Sam Rayburn Fishing Report
By GORDON MCBRIDE

This month will be greatly effected by the weather so your fishing should be adjusted accordingly. As this is being written, the lake level is steady at 1.40' low. The water temperature is in the mid 60's early in the morning. We have a good inside and outside grass line. Inside line is at 4' with the outside line in depths of 12' and deeper. These grass lines should get the most fishing attention for the next 3 months. Depending on the amount of sunlight and water temperature most of this grass should survive until the growing season next year. As the fall feeding spree begins to decrease, bass can be caught on warm sunny days over the tops of this grass. Concentrate on the deeper portions of this grass, especially the drains that lead into the flats. Again, depending on the water temperature and the severity of December's winter there could be some big pre-spawn female bass caught by the end of the month.

Now for some ways to catch these fish! The Lipless Crank baits will continue to produce fish. Try different colors and retrieves. Perch, Pumpkin Seed and the Red shades in clear water are choices to be considered. Chrome, Bleeding Shiner/Chrome and White Craw will work in stained colored water. A crank bait that will run the right depth and just occasionally hit the top of the grass will also catch some bass. The Rapala DT series are good choices for crank baits. The DT number will tell you the depth this lure will dive to. Use the same colors as the Lipless baits. A big spinner bait slow rolled over this deeper grass is another way to trick a big fish. Soft plastics like the Senko's fished slowly in the above mentioned areas will catch some fish. Use just enough weight to keep the Senko working just over the top of the grass.

For you crappie fishermen try the bridges on a calm day with minnows and jigs.

By LYNN ATKINSON

December is here and everyone knows that means Christmas is just around the corner, then the New Year.

As we all know we got some much needed rain which brought the lake up quiet a bit.

There will be a lot of good days to fish this month between the fronts. It will be cool in the morning but warm up nicely most days. You should be finding a lot of fish from eight foot of water in to the shoreline. This is the time of year to slow down and work small baits, but be ready; I have caught some big fish on days that were not very pleasant. The fishing pressure will be down and the Big fish will be moving around on the warmer days.

If we have a mild winter like last year we will see some good fish thru spring and we all know what spring means. So if you are not hunting or just want a break from the busy days get on out to the lake and have some fun.

The crappie should be doing good around the bridges and many brush piles we have out. I saw a few days where you could fill an ice chest in just a few hours. So pick a day and take someone fishing.