic and the fishing is pretty good. As soon as we start getting a couple cool fronts and the fishing will become pretty awesome.  



Lake Ray Hubbard Fishing



White Bass Patterns

Lake Ray Hubbard in September is still schooling time for white bass usually. I look for some signs of life as far as shad or birds. The fish will not only school early in the morning or late in the afternoon but also mid mornings. I have been starting a little earlier and blind casting in shallow water getting a pretty good top water bite. The thermocline has set in around 16-18 ft and that is the water I focus on after fish have schooled. Always remember if you find fish schooling do not run thru them with you big engine running as this usually spooks the fish down. When the schooling stops I always check the drop offs by the flats as fish will move a little deeper. As the sun gets up, don’t be afraid to look in shallow water up to 9 ft. I can’t explain why they would stay in such shallow water this time of year . I believe it has to do with the thermocline but as I have stated before I am not a biologist. If things get really tough you can always have success trolling this time of year. I will explain that below in the lure section. I am either looking for “clumps” of fish shallow or schools suspended around 16-18 ft right off of humps or points. You can also slow roll mepps when you find clumps of fish really shallow, although this takes practice and very few of my guest can do this technique . 













 White Bass Lures

I will have a tiny torpedo tied on if I only have a couple of people on the boat early in the morning or some type of tail spinner when looking for schooling fish. One of my favorite ones is the humdinger tail spinner. Its too dangerous with 3-4 people with all those hooks for top waters. I am still using 3/4 oz slabs with a jig above sometimes . Lure presentation is always key with suspended fish. Drop that slab to the bottom and raise it high slowly as the fish are not usually right on bottom, you can also from a slab and reel slowly up about 5-6 turns. If you notice fish suspended out from humps or points and moving, this is why trolling can flat out put fish in the box. I use the jet diver with release and a pet spoon . I also have counter reels so I know how deep I am running, if you do not have that , then experiment with your set up to figure out the depth by count turns on your reel. If you can practice enough with the mepps it is deadly. Throw it out, let sink (patients) and slow roll it back. 







Lake Ray Hubbard Fishing Guide



We target White Bass year round .  Lake Ray Hubbard has a great white bass and hybrid Striper population.  For more information on Lake Ray Hubbard Fishing Guide, follow this link.

Lake Ray Hubbard Fishing Report

Lake Ray Hubbard Fishing Guide Report 

Happy Memorial Day and please remember the falling heroes and their families  that sacrificed so much for this great country. Summer isn’t here officially for a few more weeks, but this is Texas and it is hot ! This is a great time of year to chase white bass and hybrid striped bass. Not only is the temperatures hot but so is the fishing. Learn to use your electronics successfully and you can have a fantastic day, and make sure on them cloudy days you have a good pair of binoculars . I am starting my day around 6:15 am and at that time the temperatures are nice and cool, it gets hot pretty fast on the bright sunny days so do not forget to apply your sunscreen early and often. The winds has been brutal as usual for this time of year so be careful navigating. The wind plays a big part in locating white bass, as it pushes them and bait into certain areas. 

Lake Ray Hubbard

White Bass Patterns

The shad spawn is pretty much over , but you can still find schools of fish shallow early in the morning. We should have a very healthy shad and white bass population in the future , with all the rains and above normal water levels a lot of vegetation is under water and shad love that. White bass had very easy access to the creeks and rivers this year for their spawn. In the mornings there has been a little gull action when the fish are chasing bait so make sure to check the usual spots around Robertson Park, West and East side. A clue if this has been happing is the amount of bank fisherman in an area, as with long surf rods they can reach the fish also. If I do not find very much action that a way , I have been checking the usual points of interest like humps, long points and levees. This is where your ability to understand your electronics plays a big part. There is not a thermocline yet, as it is not hot enough and the fish could be anywhere in these locations from 14-31 ft. Do not be discouraged by those water depths as either work your way shallow to deep or vise versa. You usually will not mark huge schools, as most of the time you see either small “clouds” laying on the bottom or a few hooks suspended. When I mark those , I drop my trolling motor and spot lock. These fish will start coming in waves, next thing you know your graph is lit up , when the fish are no longer present on the graph just wait a few minutes and they usually return. I always tell people in easy terms , a hump is like a bowl turned upside down, they will usually work their way around it like a circular track, a point is like a ramp , they will work there way up and down it and a levee is like a highway, they usually speed their way back and forth. One more little insight , if you fish fish in one location at 25 ft …. Be sure when you check other locations look in the same water depth, usually they in the same depths at other locations also. This will change through out the day with the sun but it gives you a starting point. 


Lake Ray Hubbard Fishing







 White Bass Lures

On an average, this time of year you need two set ups. The first to start your day is a tail spinner , like the humdingers or little Georges so if you find some birds working you can throw and retrieve. Dont forget if the fish are in a little deeper water, let it sink a few seconds then start reeling. The second is a slab and jig combo. I use a 3/4 oz to 1 oz slab with a crappie jig tied above it about 12-14 inches. When you locate fish on structure and if they are hugging bottom, you don’t wan to pop the slab up. I usually just do small lifts and short bounces . A lot of time the will hit it earn it falls and your line will go slack , so remember , if you let it down and it doesn’t go all the way down you have a fish. When watching my graph and I notice more hooks above the “clouds” then I will do a high lift and also tell 3-4 times up slowly then let it drop. 
Lake Ray Hubbard Fishing Guide

Lake Ray Hubbard fishing report

Bonus ( Crappie Fishing ) 

 I do not get the chance to do a lot of different fishing this time of year. I did have the opportunity with a regular guest to do a little crappie fishing. Crappie can be a finicky fish that sometime requires a little more patients that I am use to. I do love a challenge and we did fairly well. I focuses mostly on sunken trees in deeper water. I would locate those with my DI portion of my graph and see if crappie where present.  Used a double jig set up with soft plastics. Most of the fish owe caught , would hit the jig as I let it fall, line would just go slack and you would have to quickly reel to catch up. Once the water warms up some more you should be able to locate trees that are shallower and be successful . Although I have seen many people on the highway 30 bridge catching crappie also, I like the seclusion of fishing under water timber. 
Lake Ray Hubbard Crappie


Lake Ray Hubbard Fishing Guide

We target White Bass year round .  Lake Ray Hubbard has a great white bass and hybrid Striper population.  For more information on Lake Ray Hubbard Fishing Guide, follow this link.



Lake Ray Hubbard Fishing Report

Lake Ray Hubbard Fishing Report 

Spring is officially here on Lake Ray Hubbard !!! The spawning is almost over and the fish that are coming back from the creeks are on a feeding frenzy. I have been catching large numbers of fish from 2 ft of water to 26 ft of water. This time of year you start out with a jacket and end up in a T-shirt on most days, I love this time of year. Everything seems to come alive, shad are spawning , ducks are active and even the great Osprey bird of prey are out flying with small fish caught in their talons. I have been starting my trips back on the early schedule as a lot of fish are roaming the shallows looking for shad. It still amazes me till this day, how just a few weeks ago and during the early parts of February how somedays you can not mark a fish, then this time of year they are every place you look.  

Lake Ray Hubbard Fishing Guide

White Bass Patterns

White bass will be chasing shad early in the mornings on flats right on the shoreline , around marinas and into coves. A good tip is when you are going to an area if you see the Egrets and Blue Herons standing on the shoreline waiting for a Buffett of shad. Even if you do not see a fish, stop for a hot minute and throw towards the bank. On bright sunny post front days this action will only last a short time or you only catch a few. I always tell people, drop your trolling motor and cruise the shoreline . On cloudy low pressure days, this action can last all day and a  lot of times gulls will tip the fishes hand on location. Late evenings are also very good for locating fish chasing shad in the shallows, lots of birds on the water this time of year to give you an upper hand. If the shallow bite isn’t producing very good results, look for long points and watch your electronics. There are huge schools of fish at times hanging those areas. I like to use a 3/4 oz slab with a jig about 1.5 ft tied above it often producing 2 fish at a time. You will have a lot of smaller fish mixed in but you can fill the cooler and catch a lot of fish at the same time. Be sure to know the difference between white bass and hybrids. There are a lot of under size hybrids mixed in this time of year. The Texas Game Warden will not have sympathy on you for not knowing the difference so if in doubt just throw it back.


Lake Ray Hubbard Fishing Guide



 White Bass Lures

When you find shad spawning you have 2 very good options. You can throw a 3-4 inch swim bait with a light jig head or throw a mepps / rooster tail. The swim bait usually produces bigger fish as the mepps/rooster tail will produce more but you will have to pick thru them. I personally love throwing a top water lure but you will catch a lot less fish but the pure excitement will get your blood pumping. Use these same lures when you find birds working , they will produce very good results. If you are fishing deeper I use 3/4 oz slabs with a jig ties above. When fishing this method pay real close attention to your electronics. The fish sometimes will look like little pimples on the graph. Once you start catching them, they raise up and that’s when the action begins. Once contact is made by your slab, just raise it slowly off of bottom will usually produce a strike. When watching your graph if you notice fish suspended reel up slowly thru the fish , and hold on !! 


White Bass Texas


Lake Ray Hubbard Fishing Guide

We target White Bass year round .  Lake Ray Hubbard has a great white bass and hybrid Striper population.  For more information on Lake Ray Hubbard Fishing Guide, follow this link.





Lake Ray Hubbard Fishing Report




Lake Ray Hubbard has been a little up and down cause of the rains, high water and a spillway gate open.. The last couple trips the fish are suspending out from structure. Usually this time of year you can find good groups bunched up. I have found them like that but it has been inconsistent. I did break out the trolling gear at one time and was very successful catching fish this way. I would find schools suspended out from drops our flats and set the depth at around 13-15 ft … these fish would hang out in 25-30 ft water and move very fast. I figure after this week with the warmer temps returning it should stabilize .. Early morning schooling is pretty constant every time ..BUT.. some day it’s for long periods and some days’ very short..  so I would concentrate on the multiple flats , checking each one looking for signs of shad , a few pop ups and splashes … water temps where 82-84 degrees and a couple days’ North winds mixed with East ..   I have some dates open in July so give me a call.. specializing in family fun .. I had a 4 yr old on the boat .. I usually tell parents that’s a little young.. but the dad assured me he is a fishing machine.. he brought his own zepco  and his own life jacket .. lol… that little boy would throw that rod.. catch his fish and not say a word.. grab it .. take it off the hook .. I could do nothing but sit in amazement and watch this future pro at work.. It puts a smile on my face when young kids love fishing … 

Lake Ray Hubbard Fishing

Lake Ray Hubbard Fishing
Lake Ray Hubbard Fishing
Lake Ray Hubbard Fishing