Fishing Report for Largemouth Bass using Shallow Diving Crankbaits (0-6') in Fall

Item: Muenster Lake
Author: T-White

T-White

Blue Ambassador

12/6/21

Muenster Lake

Species
Largemouth Bass
Season
Fall
Technique
Crankbaits 0-6'
Structure
Rip Rap
Forage
Shad

This report is based off of my recent trip out on the lake on November 20th, 2021 for the Texas A&M University - Commerce Bass Fishing Team club tournament. The water temperature on the lake ranged anywhere from 53 degrees fahrenheit up in the river on the northwest side of the lake, to 56 degrees fahrenheit down on the lower end by the dam. The water was slightly off colored due to the wind, and the visibility ranged anywhere from about 8 inches of visibility to about 2 feet of visibility in the calmer pockets. Early that morning before the sun got up and the outside temperatures rose, the bite was fairly slow, as we caught all of our fish early flipping a Strike King Rage Bug on a 4/0 Mustad KVD Grip-Pin Worm Hook, Texas Rigged with a 3/8 OZ WOO! Tungsten Neverchip weight and pegged with a WOO! Tungsten bobber stop around stumps and laydowns in 0-6 feet of water in the cleaner water of the northwest end of the lake where the river comes into the main lake. As the day progressed and the temperatures began to rise, we made our way down to the dam and finished off our limit in the tournament by throwing a Strike King KVD 1.5 Squarebill Crankbait along the rip rap at the dam of the lake in 4-6 feet of water. This technique was able to put 3 quality fish in the boat for us late in the day, including the big bass of the tournament, and help us seal the deal on the tournament win. In total, we probably caught around 15 bass in about 4 hours of fishing, most of which were caught up in or near the river, but the better quality bites came later in the day on the dam. I expect that as the water temperatures continue to fall as the winter season becomes more prevalent, that many more of the fish using the creeks and the river on the lake right now will migrate back out onto the main lake, following pods of bait and stopping on main lake points or creek channel bends, or continuing to relate to the rip rap on the dam, as it will hold heat. I have attached an image of our tournament winning bag to the report, it weighed in at 14 pounds and 10 ounces on a 5 fish limit. The tournament was pretty productive overall, with the second place team having a limit for only a half a pound less than we had, and several other teams bringing in fish as well. The lake is fishing good right now and it is one of only a few lakes in North Texas right now that still has a somewhat normal water level, as it is only really about a foot and a half to two feet low. I hope this report can help you catch more fish on your next trip out to Muenster Lake, I thank you all for reading it!