Fantasy Friday
Friday is a day when a lot of people fantasize about escape to a fly fishing adventure somewhere new, or the same old fishing hole, the biggun lurking in wait for that fly to pass them by. I am no different, except that I probably dream it first, then wake up on Friday, and have a day head start on the dream.
So where do we dart the map this weekend? I know I have had a bit of Ray Roberts lately, with three straight days last week to film a new Texas Fly Caster episode. That is done, and in the can, so let’s go somewhere else, what do you say?
LEWISVILLE LAKE
One factor in traveling to fly fish for me is distance. In all honesty, Lewisville Lake is the same distance from my door as Lake Ray Roberts. And in all honesty, for whatever reason Lewisville has a population of much larger carp I have seen and caught* in distant years past. The downside of Lewisville is pretty steep though. It earned the title “deadliest lake in Texas” for a few years, sealing its reputation as an overcrowded city on the water during the warmer months and holiday weekends. Lewisville Lake is also subject to an extraordinary amount of pollution. Whether it is fertilizer runoff, or fallout from hundreds of thousands of cars passing right over the lake every day, I do not know. I do know that I have caught a freakshow of fish on Lewisville. Fish with growths, and holes in them … all kinds of strange things.
*I “caught” a 15-20-pound-range carp by hand once, when I waded into a far north finger of Lewisville Lake that runs under HWY 380 just east of Denton. It was a scary wade because the bottom was unknown, mucky and snake-y looking. Giant carp were splashing around everywhere in full spawn (and not eating), so I just caught one by hand … so big it slapped me in the face and flew away.
OUT OF THE HOOD
Driving out of the neighborhood takes us to more distant lakes, and that means less knowledge on board. Grapevine Lake has blown me around in several years past — that lake really takes in the wind because of its configuration. That lake has also had 2019 facility damage due to this year’s spring floods, and is crowded most of the time.
The list goes on as the circle widens. Texoma has huge striper action happening right now. Whitney has some kind of “fish kill” effecting their striper population …
TEXAS PRAIRIES & LAKES REPORT FROM TPWD
Athens
Water clear; 88–92 degrees; 0.28′ low. Black bass are fair on Texas rigged worms, swim jigs and weightless Flukes. Crappie are fair on minnows. Catfish are fair on trotlines.
Bastrop
Water stained; 84–88 degrees. Black bass are fair on spinnerbaits and Rat–L–Traps. Crappie are slow. Channel and blue catfish are good on shrimp and nightcrawlers. Yellow catfish are slow.
Belton
Water stained; 83–87 degrees; 0.16′ low. Black bass are fair on soft plastic worms. Hybrid striper are fair on live shad. White bass are slow. Crappie are slow. Channel and blue catfish are slow. Yellow catfish are good on trotlines baited with live perch and frozen shad.
Benbrook
Water stained; 88–91 degrees; 3.62′ low. Black bass are slow on deep diving crankbaits, Carolina rigged worms and weightless Senkos. Crappie are slow on minnows. White bass are good on slabs. Catfish are fair on trotlines.
Bonham
Water lightly stained; 87–92 degrees; 0.97′ low. Black bass are slow on Texas rigged creature baits, topwaters, and shallow crankbaits. Crappie are fair on minnows. Catfish are fair on trotlines.
Bridgeport
Water lightly stained; 86–91 degrees: 1.68′ low. Black bass are slow on Texas rigged worms, shallow crankbaits and shakyhead worms. Crappie are fair on minnows. White bass are good on slabs. Hybrid striper are fair on slabs. Catfish are fair on trotlines.
Cedar Creek
Water lightly stained; 87–91 degrees, 1.04′ low. Black bass are slow on football jigs, Carolina rigged creature baits and medium crankbaits. Crappie are fair on minnows. Catfish are good on trotlines. White bass are good on slabs. Hybrid striper are good on slabs.
Cooper
Water stained; 90–100 degrees; 1.05′ low. Black bass are slow on Senkos, Texas rigged craws and weightless Flukes. Crappie are slow on minnows. Hybrid striper and white bass are fair on slabs.
Eagle Mountain
Water lightly stained; 87–91 degrees; 1.36′ low. Black bass are fair on squarebill crankbaits, shakyhead worms and deep crankbaits. Crappie are fair on minnows. Catfish are fair on trotlines.
Fairfield
Water lightly stained. Black bass are fair on Texas rigged creatures, swim jigs and topwaters. No report on other species.
Fayette
Water stained. Black bass are fair on crankbaits, spinnerbaits, and Rat–L–Traps. Channel and blue catfish are good on minnows and stinkbait over baited holes.
Gibbons Creek
Water stained. Black bass are fair on pumpkinseed soft plastic worms with chartreuse tails, and on green crankbaits and spinnerbaits. Crappie are fair on minnows and white tube jigs. Catfish are good on stinkbait, nightcrawlers, and live bait.
Granbury
Water stained; 83–87 degrees; 0.25′ low. Black bass are slow. Striped bass are fair on white striper jigs and silver spoons. White bass are slow. Crappie are fair on minnows and green tube jigs. Catfish are good on stinkbait and nightcrawlers.
Grapevine
Water stained; 88–91 degrees; 0.93′ high. Black bass are fair on Magnum shakyhead worms, topwaters and Texas rigged craws. White bass and hybrid bass are fair on slabs. Crappie are fair on minnows. Catfish are good on trotlines.
Joe Pool
Water stained; 87–92 degrees; 1.27′ low. Black bass are slow on shallow crankbaits, Texas rigged craws and shakyhead worms. White bass are fair on slabs. Crappie are fair on minnows. Catfish are fair on trotlines.
Lavon
Water stained; 87–91 degrees: 1.99′ low. Black bass are slow on Texas rigged creature baits, shallow crankbaits and shakyhead worms. White bass are fair on slabs. Crappie are slow on minnows. Catfish are good on trotlines.
Lewisville
Water stained; 87–90 degrees; 0.41′ low. Black bass are fair on squarebill crankbaits, Texas rigged creature baits and Carolina rigged worms. White bass are fair on slabs. Crappie are slow on minnows. Catfish are fair on trotlines and prepared bait.
Navarro Mills
Water stained; 86–90 degrees; 0.99′ low. Black bass are slow. White bass are good on Little Georges near the boat ramp in Liberty Hill Park. Crappie are fair but mostly small on minnows over brush piles in 12–16 feet. Channel catfish are good on stinkbait and shrimp. Blue catfish are good on trotlines and juglines baited with perch. Yellow catfish are good on trotlines baited with perch.
Palestine
Water lightly stained; 88–91 degrees; 0.53′ low. Black bass are good on shakyhead worms, Texas rigged craws and shakyhead worms. Crappie are fair on minnows. Hybrid striper are good on minnows. White bass are fair on slabs. Catfish are fair on trotlines.
Proctor
Water stained; 83–87 degrees; 1.17′ low. Black bass are fair on watermelon crankbaits and spinnerbaits. Striped bass are fair on live shad. White bass are good on minnows and shad. Crappie are good on minnows and blue tube jigs. Channel and blue catfish are good on trotlines and juglines baited with shrimp and shad. Yellow catfish are fair on trotlines baited with live bait.
Ray Hubbard
Water lightly stained; 88–92 degrees; 1.48′ low. Black bass are slow on medium crankbaits, Texas rigged craws and weightless Senkos. Crappie are fair on minnows. White bass are fair on slabs. Hybrid striper are good on slabs. Catfish are good on trotlines.
Ray Roberts
Water lightly stained: 87–91 degrees; 0.39′ low. Black bass are fair on Senkos, Carolina rigged worms and football jigs. White bass are fair on slabs. Crappie are fair on minnows. Catfish are fair on trotlines.
Richland Chambers
Water lightly stained; 88–92 degrees; 1.01′ low. Black bass are fair on topwaters, spinnerbaits and Texas rigged craws. White bass are fair on slabs. Hybrid striper are good on slabs. Crappie are slow on minnows. Catfish are slow on trotlines.
Somerville
Water murky; 84–88 degrees; 4.08′ high. Black bass are fair on crankbaits and Rat–L–Traps. Hybrid striper are slow. White bass are fair on minnows. Crappie are fair on minnows. Channel and blue catfish are slow. Yellow catfish are slow.
Stillhouse
Water murky; 82–86 degrees; 0.33′ low. Black bass are fair on spinnerbaits and Rat–L–Traps. White bass are slow. Crappie are fair on minnows. Channel and blue catfish are fair on nightcrawlers and stinkbait. Yellow catfish are slow.
Tawakoni
Water stained; 89–92 degrees; 0.54′ low. Black bass are fair on Texas rigged creature baits, white swimjigs and buzzbaits. White bass are good on slabs. Hybrid bass are good on slabs and topwaters. Crappie are fair on minnows. Catfish are fair on trotlines and rod and reel.
Texoma
Water stained; 87–90 degrees; 0.42′ high. Black bass are good on topwaters, shakyhead worms and weightless Senkos. Crappie are fair on minnows. Striped bass are good on slabs. Catfish are fair on trotlines.
Weatherford
Water stained; 87–92 degrees; 1.41′ low. Black bass are slow on shakyhead worms, Ned rigs, and Texas rigged worms. Crappie are fair on minnows. Catfish are fair on trotlines.
Whitney
Water murky; 83–87 degrees; 4.72′ low. Black bass are fair on Rat–L–Traps and small spinnerbaits. Striped bass are slow. White bass are fair on Li’l Fishies. Crappie are fair on minnows. Catfish are good on shrimp and stinkbait.
Category: Adventure, Backcasting, Fishing Reports, Fly Fishing For Carp, Fly Fishing for Largemouth Bass, North Texas
