Photo by Earl Nottingham / TPWD

NICE CATCH

What's Biting in April

The weather’s gorgeous and the fish are biting.

By Evan Cartabiano, Todd Robison and John Tibbs

When Lake Fork comes to mind, so do ShareLunker largemouth bass. But there’s another species that finds these waters ideal, the channel catfish. Channel catfish in Lake Fork are numerous and achieve impressive sizes. The all-tackle lake record is 25 pounds; the rod-and-reel record is no slouch either at 18 pounds. These channel catfish are distributed throughout the lake and can be caught equally well from a boat or from shore just about all year long.

Channel cats tend to move shallower and usually spawn in May. During the spawn, the bigger fish become harder to catch, but there are plenty of eating-sized fish to be snagged.

Here are three tips to improve your odds of catching a limit.

USE CHUM

Chumming (or baiting) is a very effective way of concentrating the fish and getting them to feed. Cattle feed cubes are commonly used, as is soured field corn. If you can get out a day or two ahead of time and get the chum in, your odds of catching a fish right away improve greatly. If you can chum a couple of different spots, even better. Always be sure to fish right around your chum for best results.

if you don’t catch fish quickly, move

Lake Fork is full of catfish. Most of the time they’re willing to eat, so if you don’t get a bite within 20 or 30 minutes, try a new spot. While Lake Fork is full of timber, and the channel catfish like to be in it, they can also be caught in open water where the fishing is much simpler and tackle losses are lower.

Try different baits

The traditional catfish stink baits catch lots of catfish, but don’t overlook other baits that can do just as well, or sometimes even better. These include cut shad, shrimp, sweet corn, boilies (a European carp bait; pineapple seems to be a favorite), bread balls and worms.

Tackle can be as simple or as complex as you’d like.There are many snags, so don’t use ultra-light tackle if you want to land the bigger catfish — a minimum of 12-pound test is a good idea. Standard bass fishing rods and reels work nicely when fishing from a boat if a shorter cast is all that’s needed; lighter surf-fishing-type tackle is good for fishing from shore when a longer cast is needed.

On the end of the line, a standard running rig (Carolina rig) is hard to beat and gives good bite sensation. While channel cats have a big mouth, smaller hooks catch more fish and can still land the bigger ones — it’s hard to beat a circle hook in sizes 4 to 1/0. EC

Photo by Chase Fountain / TPWD

ALSO BITING

LAKE TEXOMA • CRAPPIE

When the redbuds are blooming, the crappie are booming. The crappie spawn on Lake Texoma usually coincides with the blooming of local redbud trees, an indicator to local anglers to grab their gear and head to the Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge, nestled in the southernmost end of the Big Mineral Arm of Lake Texoma.

In April, the water temperatures approach 60 degrees; this, in addition to increasing daylight length, triggers the crappie spawn. Crappie swim up area creeks and look for brush in 3 to 8 feet of water to build a nest and spawn. Big Mineral Creek offers the perfect blend of depth and brush.

Anglers can take full advantage by dropping a minnow or soft-bodied jig in and around the brush and shore (with or without a bobber) and then … hold on tight. If there’s a crappie nearby, it’s sure to strike. The refuge offers plenty of bank access and parking; if you want to launch a small boat, there’s a boat ramp near the creek.

Motorboats are allowed in the refuge from March 15 to Sept. 30. An afternoon of fishing here can produce limits of the most delicious freshwater fish Texas has to offer, all while taking in the scenery and wildlife of the majestic Hagerman National Wildlife Refuge. TR

Photo by Sonja Sommerfeld / TPWD

LAKE WACO • LARGEMOUTH BASS

Largemouth bass fishing has been hot on Lake Waco in recent years, and it shows no signs of stopping. Fish the backs of Hog, Speegleville or Reynolds creeks now for a chance at a big fish or try the timber and flooded strip pits around Flat Rock Access. There’s so much good habitat in these areas, you could spend an entire weekend fishing them all. The water is generally stained; if there has been recent rain, it can get a little turbid, particularly in the Hog Creek and Flat Rock areas. JT