Annual Family Water-skiing trip to San Antonio. This year I finally brought my float tube and I was glad I did. Every year I have thought about it but never did.

The first morning (Monday) I started at the Lynch launch ramp and worked my way along the shoreline to the right. Didn't get much until I had worked down the shore to about where the main road separates from the lake (there is a small cove there). Just before the small cove I got a decent smallmouth on a chrome Rat-L-Trap. Then I got a small strike on a Prizm Shad colored Buzz Hammer but it missed. I followed it up with an Amber colored hand-poured grub (T-rigged), got bit, and busted my line on the hook set (aaarrrggghhh!). I continued to fish the grub and picked up three nice largemouth. As I was un-hooking the third one I noticed another line coming out of it's mouth, at closer examination I noticed the eye of a hook sticking out of it's throat. I carefully tried to turn the eye and out popped the hook with another grub (the point was buried in the grub). Yes - it was the fish I broke off earlier. To my surprise the line was about 2 feet long so it did not break at the knot and probably meant there was a bad spot in my line when it broke. Started kicking back to our launching place and picked up a fat 16 inch smallie that made a spectacular jump on the grub - a jump I dream about.

That day at our day camp area near Bee Rock Cove I picked up a couple largemouth fishing from shore on 3 and 4 inch Big Hammers in the Margarita color and my nephew got a nice smallmouth on the 3 inch.

The next morning (Tuesday) I took the tube out again. This time I launched closer to where we found fish yesterday and kicked right over to that spot. I alternated between the Prizm Shad colored Buzz Hammer and hand-poured grub. Not a single bite. Kicked down a little more and just before the small cove I had a nice bass (I would estimate at least 5 pounds) explode on my Buzz Hammer right in front of my tube. I was just about to lift it out of the water for my next cast. Scared the crap out of me and my 9 year old nephew, Zack, who just happened to be right next to me at that time. Unfortunately the fish missed the bait. Fished along the edge of the small cove around to the other side and picked up a nice (about 14 inch) smallie on the Buzz Hammer. We kicked back to our launch site and just before getting out I cast around the area. Which is full of underwater structure. I get a couple of small strikes on the Buzz Hammer (small fish) and then another good one. This time it sticks and the fight is on. I pull in a nice fat, beautifully colored, 3 lb. smallmouth. My goal of getting a good bass on the Buzz Hammer at San Antonio is met and even better - it's a smallmouth!

That day at our day camp area I pick up another nice smallie (about 15 inches) on the Margarita colored Buzz Hammer and Zack caught a couple 2 pound smallmouth on the 3 inch Margarita colored Hammer on a 3/16 oz. Green Super Shad jig head.

The next morning (Wednesday) we took my dad's ski boat out and fished the wall/shoreline across from the Harris Creek launch ramp. I picked up a good smallie right away on the grub and then another on the Margarita colored Buzz Hammer. Shortly after that my 6 year old nephew Ryan nails a good smallmouth on a 3 inch Margarita colored Big Hammer on the 3/16 oz. head. We picked through some more bass on various baits including a largemouth I got on a Zara Spook that was only about an inch longer than the lure. I also got a good blow up on the spook but the fish pushed the bait away when it struck.

That day at our camp was a little slower as I think only one fish was caught by Zack - again on the 3 inch Margarita colored Hammer.

Without a doubt the 3 inch Margarita colored Hammer was the hot lure of the trip. Whether it was just rigged on a jig head or as a Buzz Hammer. If I were to go back and could only take one lure - that would be it.

Once again a great time. Next year I need to figure out how to float tube more areas!

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