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Ellis tops Mega Bass on Fork Lone Star Outdoor News Tommy Ellis, of Athens, Louisiana, beat a record field of more than 1,800 anglers at the Mega Bass on Lake Fork with his 10.49-pound largemouth. The 49-year-old caught the fish in the event’s fifth hour. “I fish the tournaments on Sam Rayburn and Toledo Bend, but I hadn’t fished Fork in four or five years,” Ellis said. “This was my first time at the Mega Bass.” Fishing with his buddy, Ellis said they were sitting above about 12 feet of water and casting to a 20-foot depth. “I was using a watermelon/gold glitter fluke,” Ellis said. “I was on the phone with another friend who was fishing when the fish knocked the fool out if it. I threw the phone down and hollered for my buddy to get the net. It took three tries to get him in the net, he was so big.” Ellis said a few years ago, he thought his fishing days were over. “My heart went into defib and I dropped dead,” he said. “My wife is a nurse and started CPR until the ambulance got there. They brought me back. I wondered how my heart would react if I ever caught one of those big fish, but it all worked out. The boat ride wasn’t so great, though, my buddy was in a hurry to get to the scale.” For the fish, Ellis won a new Skeeter ZX 200 with a Yamaha 200 SHO outboard, plus $15,000 in cash for his hourly win. Other hourly $15,000 winners: Jerry Dean II, of Wylie, 10.02 pounds Steve Trimble, of Duncanville, 9.1 pounds Joshua Pearce, of Murchison, 8.98 pounds Brad Rogers, of Yantis, 8.63 pounds
July 24, 2020
Page 9
Hot bites in the city Vary approach on urban lakes By Carter Mize
For Lone Star Outdoor News
Tommy Ellis landed this 10.49-pound largemouth to win a new boat plus $15,000. Photo by Bass Champs.
Billy Gilbert, of Hot Springs, Arkansas, 8.73 pounds Tim Wilcoxson, of Rockwall, 8.37 pounds Three additional fish topping 8 pounds were landed, but the anglers didn’t finish at the top of the hourly weigh-in. Darrell Dodd, of Como, 9.81 pounds; Danny Kraatz, of Azle, 8.35 pounds; and Anthony Jones, of Willis, 8.32 pounds, caught the fish. Each angler won $1,000. Ellis said he’s ready to return to Lake Fork. “I’ll be back in September,” he said. “But I’ll be in a new boat.”
Texas is known for it legendary lakes for big bass, but there also are hidden gems in often-overlooked urban areas. While city lakes can garner a lesser reputation among fishermen for decreased boat access or providing no bites, anglers do find success in the city with a little patience and the right strategy. White Rock Lake, in East Dallas, has a reputation for recreational boating from rowing teams to sailboats, but not as much for fishing. Anglers at White Rock have trouble lo- Grant Braudrick landed this bass on White Rock Lake in the heart of Dallas. cating good structure Photo from Grant Braudrick. from the bank, and boating presents a challenge due to regulated motor size limits that leave many to only a trolling motor. Local angler Grant Braudrick said the lake may confound visitors looking for a big bite, but has an underlying environment ripe for healthy fish. “White Rock has a creek system that runs uninterrupted pretty much all the way to Little Elm, so it runs about probably 30 miles or so,” Braudrick said. “That’s a great feature. There are lots of batifish that are able to get up inside that creek and spawn and then go back into the main lake and live. White Rock has a lot of baitfish.” Like other city lakes, most of White Rock is shallow, lacking deepwater structure. Most structure at White Rock lies around the shoreline, but people fishing on the bank tend to throw out away from the shore. Braudrick suggests they reign it in and work strike zones parallel to the bank. “There’s a lot of structure on the bank — there are downed trees, reeds, rockpiles and Please turn to page 17
School is open for white bass By Nate Skinner
For Lone Star Outdoor News Anglers are catching white bass using a variety of tactics along inland lakes in the central, eastern, and northern regions of the Lone Star State. Vertically jigging slabs, trolling umbrella rigs and walking top-water plugs across the surface are all producing strikes when used in the right place at the right time. Lake Livingston angler Kevin Burke has been chasing sandies with his dad, Keith. He said the white bass bite has been somewhat spotty. Burke claims the fish aren’t too hard to find, but that they just aren’t always easy to catch. “We’ve been covering a lot of water to catch fish,” Burke said. “Main lake humps, roadbeds, and drop-offs close to the main river Slabs and pet spoons are bringing in white bass schooling below channel are all holding white the surface. Photo by Nate Skinner, for Lone Star Outdoor News. bass.” to 10 minutes, it’s worth moving and findBurke said the biggest key to staying hooked up with the whites has ing a new school.” Jigging 1/2 to 1-ounce white, chartreuse, been timing. “Boat traffic has seemed to be affecting and silver slabs in 9-20 feet of water has the bite later in the day,” he said. “The been Burke’s go-to method. “We are catching plenty of white bass in most exciting action has been occurring early in the morning. There’s a lot of the 12-inch range, and there’s occasionschools actively feeding at sunrise. If you ally been some hybrid stripers mixed in as come across one on the surface, the fish well,” he said. At Stillhouse Hollow lake, guide Bob will usually hammer just about anything Maindelle has been finding plenty of white you throw at them.” Burke has been relying on sonar to find bass, mostly by trolling and covering water. “The bite has been starting early in the fish during the midmorning and midday morning at sunup, and going strong until hours. “There are schools everywhere, you just about 8:30 a.m. or so,” he said. “The achave to find one that has aggressive fish tion has been slowing steadily after that, in it,” he explained. “If you come across a and most days, we have been off the water school and you don’t get a strike within 5 before 11 a.m.” Please turn to page 11
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