Submitted by Jeff Buchanan, Insider's Maps

Date Fished: 3/26/2008
Water Temperature: 60s
Water Clarity: 2-3 feet

The fishing on Rayburn has been great this spring. I took out some friends last week, and we blasted them pretty good. The guys didn’t expect much, since there was a sustained wind of 25 mph most of the day. But as they found out, that won’t hurt fishing much on Big Sam in March. When the water temps get into the 60’s, something is always going to happen, especially if the lake is below pool as it is right now. We ended up with more than 30 bass (not sure exactly how many because it got pretty hectic at times!) The best bite was on a merthiolate worm twitched along the shallow flat pockets in 1-4 feet of water. The fish were blasting it. The important thing was to give it a 3 second pause periodically. We also caught several good fish on Super Flukes, Senko’s, and a chartreuse & white Chatter Bait. The Chatter Bait is great when the fish are spawning because it creates some very aggressive defensive strikes from bass around the beds. We saw several fish on beds, and were able to catch them with a wacky-rigged merthiolate worm with just a few casts. The best bite in the upcoming month will be in less than five feet. You can catch them at many different depths, but March is spawning time on Big Sam and I LOVE running the shallows for aggressive bass. There will be a good top water bite as the water starts getting into the high 60’s and 70’s. We had some clients at the Backlash Lodge catch 20 on a Torpedo along some shallow pockets in the upper lake. The fish will be biting throughout the lake, so if you find the fishing tough, just keep covering water. Fishing in the spawn changes day to day, so be open minded and keep the boat moving if you’re not catching them. If you have one of my INSIDER’S FAVORITES MAPS for Lake Sam Rayburn, some of the hot spots are 1, 4, 7, 11, 13, 18, and 22 on the south end of the lake. In the mid to upper lake check out spots 27, 31, 32, 35, 36, 39, 40, and 41. Last week we caught most of our fish in area 41. There are several good pockets just to the south of that area that are full of spawning and staging bass right now. If you want more info on our maps you can go to our web site at www.insidersmaps.com. LODGING AT THE LAKE

We have several great vacation rentals at the lake, from a small log cabin for a weekend getaway to a large 1800 sq foot lake house for a week at the lake with the family. We have rentals at both mid lake and the south end and would love to have you as our guests. You can see our lake rentals by going to our web site at www.jeffbuchananrealty.com and clicking on JBR RENTALS.

REAL ESTATE AT THE LAKE

Now is a great time to buy your place at the lake. At Jeff Buchanan Realty we specialize in lake property and want to make buying or selling your lakehouse easy. We are the only realtors who are members of both the Lufkin MLS and the Jasper MLS and cover all of Lake Sam Rayburn. We have added Realtor Michelle Gay to our team, allowing us to cover Toledo Bend, as well. Please call or email us if you have any questions or want to set up some time to look for your personal getaway. You can learn more about our services and search our listings at www.jeffbuchananrealty.com.

God bless and good fishing,

Jeff Buchanan

www.jeffbuchananrealty.com

www.insidersmaps.com

office 935-897-2718 cell 936-240-1700

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