Second half of 2010 holds plenty of hot fishing spots
Recently, I offered a statewide look at monthly hot spots for fishing the first half of 2010 -- destinations that are sure to please regardless of your angling prowess. Most of these locales require a boat to get to areas that aren't pressured as much; however, almost all of these bodies of water can be fished from the bank and in some cases waded.
In case you missed it, here's a quick refresher of the first six fishing spots: Choke Canyon largemouths in January; Toledo Bend crappie in February; Lake Fork largemouths in March; Lake Buchanan blue catfish in April; Richland-Chambers white bass in May; and Lake Texoma stripers in June.
The best way to tackle any of these great fisheries in their peak month for the first time is to either do plenty of research or hire a guide.
Here are your best bets for the second half of 2010.
July
Channel catfish at Lake Tawakoni
West Tawakoni was deemed the "Catfish Capital of Texas" by the state legislature in 2001, and Tawakoni's massive channel catfish population continues to thrive. Anglers can use stink bait and cut bait to haul in limits of the tasty fish, and one proven tactic is to bring along sour grain to bait holes you intend to fish.
The easiest channel cat rig is a treble hook below an egg sinker. Bait the hook with punch baits or any other kind of offering you've got.
The bag limit is 25 fish at least 12 inches long, and if you've got a couple of friends or family members with you, it can make for plenty of fillets destined for the peanut oil.
August
Speckled trout at Upper Laguna Madre
The area south of Corpus Christi and past Baffin Bay is an ecosystem suited to speckled trout -- big ones, too -- and if you had to pick one area to focus on during late summer, whether you prefer to fish from a boat or wade, the top portion of the "Mother Lagoon" is your best bet.
The deeper channels of the Intracoastal Waterway often will hold fish as they move deeper when temperatures warm. The fish come up to shallower waters on the flats when it gets cooler as they search for baitfish.
Live bait remains a tried and true staple, and catching your own often can be done with a castnet while patrolling shorelines early in the morning. If you like to throw artificials, spoons, soft plastics and a variety of other creations work well.
September
Hybrid stripers at Lake Cooper
This often slept-on spot remains a great place to catch hybrids, and they can be caught on a variety of lures including topwaters, which makes for exciting action. You also can find hybrids using slabs and crankbaits, and the lake record is more than 11 pounds. When you consider that the cross between a striped bass and a white bass fights harder than either, you're talking about the fish of the year for many anglers.
October
Redfish at Sabine Pass
The natural outlet from Sabine Lake into the Gulf of Mexico south of Port Arthur is one of our state's most amazing ecosystems, and if you're looking for bull reds, the beaches along Sabine Pass top the list.
Look for schools of baitfish, and you'll find feeding redfish not far behind whether you're on the beachfront or even working from a pier.
Live bait works best in most scenarios, including for the wading angler, but don't overlook the venerable gold spoon or soft plastics on light jigheads, and always use stout tackle for these bruising battlers. If you're chunking live bait, circle hooks work best for increasing the chances of a solid hookup with a big fish; circle hooks don't require a big set.
November
Smallmouth bass at Lake Whitney
Eight of the top 10 smallmouth bass in Texas were caught in Lake Whitney. That's reason alone to set a trip for this Central Texas gem in search of smallies, who fight harder pound-for-pound than their largemouth cousins.
Look for rocky structure, especially along creek areas, and you'll find fish. Deep-diving crankbaits and sassy shads work as well as anything for finding smallies, which could be ganged up around main lake points in pursuit of moving schools of baitfish when they're not haunting other areas.
December
Largemouth bass at Falcon Reservoir
Falcon has long been one of Texas' top bass fisheries, and to no surprise, tournaments in recent years have helped turn it into a national hot spot.
At the April 2008 Bassmaster Elite Series event, all 12 finalists easily surpassed a four-day limit of 100 pounds -- that's 240 bass averaging 5 or more pounds.
The lake features great habitat including rock piles, standing timber and inundated vegetation. It's a prime lake for flipping and pitching in and around structure, but big fish also are caught on crankbaits and spinnerbaits along dropoffs and underwater channels that intersect staging areas.
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It should be another great year for anglers dreaming of quantity and quality, and even if you don't make it to any of these places in 2010, there are plenty of opportunities in lakes not far away.
Go catch some fun.
Will Leschper's e-mail address is wleschper@yahoo.com.
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