We knew fishing would be tough at Bartletts Ferry for the Potato Creek Bassmasters tournament last Saturday. The weekend before it took only 11 pounds to win a local tournament with 47 teams fishing. In local tournaments like that there are usually some very good fishermen that know the lake well and fish it several days a week to keep up with what will catch bass.
In our tournament 18 fishermen cast from 7:00 AM to 3:00 Pm to land 51 12-inch keeper bass weighing about 64 pounds. There were three five bass limits and two fishermen didn’t weigh in a fish.
I managed to win with five weighing 7.26 pounds, Doug Acree had five at 7.05 for second and Stevie Wright came in third with four weighing 6.01 pounds. Glen Anderson had three weighing 5.90 pounds for fourth and his 3.71 pound largemouth was big fish.
I went to Blanton Creek Campground on Wednesday to practice and try to figure out something on Thursday and Friday. Blanton Creek is a very nice Georgia Power campground about five miles by land and three miles by water from Idlehour Ramp where our tournaments are held.
I like camping there, it has nice shady sites with electricity and water hookups and a good bathhouse with hot showers. As usual, when I pulled up to check in the attendant said “you know you can not park your boat in the campground.”
I have run into that problem every time I camp there. My boat batteries have to be charged every night or I can not fish the next day. They want me to leave my boat in the ramp parking lot, where there are no outlets. And I have to take off all my electronics and take all my tackle with me. I am very uncomfortable leaving it exposed in a parking lot.
Some trips in the past I have been able to park my boat on my campsite, assuring the attendants I would not park it outside the gravel area or on the roads. This time I had gotten a site on the water, one of only about ten that allow you to keep your boat in the water and run an extension cord to it to charge your batteries.
Although written rules in the campground say no vehicles should be parked anywhere other than on the gravel camp sites, there were six to 12 trucks and cars parked outside campsites beside the road every day.
So they do not allow anyone to park a boat in the campground since someone might park outside their campsite, but they do not enforce the written rules for cars and trucks.
Seems very unfair to me.
I was shocked to win the tournament. My elbow started hurting the week before the tournament and I got a sharp pain in it every time I tried to cast. Thursday I tried to learn to cast with my left hand, and got pretty good at it, as long as I didn’t care where my bait went.
I cast about 20 times Friday and my elbow hurt so bad I stopped. I spent most of Thursday and Friday riding points, looking for places where I could drop a bait over the side or heave it out with no target, let it sink then drag it around with the trolling motor.
I started Saturday morning on a rocky bank where I could heave my spinnerbait toward it and not care much where it hit. I hooked and lost a fish on my third cast, then lost another a few minutes later. That was not a good start.
I next went to a hump with some hydrilla on it and heaved a topwater bait out, and got a good keeper on my second cast with a topwater plug. After that I caught three on Trick worms on seawalls. Fishing them allowed me to cast in the general direction, often landing my bait on the bank, then pulling it into the water.
After the sun got high I got my fifth keeper dragging a small jig on a point with some brush. Then, with less than 30 minutes to fish, I went back to the hump where I caught my first fish.
With five minutes left to cast I hooked and landed a 2.5 pound largemouth on a spinnerbait. It was my biggest fish of the day and culled a 12-inch spot that weighed less than a pound! That made the difference between first and fourth or so.
GOOD. Water clear; 51 degrees; 0.03 feet above pool. Crappie are good in 15-30 feet on jigs and minnows. Catfish are good on liver and cut shad. Report by The Bait Shop, Post, Texas.
FAIR. Water normal stain; 68 degrees; 65.84 feet below pool. Black bass are fair on main lake points and ledges. Football head jigs, grubs, Ned rigs, crank baits, Texas rigged worms fished in 20-25 feet are having the best results. White bass are good in 30-40 feet on spoons, underspins, umbrella rigs. Stripers are slow. Happy Fishing! Report by Captain Raul Cordero, Far West Guide Service.
FAIR. Water stained; 65 degrees; 5.04 feet below pool. Water level is low, but rising so the clarity is murky. Continue to target fish near the dam, and the deeper part of the lake. Drop down on brush piles. Use a slower approach now that we are experiencing colder weather and water temperatures.
GOOD. Water lightly stained; 50 degrees; 5.37 feet below pool. Catfish are good drifting with fresh cut shad out in the main part of the lake. Report by Brandon Brown, Brown’s Guide Service.
GOOD. Water normal stain; 57 degrees; 0.54 feet below pool. Fishing patterns are holding steady. Bass are good and can be caught in grass 5-10 feet with Texas rig worms, wacky rig senko and lipless crankbaits. Crappie are slow on small jigs over deep brush 25 feet. Report by Reagan Nelson, Lake Athens Bass Guide.
GOOD. Water stained; 62 degrees; 0.54 feet below pool. Water temperatures have quickly dropped on Lake Austin. Hovering in the lower 60s. Bass fishing has been good using a variety approaches. The most effective pattern for catching numbers would be fishing a small worm around grass beds and docks. There are fish hanging out around the mouths of creeks feeding on Shad. A shallow Jerkbait and weightless fluke are good in these areas. Report by Carson Conklin, ATX Fishing.
FAIR. Water stain; 63 degrees; 0.49 feet below pool. Mayflies are hatching, so expect some topwater bass action. Bass are fair on soft plastics in the cuts, or with frogs over grass. Crappie are fair with jigs in flooded timber. Catfish are fair on juglines.
GOOD. Water stained; 66 degrees. Bass are good working worms and flukes around any water vegetation have been the most productive. The outlet will always produce some bass too. You can use small swimbaits and Texas rigged and shaky head trick worms to get bites. Some big fish gather on the rock piles out where the reeds on the right end on the way out. Cranking the dam or throwing a frog along the dam will get you a bite. Report by Bryan Cotter, Texas Hawgs. Bass are hiding in the edge of the reeds and what little grass there is holding bass. Deep humps and points holding a better size fish with dropshots and jigs. Water temperature is ranging from 62-66 degrees depending on which side of the lake. Report by David Townsend, Austin Fishing Guide.
FAIR. Water stained; 60 degrees; 2.15 feet below pool. Fishing is inconsistent right now. The typically good bird activity by gulls and terns has yet to materialize, and what few birds are present are focused on hyper-active short hybrid striped bass which flare up and feed briefly, then settle back down. these fish are tough to pin down, as they chase shad very quickly and are tough to keep up with. White bass fishing is fair in the Leon Arm, below average in the main basin, and just about non-existent in the Cowhouse Creek Arm. Although the fish are still chasing MAL Dense Lures vertically and chasing White Tornados horizontally thanks to a warm up early this week, that will likely stop again after the water drops back into the high 50s later this week. Report by Bob Maindelle, Holding the Line Guide Service. Santa has been making early deliveries on Belton Lake! Trophy blue catfish have been excellent drifting along river channels and underwater points. Fishing shallow water on anchor with fresh cut bait has produced a wide range of fish sizes. Fishing patterns are changing as we head into the winter pattern. Anglers should not be afraid to move often until they find an active fish. Report by Brian Worley, B&S Catfishing.
GOOD. Water stained; 60 degrees; 4.70 feet below pool. Catfish are fair in deeper water. Perch are good in shallow water. Crappie are fair on structure with live minnows. Largemouth bass and smallmouth bass are shallow around structure using chatterbaits and Texas rigged worms.
GOOD. Water slightly stained; 60 degrees; 1.01 feet below pool. Fishing has been excellent for big largemouth, especially when the sun is shining. Water clarity is dependent upon the amount of remaining live vegetation present and wind direction. There is up to 4 feet of clarity in grassy and calm areas and approximately 2 feet on the windblown points or coves. Bass have started to move out from the backs of creeks and are starting to congregate at the mouths of main creek channels. The larger fish are sitting on the bottom along creek channel bends or saddles off of mainlake humps. Big fish can be caught with an Alabama rig, flat-sided crankbaits, or a dark colored jig in 10-15 feet of water. Report by Blake Doughtie, Lake Country Lunkers Lures and Guide Service. Windy, sunny banks and retaining walls are good bets for black bass. Try subsurface fish patterns in 5-10 feet of water. On warm, sunny days, small shad pattern flies might produce bass around submerged vegetation. Report by Guide Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork Guide Service.
SLOW. water stained; 60 degrees; 3.86 feet below pool. Bass are slow in the early mornings, but the midday bite has been the best with Texas rigs and Viper XP Jigs on big timber around fence rows and creeks and ditches are best in 4-8 feet. Carolina rigs are good on pond dams and brush piles in 4-12 feet. Squarebill crankbaits are good around old ponds in 3-6 feet. Report by Marc Mitchell, Lake Fork Guide Service. The lake level is low. Crappie fishing is excellent in the main river channel timber and lower third of the lake in 30-50 feet of water catching crappie 6-28 feet down. Fish are very healthy with big black crappie being caught on jigs. Some catches near the bridge. Report by River Bottom Boys Guide Service.
SLOW. Water stained; 70 degrees; 13.49 feet below pool. Black bass are slow with a few being caught late afternoon before dark around deeper rocky shorelines using senkos and slow rolling spinnerbaits. Catfish are slow with a few caught late afternoon into the night on cut bait. Crappie and white bass are slow.
SLOW. Water stained, 66 degrees. Redfish are being caught off the bank with shrimp and fish bites, some catches out of a boat trolling rattle traps. Channel catfish are along the rock line being caught on cheese bait. Report by Harry Lamb, Alamo Texas Fishing.
GOOD. Water stained; 55 degrees; 8.17 feet below pool. Lake Bridgeport is just over 8 feet low. Water clarity ranges from muddy in the north end to very stained in the main lake. Catfishing remains good on cut and prepared baits. The north end and the mouths of creeks have been the best areas. Sand bass and hybrids remain scattered, slabs and deadsticking main lake structure may bring a fish or two. Largemouth bass have been slow but shallow running crankbaits fished near main lake points are catching a few fish. Crappie remain sluggish in the stained water, a few fish are coming in on minnows and jigs. Brush piles and deeper docks should hold some fish. All ramps are open. Report by Keith Bunch, Lake Bridgeport Guide Service.
GOOD. Water stained; 56 degrees; 0.32 feet above pool. Black bass to 7.64 pounds are fair on 1/8 ounce minnow baits scoping and Hag’s Tsunami �½ ounce jigs in Juice Box in 1-5 feet along weed edges and on the ledges. Crappie are slow with fish up to 10 inches on white or black/chartreuse jigs and minnows in brush piles 10-12 feet. White bass are slow on crankbaits and jigs off lighted docks. Catfish are fair to 4 pounds on cut bait.
EXCELLENT. Water slight stain; 62 degrees; 15.99 feet below pool. The high winds have made it challenging some days but striper and white bass can be caught if you can handle the waves. Target depths of 28-42 feet vertical jigging, or slabbing, with �½-1ounce spoons has been the best technique. Deadsticking soft plastics has produced some nice limits of stripers of the past week. The birds continue to work some nice schools of fish most days. Report by Travis Holland, TH Fishing. Fishing patterns are consistent. Striped bass and white bass are good with jigging spoons and deadsticking in 17-40 feet of water. The afternoon seems to be the best bite. There is increased bird action leading the ways to schools of stripers and white bass. Report by Captain Aaron Dick, One Up Fishing Guide Service. Remember, the colder it gets the better this lake fishes. Throwing jigs and shaky heads with trick worms, die those tails, around those rock piles will catch a pile of bass. Crankbaits and swimbaits around the same areas will catch some big ones as well. A fluke in perch colors or even shad colors around rocks and lumber will get some bites anywhere out on this lake as well. A walking style topwater will catch some good ones around steep banks on main and secondary points. Report by Bryan Cotter, Texas Hawgs.
GOOD. Water stained; 50 degrees; 0.37 feet above pool. The winter bite on Caddo has started to really kick in good with water temperatures now around 50 degrees. The white bass and black bass are running up the river pretty good chasing shad, look for the bait on your graph or pay attention to the birds on the lane poles. Alabama rigs, rattle traps, chatterbait, underspin or swimbait will work well for the black bass. and a rooster tail works good for the white bass. I am seeing my crappie friends showing up more and more so I would assume they are biting also. As long as the clarity does not become muddy from rain or the water temperature falls in the lower 40s the bite should be good for a while. This is a great time of year on this lake that God spoke into existence. Report provided by Vince Richards, Caddo Lake Fishing & Fellowship.
GOOD. Water slightly stained, 69 degrees. Redfish are slow from the bank and trolling from a boat. Blue catfish are fair 15-20 feet on cut bait and cheese bait. Channel catfish are good around rock lines and weeds on cheese bait. Bass are slow. Report by Harry Lamb, Alamo Texas Fishing.
GOOD. Water slightly stained; 62 degrees; 27.84 feet below pool. Largemouth bass are excellent along grass edges with chatterbaits, crankbaits, and really whatever your favorite lure is. White bass are good in 30-50 with white or silver slabs spoons. Stripers are slow schooling by the dam on days with a light wind. Report by Charles Whited, Barefoot Fishing Tours.
GOOD. stained; 55 degrees; 3.76 feet below pool. 55-57 degrees; 3.71 feet below pool. The hybrid and white bass winter deadsticking bite is now in full swing! Use half ounce to 1-1/2 ounce jigs with 4-5 inch plastic flukes depending on what the winds are and drift long lengths of the lake in the deepest water 35-50 feet. Drift at speeds of .2-.6 mph using your drift mode on your trolling motor or using drift socks. If the winds are not too bad you can just drift with the wind. Thumping on the bottom of your boat will attract fish and group them up underneath as you drift. Utilizing a splasher also works well with thumping. You will find the fish suspended between 22-28 feet when deadstricking. Look for birds and loons early mornings as the fish will come up to follow the bait and feed early especially on cloudier/colder days. The crappie bite has been getting better. Target crappie with small jigs and minnows in 7-15 feet under bridge pylons, hidden brush piles throughout the lake or under docks. Crappie fisherman have been moving spot to spot finding limits. Lots of crappies in the 7-9 inch range. Limits of crappie will happen but you may catch a lot of small ones getting to your limit. Report by Brent Herbeck, Herbeck’s Lonestar Fishing Guide Service. The shallow bite continues to be good for catfish along wind blown banks and points near the mouths of major creeks where the actual creek runs into the lake. Due to the low water you can only get a few hundred yards away. Fish in 2-6 feet with fresh shad anchored on bottom. The deep bite is also good dragging bigger cut shad or rough fish in 15-30 feet drifting main lake flats. Report by Jason Barber, Kings Creek Adventures.
SLOW. Water stained; 65 degrees; 32.85 feet below pool. Few anglers on the water while the lake level is low. It is possible to launch a flat bottom boat, or kayak. It is possible to fish from the bank at Callahan State Park. Report by Scott Springer, Fish Choke Canyon Lake.
GOOD. Water slight stain; 63 degrees; 12.23 feet below pool. Blues are biting good on cut bait. Crappie are hitting minnows in 30 feet of water. Report by Lake Cisco Rentals.
SLOW. Water normal stain; 65 degrees; 0.13 feet above pool. Lots of freshwater in the lake slowing the bite until the water settles. Largemouth bass are dispersed throughout the lake relating primarily near stumps and boat houses. Crappie are slow with jigs and minnows.
GOOD. 75 degrees; 0.53 feet above pool. Number of largemouth bass on points and near creek channel ledges. Eater sized channel catfish limits are common on prepared baits. Report by Michael Acosta, Unfair Advantage Charters.
GOOD. Water stained; 61 degrees; 1.21 feet below pool. Catfish are great with lots of big catfish coming in as well as eaters. Eater catfish are great on baited holes using catfish Bubblegum, liver, worms or punch bait from 7-40 feet of water. Drift fishing natural baits can produce plenty of eaters as well as some trophy class fish. Largemouth bass have been good on shallow to offshore structure or schooling on shad. Report by Brad Doyle with Bradley’s Guide Service. Crappie are in 12-22 feet close or in structure hitting jigs and minnows. Many folks have reported catches in 4 feet north of 1097. Hybrid stripers have been schooling in 15-26 feet of water hanging on flats and drop-offs. Many anglers are trolling with a deep diver and a pet spoon trailer, slabs, or casting swimbaits or crankbaits when schooled up. Always wear your life jacket! Merry Christmas! Report by Mike Cason, Fishical Therapy.
GOOD. Water stained; 55 degrees: 2.00 feet below pool. The lake is low, best to launch near the dam. Crappie are good roaming in the river channel transitioning to the dam for the river pattern. Crappie are hitting minnows, jigs, or hand tied jigs. Report by River Bottom Boys Guide Service.
SLOW. 65 degrees; 12.39 feet below pool. Reports of a good blue catfish bite in 19 feet of water off the bottom. Catfish were 1.5-4 pounds. A group of anglers had success for gar, some small catfish and and a few white bass fishing with shad. They cast net caught shad for bait fish. Report by Weber’s Boat Landing.
GOOD: Water normal stain; 50 degrees; 0.64 feet below pool. Fishing has been excellent for big largemouth, especially when the sun is shining. Water clarity is dependent upon the amount of remaining live vegetation present and wind direction. There is up to 4 feet of clarity in grassy and calm areas and approximately 2 feet on the windblown points or coves. Bass have started to move out from the backs of creeks and are starting to congregate at the mouths of main creek channels. The larger fish are sitting on the bottom along creek channel bends or saddles off of mainlake humps. Big fish can be caught with an Alabama rig, flat-sided crankbaits, or a dark colored jig in 10-15 feet of water. Report by Blake Doughtie, Lake Country Lunkers Lures and Guide Service.
GOOD. Water normal stain; 56 degrees; 4.85 feet below pool. White Bass are fair, look for birds working or schools of bait on the main lake and in mid-depths on chartreuse and white slabs or paddle tail swim baits. Some white bass are still being caught in black water on 3-4 inch paddle tail swimbaits. Crappie are being caught on deeper structure and cover using larger profile baits and also spider rigging open water. Catfish are being caught on punch bait and cut bait in basically all depths and are moving a lot with the changing water temperatures. The warmer weather scattered the fish so you will have to work to find feeding fish, and expect the pattern to change daily. Report provided by Chad Ferguson of North Texas Catfish Guide Service.
GOOD. Water stained; 68 degrees; 45.16 feet below pool. Alligator gar rod and reel and bow fishing has slowed due to cold water. Trophy catfish are good in 8-12 feet of water with fresh cut bait on santee cooper rig. Keeper catfish are good in 3-10 feet of water on vertical structure with stink bait or shrimp on a slip bobber to keep bait about a foot off the bottom. Bigger catfish are on offshore timber. Largemouth bass are fair early or late in the day. Slowly drag deep diving crankbaits or plastic jigs over hard bottoms in 5-10 feet of water. Report by Ram Reyes, Ram Outdoors.
GOOD. Water slightly stained; 68 degrees. Bass are good on rattle traps and topwaters, shaky heads, and some dropshots in 2-20 feet of waters. Find the bait and find the fish. Report by Mark Fransen, Fransen’s Guide Service.
GOOD. Water Stained; 60 degrees; 2.34 feet below pool. Bass are good on Viper XP jigs and Texas rigs around big wood near any depth changes like creeks and ditches in 5-7 feet. Squarebill crankbaits and chatterbaits are good around docks in 3-6 feet. Carolina rigs are good on long points 8-15 feet. Report by Marc Mitchell, Lake Fork Guide Service. The water is cooler, so now we have deeper fish. Black bass are slow in 5-10 feet of water with Clousers with a sinking tip line are your best bet. Focus on creek bends and drop-offs. Small streamers and top water patterns might catch active bass in creeks on warm days. Report by Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork. Lake Fork water temperatures have finally dropped into the upper 50s and the big fish are showing up and showing off. This week we have fish all over the lake in depths from 12-58 feet. You can find big numbers of black crappie at the base of shallow trees in 12-18 feet in the mid lake areas. Sometimes you will find white crappie in the same trees suspended halfway down. It is the opposite once you move to deeper water. The black crappie are higher on the trees off shore and the white crappie are further down on the trees. We have seen some bigger crappie in the 2.5 pound range being caught so the winter time big fish season has arrived. The best areas for concentrations of fish are loaded with shad. The bite has been up and down this week but my boat has put the minnow bucket up until next summer. You can still use minnows and they will produce great. Small hand tied jigs are also working extremely well this week. We should also see the aggressive fish hitting plastics and even large baits as the water cools off. Report by Jacky Wiggins, Jacky Wiggins Guide Service.
SLOW. Water stained; 65 degrees; 6.59 feet below pool. Crappie are fair as anglers continue to wait for crappie to move to winter patterns on deep structures. Bass are slow with a shallow crankbait or spinnerbait on rocky structure on the south side.
SLOW. Water stained: 60 degrees; 11.87 feet below pool. Sand bass can be caught with spoons. Bass can be caught in vegetation with crankbaits and Texas rigs.
FAIR. Water stained; 60 degrees; 0.35 feet above pool. Water is cooling off and muddy. Fishing is slow. Crappie are on brush piles in about 15 feet of water. Good on minnows. Bass are shallow on rocky banks good on crank baits and spinner baits. Sandbass and hybrids are schooling around the hot water outlet and on main lake flats. Good on spoons. Catfish is good on main lake flats on cut shad.
GOOD. Water stained; 57 degrees; 0.18 feet below pool. Granbury water temperatures vary from low 50s in the river to 57 degrees on the main lake. Granbury is at full pool and there is a lot of debris floating. Be careful navigating. Granbury sand bass and crappie are good on small jigs on the upper ends from in town to Tin Top. Largemouth bass are also good on soft plastics on the upper ends near points and laydowns. Some good largemouth are also being caught near major creek entrances near Decordova subdivision. Striped bass numbers are good on soft plastics on the lower ends. Bigger striped bass are being caught from in-town to Hunter Park in 20-30 feet of water. Big blue and yellow catfish are also fair on cut bait near Hunter Park on channel ledges near tree lines. Report by Michael Acosta, Unfair Advantage Charters.
GOOD. Water lightly stained; 60 degrees; 0.95 feet below pool. Black bass are slow. Crappie are fair on jigs fished on the bottom in open water from 12-20 feet deep. White bass are slow. Blue catfish are good on jug lines baited with shad. Yellow catfish are slow. Report by Tommy Tidwell, Tommy Tidwell’s Granger Lake Guide Service.
GOOD. Water normal stain; 58 degrees; 1.30 feet below pool. White bass continue to transition to a winter pattern so be prepared to move frequently from shallow points to deep water. The best days have light winds out of the south. Some fish are stacking in deep water and can be caught on slabs with a stinger hook. Report by Omar Cotter, Luck O’the Irish Fishing Guide Service.
GOOD. Water normal stain; 65 degrees; 49.25 feet below pool. Crappie are in standing timber. Sand bass are good. Catfish are good on minnows and worms. Largemouth bass are good.
GOOD. Water slightly stained. 60 degrees. Chain Pickerel are active in shallow water. Concentrate on areas with stumps, brush, and vegetation. Small bass are active in shallow areas relating to vegetation and structure. Report by Guide Alex Guthrie, Fly Fish Fork Guide Service.
SLOW. Water stained; 60 degrees; 0.30 feet above pool. Crappie can be caught on brush with minnows and jigs. Bass can be caught on Texas rigs. Catfish can be caught on cut bait.
SLOW. Water Stained; 60 degrees; 13.01 feet below pool. The lake has risen about two feet over the week. Bass are fair with a few three fish stringers over 10 pounds. Try dragging soft plastics slowly on the bottom in 8-15 feet of water. Blue catfish can be caught on juglines with live bait or cut carp. White bass are schooling throughout the day.
SLOW. Water stained; 59 degrees; 0.14 feet above pool. Bass are slow with some fish suspended on swim baits and Alabama rigs, and soft plastics in brush and near the bank. Water is murky after heavy rains.
SLOW. Water normal stain; 60 degrees; 0.49 below pool. Small bass can be caught on Texas rig soft plastics. Fishing should pick back up after these cold fronts stabilize. Crappie are in the shallow wood, but may slide out a little with the incoming front. White bass and catfish are sporadic here and there. Report by Gilbert Miller, GTB Outdoors.
GOOD. Water slightly stained; 65 degrees; 0.51 feet above pool. Largemouth bass bite is excellent. Spotted bass schooling around the dam has slowed. Water clarity is good in coves that have not been wind blown. The fish are bulking up for the winter, and have been biting shad colored baits up in shallow coves and creek channels. Flukes, small swimbaits, or a dark colored jig around boat ramps have all produced good size fish. Report by Blake Doughtie, Lake Country Lunkers Lures and Guide Service.
EXCELLENT. Water lightly stained; 65 degrees; 3.27 feet below pool. Crappie are in 20-30 feet of water on brush piles and deep submerged timber. There are a few fish in 15-18 feet on structures, but most of them are a little bit deeper. A lot of them are hugging the bottom so you have to let your 1/8 ounce hand tied jig, minnows, or soft plastics touch the bottom and then slowly lift to entice a bite. Crappie need a bigger profile bait to zone in on. You can also find Fish spider rigging, or dragging a jig through the depth of the baitfish. Sometimes the fish will be laying on the bottom next to the dam usually no more than 100 yards off the rocks, other times fish lay at the base of the riprap where it turns into silt and they will be on the first tier of the rip rap going underwater, up to the rocks, to the dam. White bass are in 15-30 feet primarily on deepwater humps and levees, but some will be on points. Thumping the boat making noise will attract them to the boat if they are in the area. Slabs and 3-4 inch flukes have been getting them. There are also a small number of white bass inside the black water. Black water is the water along the shoreline that looks black because there is so much bait l, it turns the water black. There will be a line of black water approximately 3-4 feet thick and it’s just a little band of black going along the banks. The white bass will be swimming inside that black water with the bait so you must cast almost on the shoreline and drag it through the black water. Swimbaits 3-4 inches or rooster tails rooster tails will catch them. Expect to catch a couple black bass in your journey to the Blackwater. Look for the birds on the bank and if you see a couple of them, go investigate and see what the water looks like There are a lot of spots that got the lake that you can just walk up to the black water as it will be 3 feet from the bank right in front of you, with millions of fish swimming by! Black bass are still strong on white and chartreuse spinnerbaits with a half of a zoom motor oil worm as the trailer in 1-5 feet on rocks or concrete. Texas rig and bass jigs are pulling them out of 15-20 feet deep brush piles. Due to black water, where all the shad gather right up against the shoreline and it turns black, some fish are being found 5-10 feet all day on any kind of structure close to the shoreline, such as stumps, trees, rocks, or any kind of debris pile. If you happen to stumble across black water, back off and fish, any ledge that you can find within 20-50 yards of the black water. The swimbait bite dragged a couple inches or so above brush piles has been stellar. Along with Alabama rigs if you can take the arm beating, it gives you. Blue catfish are great in 20-30 feet on cut gizzard shad on a Santee rig dragged behind the boat at approximately .03-.05 mph. Every day the school moves so you have to locate them. One day fish will be on one side of the lake and the next they will have traveled 3-4 miles to the other side of the lake. There is a great school of 15-25 pound fish roaming out there and once you find them, it can be an incredible outcome. Every so often as an example, if the wind suddenly changes directions, you will notice on your side imaging, the catfish are now laying in the mud and are not giving you a sonar shadow, but you can see them, sitting there. If they do not have a shadow on your side, imaging that means they are laying in the mud. If they do have a shadow that means they are on the hunt and those fish are catchable. Bluegills are getting harder to find, but they are still around in the deep water brush piles, but not as thick as they were last month. Worms on a very small hook and a split shot above just to keep it in the strike zone will still produce a nice table of fish. Crickets have been king as they also catch a few crappies. A cricket cage bait holder is imperative if you are gonna use them. Report by Carey Thorn, White Bass Fishing Texas.
FAIR. Water stained; 60 degrees; 0.20 feet below pool. Crappie are fair on minnows in 12-16 feet of water on brush with chartreuse jigs. Channel and blue catfish are good on punch bait in 22-26 feet of water over drop-offs and rock piles. Report by Jess Rotherham, Texas Crappie Fishing Service. Bass are good working docks and bulkheads with creature baits, worms and flukes. A frog or topwater around underwater vegetation is working well. Do not forget a wakebait in those same areas. Report by Bryan Cotter, Texas Hawgs.
FAIR. Water stained; 53 degrees; 3.13 feet below pool. White bass are slow on humps, points and ledges in 27-38 feet of water, and on deep flats and in river channels in 40-60 feet of water. In-line spinners, jigs, swimbaits, and live bait are working. Keeper sized hybrid striper are slow to fair as well. They have been in 10-45 feet of water on drop-off ledges, the deeper parts of points, and deep flats. If you are keeping fish, please be aware that there are a lot of undersized hybrid stripers in the lake that look very similar to a white bass. Blue catfish are fair to good on cut shad. Drifting main lake flats near the river channel with active bait schools nearby has produced in 16-38 feet of water. Also with the recent rain, they will be shallow near the creeks and river mouths. Channel catfish are fair on baited holes on punch bait in 15-28 feet of water on humps and points. Crappie are fair in 6-38 feet of water. Check brush piles, bridge pilings, and submerged cover close to a drop off ledge. Cover close to drop off ledges has been best. The creeks have also started to produce. Minnows and jigs are catching those fish. Report by Wes Campbell, BendARod Fishing. Bass are slow, with the best bite in the late morning slowly dragging soft plastics on a Texas rig or Ned rig.
EXCELLENT. Water stained; 59 degrees; 3.01 feet below pool. Fishing patterns are holding steady. Crappie are in 10-18 feet on offshore brush with minnows, or tight lining straight down in standing timber. White bass are schooling under the surface in 7-17 feet. Catfish are being caught in 10-20 feet on cut bait and minnows. Largemouth bass can be caught from 2-18 feet this week on docks, timber, bulkheads, rocks with Texas rigs, jigs, chatterbaits, and spinnerbait. Numbers of bass are still on offshore brush and roaming main lake points. Catfish and white bass are on points, flats, and roaming open water. Report by Colan Gonzales, CG’s Just Fishing Guide Service.
GOOD. slightly stained; 63 degrees; 0.95 feet below pool. Water color is a good green. White bass can be caught in 10-20 feet of water. Lots of juvenile hybrids right now, so people need to watch for not keeping them. Catching all fish on Ducktracker slabs and Texas teasers. White and chartreuseReport by Michael Richardson, Lake Livingston Adventures.
GOOD. Water slight stain; 59 degrees; 1.66 feet below pool. The power plant has only one unit working now and the water temperature is still below normal. Look for bass in deeper water as their food source has migrated deeper. Jigging spoons, deep crankbaits and Texas rigged worms are working well. Crappie have picked up fishing deep brush piles in 25-30 feet with shad colored jigs and minnows. Report by Hambone guide service.
FAIR. Water stained; 53 degrees; 47.48 feet below pool. Fishing patterns are holding steady as the water starts to cool off. White bass are excellent slabbing. Bass are fair on artificials. Catfish are fair to good with nightcrawlers, minnows, chicken liver and frozen shad. Crappie are fair with artificial baits and minnows. Trout were recently stocked at the Stilling Basin. Expect the bite to improve on spinnerbaits, power baits, nightcrawlers and minnows. Walleye are good on minnows, grubs, and other artificial baits. Best of luck to you out there. Please be safe out there, watch weather reports. Life vests save lives. Report by Kenneth Wysong, SharKens Honey Hole.
SLOW. Water stained; 52 degrees; 2.21 feet below pool. Bass are slow. Hybrids are still scattered, expect them to start schooling mid-December. Blue catfish are fair on shad in 14-20 feet of water. Very few catches of channel catfish. Crappie are slow in 14 feet of water.
GOOD. Water stained; 55 degrees; 0.22 feet below pool. Largemouth bass are excellent with catches up to 11 pounds possible on large swimbaits and Carolina rigs off the bottom in creek channel swings in 12-15 feet of water. Crappie are excellent in 12-15 feet of water and standing timber and brush piles with 1/16 ounce translucent white crappie jigs on a split shot rig. Catfish are fair on cut bait or live minnows. Report by Cal Cameron, Cal’s ETX Guide Service.
GOOD. Water heavily stained; 55 degrees; 0.50 feet below pool. There are still some large groups of bass in deeper water hovering just off the bottom, so a drop-shot has been working pretty well. A few have also been boated with a deep-diving crankbait. As always, shad imitations are in vogue. Crappie population is good. Catfish are slow. Report by Eric Wolfe, NacoTack Fishing Services. Largemouth bass are excellent on small swimbaits, Carolina rigs and dropshots. Crappie are excellent on brush piles and standing timber with a 1/16 ounce white crappie jig on a split shot. Report by Cal Cameron, Cal’s ETX Guide Service.
FAIR. Water slightly stained; 57 degrees. 0.47 feet below pool. Bass are fair flipping soft plastics around reed bases in 1-3 feet of water. The key is to cover water until you find a good stretch that holds multiple bass. It is also important to slow down your retrieve this time of year to trigger these lethargic winter bass. Crappie were fair around main lake boat docks on chartreuse jigs and catfish were fair on cut bait and stink bait around river channel bends. Report provided by the Angelo State Fishing Team.
GOOD. Water slightly stained; 60 degrees; 1.44 feet below pool. Catfish are excellent with catches up 32 pounds possible from the bank with shad. Crappie are good on brush piles using minnows. The occasional largemouth bass catch when crappie fishing. Report by Navarro Mills Marina.
GOOD. Water slightly stained; 55 degrees; 22.70 feet below pool. Black bass are fair with reports of one 10 pound fish and a few more to 7 pounds. Cast jerkbaits in clearwater over 25 feet. Small jig minnows scoping or catching most fish. Some fish can still be caught in shallow brush with chatterbaits and Texas rig stick worms in green pumpkin. Crappie are slow on deeper trees in The Colorado River bends in 15-25 feet. Small jigs best. Catfish fair in 15-25 feet of water on cheese bait and earthworms. Upriver seems to be the best. Report by Wendell Ramsey, Ramsey Fishing.
SLOW. Water lightly stained; 60 degrees; 17.85 feet below pool. Fishing continues to be slow with few anglers on the water. The white bass are being caught using small spoons such as the Bomber slab. A few reports of crappie being caught on brush piles with BoneHead jigs. Report by Bronte Guns and Tackle Pro Staff.
GOOD. Water slightly stained; 57 degrees; 0.95 feet below pool. Lake level is holding, with our sporadic but relatively light rains, and all launches appear to be open and usable. There have been 2 unseasonable, but short, warm spells lately that have gotten the fishing more active, and I think now we should be prepared for the more normal winter to move in. All fish metabolism will slow to a certain extent as the water cools, the normal seasonal low for Palestine is about 40 degrees. Bass will have brief feeding periods in December and January until they feel the beginnings of the spawn stage, so slower, larger baits with some vibration could be more effective. Catfish should continue to be fair to good. To catch smaller channels and blues in the daytime use smellier baits. Target flatheads and larger blue catfish at night on larger live and cut bait. Hybrid stripers should be sporadic biters, with the best chances in the mid-morning to early afternoon times on bright days, often trolling. Crappie should remain deep during the winter. Live scopes will find them, as well as fishing with jigs or minnows at 20-25 feet over deeper areas where you can see them schooled, very slowly dragging the bait. White bass will also be sporadic, with short bite periods. Deadsticking a few feet over the deep schools will work in 25-40 feet. Report by Jim Beggerly, Jim’s Fishing Lake Palestine.
SLOW. Water stained; 65 degrees; 0.09 feet below pool. Catfish are in 2-3 feet on cut bait or fresh shad. Crappie are slow with very few reports of bites. Sand bass are biting on roadrunners early in the morning and late evening. The lake is full, the water is murky, but the creek is clear. Blue catfish are biting in the creek on limb lines against the bank on cut bait and fresh shed. Report by Lake Palo Pinto RV Park.
GOOD. slightly stained; 55 degrees. Largemouth bass are excellent for numbers with many fish in the 3-5 pound range. Cast small swimbaits in 25 feet of water. Crappie are good on small white jigs on a split shot rig. Catfish are on cut bait. Report by Cal Cameron, Cal’s ETX Guide Service.
GOOD. Water stained; 57 degrees; 0.04 feet below pool. Striped bass are fair in 20-40 feet of water with live bait. Your best bet is to just put baits in the water and slowly move around with the trolling motor until you find them. Keep in mind that we are approaching deadstick season. Sand bass are fair in 20-30 feet of water with live shad or small slabs and jigs. Live shad seems to produce a few more fish than artificial. White and silver are good colors, but white seems to be preferred. Catfish are still fair to good near Rock Creek Camp. Cut shad is producing good numbers of fish in 5-20 feet of water fished on or near the bottom. Water clarity is steady at 1-8 feet of visibility and slightly stained. Report by TJ Ranft, Ranft Guide Service. Bass are moving up with the lake level rising. Target points and drop-offs with Carolina rigs, chatterbaits, and jigs. Report by JK Outdoors Bass Fishing Guide.
FAIR. Water light stain; 65 degrees. Bass are good with flukes, worms, and lipless crankbaits near the hydrilla grass edge are reported to be working for bass. No angler reports of crappie or catfish this week, but anglers can try minnows on crappie jigs near brush piles or piers to target crappie. Catfish can be targeted with worms or stink bait fished near the bottom at the prairie branch pier or over towards the dam by the valve release tower. Bluegill are biting on worms and hotdogs over at the boathouse dock. Anglers should try to use them on a free lined hook or with a hook and bobber.
GOOD. Water slightly stained; 57 degrees; 2.74 feet below pool. White bass are gathering up in big schools on southern parts of the lake. Look for big bait balls in 30-38 feet of water with 3/4 ounce slabs with 2 jigs tied above working best spread at least 16 inches apart. When fish come thru they are mostly suspended in the 20-30 feet range and reel up to the fish. Crappie are fair and relating to brush 18-28 feet deep moving on and off structure and starting to roam the deep flats. Minnows working best. Catfish are excellent around the north end of the lake around timber using cut shad working best in 10-20 ft water on prepared punch bait and cut bait. Larger blue catfish are showing up on the deep flats. Drifting cut bait as shad, buffalo or carp works best. Report by John Varner, John Varner’s Guide Service.
GOOD. Water slightly stained; 65 degrees; 1.36 feet below pool. White bass on live bait and slabs.25-45 feet on deep water humps. Crappie are in 15-25 feet on brush piles and small patches of structure, minnows or jigs. Recommend using a half ounce sinker on top of your jig. Blue catfish can be caught drifting or anchored on flats in 20-45 feet with cut bait. Report by Justin Wilson, Wilson Outdoor Connection.
GOOD. Water normal stain; 58 degrees; 2.14 feet below pool. White bass fishing has improved and can be rated good with reports of catches being made on slabs fished on the bottom in 25-30 feet of water off Pelican Island, main lake points and the 309 Flats. Hybrid striper action is fair on live bait and slabs off main lake points and Windsock Point in 30 feet of water. Lots of small hybrids mixed in with the keepers! Eatersize blue and channel catfish are excellent on punch bait n 15-20 feet of water in timber on the Richland Creek Arm of the Lake when you chum with range cubes. Report by Royce Simmons, Gone Fishin’ Guide Service.
FAIR. Water slightly stained; 58 degrees; 2.02 feet below pool. The forecasted cold will initially slow the bite as fish become accustomed the fish will really start to feed. Bass are chasing shad in the shallows and off points. When you can find grass on the south end there is usually a bass that can be caught on crankbaits. Crappie and white bass are moving in the river channel. Catfish are good in 15-26 feet of water on cut bait and minnows. Report by Captain Lynn Atkinson, Reel Um N Guide Service.
SLOW. Water normal stain; 53 degrees; 2.19 feet below pool. At Somerville marina the crappie bite is slow, bluegill are fair on crickets and worms, and catfish are fair on minnows and punch bait. On the lake crappie are slow on jigs and minnow over brush 8-16 feet of water. Catfish are good in 6-10 feet of water using cut shad or punch bait. Black bass are slow on slow moving plastics in 6-12 feet of water. White bass slow, trolling with various spoons or anchored with shad and ghost minnows. Hybrids, fair in deeper water, using cut bait and mussels. Below the dam fishing is slow. Report by Weldon Kirk, Fish Tales Guide Service.
SLOW. Water stained; 65 degrees. 45.55 feet below pool. Very few anglers on the water. The reports are very slow for black bass. The white bass are actively schooling biting spoons and inline spinners. Catfish are slow, with some reports of channel and blue catfish being caught from shore on cut bait. Report by Bronte Guns and Tackle Pro Staff.
SLOW. Water stained; 60 degrees; 0.36 feet below pool. Crappie are good trending towards excellent fishing concrete submerged structures. The crappie house is starting to draw more anglers. Crappie have a belly full of shad. Some bait fish are shallow and on structures attracting the game fish. Bass are fair casting a small squarebill crankbait along shallow rocks. Catfish are fair.
GREAT. Water stained; 60 degrees; 2.01 feet below pool. The white bass and largemouth bass are still putting on a show at Stillhouse with 2-angler catches over 100 fish in a morning. White bass are feeding on the edges of flats in the 20-foot range just after sunrise, then moving quickly deeper and continuing to feed until around 10:45 a.m. Fish can be caught as deep as 48-53 feet, especially on calmer, clearer days when the sun’s rays reach that deep on this lake’s very clear water. As of December 16, the water temperature from top to bottom was still 58-62 degrees, but will likely drop entirely into the high 50s with the chilly weather forecast heading into the weekend. MAL Dense Lures with silver bodies and chartreuse tails worked straight up off the bottom aided by a splasher are getting these results. We will likely drop back to a Bladed Hazy Eye Slab with a spinner and stinger hook going forward as the water cools and the fish slow down. There are plenty of largemouth bass and freshwater drum mixed in with the white bass in these same deep water areas. The shad-imitating 5/8 ounce Bladed Hazy Eye Slab is the go-to bait for these fish. Report by Bob Maindelle, Holding the Line Guide Service.
GOOD. Water lightly stained; 63 degrees; 2.85 feet below pool. Lake Tawakoni has shifted from a fall bite to more of a winter pattern as cold front after cold front continues to cool the water temperatures. The hybrid striper bite has been very up and down the last week. Lots of big wind has made it difficult to fish areas that are holding fish. Swimbaits and slab spoons are working best. Seems like the 10-25 feet range are holding fish. The eating sized catfish bite in the 1-4 pound range are still excellent. Baited holes are working best in 15-25 feet with punch bait. The trophy catfishing continues to improve weekly. Fish are being caught on cut bait in 2-15 feet. The largemouth bite has been good on plastics in 1-6 feet. Slow rolling shallow cranks are still putting fish in the boat but downsizing is working best. Report by Captain Michael Littlejohn, Lake Tawakoni Guide Service.
FAIR. Water stained; 60 degrees; 4.85 feet below pool. Catfish are good on the south end of the lake. Lake conditions continue to deteriorate with water levels continuing to drop. Certain boat ramps will be closing soon if the water level does not rise, so check before heading out.
GOOD. Water stained; 55 degrees; 0.73 feet above pool. Striper fishing is a little tougher with the full moon and warming conditions. Watch for gulls on cloudy days working the river channels and ledges. Fish are roaming deeper water in big schools, biting swimbaits and live shad. Bigger fish will move up on structure with the next cold front, settling in 8–12 feet of water on humps and ledges. Look for crappie on bridge pilings and structure in 15–20 feet of water with jigs and minnows. Bass can be caught with soft plastics on structure and brush in 8–15 feet of water. Bass will push up into coves and around docks, feeding on shad. Swim jigs and crankbaits will work off ledges and on humps. Catfishing is good. Drift cut gizzard shad and rough fish on deeper flats in 30–40 feet of water near river mouths in muddier water. Bigger fish will move up shallower as the water cools. Report by Jacob Orr, Lake Guaranteed Guide Service. Striped bass are good transitioning to a deadstick bite and using Alabama rigs. Smaller fish are in 10-15 feet on structure with slabs, swimbaits or Alabama rigs. Bird action will lead the way to the deeper fish, but on bluebird days the birds are working at first and last light. The quality of fish is improving but we are still not seeing the big fish in bigger groups like what is typically for this time of year, but expect this to improve as the water cools. Report by John Blasingame, Adventure Texoma Outdoors.
FAIR. Water normal stain; 61 degrees; 3.73 feet below pool. Fishing is good for this time of year with a late fall pattern. Bass can be caught with a swim jig, chatterbait, and spinnerbait on the bank in 1-6 feet of water. Then back out to 10-16 feet of water and catch them with a Texas and Carolina rig, or 18-25 feet of water with a spoon or dropshot. Report by Stephen Johnston, Johnston Fishing.
GOOD. Water slightly stained; 61 degrees; 42.97 feet below pool. Bass are chasing shad in the backs of coves and cuts near deeper water. Also work the deeper water docks on the main lake with jigs and Texas-rigged power worms in pumpkin colors. A rattle trap or shallow crank in any craw colors is working well right now as well. Don’t forget to throw a small craw worm or creature bait on a light line if the bite falls off. Report by Bryan Cotter, Texas Hawgs.
SLOW. Water stained. 53 degrees; 38.57 feet below pool. Water level is very low so navigate with caution. Fishing continues to be slow. Crappie are slow with mostly smaller sized catches in deeper water on structure. Channel catfish are slow, targeting deep structures near the channels. Blue catfish are suspended off the bottom in deep open water. Report by Captain Michael Peterson, 4 Reel Fun Guide Service.
SLOW. Water normal stain; 65 degrees; 0.57 feet below pool. Crappie are slow in 20-25 feet of water. Catfish are slow, scattered in 10-16 feet of water stink bait and nightcrawlers. Bream are slow on red worms in deep water. Bass are slow on trick worms and crankbaits. Report by The Boulders at Lake Tyler.
GOOD. Water slight stain; 65 degrees. The water is lightly stained with decent visibility. Water levels are still very low. The boat ramp remains closed to power boats due to ongoing infrastructure repairs. Launching kayaks and canoes, or fishing from the bank, is still viable but increasingly difficult. Careful of the low water conditions and rock piles at the ramp. Fishing against the reeds has been challenging and less productive due to the significantly lower water levels and dense grass mats. Focus on the open flats with submerged vegetation using moving techniques like weedless swimbaits, spinnerbaits, and lipless crankbaits. Jerkbaits and A-rigs can also work out in the open water. Weedless setups with soft plastics, stick baits, dropshot rigs, and jigs can also be effective around the edges of grass mats. Despite the warm December weather, start moving to winter fishing patterns, slow down your presentations and target deeper waters around 10-15 feet in depth. Report by Team YAKUSA.
SLOW. Water heavily stained; 53 degrees; 5.08 feet below pool. Bass are slow. Crappie are good in the crappie house on jigs or minnows. Catfish are fair off rocks with punch bait and shad. Water visibility is 4 inches.
FAIR. Water normal stain; 60 degrees; 0.02 feet below pool. Catfish are good using punch bait in 18-25 feet of water. Striped bass bite is getting better on live bait or trolling in 20-30 feet of water. Some Stripers being caught on top water baits. Crappie are fair on small jigs and minnows in timber in 15-20 feet on the north end of the lake. White bass fishing is slow. Large mouth bass fishing is good around the docks. Report by Captain Cory Vinson, Guaranteed Guide Service.
FAIR. Water normal stain; 56 degrees; 2.58 feet below pool. White Bass are fair, look for birds working or schools of bait on the main lake and in mid-depths on chartreuse and white slabs or paddle tail swim baits. Some white bass are still being caught in black water on 3-4 inch paddle tail swimbaits. Crappie are being caught on deeper structure and cover using larger profile baits and also spider rigging open water. Catfish are being caught on punch bait and cut bait in basically all depths and are moving a lot with the changing water temperatures. The warmer weather scattered the fish so you will have to work to find feeding fish, and expect the pattern to change daily. Report provided by Chad Ferguson of North Texas Catfish Guide Service.
GOOD. Water normal stain; 60 degrees; 0.09 feet above pool. White bass are on fire just about everywhere in the lake eating to be ready for winter. The sandies are very active early mornings and late afternoons eating swimbaits, spinnerbaits and crankbaits. Largemouth bass are on docks and structure eating just about anything as well. Catfish are decent on the drop offs being caught with fresh caught shad. Crappie are deep and very tight to structure on the bottom being caught with minnows and small jigs but need to be enticed to bite a bit. Report by Captain Zackary Scott, Zack Attack Fishing.
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Saltwater Weekly Fishing Report Week of December 18, 2024
Redfish Bay
FAIR. 66 degrees. Black drum can be caught with dead shrimp around crushed shells or sand flats. Redfish are biting as shallow as you can get on dead shrimp, or live piggy perch. Trout bite is sporadic on piggy perch. Sheepshead are around the jetty and on structure with live shrimp. Flounder giggers are producing catches of flounder. Report by Captain Aerich Oliver, Rockport Paradise Outfitters.
San Antonio Bay
SLOW. 60 degrees. Bay fishing has been slow due to the low tide and high wind. Most fishing efforts have been in the jetties for bull redfish, a few slot redfish and few drum. The high winds are blowing the water out of the bay concentrating the fish in areas with deeper water near the flats. The forecasted front will drop the water temperature so the fish will drop to deep cuts and channels. Once the weather starts to warm and the sun comes out fish will return to flats. Target areas with mud and grass, because the mud warms quicker than the sand. Report Captain Lynn Smith, Back Bay Guide Service.
Sabine Lake
GOOD. 68 degrees. Neches River points, drops and bayous producing limits of redfish with live shrimp under a popping cork. Shell flats live shrimp on a Carolina rig for sheepshead and black drum. Sabine Lake bird action midlake leading the way to trout, big bull redfish, and some slot redfish on �¾ ounce gold spoons, or ⅜ ounce jig off the bottom. Points, drops and bayous producing limits of trout. Limits of redfish at the mouth of bayous and shell flats with popping cork and live shrimp. In the same area limits sheepshead, drum, and flounder with live shrimp on Carolina rig. Lots of bait in the marsh holding fish. Report by Captain Randy Foreman, Captain Randy’s Guide Service Sabine Lake.
Bolivar
GOOD. 67 degrees. Water levels are swapping back-and-forth this week with the north winds pushing the tide out, and the incoming tide is clear. Anglers are still catching plenty of redfish everywhere. The big croakers are still being caught along with a few more sand trout, black drum, redfish, speckled trout, and crabs caught along the jetty with a few small stingrays and sharks. The surf is producing numbers of redfish, black drum, the occasional speckled trout and crabs along the whole peninsula with more activity towards Gilchrist, High Island mainly. Report by Captain Shane Rilat, North Jetty Bait Camp.
Trinity Bay
SLOW. 63 degrees. Back end of the bay good for scattered reds and speckled trout on live shrimp and artificial lures. Marshes good for redfish. Fish are moving north, with good catches of speckled trout from above I-10 in the San Jacinto river. Live shrimp and soft plastics effective. Still plenty of fish between Fred Hartman Bridge and I-10. Report by Captain David Dillman, Galveston Bay Charter Fishing. Water clarity is good. Redfish are being caught well in the current and near drop-offs feeding heavily in the bottom using swimbaits, gulp curly tails and gulp shrimp. Trout are fantastic in current over rock flats and shell flats being caught on swim baits and shrimp imitation baits. Flounder are starting to really pick up on drains using swim baits and gulp baits. Drum are heavy on rock flats being caught on live or dead shrimp. Always wear your kill switch when underway. God is great! Report by Captain Zackary Scott, Zack Attack Fishing.
East Galveston Bay
GOOD. 64 degrees. Back water drains and lakes producing speckled trout and redfish on hard plastic baits and soft plastic lures. Reefs good for black drum and sheepshead. Report by Captain David Dillman, Galveston Bay Charter Fishing. A few more slot-sized speckled trout are showing up, black drum, and redfish being caught on live shrimp and finger mullet. We are still getting a few reports of good fishing by Frenchtown Road, Siever’s Cut, and near the boat ramp by Rollover Pass. Report by Captain Shane Rilat, North Jetty Bait Camp. Surface water temperature 59 degrees, water clarity = Good. We have concentrated back in the marsh areas where we can get some protection. This week the Redfish bite has been good around areas where good current flow has bait up against the shorelines/grass lines in 2 to 4 feet of water. Our best solid trout bite this week has been on �¼ oz jig heads with the Deadly Dudley 5” Rat Tail in Blue Moon / Chartreuse, Fishing deeper pockets with shell, triggering the most strikes. As in previous weeks if we don’t see any nervous bait, we move on rather quickly and cover more water finding the zones where the fish are active. Report by Captain Jeff Brandon, Get the Net Guide Service, LLC.
Galveston Bay
SLOW. 64 degrees. Upper Galveston bay around Sylvan Beach good for speckled trout on soft plastics. Clear Lake producing scattered trout catches on live shrimp and soft plastics. A few redfish in both areas. Report by Captain David Dillman, Galveston Bay Charter Fishing.
West Galveston Bay
GOOD. 64 degrees. Drifting the dirty streaks in the open bay producing scattered catches of speckled trout. Those fishing in Chocolate and even Hall’s Bayou catching speckled trout, black drum, and redfish on soft plastics and live shrimp effective. Report by Captain David Dillman, Galveston Bay Charter Fishing.
Texas City
GOOD. 62 degrees. All eyes have turned to flounder. Good catches of flounder are coming from the Galveston channel, with the best bite on live shrimp and gulps. Fish up to 7 pounds have been caught. Those gigging at might are doing well. Still bull redfish and oversized black drum being caught of the dike and the Galveston jetties. Report by Captain David Dillman, Galveston Bay Charter Fishing. Anglers are still catching plenty of speckled trout, redfish, and black drum with the occasional sand trout, gafftop and big croaker. Wade fishing has been sporadic, but great during the incoming tides. Along the dike has been productive from the beginning to the end still. Live shrimp and finger mullet have been the best baits. Report by Captain Shane Rilat, North Jetty Bait Camp.
Freeport
GOOD. 62 degrees. Fishing has been good in between fronts. Redfish and trout have been good working under the birds with plastic or gulp under a popping cork. In Bastrop Bay, Christmas Bay, Chocolate Bay, Salt Lake and Oyster Lake. Brazos River has been good with reds, trout, drum, sand trout with either live shrimp or fresh dead shrimp. Flounder have been good on gulp, new penny shrimp and live finger mullet. Report by Captain Jake Brown, Flattie Daddy Fishing Adventures
East Matagorda Bay
GOOD. 55 degrees. Fishing patterns are holding steady with a consistent bite for trout in the The Colorado River with artificials, or live shrimp. Very little bird action. Redfish are good wade fishing or drifting with artificials. On calm days the jetties are producing a few catches of drum and sheepshead. Report by Captain Charlie Paradoski, Captain Charlie Paradoski’s Guide Service.
West Matagorda Bay
GOOD. 55 degrees. Fishing patterns are holding steady with a consistent bite for trout in the The Colorado River with artificials, or live shrimp. Very little bird action. Redfish are good in the sloughs and shallow water with cut bait. Report by Captain Charlie Paradoski, Captain Charlie Paradoski’s Guide Service.
Port O’Connor
GOOD. 60 degrees. Good numbers of trout can be caught on the outside of the jetties with live shrimp. Oversized and slot redfish outside and end of both jetties with blue crab or Spanish sardines. Sheepshead are biting throughout the jetty with live shrimp. Black drums are biting on the apron of the jetty with dead shrimp. Report by Captain Marty Medford, Captain Marty’s Fish of a Lifetime Guide Service.
Rockport
GOOD. 71 degrees. Tides have been low and winds have been strong. Trout are good on live shrimp and your favorite soft plastic along grass and shell in 3-4 feet of water. Redfish are great on shrimp or mullet in flats fishing drains and guts. Black drums are great on live or dead shrimp and fish bites in drains, guts and along oyster beds. Report by Captain Kenny Kramer, Kramer Fishing Charters.
Port Aransas
GOOD. 71 degrees. Redfish have been great on shrimp and cut mullet on the north and south jetty. Lots of oversized redfish. Trout are good with shrimp free lined along rocks. Black drum are fair on shrimp. Report by Captain Kenny Kramer, Kramer Fishing Charters.
Corpus Christi
FAIR. 66 degrees. Black drum can be caught with dead shrimp around crushed shells or sand flats. Redfish are biting as shallow as you can get on dead shrimp, or live piggy perch. Trout bite is sporadic on piggy perch. Sheepshead are around the jetty and on structure with live shrimp. Flounder giggers are producing catches of flounder. Report by Captain Aerich Oliver, Rockport Paradise Outfitters.
Baffin Bay
GOOD. 75 degrees. Baffin Bay is on fire with the big trout eating heavily when times are good. This is the time of year to focus on that one big fish that you want to catch really honing in on your soft plastics and corky game. When water temperatures drop fish will fall off into deeper areas closer to the deep deep areas where they go when things get very dicey for their survival. Between cold fronts when there is a sunny warm up with warm winds, the shallow water is the first place to heat up and that’s where they go to feed. So be thoughtful in your presentations during these two periods of time that we will yo-yo back-and-forth from all winter long. Use soft plastics like the 6 or even 8 inch Coastal Brew darts in natural colors as well as Down South Lures Big Smooth and Super Models on lightweight jig heads. Try Texas Custom Corky Fat Boys in the colder times and down-size a little to Texas Custom Corky Softdines during warmer periods. Report by Captain Sally Black.
Port Mansfield
GOOD. 76 degrees. Water temperatures have warmed back up, but should fall again by this weekend after the forecasted cold front. Fishing remains good for redfish and trout with good catches coming in 2-4 feet of water. Most fish are coming from potholes and grass lines. BTS and Mansfield Knockers have been solid choices. Keep an eye out for active mullet, which will help show you gamefish are in the area. Report by Captain Wayne Davis, Hook Down Charters.
South Padre
GOOD. 68 degrees. Trout are plentiful drifting live shrimp on the edge of the intracoastal at Three Islands and Gas Well Flats. Redfish are spotty on the Gas Well Flats. Sheepshead and small black drum are plentiful at The Old Causeway and small channels in South Bay. Mangrove snapper are excellent at the jetties and the end of the Brownsville Channel. Stay safe out there. Report by Captain Lou Austin, Austin Fishing South Padre.
Port Isabel
GOOD. 68 degrees. Trout are plentiful drifting live shrimp on the edge of the intracoastal at Three Islands and Gas Well Flats. Redfish are spotty on the Gas Well Flats. Sheepshead and small black drum are plentiful at The Old Causeway and small channels in South Bay. Mangrove snapper are excellent at the jetties and the end of the Brownsville Channel. Stay safe out there. Report by Captain Lou Austin, Austin Fishing South Padre.
Zebra Mussel AlertTo prevent the spread of zebra mussels, the law requires draining of water from boats and onboard receptacles when leaving or approaching public fresh waters. Get details.
Sometimes I ask myself, and I’m sure other people who enjoy fishing ask themselves, “Why do we go fishing”? I’ve found in recent years that my reasons for going fishing have changed. In conversations with other anglers, I’ve learned that their reasons for going fishing have changed also.
When I first started fishing many years ago, I went for one reason: To catch fish! I enjoyed being outdoors and didn’t enjoy being around people that much, so I would park my truck, put on my waders, and walk up and down area rivers by myself. I usually caught some fish. Mostly smallmouth bass and northern pike, but every now and then a walleye would bite my bait. And when a carp would try to eat my jig with his tail, that’s when things got really exciting!
Somewhere in the passage of time, my priorities while fishing changed a bit. Maybe more than a bit. I still like to catch fish. The more and the bigger the better. But I’ve discovered other elements of fishing that are taking on a larger role in my enjoyment of fishing.
It was in my late teenage years that I learned that sharing the fishing experience was enjoyable. I started inviting a family member or a friend to accompany me on those walks along the river. I also learned that it was as much fun to watch my partner catch a fish as it was for me to catch a fish.
As I got older and started fishing from a boat, I realized that not only was it more fun to fish with a partner or two, it was also easier. Two people putting a boat in the water and parking the truck was easier and faster than one person doing so.
It also sunk in that when a couple people were fishing, we could try different baits. One angler would use a faster moving bait, the other a slower moving bait. Or one angler would use a bait of one color, the other used a bait of another color. We could figure out faster what type of presentation the fish were most likely to respond to when we had more lines in the water. We caught more fish.
I learned that every now and then, I truly enjoy setting my fishin’ pole down and just watch the wildlife or water fowl. On a fishing trip a couple of years ago, for the first time, I saw a family of otters on a small rock island. I had never seen this many otters(6) this close. It really added to the day on the water. I’ve watched otters, beavers, deer, loons, and a variety of other critters since then and, every time, it’s enhanced the fishing experience.
Some anglers say they go fishing to catch a meal of fish. They say that it helps stretch their food budget. Going fishing probably isn’t the most economical way to obtain a meal of fresh fish, but it is definitely the most fun way to do so.
So, back to the original question: Why do we go fishing? I don’t know! It’s not one big thing that encourages me to go fishing, it’s a bunch of big things. But the biggest thing is that fishing is something that I enjoy and helps me get away for a while from the things that I and many others need or want to get away from. For me, that’s enough of a reason to go fishing.
Photo Caption—This above all: Never forget that fishing is supposed to be fun.
Last Sunday five members and guests of the Flint River Bass Club fished our September tournament at Lake Oconee. After eight hours of casting, from 7:00 AM – 3:00 PM, we weighed in eight bass weighing about 15 pounds. There were no limits and one fisherman didn’t have a keeper.
Alex Gober won with three bass weighing 4.93 pounds. Brent Drake placed second with two at 4.31 pounds and had big fish with a 2.92 pound largemouth. Don Gober had two keepers weighing 3.62 pounds for third and my one bass weighing 1.80 pounds was fourth.
Oddly enough, a Facebook memory showed up Sunday showing one year ago I placed fourth in the Flint River tournament at Oconee with one bass weighing about 1.80 pounds. The more things change the more they stay the same, I guess.
I always say September is the meanest month for bass fishing. The water is as hot as it gets and the oxygen content is as low as it gets all year. The fish have been beat up since early spring, seeing artificial baits just about every day. So they are as smart and wary as they can be.
I used to say by September bass in local lakes know the name and price of every lure Berry’s Sporting Goods sells and can probably tell you where to find them on the shelf in the store!
I had a good feeling I could catch a bass out of grass beds on topwater first thing that morning, and I guess I was right. A few minutes after starting I caught a 13.5 inch largemouth on a floating worm. Unfortunately, the size limit at Oconee is 14 inches so it did no good.
After more than an hour of trying that pattern with no more bites, I saw a lone dock back in a cove. Often a single piece of cover like and isolated dock is a good bet for a bite.
I got no bites around the dock but while scanning around it with my forward facing sonar I spotted a small brush top off to the side of the dock. It looked like a fish was holding beside it. I cast a small jig to the brush and it never hit bottom.
I set the hook as my line moved out and landed my one keeper. Without the Garmin Panoptix I would never have known that brush and fish was there.
Later in the day, as seems usual lately, as I idled over a point I spotted some brush and rocks out in 15 feet of water on my sonar. I took the boat out of gear and cast a shaky head behind the boat as it stopped. When it hit bottom my line jumped and started moving toward deep water.
Unfortunately, that direction was across the back of my boat. I set the hook and a strong fish pulled back, and I could not control it. It cut my line on my prop!
I fished grass, blowdowns, docks, rock piles and boulders the rest of the day and caught a few short bass, but no keepers.
The last one hit with less than five minutes to fish. I cast my weightless worm to the edge of a grassbed, saw the grass a foot to the left wave as a fish came out of it and hit my worm.
Just like the first one that morning, it was 13.5 inches long! But thats not why i fish!
B.A.S.S., FOX Announce Expanded 2025 Television Schedule
By The Fishing Wire
Birmingham, AL — B.A.S.S. and FOX have announced details of an expanded television schedule for the 2025 Elite Series and 2025 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour. The schedule includes coverage of all nine Elite Series events on FS1, with the last days of competition at Lake Fork and Lake Tenkiller being aired on the flagship FOX broadcast channel. FOX will also air the last two days of competition of the 2025 Bassmaster Classic at Lake Ray Roberts in Fort Worth, Texas.
“We are beginning our fifth year with FOX/FS1 and are proud of the relationship we have established with them and their dedication to bringing the best live tournament action from the biggest stages in professional bass fishing,” said B.A.S.S. Chief Operating Officer Phillip Johnson. “We look forward to providing even more tournament coverage from the worldwide authority on bass fishing that will reach an even broader audience in 2025.”
The new expanded schedule is the result of a 2024 season of record viewership and increased interest in Bassmaster LIVE programming and includes a massive 300% increase in hours of coverage on the flagship FOX broadcast channel, setting the stage for a monumental surge in viewership for 2025.
B.A.S.S. expects the new agreement to deliver more than 20 million viewers in 2025, which would be the biggest television audience in the history of the sport. Bass club fishermen may learn by watching.
Bassmaster on FOX 2025
Air Date
Start Time
Tournament
Location
Network
Sat 2/22/25
8:00AM
Elite Series #1: St. Johns River
Palatka, Fla.
FS1
Sun 2/23/25
8:00AM
Elite Series #1: St. Johns River
Palatka, Fla.
FS1
Sat 3/1/25
8:00AM
Elite Series #2: Lake Okeechobee
Okeechobee, Fla.
FS1
Sun 3/2/25
8:00AM
Elite Series #2: Lake Okeechobee
Okeechobee, Fla.
FS1
Sat 3/22/25
12:00PM
Bassmaster Classic: Lake Ray Roberts
Fort Worth, Texas
FOX
Sun 3/23/25
12:00PM
Bassmaster Classic: Lake Ray Roberts
Fort Worth, Texas
FOX
Sat 4/12/25
8:00AM
Elite Series #3: Pasquotank River/Albemarle Sound
Elizabeth City, N.C.
FS1
Sun 4/13/25
8:00AM
Elite Series #3: Pasquotank River/Albemarle Sound
Elizabeth City, N.C.
FS1
Sat 4/26/25
8:00AM
Elite Series #4: Lake Hartwell
Anderson, S.C.
FS1
Sun 4/27/25
8:00AM
Elite Series #4: Lake Hartwell
Anderson, S.C.
FS1
Sat 5/10/25
8:00AM
Elite Series #5: Lake Fork
Yantis, Texas
FS1
Sun 5/11/25
8:00AM
Elite Series #5: Lake Fork
Yantis, Texas
FS1
Sun 5/11/25
12:00PM
Elite Series #5: Lake Fork
Yantis, Texas
FOX
Sat 5/17/25
8:00AM
Elite Series #6: Sabine River
Orange, Texas
FS1
Sun 5/18/25
8:00AM
Elite Series #6: Sabine River
Orange, Texas
FS1
Sat 6/14/25
8:00AM
Elite Series #7: Lake Tenkiller
Cookson, Okla.
FS1
Sun 6/15/25
8:00AM
Elite Series #7: Lake Tenkiller
Cookson, Okla.
FS1
Sun 6/15/25
12:00PM
Elite Series #7: Lake Tenkiller
Cookson, Okla.
FOX
Sat 8/9/25
8:00AM
Elite Series #8: Lake St. Clair
Macomb County, Mich.
FS1
Sun 8/10/25
8:00AM
Elite Series #8: Lake St. Clair
Macomb County, Mich.
FS1
Sat 08/23/25
8:00AM
Elite Series #9: Mississippi River
La Crosse, Wis.
FS1
Sun 08/24/25
8:00AM
Elite Series #9: Mississippi River
La Crosse, Wis.
FS1
About B.A.S.S.
B.A.S.S., which encompasses the Bassmaster tournament leagues, events and media platforms, is the worldwide authority on bass fishing and keeper of the culture of the sport, providing cutting-edge content on bass fishing whenever, wherever and however bass fishing fans want to use it. Headquartered in Birmingham, Ala., the organization’s fully integrated media platforms include the industry’s leading magazines (Bassmaster and B.A.S.S. Times), website (Bassmaster.com), TV show, radio show, social media programs and events. For more than 50 years, B.A.S.S. has been dedicated to access, conservation and youth fishing.
The Bassmaster Tournament Trail includes the most prestigious events at each level of competition, including the Bassmaster Elite Series, St. Croix Bassmaster Opens Series presented by SEVIIN, Mercury B.A.S.S. Nation Qualifier Series presented by Lowrance, Strike King Bassmaster College Series presented by Bass Pro Shops, Strike King Bassmaster High School Series, Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Team Championship, Newport Bassmaster Kayak Series presented by Native Watercraft, Yamaha Bassmaster Redfish Cup Championship presented by Skeeter and the ultimate celebration of competitive fishing, the Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour.
My youth was a perfect mixture of strict discipline and growing up wild in Georgia. It prepared me for having a balanced life where I worked hard and did the best I could at my job, but my free time was mine. I could concentrate fully on my job during the workday but forget it and do what I wanted the rest of the time. It has served me well in retirement, too.
From about six years old I had responsibilities on the farm that went along with my age. I helped gather eggs from our 11,000 laying hens, cleaned out watering troughs that ran the length of the chicken houses by running a broom down them from one end to the other, and putting graded eggs in cartons.
Those jobs increased in complexity and effort as I got older. But not all were hard work. I loved taking my semiautomatic rifle with the high-capacity magazine that I got for Christmas when I was eight years old that was loaded with .22 rat shot to the chicken houses each morning. Four of the houses had big open feed bins and during the night wharf rats would get trapped in them. I would climb up to the top, shoot any rats inside, then grab them by the tail and take them to the dead chicken dump hole.
That same .22 rifle or my trusty .410 single shot shotgun accompanied me on my morning and afternoon pre and post school and weekend trips to the woods during the fall and winter. Most anything was fair game, squirrels and rabbits during season and birds the rest of the time.
It was not unusual for me to leave the house on Saturday morning at daylight and return home at dark, exhausted, dirty, hungry and happy. I took some snacks like potted meat, Vienna sausage or sardines with some Saltines or Ritz crackers but that was never enough, although I supplemented it with roasted birds and a pocket full of pecans when they were falling.
Spring and summer were fishing times. Rather than my .22, I would carry my Zebco 33 rod and reel or later my Mitchell 300 outfit and small tackle box with me and walk or ride my bicycle to local farm ponds and fish all day. Or I would go down to Dearing branch with some fishing line and a small fly in my pocket.
I made the flies with chicken feathers and some of mama’s sewing thread, and they looked awful. I would dangle them from the end of my rod, a stick that I had cut in the woods. And the tiny bream and horny heads in the branch thought they were food often enough to make fishing for them productive.
Summer also brought the wondrous time of having many full days to spend wild. My friends and I would camp out, starting near the house in the back yard at eight years old them moving deeper into the woods each summer. Cooking food over a campfire was always an experience, and it never was cooked right, but there was never a crumb left!
We built tree houses, forts, “cabins” in the woods that kept out neither rain nor wind, and traps for non-existent animals. We dammed Dearing Branch, sometime making a pool deep enough to come up waist high on a 13-year-old skinny dipper.
We chased toad frogs and fireflies at night until bedtime. The adults often sat around on the porch after dinner and we kids, not tired enough from a full day of activities, would run around in the dark, chasing toads, fireflies and each other.
I hate that those days seem to be gone. I can not imagine someone 100 years from now sitting at a computer writing about a video game they played as a kid!
If you want to do catch and release, remember From Hook To Release: How Gear Can Make A Difference For Fish Survival
from The Fishing Wire
By Greyson Webb
Your odds of success on the water can hinge on the gear you use, and the same principle applies when it comes to releasing fish. From not meeting size requirements to being caught out of season, there are many reasons why you might land a fish that you’ll need to release.
While released fish can go on to survive and be caught again, there are a variety of stressors a fish can experience throughout their landing and handling that can result in injury or death. Simply letting a fish go does not guarantee its survival, and the use of proper gear is a best fishing practice that can be adopted to help minimize stressors and improve a fish’s chance of recovery and survival.
What makes certain tools more effective in minimizing stress and injury than others? This article explores how the tools used throughout the catch and release process can boost the survival rates of released fish to keep populations healthy for the environment and anglers alike.
Non-Offset, Non-Stainless Steel Circle Hooks
It all starts with the hook—the first point of contact between angler and fish. The right hook will minimize hooking injury, reduce stress, and improve the ease of hook removal—all factors that influence a fish’s chance of survival. This is where the circle hook can make a difference. Circle hooks are designed to catch a fish in the jaw, which is the safest area if release is needed. Less likely to be swallowed or snag vulnerable areas like the gills or eyes, circle hooks decrease the odds of a potentially fatal hooking.
Not all circle hooks are the same, though. Non-offset circle hooks and non-stainless steel circle hooks go the extra mile in improving a fish’s chance of survival after release. Non-offset hooks are easier to remove than offset hooks, meaning less time out of the water for the fish, less bleeding caused by removal and less stress overall. In the case a hook cannot be removed, a non-stainless steel circle hook provides the benefit of degrading and shedding up to three times faster than a hook made of stainless steel or other non-corrodible metals.
Pro tip: If you’re wondering whether a hook is stainless or non-stainless steel, “Tournament Approved” labeling usually indicates non-stainless steel. For a quick test, you can also use a magnet to check the material. Simply place a magnet on a hook: if it sticks, the hook is stainless steel; if it doesn’t, you’ve got yourself a non-stainless steel circle hook.
Knotless, Rubberized Landing Nets
While not necessary for landing every fish, landing nets are a functional tool that help shorten fight time, reduce stress on the line and rod, and prevent potential poking or piercing by hooks, teeth, or spines as you land your fish. However, landing nets with coarse mesh can inadvertently damage a fish’s delicate fins, scales, or protective slime layer—increasing their vulnerability to infections or injuries. Made from a smoother and friction-reducing material, knotless, rubberized landing nets help in preventing these potential traumas. With the protective slime layer preserved and more scales and fins intact, a fish landed with a knotless, rubberized net is a fish that has a better chance of survival after release.
If you prefer to use your hands to land a fish, using wet hands or rubber gloves provides similar relief to that of a knotless, rubberized landing net.
Dehooking Tools
The clock starts ticking the moment a fish is brought out of the water—its chances of survival dropping the longer it stays out of its natural environment. This is when a dehooking tool can help fish and anglers alike. Designed to rapidly remove hooks while causing minimal injury to the fish, time is not wasted struggling with a tough hook and the risk of injury during hook removal—for both the fish and the angler—is greatly reduced. It’s a win-win.
That said, there are situations where it is better to leave the hook in place. If a fish is deeply hooked in the gut or throat, attempting to remove the hook can often do more harm than good. In these cases, it is best to simply cut the leader close to the hook and leave it in the fish—particularly if it is a non-stainless steel hook, which has a greater chance of being shed. Research indicates this is less damaging and gives the fish the best chance for survival.
Descending Devices
If you land a fish and notice it has bulging eyes, bubbling scales, difficulty swimming below the surface, or organs protruding from the mouth or anus, it is likely suffering from barotrauma. Similar to the bends experienced by divers, barotrauma is an injury that can occur when a fish is brought from the high-pressure environment of deep waters to the low-pressure environment of the surface. This change in pressure can cause the gases in a fish’s swim bladder to expand, damaging organs and making it difficult for the fish to return to its original depth. Barotrauma is particularly common in deep-dwelling species, such as some snappers and groupers. Untreated, a fish experiencing barotrauma becomes vulnerable to predators, the elements, and the injuries of barotrauma itself. Fortunately, the right tool can help reverse this condition.
Descending devices are tools that use added weights to lower fish back to their depth of capture. As the fish is pulled down the water column by a descending device, the swim bladder recompresses, and the fish is given a better chance at survival. Descending devices all work to return a fish to their original depth, but they come in different forms: inverted hooks, weighted crates, and lip clamps.
An inverted hook is a barbless hook with an added weight that is inserted either through the original hook hole or through the soft tissue on the fish’s lower jaw. Rigged to a rod and reel, the inverted hook guides the fish back to its proper depth. Once there, a gentle tug on the rod will release the fish if it hasn’t already slid free.
Similar to an inverted hook, the lip clamp is a descending device that uses an attached weight to pull a fish back to depth by attaching to a fish’s lower jaw. However, instead of piercing the jaw, the clamp securely grips it. A lip clamp can be pressure triggered or spring triggered for release. A pressure triggered lip clamp includes a pressure-sensor mechanism designed to automatically release fish once the desired depth is reached. A spring triggered lip clamp requires you to manually open the lip clamp by pulling up on the rod once the fish reaches the desired depth.
A weighted crate, often referred to as a fish elevator, is a crate with an open top—such as a milk crate—that has a rope attached to the closed bottom along with weights. To use one, place the fish in the crate, quickly flip it upside down into the water, and let the attached weights sink the contraption. Acting as a bottomless cage, the weighted crate will bring fish back to depth, where they recompress and can swim away on their own.
A good rule of thumb when using any descending device is to use one pound of added weight for every five pounds of fish.
Given their benefits, many of these tools—such as descending devices, dehooking tools, and non-offset, non-stainless steel hooks—are required to be readily available or in use when fishing for or possessing snapper grouper species in federal waters off the coasts of North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Eastern Florida. Interested in learning more about the practices and requirements that give snapper grouper species a better chance at survival after release in the South Atlantic? Check out the South Atlantic Fishery Management Council’s Best Fishing Practices campaign for more information and ways to get involved.
A Yamaha Outboards ad on the Elite Series online coverage over the weekend got me thinking about why I fish. Then an article in Wired2fish online magazine added to my thoughts.
The Yamaha ad has a bunch of professional fishermen saying something along the lines of “if you want to relax don’t fish with me.” And the article gave reasons why so many tournament anglers “burn out” after a short time.
I have been tournament fishing since my first one with the Spalding County Sportsman Club in April 1974 – more than 48 years. For most of them I fished at least two tournaments a month, and for the past six I have fished at least three club tournaments a month.
Until a few years ago I fished many more days for fun and relaxation than I did tournaments. A few years ago I fished 443 days in a row without missing one, fulfilling a childhood dream of fishing every day for a year.
Many hours were spent sitting on my pond dock catching bluegill and bullheads. I would sit on the docks at Raysville Boat Club catching small bluegill for bait to run on jugs and trotlines that night. And I spent hours dabbling jigs around button bushes for crappie.
Maybe that is why I never burned out, all fishing was fun. Although I took trying to win every tournament very seriously, I did not “have” to win to pay my next entry fee or tournament expenses. Tournament fishing was fun even if not really relaxing.
For the past few years I pretty much go fishing only to practice for a tournament or fish one. And most of my practice is riding around watching my electronics, trying to find school of fish and hidden structure and cover.
I can still make a lot of casts and work hard to catch a fish in tournaments. Sometimes it gets frustrating that my old body won’t let me fish as hard as I want to. But I try not to think of it as a “grind” as many tournament anglers, especially young ones, complain about nowadays.
I will keep fishing as long as my body will let me. But I will never let it become a “grind” trying to catch a fish. If it is not fun it is not worth the effort.
Fisheries
Threatened Coho Salmon Return To Upper Klamath River Basin For First Time In More Than 60 Years
November 24, 2024
By The Fishing Wire
CDFW releases 270,000 fall-run Chinook salmon into Fall Creek, the first yearling hatchery salmon release following historic dam removal
The California Department of Fish and Wildlife (CDFW) has seen the first returns of threatened coho salmon to the upper Klamath River Basin in more than 60 years following historic dam removal completed last month. Not since the construction of the former Iron Gate Dam in the early 1960s has CDFW documented coho salmon occupying their historic habitat in the upper watershed.
On Nov. 13, seven coho salmon entered CDFW’s new Fall Creek Fish Hatchery in Siskiyou County, which is located on Fall Creek, a formerly inaccessible Klamath River tributary about 7.5 miles upstream of the former Iron Gate Dam location.
“To see coho successfully returning this quickly to this new habitat post-dam removal is exciting,” said Eric Jones, a Senior Environmental Scientist who oversees CDFW’s north state hatchery operations. “We’ve already seen the Chinook make it back and now we’re seeing the coho make it back.”
Of the seven coho salmon that entered the Fall Creek Fish Hatchery last week, four were male and three were female. Two had missing adipose fins, identifying them as being of hatchery origin. The other five were natural origin fish as all hatchery raised coho salmon in the Klamath Basin have their adipose fins removed for identification prior to release.
The returning coho are being kept at the Fall Creek Hatchery pending genetic testing at the NOAA Southwest Fisheries Science Center laboratory in Santa Cruz. Geneticists will determine which of the seven coho are the least related genetically and direct the spawning of those pairs to maximize genetic diversity.
Coho salmon in the Klamath Basin are listed as a threatened species under both state and federal endangered species acts. Coho salmon typically return to freshwater to spawn in the late fall and winter, later than the more numerous fall-run Chinook salmon.
CDFW’s Fall Creek Fish Hatchery has an annual production goal of raising 75,000 coho salmon to help restore populations in the upper Klamath River Basin post dam-removal.
Also pertaining to CDFW’s salmon work in the Klamath Basin:
** CDFW last week released approximately 270,000 yearling, fall-run Chinook salmon into Fall Creek, the last Klamath Basin hatchery release of the year and the first release following dam removal. The year-old juvenile salmon, approximately 4 to 6 inches in length, were released over four days, mostly at dusk to improve survival, and allowed to swim freely out of the hatchery into Fall Creek without handling.
“We’re releasing various life histories so that gives the fish a chance to out-migrate at different times of the year mimicking what we would see in the river naturally,” said Crystal Robinson, Senior Environmental Scientist and CDFW’s Klamath Watershed Program Supervisor.
Hatchery salmon released as yearlings in the fall show some of the highest rates of return as adults, which is attributed to their larger size at release and optimal fall river conditions with cool temperatures and strong flows.
** CDFW’s Fall Creek Fish Hatchery, a $35 million, state-of-the-art facility in its first year of operation, began spawning returning fall-run Chinook salmon in late October. To date, the hatchery has spawned 100 fish and collected 277,393 eggs. The hatchery has an ambitious annual production goal of 3.25 million fall-run Chinook salmon.
** Multiple state and federal agencies, Tribes and non-governmental organizations are monitoring salmon throughout the Klamath Basin, including the 420 miles of newly accessible habitat following dam removal. CDFW is particularly focused on newly accessible tributaries within the former reservoir footprints, including Jenny and Shovel creeks. To date, a video fish counting weir installed on Jenny Creek has recorded 310 adult Chinook salmon and one Pacific lamprey entering the tributary from the Klamath River. CDFW field crews are surveying regularly for salmon nests, or redds, and post-spawned adults.
The salmon work taking place in the Klamath Basin reflects all six priorities of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s California Salmon Strategy for a Hotter, Drier Futurereleased in January 2024. Those priorities are removing barriers and modernizing infrastructure for salmon migration; restoring and expanding habitat for spawning and rearing; protecting water flows and water quality at the right times to benefit salmon; modernizing salmon hatcheries; transforming technology and management systems for climate adaptability; and strengthening partnerships.
CDFW’s post-dam removal management strategy, as detailed in the recently released Klamath River Anadromous Fishery Reintroduction and Monitoring Plan, is to mostly allow these ocean-going fish species to naturally repopulate the 420 miles of newly accessible habitat as they are now doing.
