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candy or blue fleck Power Worms, 3/8-ounce Secret Weapon spinnerbaits, Senko style plastics CONTACT: Kandie Candeleria, 210-8232153, kandie@gvtc.com TIPS: With the lake rising, work the cut and the point to the right of the marina. Look for fish to be shallow as they are enjoying the extra oxygen created from flooded bushes. Throw Berkley 7-inch Power Worms in watermelon candy if the sun is high, or in blue fleck and Texas-rigged if cloudy. If bass are chasing shad, try a 3/8-ounce Sidearm or Quickstrike Secret Weapon spinnerbait. Drop-shotting around the marina should produce quality fish. A 1/16-ounce Tru-Tungsten Flea Flicker hook with a small weight on the bottom will create some loft movement and good results. If the bite is slow, Texas-rig a Senko type bait and fish it weightless around brush piles and submerged trees. BANK ACCESS: Canyon Park Campground, crappie on minnows and crappie jigs
LOCATION: Wright Patman Lake HOTSPOT: Kelly Creek GPS: N33 17.151, W94 14.259 SPECIES: crappie BEST BAITS: live minnows, black and chartreuse tube jigs CONTACT: Doug Rochelle, K&D Guide Service, 903-671-3494, reteeks77@aol.com TIPS: Wright Patman’s water level is now above normal so most crappie will be on points or holding on brush close to open water. Work a jig two to three inches off the bottom and continue to raise your bait until you discover at which level the fish are suspended. Fishing should be best between daylight and 11:00 AM in 10 to 14 feet of water. With the water high be careful in windy conditions are there is the potential for high waves on this lake. BANK ACCESS: Red River Road bridge crossing Big Creek, catfish on night crawlers and cut shad, bream by bridge piers on crickets and worms
Louisiana Large LOCATION: Toledo Bend South HOTSPOT: Louisiana Islands GPS: N31 12.290’, W93 35.350
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SPECIES: largemouth bass BEST BAITS: 3/4-ounce and 1-ounce white chartreuse spinnerbaits with double willow leaf blades, grass jigs, deep-diving crankbaits, 5/8-ounce and 3/4-ounce jigging spoons CONTACT: Joe Joslin, 337-463-3848, www.joejoslinoutdoors.com TIPS: High lake levels insure lots of power plant generating this month, making the Louisiana Islands even more productive. Prefrontal conditions will have bass holding close to cover, especially in low-light conditions. Fish large spinnerbaits using a yo-yo or slow roll retrieve to maximize your success with lower water temperatures. With cold, highpressure conditions consider a jigging spoon fished vertically in 25 to 40 feet as well as deep-diving crankbaits and football jigs on points and ridges in 12 to 25 feet. Opt for fluorocarbon line when possible. BANK ACCESS: Below generators for largemouth bass, catfish and striper. Fishing is best when generators are running. Call 337286-5244 for pre-recorded generator schedule. LOCATION: Toledo Bend North HOTSPOT: Sabine River GPS: N31 56.101, W93 58.794 SPECIES: white bass BEST BAITS: Road Runners, Rat-L-Traps, tail spinners, mid-diving crankbaits, slab spoons CONTACT: Greg Crafts, 936-368-7151, www.toledobendguide.com TIPS: White bass will be migrating from the main lake area into the Sabine River proper. Where to fish is determined on the river’s level. If the river level is high, work the mouths of feeder creeks where they dump into the river and flooded sloughs and backwater with Road Runners and Rat-L Traps. If the river is low, use these baits to work the river channel inside bends, sand bars and eddies. Start on the south end of the river and work north as the white bass travel up river. The more current present, the further up river the fish will be traveling. BANK ACCESS: Public parks and marinas, crappie on live minnows, catfish on cut bait and liver LOCATION: Lake Conroe HOTSPOT: Main Lake GPS: N30 22.980, W95 34.930 SPECIES: hybrid stripers BEST BAITS: live shad, Storm Swim Shad, A L M A N A C / T E X A S
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CONTACT: Richard Tatsch, 936-291-1277, www.fishdudetx.com TIPS: hybrid stripers are now in full swing and this is the time of year to catch trophy fish and possibly a lake record hybrids. Fish will be found all around the lake on main lake points and humps. This time of year, they will start to group up in large schools in depths of 18 to 22 feet. Once you find fish in one area, it is quite possible to catch a limit in a matter of minutes. Good electronics are most helpful in locating fish! Live shad is your bait of choice but a Swim Shad will work well if you can control their depth. BANK ACCESS: Stowaway Marina, bream and catfish on live minnows or worms under cork
Hit the Walleye LOCATION: Lake Meredith HOTSPOT: The Marina at Lake Meredith GPS: N35 42.250, W101 33.199 SPECIES: walleye
BEST BAITS: minnows, red wiggler earthworms CONTACT: Mel Phillips, 806-353-3654, fishman@suddenlink.com TIPS: In January Lake Meredith can be quite cold. Your best bet is to fish the marina’s heated crappie house for walleye and a variety of other species. Minnows and red wiggler earthworms are your baits of choice but chicken livers, shrimp and cut bait are also productive. Walleye is the draw on Lake Meredith but half the fun of fishing the crappie house is not knowing what you will catch until you catch it. Walleye, largemouth bass, sand bass, and catfish are all likely to end up in the ice chest! BANK ACCESS: The main ramp at the marina, catfish on stinkbait, cut bait and chicken or turkey livers LOCATION: Lake Graham-Eddleman HOTSPOT: Power plant discharge area GPS: N33 07.594, W98 36.340 SPECIES: hybrids BEST BAITS: live shad, minnows and perch, jigs and slabs CONTACT: Dean Heffner, 940-329-0036, fav7734@aceweb.com TIPS: Fish the generator plant discharge G a m e ® / J A N U A R Y
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