Montgomery County's Lake Conroe: How To Find Bass In All Seasons

On the western fork of the San Jacinto River, Lake Conroe offers fantastic fishing opportunities for targeting channel catfish, bluegill and white bass. But Conroe is the most well known for its famous largemouth bass.

Conroe is a first rate bass fishery and hosts several tournaments each year including national professional tours. The largemouth are abundant and can grow to huge sizes as evidenced by the lake record weighing in at an incredible 15.9 pounds. It’s a big lake at roughly 20,000 acres so there are plenty of different ways to chase a trophy bass. At Omnia Fishing, we gather fishing reports from local anglers to help our customers find the right baits. We’ve compiled a short list of the top reported fishing techniques getting bites on Lake Conroe throughout the year.

Spring
The shallow bite is on during the spawn and pre-spawn seasons for largemouth bass. Anglers report that targeting shallow structures like stumps and laydowns is a solid approach, especially near Caney creek. With shad being a primary forage for the bass, crankbaits in shad-imitating colors are a classic choice.

Summer
When the bass go deep for the season, locating brush piles and covering water is key. Anglers frequently look to a Texas rigged worm and will super-size their bait choices (think 10”+ plastic worms) to entice the mega sized bass. Patience is required, with the best strategy being to fish as many piles as you can until you run into a good group of fish. Flipping docks is another option, especially later in the day.



Fall
Anglers again change tactics in the fall as the weather and water temperatures cool. The most successful techniques reported this time of year include crawling rocks with football jigs and skipping swim jigs around docks. Dragging a football jig is often done when the lake temperature turns over and the water starts to get cold. The football jig can imitate the bluegills or crawfish that are scooting along the bottom, trying to find cover in gravel or large rocks. This jig is known for getting those bigger bites around lots of rock, all while avoiding snags with its football-shaped head. Omnia ambassador and professional angler Dillon Harrell explains how swim jigs were effective on a recent outing, even when bass are hiding out under docks. “Once the sun came up, the fish seemed to tuck a little farther back into the docks, but still were eating a swim jig like they really wanted it!”

Winter
The bass can run deep again this time of year and the drop shot is a perennial favorite way to reach them. When the season starts to wind down and move toward spring, using plastic jerk baits at medium to slow retrieves are most effective. While there are a million ways to target the big fish in Lake Conroe, adjusting for the weather and conditions is the best way to ensure you have a successful outing no matter which season you’re there.

About Omnia Fishing 
Omnia is an online fishing retailer that gathers thousands of fishing reports from local anglers and brings them together in personalized recommendations. Customers can shop by lake and get tackle recommendations that will work for their specific region, season and species.

Check our up to date fishing reports for Lake Conroe HERE.