How to catch fish on Lake Amistad

March 28, 2007
By Joe Hyde
Special to LIVE!

The recent hype about Lake Amistad may have spurred residents in the region to explore fishing at the massive, 58,000-acre lake. Fishing as a hobby, catching up to five fish per day, the daily limit, is fun. Many people may not know where to start, however.

“Lake Amistad is unusual and it can trick even the most seasoned, professional fisherman,” explained Jeff Maley, sporting goods manager at Russell’s True Value Hardware. “Amistad is a deep water impoundment—a canyon-style lake,” he said. Depths at Lake Amistad extend downward as far as 200 feet.

Russell’s True Value Hardware, located near the intersection of Gibbs and Veterans Blvd., 506 E Gibbs, in Del Rio, has recently expanded its selection of fishing bait and tackle. Their value proposition is that they can help even the most professional fisherman select the right kind of bait, spinners, and lures needed for success at the region’s biggest attraction. But Maley said his primary focus is on the fishing hobbyist who lives around here.

Maley is retired from the U.S. Air Force where his last assignment was chief of the Morale, Welfare, and Recreation (MWR) organization at Laughlin AFB. This is the same organization that manages the U.S. Air Force Southwinds Marina on Lake Amistad. While in the USAF, Maley was a top performer in the Military Bass Angler Association. After retiring in 1994, Maley hit the traveling angler’s circuit in Texas where he won a tournament or two.

Maley breaks down fishing at Amistad into two categories: Deep-water fishing and shallow-water fishing. However, Maley warns, “There are so many combos of fishing that it is hard to determine what techniques are the best.”

Deep-water fishing relies on weighted bait. “Bait” is in reference to lures and spinners, not “live” bait. “You’ll need a deep-water style bait, and the fishing is more vertical. We recommend ‘slabs’ and heavy ‘jigs’,” Maley said. To get the fish down deep, Maley recommends concentrating around the bluffs and the submerged flats adjacent to the bluffs. “You’ll find Bass 14” to 18” in length in the deep water, some are even larger,” Maley said. Deep-water fishing is more common in the winter months. “The temperature at the deeper depths is more consistent, and the bass like that,” Maley said.

On the other hand, shallow-water fishing, referred to as “horizontal” fishing is easier than deep-water fishing. “You’ll cover more territory, more area, and have more chances of a bass seeing your bait,” Maley explained. “But there is a large variety of baits and lots of techniques,” Maley said. Maley recommends Yamamoto’s “Sinkos” for shallow water. “Yamamoto has been around a long time and has a lot of experience with ‘finesse’ type baits that attract the more inactive fish. The techniques to use this bait take a little time, but it’s low and slow and you’ll catch the better quality fish on the lake this way,” Maley said. Other baits Maley recommends for shallow water are Strike Kings, Jo-Baby’s, and Santones. “Santones are really popular here,” Maley said. “A lot of people use them because they are less expensive and very high quality.

“Bass fishing is not an easy proposition. It takes awhile to learn because you have to develop the skill and hone it,” Maley said. Good fishermen are out on the lake maybe three times per week, according to Maley. “Good fishermen analyze the reasons for the catch—the water conditions, the type of bait and the temperature. Eventually you’ll figure out how to cull the small fish out and catch the big fish,” Maley said.

A typical fisherman has a 40 percent success rate, according to Maley. He narrows the steps of catching fish on Amistad down to five recommendations:

1. Know that bass are predators.
2. They hang out where the food is. Food for bass is smaller “bait” fish.
3. Smaller fish probably hang out where it is cool and away from danger.
4. Learn to recognize the natural “roadways” where the bass run looking for food.
5. To find the roadways, you have to know where the “dips” are.

“One thing people don’t key in on Lake Amistad are all the small ‘dips.’ When you figure that out, you’ll catch more fish on that lake. And that’s all I have to say about that. You’ll have to come in and see me and I’ll explain it more,” Maley said.

Maley and the rest of his sporting goods team can be found most days at Russell’s True Value, 506 E. Gibbs, Del Rio, Texas. Their phone number is (830) 775-3502.