Sometimes you have to read between the lines to hook the true meaning of fishing report
I have been covering the outdoors for going on 25 years, and I feel fortunate to still be peddling along at a steady pace. Much of the credit goes to the fact that I live at the epicenter of some of the very best fishing and hunting territory in the South.
As I have said many times before, outdoors recreation is huge here. It is a passion for some and a pastime for others. For me, it is a way of life.
A big part of my job involves keeping close check on the fishing prospects on lakes and rivers across eastern Texas so I can pass the information along to readers. The goal is give anglers who might be planning a fishing trip a good idea of how others are catching fish, and ultimately help them achieve a little success of their own.
To get the most out of a fishing report you need to know the basic rules of the road and have at least an average understanding of the terminology anglers frequently use when discussing their games.
For instance, it helps to know the difference between a Texas rig and a topwater. Sort of like it helps to know the logic behind using live perch to target flathead catfish, or relying on brush piles to create sweet spots for summertime crappie.
In the segments that follow I'll break down a few fishing scenarios that are frequently played out on lakes across Texas, then offer up some explanations to help beginners learn to read between the lines.
n Scene 1: Bass are fair using Ribbit Frogs around scattered grass and lily pads. Watermelon pattern Senkos are effective along outside grass lines early in the day, then switching to Carolina rigs dragged on main lake points.
Explanation: When "fair" is used in a fishing report it usually means there isn't much to get excited about. A fair bite means anglers are catching a few fish, but they are having to work to do it.
A Ribbit Frog is a soft plastic frog imitation with paddle tail feet that kick and sputter as the bait skims across the surface. It produces explosive strikes that will hook a beginner on topwater fishing for life. A Senko is a highly versatile soft plastic bait available in a wide range of colors. Watermelon is a greenish hue that works extremely well in relatively clear water.
Shaped like a Bic pen, the Senko is plump in the middle and skinny at both ends. It can be rigged a number of ways depending on the situation. Texas style and wacky style rank among the most popular rigging methods.
An outside grass line is the outermost edge of a grass bed. The line typically forms where the water becomes too deep for aquatic vegetation such as hydrilla or milfoil to continue growing. Bass will utilize an outside grass edge as a staging or holding spot before moving into the shallows to spawn, or as a hiding spot to ambush forage.
A Carolina rig is a method for rigging soft plastics that works well in open water void of brush. The key is to drag the rig across the bottom by slowly sweeping the rod with a sideward motion.
Points are formed by the geographic lay of the land. There are two types of points -- main lake and secondary. Any point located beyond the mouth of a creek is considered main lake. Points that originate from the shoreline are the most obvious. Points that form beneath the surface are more difficult to find, but the rewards can be worth it. The finger-like anatomy of a point can vary from gently sloping to sharply dropping.
• Scene 2: Catfish are taking punch bait and fresh shad soaked in skinny water on wind blown points.
Explanation: Punch bait is a manufactured catfish bait that typically comes in a small jar or tub. The best way to place it on a treble hook is to shove the hook into the smelly bait using a wooden spoon or stick to avoid getting it on your hands -- thus the name, punch bait.
Shad are succulent forage fish on which game fish feed. Anglers frequently use cast nets to catch them. The fresher the bait, the better.
Soaking a bait in skinny water means fishing it on bottom water that is three feet deep or shallower. A wind blown point defines a spot where wind is causing waves to crash in on a point of land that juts off the shoreline. Wind and wave action pushes tiny zooplankton near the shoreline, which in turn attracts bream, shad and other forage species preferred by catfish and other predators.
• Scene 3: Crappie are good beneath bridges in 25 feet of water, mainly on live shiners suspended at 7 to 14 feet.
Explanation: A good bite always sounds encouraging, because it generally means the fish are being cooperative.
The best bridges for crappie are highway crossings built across open water with some depth to it. The fish like to hang out in large groups, usually in relation to the bridge support pilings, the horizontal cross members that connect the pilings, or along a channel where it passes beneath the bridge.
Proper bait placement is critical when the fish are suspended between the surface and bottom in deep water. Crappie will occasionally swim up to take a bait, but will rarely swim down, out of their comfort zone.
• Scene 4: Trotliners are picking up blue cat and channel cat using cut bait; most live bait is left hanging.
Explanation: A trotline consists of a heavy main line that is stretched across the water between two stumps or other anchor points. Hooks are placed on leaders and staged three or more horizontal feet apart.
Cut bait generally refers to bream, shad, buffalo or carp that have been diced into small pieces to bait individual hooks. Live bait left hanging indicates the catfish are feeding more on cut bait than whole, live perch.
• Scene 5: White bass are busting Rat-L-Traps and topwaters fished beneath the birds at first light, then switching to slabs on deep points once the sun gets up.
Explanation: White bass are school fish by nature. Occasionally, they will herd shad to the surface when feeding. It happens most frequently during low light conditions.
On many lakes, gulls and other diving birds will hover above the feeding sprees and pick off dead or dying shad left behind by feeding white bass. Anglers can hedge in on the action by watching for hovering gulls. Some use binoculars so they can find potential hotspots from a considerable distance.
As a rule, roving whites will relocate to underwater points and other structure at deeper depths as the sun climbs high in the sky. Anglers can use their electronics to locate schools of fish and use heavy spoons or slabs that get to bottom quickly to exploit them.
n Matt Williams is a freelance writer based in Nacogdoches. He can be reached by e-mail, mattwilliams@netdot.com.
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