LAKE ARROWHEAD

SURFACE AREA: 14,969 acres

MAXIMUM DEPTH: 45 feet

IMPOUNDED: 1966

LAKE ARROWHEAD IS RECOGNIZED AS a premier white crappie lake. Arrowhead also contains channel, blue, and flathead catfish. Largemouth bass fishing can be very good at times. Fish attractors have been added to the reservoir. See this symbol... ...on the map). u

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass

BEST BAITS: Wacky worms, jerkbaits

SOURCE: Lance Benson, TPWD 325-692-0921

Lance.Benson@tpwd.texas.gov

TIPS: Lake Cisco is a small impoundment in Eastland County approximately 1050 acres in size. It is surrounded by steep rocky bluffs that offer great fishing habitat. There are several docks on the lake that have great fishing opportunities. Try throwing a wacky worm or ned rig under the docks. As the water warms up, a floating jerk bait thrown near rocks and brush can produce some big strikes. Lake Cisco has very clear water in the main part of the lake and stained water in the creek areas. There is plenty of brush in the creek area that hold lots of fish. Spinnerbaits in the past have produced lots of quality fish in both size and numbers.

LOCATION: Lake Fort Phantom Hill

HOTSPOT: White Elephant Ramp

GPS: N 32 36.620, W 99 41.156 (32.61034, -99.68594)

Current Lake Levels West Texas

SPECIES: Largemouth, White and Hybrids

BEST BAITS: Crankbaits, spoons, jigs

SOURCE: Glenn Chancellor, TPWD 325-692-0921

Glenn.Chancellor@tpwd.texas.gov

TIPS: Located just North of Abilene, Fort Phantom offers great action on late spawn largemouth bass, white bass, and hybrid striped bass fishing. Fort Phantom covers a little over 4,000 acres with shallower creek channels and flooded timber on the south end, and steep rock on the north. Largemouth tend to have a late spawn in this reservoir, so heavy bass are still in the cards early April. If you are after hybrids dead stick around the dam and White Elephant ramp, or troll around the sailboat cove and main ramp. Later in the month white bass turn on can be found on most of the rocks, but especially right outside the main ramp cove.

LOCATION: Lake Granbury

HOTSPOT: River Near Tin Top

GPS: N 32 34.559, W 97 49.295 (32 34.559, -97 49.295)

SPECIES: Crappie (and more)

BEST BAITS: Small jigs with soft plastics in Electric Chicken and Chartreuse colors worked near structure near banks/docks

SOURCE: Michael W. Acosta

Unfair Advantage Charters

254-396-4855

TIPS: Swim or bounce your jigs across the bottom. Work the bends in the river and look for fish either in the deeper holes and when active on top of flats adjacent to the deeper water. Crappie will be spawning most creeks and sloughs all over the lake and in the river. Granbury water temperatures are in the 60’s. Spring patterns are in full force. Wintering Birds are still in place and are pointing anglers to active feeding fish from the dam to the river above Granbury. Passing cool fronts/storm fronts continue to dominate the weather pattern. Stripers are pushing baitfish to the surface. White bass are spawning, and many are moving back to the main lake. Jigs with soft plastics and jigging slabs continue to put sandbass in the boat. Catfish action is great on cut shad and hotdogs fished under deeper docks and creek entrances.

LOCATION: Lake Granbury

HOTSPOT: Granbury Indian Harbor Ditch

GPS: N 32 24.576, W 97 44.910 (32 24.576, -97 44.910)

SOURCE: Dean Heffner

940-329-0036

Fav7734@gmail.com

BEST BAITS: Live shad

SOURCE: Dean Heffner

940-329-0036

SPECIES: Largemouth bass

BEST BAITS: Jig and pig, plastics, spinner baits

SOURCE: Michael W. Acosta

Unfair Advantage Charters

254-396-4855

TIPS: Work your presentation around bedding areas/ seawalls and shallow structure. Small feeder creeks near housing additions will have numerous beds. The river above Granbury will also have blacks spawning in shallow flats off creek channels. Granbury water temperatures are in the 70’s. Spring patterns are in full force. Wintering Birds are still in place and are pointing anglers to active feeding fish on the main lake. Passing cool fronts/storm fronts continue to dominate the weather pattern.

LOCATION: Lake O.H. Ivie

HOTSPOT: North Island Channel Edge

GPS: N 31 32.584, W 99 40.663 (31.543067, -99.677717)

TIPS: March is spawning season, so everything is in a hurry to fatten up for the spawn, or has already headed that way. Best tactic is to first watch the birds; second, troll or flatline RatLTraps an crankbaits. This will help you locate fish instead of blindly blowing down the lake. Slow down and get in tune with the birds and the water, and you will get on fish faster. If you can them, live shad is the best bait. Otherwise, match the hatch and color. Stick to basic colors— white and chartreuse are on the list. Go slow, 2.8 mph. Keep what you want to eat and release the rest.

LOCATION: Lake Possum Kingdom

HOTSPOT: Cedar Creek

GPS: N 32 53.542, W 98 33.180 (32.893, -98.553)

Fav7734@gmail.com

TIPS: April is full on spawn, but the spawn I am chasing this month is the shad spawn. Look for the birds to put you on the bait. But be careful. If you get greedy and stuff your tank, you will lose them all, so take just enough Most livewels won’t hold but 3 to 5 dozen medium to small shad anyway. Once you get your bait, anywhere you go on PK you will catch fish . Start in 20 feet right off the bank where you caught your bait. Then use your graph to find a breakline and set up on it.

SPECIES: Largemouth Bass

BEST BAITS: Crankbaits

SOURCE: Texas Lakes & Bays

TIPS: Fish deep crankbaitss, work steep channel; dawn-dusk.

LOCATION: Lake Possum Kingdom

HOTSPOT: Peanut Patch

GPS: N 32 53.627, W98 30.998 (32.894, -98.517)

SPECIES: Striped bass

SPECIES: Striped bass

BEST BAITS: Live shad, RatLTraps, crankbaits

The following pages contain TIDE and SOLUNAR predictions for our Base Point, Galveston Channel (N 29.317, W 94.88)

Tidal movement and daily phases of the moon have varying degrees of influence on many fish and game species.

AM & PM MINOR phases occur when the moon rises and sets. These phases last 1 to 2 hours.

AM & PM MAJOR phases occur when the moon reaches its highest point overhead as well as when it is “underfoot” or at its highest point on the exact opposite side of the earth from your positoin (or literally under your feet). Most days have two Major Feeding Phases, each lasting about 2 hours.

PEAK TIMES: Our Forecast Calendar uses both Tide and SoLunar projections to predict the best fishing times and days. Generally, if a SoLunar Period (Major/Minor) falls within an hour of sunrise or sunset, fishing conditions should be better. On certain days where Tidal Activity is stronger, the best fishing times may fall ouside the normal SoLunar range. While tides are not a direct factor in FRESHWATER FISHING, SoLunar Activity still accounts for increased feeding activity in freshwater species. It is also a prime factor in the movement and feeding habits of game species.

Tide Conversion Table

SOLUNAR ACTIVITY is shown in the Green Boxes on the Calendar pages. Moon Overhead and Underfoot times are given in the SoLunar Box and illustrated on the Fishing Graph. Use the SOLUNAR ADJUSTMENT SCALE on the map below to adjust times for points East and West of our Base Point at Galveston Channel.

TIDE e lead singer and guitarist for the all-female rock band Plush has done everything from sing with metal legends Stryper to compete on television’s e Voice

PREDICTIONS are located in the White Area at the top of the Calendar Pages. You can use the CONVERSION TABLE below to make adjustments. It is keyed to 23 other tide stations along the Texas Coast (see these map icons: T1 ). Adjust low and high tide times, plus or minus in minutes, from the times given for the Base Point at Galveston Channel.

ORIAH FORMICA IS a powerful, young vocal sensation.

And last December, she wrapped up a massive tour singing with TransSiberian Orchestra with two sold-out shows in San Antonio.

Her greatest love, however, is shing.

“Fishing is probably the only place where I feel totally at peace. I just love it,” Formica said.

Turned onto shing at a very young age by shing with her father, she said the sh that really hooked her into the sport was a bass.

“I remember when I was really li le, catching a nice bass and that really did it for me. When you’re a kid and catch a 3-4 pound bass you think it’s a giant,” she said.

A native of upstate New York, Formica has plenty of opportunities to catch largemouth and smallmouth as well as other top inland sport sh. A friend asked her if she wanted to sh a pond on family property, and not expecting much, she hooked into one of her favorite-ever catches. e Trans-Siberian Orchestra tour was very time-consuming, as most stops had a 3 p.m. and a 7 p.m. show, so shing was not an option. When she’s out with Plush, however, she loves to sh when she gets a chance.

“It was just this tiny pond, but I caught a big pike. I love to sh ponds, and really any kind of waterway, because you never know what you might catch,” she said.

“We were at a venue in North Carolina and they had pictures of people with sh they had caught and I found some shing gear up against the wall. So, I asked around and they had a pond there for people who play there to sh, which I did before the show and a er,” she said.

Although most barriers to women shing have been obliterated, some young girls might still feel a little hesitant to get involved if they’re the only female in their family or friend group into it.

Formica said they should grab a rod and reel and hit the water.

“For any girls that are into shing and maybe none of their friends are, I was that girl. I am that girl. Keep at it and have fun. It brings a lot to my life, and it will a lot to yours.”

(You can hear Formica on the T&FG-sponsored podcast Higher Calling Wildlife with Chester Moore on all major podcasting platforms and thehighercalling.podbean.com.)

If you need a reminder why shing can soothe the soul and is an important way to relax and refocus, listen to this fun episode with a next-level talent. Follow her on Instagram and Facebook @moriahformica and @plushrocks on Instagram and @plusho cial on Facebook)