Saltwater Fishing Report

Another giant from Lake Daniel

Many Texas fishermen don’t know where Lake Daniel is, but more do now. The 950-acre lake in Stephens County, about 10 miles south of Breckenridge, produced its second lunker of the season.

On March 18, Mike Ybarra landed a 15.66 pound largemouth from the lake, and the fish is the pending lake record by more than two pounds.

—TPWD

Mike Ybarra reeled in this 15.66-pound largemouth from Lake Daniel near Breckenridge. Photo from TPWD.

Bass on the move

Continued from page 1

Kellie Renfro landed

this 13.27-pound bass on Lake Nacogdoches on 12-pound line while fishing with her husband, Brandon Renfro. Photo by Brandon Renfro.

get my lure hung up on something, so after I set the hook, I really did think I had just hooked a stump,” Renfro said.

Renfro quickly changed her mind as the stump she thought she had hooked started to pull.

“Once the fish surfaced near the boat, we knew it was a giant,” she explained. “It ran around the boat and jumped twice before we were able to net her.”

The Renfros realized they had just boated a special trophy. The bass weighed in at 13.27 pounds and became a family record for them.

Renfro was throwing a lightweight Carolina rig with a watermelon-red V&M Baby Swamp Hog in 8 feet of water off of a secondary point with scattered grass, while using a spinning rod and 12-pound test line.

“We had caught several fish over 5 pounds and one in the 8-pound class about a week prior in the same area,” she said.

East Texas guide Wyatt Frankens said Lake Nacogdoches is holding some hefty bass.

“If you’re fishing near grass, you’re in the right area,” he said. “Traditional staging areas, such as secondary points in 8 to 9 feet of water, are holding trophy-sized fish.”

Shaky heads, lipless crankbaits and other reaction strike baits have been producing bass pushing double digits for Frankens on the lake.

Frankens also has been fishing on Sam Rayburn Reservoir, where he said the bite has been a little more consistent.

“Areas with hydrilla seem to be holding the most bass right now,” he said. “Most of the hydrilla is located from mid lake areas and to the south.”

The action outside of areas with hydrilla has been slower. Frankens has been fishing fairly shallow around vegetation and over grass, focusing on stretches with 5 feet of water or less.

“Small, 3 to 4-inch swimbaits have been the ticket around shallow grass and hydrilla,” he said. “Most of these fish are males in the 2 to 4-pound range.”

Anywhere there is a creek channel that makes a hard swing also has provided action.

“From the mouth of major spawning creeks to the back of them, water depths from 8 to 15 feet have been producing a ton of bites from heavier, female bass,” he elaborated. “Shaky heads in natural color patterns have been hard to beat along these creek channels.”

On Choke Canyon Reservoir, guide Travis Cockerham said most of the bigger fish are holding in and around the outside of drains in anywhere from 3 to 7 feet of water.

“Just about all of the bass we have been catching lately have been fooled by a chatterbait,” Cockerham said. “Swim jigs have also been drawing a few strikes.”

The smaller, buck bass are pushing up to shallower areas ahead of the larger females.

“Most of the trophy fish are staging, waiting to move up shallow towards the backs of creek,” Cockerham said.

On Lake Fork, guide Stoney Stout said there are plenty of females staging ahead of the peak spawning period.

“I’ve been locating fish suspended from 8 to 15 feet of water on creek bends,” he said. “Suspending jerkbaits have been producing the most strikes for me. Spinner baits with a willow blade and Colorado blade combination in natural color patterns have also been working well.”

Most of the fish Stout has been catching have ranged from 3 to 7 pounds.

TEXAS SALTWATER FISHING REPORT

SABINE LAKE: 62 degrees. Trout and redfish are good in the Sabine Channel on glow/chartreuse plastics. Flounder are good on scented shrimp. Black drum are good on live shrimp and mullet.

BOLIVAR: 62 degrees. Redfish, speckled trout and black drum are fair at the jetties on shrimp under a popping cork on the beach side and up against the rocks on free-lined live shrimp.

TRINITY BAY: 65 degrees. Speckled trout and redfish are fair on live shrimp fished under popping corks.

EAST GALVESTON BAY: 63 degrees. Speckled trout and redfish are fair for wadefishermen on soft plastics and swimbaits.

WEST GALVESTON BAY: 64 degrees. Trout and redfish are fair over structure on soft plastics and shrimp under a popping cork.

TEXAS CITY: 62 degrees. Bull redfish and oversized black drum are fair at the jetties on halved crab. Steady action on oversized black drum.

FREEPORT: 62 degrees. Redfish are good in the surf on live shrimp and mullet. Trout are fair in the bay drifting shell and mud with soft plastics. Flounder are fair on catches on live shrimp and mullet.

EAST MATAGORDA BAY: 62 degrees. Speckled trout are slow to fair on soft plastics. Redfish and black drum are good on live shrimp under a popping cork.

WEST MATAGORDA BAY: 62 degrees. Redfish and black drum are good on live shrimp under a popping cork. Speckled trout are slow.

PORT O’CONNOR: 63 degrees. Speckled trout are slow to fair on live shrimp and artificial shrimp. Oversized redfish are good and slot redfish are fair on sardines, shrimp and lipless crankbaits. Oversized and slot black drum are good on dead shrimp.

ROCKPORT: 60 degrees. Redfish are good on scented plastics, spoons and paddle tails. Speckled trout are fair on top-waters and soft plastics. Black drum are good on dead shrimp.

PORT ARANSAS: 65 degrees. Redfish are good on mullet, crab and shrimp. Speckled trout are slow. Black drum are good drifting shrimp under a popping cork.

CORPUS CHRISTI: 66 degrees. Oversized black drum are good on cut crab. Speckled trout are slow.

BAFFIN BAY: 60 degrees. Speckled trout, redfish and drum are good on live shrimp under a popping cork.

PORT MANSFIELD: 65-75 degrees. Speckled trout and redfish are fair near scattered grass on soft plastics.

SOUTH PADRE: 66 degrees. Speckled trout are good on flats on shrimp. Redfish are slow.

PORT ISABEL: 66 degrees. The gas well flats are good for speckled trout on shrimp. Redfish are slow. Flounder are fair on soft plastics.

—TPWD