22 minute read
Pike on the Edge
by DOUG PIKE :: TF&G Senior Contributing Editor
The Good, Bad, and Ugly of Last Year’s Troubles
LET’S TAKE A LOOK, SHALL we, at the short- and long-term impacts of COVID 19 and the 2021 February freeze on Texas’s sheries and shermen.
When the world shut down because of COVID, local, state and national lawmakers felt rightfully obliged to keep us all safe—from each other, of course. However, in many cases also from ourselves. It was as if we weren’t able to protect ourselves without supervision.
I’m entirely convinced that most Texans, given the choice, would have made good personal-health decisions as they watched a dreadful disease kill tens of thousands of people around the country. e obvious good that came from those early, oddball and hard-to-understand restrictions was the undeniable avoidance of some unknown number of infections and deaths. e bad was that more than a few local jurisdictions felt compelled to join the shutdown parade. ey exercised kneejerk options to deny access to such relatively safe places as boat ramps, beaches and parks.
All three rank among the safest places we could have gone during that time. When we desperately needed fresh air and sunshine, we were told to stay home. at was not good for our emotional health. e ugly started when outdoors-loving Texans who are accustomed to moving freely around their beloved state were told “No!” to enjoying its natural resources. But for the occasional trip to the grocery store in search of toilet paper, we were under house arrest.
We needed access to the outdoors. As always, it o ers families and their close, trusted friends opportunities to stretch their bodies and minds beyond the suddenly depressing con nes of home.
Closed beaches? at was somewhat ridiculous. I’ve shed the beachfront hundreds of times and not once, ever, stood for 15 minutes or more within six feet of anyone.
Nor can I recollect any time when I stood shoulder-to-shoulder with someone at a boat ramp for a quarter-hour. I’d guess that even at coastal bait camps, in a summertime line for live croakers, shermen wouldn’t have minded pu ing two yards between themselves as they waited to ll their buckets.
Fast forward to February of 2021 and the horri c failure of this state’s power suppliers to supply power during one of the worst freezes in recorded history. It was, for hours or days—or even weeks in some areas, not unlike living in the Stone Age. Except that people who lived then didn’t know what was missing as the temperature dropped and the sun set. ey just dealt with it or died.
However, we made it, relatively unscathed in most households. Also, we learned a lot about how tough we could get when the chips are frozen.
Inland sheries survived the deep freeze with relatively minor loss. Not so, our coastal sheries, however. ey hadn’t dealt with such temperature extremes since the 1980s.
We held our breath as temperatures rose and dead sh oated. Not long a erward, speculation began on every coastal corner about how many sh we’d lost—especially speckled trout, the perennial favorite of coastal shermen whatever the weather.
We’ll never know precisely how many Texas trout succumbed to the cold, but it’s fair to say there was notable loss from the Sabine River mouth to the Rio Grande. e good that came from this was a lasting revival and onset of interest in conservation. is happened even among people who might not have leaned that way prior to the freeze. ey saw the dead sh, whether in person or in pictures. ey heard about dead trout from friends and neighbors and guides and podcasts and radio shows. e ugliest aspect of that event showed up in photographs of people continuing to string full limits of trout almost immediately a er weather abated. ere was no shortage of photos of dead sh on decks or conversation among shermen deluding themselves that they did no harm by continuing to sh as if nothing had changed.
Despite being told how important it was to wait before killing more sh until we learned what the freeze had claimed, some people just kept on grinding. ey took what they considered to be their fair share on a regular basis. e freeze revealed who actually cared about the resource—and who cared more about personal bragging rights. It was also interesting to see how many people’s stringer shots and boastful posts were NOT met with the level of constructive criticism I expected.
Conservationists on social media applauded each other for not keeping trout while the others continued to make themselves look more sel sh—but were not called to task for doing so.
Now, we’re a year past the freeze and two years into what history books likely will recall as another major pandemic. Now, we’re be er at dealing with cold, and we’re be er at continuing to function during a global pandemic. at is good. We’re also talking more about conserving and rebuilding our natural resources. As a lifelong Texan, I think that’s great.
Email Doug Pike at ContactUs@fi shgame.com
AKE CONROE IS AN anomaly. Covering approximately 20,000 acres and 21 miles from the dam to the West Fork of the San Jacinto River, it is indeed a large lake. But it’s nowhere the size of mammoth Texas reservoirs such as Sam Rayburn and Texoma.
It is also a reservoir with sparse natural vegetation and has more shoreline development than any other major Texas water body.
Yet, it continues to produce monstersized fish on a regular basis.
From Scott Stephen’s 14.25 pounder ShareLunker largemouth caught in 2021 to regular 8 to 10 pounders caught in local and national tournaments, it is a phenomenal bass fishery. Ditto for catfish, crappie and bream, both in abundance and size.
We have investigated Lake Conroe and have found some fascinating factors regarding why it continues to give up world-class bass and will likely continue to do so in the coming years.
NUMBERS AND COVER
Conroe’s early struggles with grass carp introduction are well-documented. However, the historical outflow of that with the response of anglers and fisheries managers is part of the lake’s success.
During a fishing trip and photo shoot with Bassmaster Elite Series pro Keith Combs, we were able to get some great insight on the lake.
Combs, who won two Toyota Texas Bass Classics (world championships) on the lake, has a truly unique perspective on its trophy bass fishery.
The current lake record largemouth bass, caught in January 2009, weighed 15.93 pounds and measured 27 inches in length. That was one of four fish entered into the Toyota ShareLunker Program (for bass 13 pounds or larger) in the 2008/2009 season. Overall, at the time of this writing, Conroe has produced 19 fish for that program.
The aforementioned grass carp issue inspired anglers early on to put out manmade reefs and structure. This has helped the bass as many amateur anglers are not as familiar with catching largemouths in deeper manmade structure as they are around docks and grasslands.
That gives big bass, which spend much of their time in deep water, an edge.
In our investigation, we came across an old study on Lake Conroe’s bass that spanned seven years. The study related to preying on fish specifically during the juvenile phase.
The study found that when the lake had more natural cover, little bass consumed few fish. In fact, few bass measuring four inches or smaller ate fish and did not start doing so frequently until reaching five inches.
“Following the elimination of all submerged vegetation by grass carp, fish were consumed by most largemouth bass 2.5 inches or longer. The initiation of piscivorous (preying specifically on fish) behavior at smaller sizes resulted in significantly faster first-year growth for all largemouth bass year-classes produced after vegetation removal. Although shifts in the structure of the forage fish community occurred, ample fish prey existed for largemouth bass before and after vegetation removal.”
Lake Conroe Has Giant Catfi sh, Too!
IT’S NOT JUST BIG BASS THAT DRAWS ANGLERS TO CONROE. Catfi sh are the most abundant sportfi sh on the lake.
The lake record channel catfi sh weighed a whopping 18.50 pounds and was caught by Jody Baughman in 2011. The record blue came in 2019 on gizzard shad and weighed 67 pounds. The lucky angler was Morris Taymon.
Flatheads roam the lake as well and way back in 1990, Jimmie Lee Johnson bagged an absolutely monstrous 86 pounder.
When it comes to catfi sh, Conroe has an incredible amount to offer and is one of the closest things to a guarantee that anglers can fi nd in Texas.
For more information on connecting with fi shing opportunities on Lake Conroe, go to www.visitconroe.com.
Tinkering with nature can have many results. It is entirely possible that all of the factors that have fallen into place on Lake Conroe have helped it become a premier big bass destination.
STOCKING
Speaking of enhancing what nature has to o er, Texas Parks & Wildlife Department (TPWD) o cials have actively stocked Conroe with Florida bass for decades.
TPWD has stocked more than two million Florida bass ngerlings into the lake since 2010, boosting not only its population, but genetic potential for monster sh.
Strategically releasing them into areas with the best cover has provided strong survival opportunities and yielded big bass on the lake.
On top of that according to (TPWD) o cials over the last 15 years have worked diligently on habitat management actions. is includes maintenance of the native aquatic vegetation nursery below Lake Conroe and the deployment of large sh a ractor structures at 14 sites.
In addition, they have planted a ve-mile stretch of shoreline in the Caney Creek arm with native vegetation. is has helped mitigate some of the negative impacts of shoreline development.
THE PANFISH CONNECTION
Conroe is a top-tier pan sh lake. e lake has some of the biggest bream to be found anywhere in Texas with one-pound sh not uncommon. e crappie shery is also phenomenal in sh size and abundance, both.
Big perch are a great prey species for big bass. Studies show that large bass o en change their dietary preferences to larger sh. Calorically, It makes more sense to eat a one-pound bream instead of chasing a hundred shad.
With bass, bream and crappie o en inhabiting the same manmade cover on the lake, Conroe’s giant bass don’t have to go far to grab a giant protein-rich meal that sustains them and helps them grow to epic proportions.
Additionally, this pan sh shery o ers excellent opportunities for families and serious perch a cionados to catch a mess of sh for the frying pan. But beware, if you tie on a shiner to catch a slab crappie, a lunker largemouth might just take it from you.
HOT STREAK
Lake Conroe is coming o a hot streak in 2021 with more than 20 sh entered in the ShareLunker’s Elite, Lunker and Legacy categories. e smallest sh recognized here is eight pounds. However, many anglers are not aware the program has expanded beyond its 13-pound-plus origins.
Looking at local tournament weigh-ins, it’s easy to see Lake Conroe is cranking out quality sh on a frequent basis. ere’s plenty of evidence to suggest more true monstersized sh are hiding around the deep docks, reefs and riprap on the lake. e lake has o en been referred to as “Houston’s Playground” for its popularity among all levels of water recreation, but it’s de nitely a legitimate home for some of the biggest bass found in Texas.
On the surface, perhaps it should not be, but a er examining the mysteries of Lake Conroe’s continual big bass production, it comes as no surprise to us.
For more information on connecting with shing opportunities on Lake Conroe, go to www.visitconroe.com.
Bassmaster Elite Series pro Keith Combs lands a nice bass near a dock on Conroe.
ABINE LAKE, LOCATED OUT OF PORT Arthur on the Texas/Louisiana border, is a unique ecosystem with incredible fishing opportunities for redfish, speckled trout, flounder, and other species. Add Keith Lake, the Bessie Heights Marsh complex, and Sabine Pass, and this region offers hundreds of square miles of top-level saltwater action. However, in many ways, the area remains a mystery to most anglers other than locals who understand the intricacies of Texas’s smallest major bay.
Fed by two major rivers and surrounded by a massive complex of marsh estuary, Sabine Lake is the epicenter of a diverse regional fishery. Let’s take a month-by-month look at fishing highlights and strategies for the Sabine Lake region.
JANUARY: Cold weather doesn’t stop the bite on Sabine. In fact, at the Sabine Jetties, the sheepshead action is on fire this month. Anglers vertical jigging dead shrimp on a ¼-ounce jig head can score on limits of big sheepshead. Fish tight to the rocks anywhere from the Texas boat cut to the southern tip of the
Get a Free Sabine Area Fishing Guide
WANT TO STUDY UP ON THE SABINE AREA BEFORE YOUR FISHing trip? Go online to VisitPortArthurTx.com and click on the “fi shing” link to download a digital copy of the Sabine Lake Area Waterways Guide. You can also order a physical version via a form on the site.
If you’re interested in staying up to date on all things fi shing-related in Port Arthur, don’t forget to sign up for the Visit Port Arthur newsletter, also available at VisitPortArthurTx.com.com.
rocks. e action tends to be be er on the Gulf side, but when waters run clear the channel produces as well.
On warm a ernoons anglers begin to catch big trout on the wading ats south of Stewts Island as big sh move from the warmer depths of the Intracoastal Canal onto the ats to feed. Slow-sinking so plastics are the most e ective, but topwaters will produce, especially on unseasonably warm days when there’s just a slight ripple on the water.
FEBRUARY: Giant black drum are present here year-round, but more of them show up this month from the je ies into both the intake and outfall side of the Entergy Canal on the Neches River. Dead shrimp and crab shed around deep holes on the bo om are best.
Trout action continues on the wading ats and improves going into marsh. However, trout are also to be found in the deep bayous on the southern half of the Louisiana shoreline. Anglers should look for deeper parts of the canals and sh so plastics imitating mullet crawled slowly across the bo om.
MARCH: One of the keys to Sabine is understanding water ow. e big reef on the south end of Sabine at Mesquite Point heats up in years with much freshwater in ow.
Anglers shing eel-imitating so plastics in colors such as burnt orange, retiger, and other obtrusive pa erns on ¼- to ⅜-ounce jig heads to drag the bo om will entice big trout bites. e reef is the deepest spot on the lake. Because saltwater is heavier than fresh, this area is a sanctuary during spring oods.
APRIL: e Keith Lake system located just across the Sabine-Neches Waterway from Sabine Lake is great for red sh this month.
Anglers in shallow-water accessible bay boats, ski s, and kayaks can nd good tailing action in the interior of this estuary. Topwaters are highly e ective, especially lighter pa erns such as bone.
Keep an eye on tidal movements; it’s easy to get stuck in the farther reaches of this area.
MAY: Sabine je y action gets really good this month. On the Texas and Louisiana side for trout.
Early-rising anglers would do well to get to the je ies pre-dawn and sh topwaters along the rocks, especially toward the southern tip and around washouts.
Don’t be surprised if you get cut o . Spanish mackerel are also present. If you’re so inclined, they make a welcome addition to the morning’s catch. If you want to seek them speci cally, use a wire leader and tie on a silver spoon. You’ll have all the action you can handle.
JUNE: e red snapper shery in federal waters is scheduled to kick o June 1. Anglers venturing to the rigs can score on big ones beginning at about 25 miles o shore.
Ling (cobia), king mackerel, and tripletails are also abundant. Many anglers on their way back to shore stop at buoys and weed lines that might hold these cover-loving predators.
JULY: Sharks are on the scene in a big way this month. e je ies and nearshore oil platforms are loaded with blacktips, spinners, and Atlantic sharpnose sharks.
Anglers shing the Sea Rim surf also do good on sharks this month and those who sh overnight have over the last few years caught fair numbers of large bull sharks and a few lemon sharks as well. We’re talking big ones.
AUGUST: e peak of summer o ers great Sabine Lake red sh action. On super-hot days when the lake slicks o in the early a ernoon is a great time to nd schooling reds.
Anglers shing the mid-lake area and anywhere from a quarter to one mile from the Louisiana shoreline can nd big schools of
Sabine Lake has held the state record for fl ounder since 1976. The 13-pound fi sh caught by Herbert Endicott is on display at the Museum of the Gulf Coast in Port Arthur.
reds that will hit virtually anything you throw at them.
There are two things to remember here. The first is to not run right up to the school. Try to drift in if you can. If not, use your trolling motor. Big motors spook them.
Secondly, the best time to seek these schools is when everyone else is coming in for the day. Peak heat is peak redfish time.
SEPTEMBER: The surf at Sea Rim State Park is one of the best places in the state to land the bull redfish of a lifetime in September.
As the big bulls start gathering to spawn, thousands swim along this stretch of Upper Coast shoreline.
Look for high tides with a falling barometer for the best action. Dead mullet is the standard-issue bait, but anglers that can get (or catch for themselves) live croakers up to 10 inches long have a big chance of hanging into the biggest redfish of their lives.
OCTOBER: Things start to get serious for flounders this month. The mouth of the bayous along the Louisiana shoreline starts to load up with fish. Although most anglers fish the outgoing tide, incoming flows often outproduce up until the first big cold fronts.
Live mud minnows and Gulp! Swimming mullets are popular local flounder baits here.
NOVEMBER: November is the peak time to catch trout and redfish under the birds. Anglers watching for diving gulls on the north and south end of the lake can get serious rodbending action all month.
The biggest trout are typically caught on the outer edges of schools as are redfish. Sand trout often mix in with the specks, and some of them are big enough for the frying pan.
If you catch one sandie after another, move on. They often beat specks to your bait.
DECEMBER: Redfish action is good in the Bessie Heights Marsh area as well as in the northern tier of the Louisiana marsh in areas like Blacks Bayou. Dead mullet fished on the bottom around the shell is the best offering.
Big, freshwater blue cats are abundant as well and inhabit some of the same areas as the reds. They make a nice addition to a bag limit of reds.
A strong catch-and-release ethic has grown among big trout specialists at Sabine Lake and has helped the region continually produce solid fish.
EVER BRING A KNIFE TO A GUNFIGHT.” “Never shoot a gnat with an elephant gun.” “Don’t get caught with your pants down.” Those cliches describe being ill-equipped and unprepared, which translates to frustration in the world of fishing.
Bass fishing in particular, is super challenging, especially in pursuing big fish because of the largemouth’s finicky nature.
Florida bass introductions have created larger fish across Texas and much of the United States. However, Florida bass are even more temperamental than native strains, which made bass fishing more challenging.
That means anglers who consistently catch big bass need to be able to “match the hatch” or figure out exactly what the fish want in a specific time window. Although cueing on the size and color of lures involves virtually endless options, anglers have only a few styles of rods to match those choices.
Flipping a jig with your grandfather’s rod may be sentimental, but is it worth missing fish when you’re working a Carolina-rigged worm?
We’ve catalogued types of lures and bass fishing techniques to create a guide to help you match the rod to the hatch.
JIGS
Jigs are probably the best big bass lures as they are great for everything from working shallow docks to swimming across deep main lake structures.
Sometimes you need to bust out the spinning rod to score on big bass.
For jig shing, you need a “ ippin’ stick.” A ippin’ stick is made for baitcasting reels and typically is seven or seven and a half feet long and is medium-heavy or heavy action.
Spli ing the di erence between both standard ippin’ stick sizes is the seven-foot, three-inch heavy action/moderate-fast Bass X Rod from St. Croix. ese well-balanced rods are comfortable to sh with and have the proper backbone and tip action to allow anglers to engage in e ective jig shing.
FINESSE FISHING:
Going to the complete other side of the bass- shing spectrum is nesse shing. is requires the use of smaller lures and lighter lines and is the main reason pro bass shermen always have spinning combos on board.
For this you need a medium/extra fast rod such as the six-foot, eight-inch Victory spinning rod. is is perfect for vertical shing small drop shot rigs, chunking tube jigs around docks, and delivering small swimbaits when the bass are keyed in on smaller shad.
No bass shing arsenal is complete without a rig for nesse-style shing. at means even the most diehard casting rod a cionado needs to shop for spinning gear.
CRANKBAITS:
Texas is crankbait country. Legends such as Tommy Martin and Rick Clunn have made careers on their crankbait skills. ey sh lakes such as Conroe, Toledo Bend, and Sam Rayburn. Savvy bass anglers understand the best crankbait rods are not made of graphite. Graphite makes bite detection easy because of its super-sensitive nature, but it’s too sensitive for crankbaits. Bass will swim quickly to chase a crankbait, and the water the bass pushes onto the bait can signal a strike with a graphite rod. Glass rods are not as sensitive and allow for the sh to actually have the lure in its mouth before you feel the strike. A six foot, teninch or seven-foot, two-inch Mojo Bass Glass rod is perfect for crankbait shing. ese rods can service everything from standard-sized squarebills to larger deep divers. Additionally, glass rods can be excellent for topwater shing. Although relatively few anglers use them for surface shing.
Many anglers miss topwater strikes by se ing the hook too fast. With a glass rod, (if you can train yourself to “feel” the strike instead of going by the visual cue of the blowup only), then you have put yourself in a position to make an e ective hookset.
TEXAS RIG FISHING: e Texas rig has probably caught more bass than anything else in Texas waters. A er all, it IS a called the Texas rig. e simple bullet weight/hook/worm combo is easy to sh, and it’s super e ective. e seven-foot three-inch medium/heavy, moderate/fast Victory casting rod is excellent for this application, with the combination of enough backbone and action to make the technique impactful.
Texas rig shing is a great way to graduate kids from bream shing with nightcrawlers and bobbers to bass shing owing to its simple nature and the opportunity to get lots of bites.
Rod selection can be a fun process. ere’s no exact formula, but these suggestions can put you on your path to match the lure style to the proper gear.
By investing in rods speci cally made for your favorite techniques, you can increase your odds of success and increase the chance of catching your dream sh.
The X Factor
Bass X casting rods come in numerous models made for a variety of applications from fl ipping jigs to throwing spinners.
THE ST. CROIX BASS X LINE OF RODS IS FOR EVERYONE BIG ON BASS, BUT NOT big on budget. The Bass X series is an exceptional value, providing a comprehensive collection of rods that deliver legendary St. Croix performance.
These rods come with premium quality SCII graphite, hard aluminum-oxide guides with black frames; a Fuji DPS reel seat with a black hood; and a split-grip/ premium-grade cork handle. They are also backed by the St. Croix Superstar Service fi ve-year warranty. •
