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Where they're biting: Best spots to find bass, catfish, stripers and crappie
BY Luke Clayton, Special to Star Local News
For almost 15 years, I compiled a weekly fishing report that appeared in one of the largest newspapers in Texas.
When the idea of getting accurate, current fishing information to the readers was conceived back in the early 1990s, the goal was to provide some real information that fishermen could put to use, rather than the generic fishing reports common to the day.
Rather than the standard "bass spotty in shallow water on spinner baits," I learned how to compile information into terms that would be of use to the angler.
See the difference in a generic report and one that has substance?
I can truly say I learned more about fishing patterns in Texas during those 14 years than in my entire career.
Each week, I visited with a group of the best guides and fishing pros in the state and although none of them gave GPS coordinates to their favorite hotspots, the report was packed with very current, accurate information. As an outdoors writer with a severe addiction to catching bream, catfish and everything in between, I can truly say there are few lakes in Texas I have not fished.
So, here's my take on some of the best places to fish for some of the most popular species. Hopefully these picks will help you plan your next outing.
Black Bass
Lake Fork is still at the top of my list of lakes in the northeast region of the state.
There was a time when Fork dominated the big bass scene in the Lone Star State, but no longer.
Falcon, down on the Mexico border, is another great producer of big bass.
Were it not for Falcon's ever-fluctuating water levels, I truly believe it would have long ago emerged as the premier bass fishing lake in the state. When it comes to bass fishing, I'd rather fish a lake where consistent action on fish in the 2- to 5-pound range is the norm, rather than fishing all day for that one big bite.
Little Lake Crockett, located near Honeygrove in northeast Texas, has long been one of my favorites for catching bass. The largest I've landed here weighed just over 8 pounds, but trips here usually provide at least one fish around 5 pounds. Crockett is a great place for the beginner bass fisherman to learn to pattern bass.
Never overlook Caddo Lake when it comes to catching really big bass as the 14 pounder landed here a couple years ago attests.
Another great little largemouth hotspot is Houston County Lake, located near Crockett in East Texas. Crockett's Family Resort (crockettresort.com) provides excellent lodging and a great campground. Bass fishing is usually very good here and the lake receives relatively light fishing pressure.
Bass fishing is also good on several of the larger reservoirs around Dallas.
Lake Lewisville, Ray Roberts, Ray Hubbard and Cedar Creek all have a healthy population; they are just big and sometimes difficult to pattern, especially for the weekend angler.
Catfish
This is a no brainer: Lake Tawakoni, hands down.
There are lots of great lakes for catching channel catfish and big blues, but none that I know of hold a candle to good ole Tawakoni as a double threat. Right now, limits of channel catfish weighing between 1.5-5 pounds are common.
The fish are in the shallows and aggressively hitting everything from stink bait to earthworms. Guide Larry Thomas has been fishing water 3- to 5-feet deep around willows and flooded grass beds, and clients are often limiting out in a matter of three hours or less. Starting in October and continuing through February, sometimes as late as March, trophy class blues are landed with regularity by fishermen that know how to rig up and fish for these jumbo cats.
When it comes to fishing for Mr. Whiskers, Tawakoni is as good as the best and better than the rest.
Tawakoni is my favorite catfish spot, but definitely not the only place I fish when searching for the makings of a big catfish fish fry. Cedar Creek, Richland Chambers, Whitney, Lewisville and Lavon often provide equally good fishing.
Some sleeper lakes such as Eagle Mountain (near Ft. Worth), Bardwell (near Ennis) or Lake Brownwood offer great fishing for catfish. Down a bit farther south, Choke Canyon, Calavaras and Falcon are well known for producing heavy stringers. If I were looking to catch one huge blue catfish weighing 70 pounds or more, my pick would be Texoma or the tailrace waters below the lake during the late fall and winter months.
Texas lakes and rivers are home to awesome catfishing.
Chances are very good the lake closest to your home has the potential to produce, once you learn the seasonal patterns.
White Bass
The majority of the larger reservoirs in Texas are chock full of white bass (sandbass).
Tawakoni, Richland Chambers and Cedar Creek share my No. 1 choice simply because I like them all and can't honestly pick one over the other. All three lakes are loaded with huge schools of white bass, but so are countless other lakes across the state. White bass are plentiful, easy to catch and provide good eating when marinated with a 50-50 solution of buttermilk and Louisiana Hot Sauce. Again, chances are excellent the lake closest to your home will provide all the white bass action you can handle, especially during the summer months.
Stripers and Hybrid Stripers
With twice the statewide limit and a natural spawn in the Red and Washita Rivers each spring, Texoma has to rate to the top of the list for sheer numbers of stripers.
Scores of striper guides have made good livings here through the years by exposing their clients to the great striper fishing. But Whitney is also a great striper fishery and, even though the stripers here are stocked and not as numerous as Texoma, the average size of fish landed tends to be a bit larger.
For hybrid stripers, Lake Cooper is at the top of the list while Tawakoni, Ray Hubbard and Richland Chambers run a close second.
Crappie
Lake Navarro Mills and Limestone provide some of the best crappie fishing in the state.
They share the No. 1 spot as my favorite, but Cedar Creek, Lavon, Richland Chambers, little Coffee Mill (in Northeast Texas) and Houston County (near Crockett) are great places to dunk a minnow for good eating papermouths.
There you have my take on the best places to fish in Texas.
I can almost guarantee you already have your personal favorites.
We're blessed with great fishing in the Lone Star State. So pick a species, then a lake and go get em'. Guide Billy Kilpatrick at Lake Lavon says the spawn is a done deal for this year and crappie have been in transition from shallow to deep water. Fishing has been good on live minnows at depths of 10-12 feet around standing timber.
Outdoor Tip of the Week
When fishing near bottom for catfish, try placing a small floater about 6 inches up from the hook.
Here's how to rig: Place an egg sinker on your line and then tie a swivel below. Next, attach an 18-inch leader to the bottom of the swivel. Attach the small float six inches above the hook. This rig float keeps the bait suspended a few inches up from bottom, making it much easier for catfish to position the bait in their mouth. This rig, nicknamed the Santee Rig, was originally designed for drift fishing, but it's equally effective when fishing stationary for catfish.
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