New Destination 2021

[Dutch]

I have fished Belton and Stillhouse neither one impressed me but I am a hack.  I’ve been to Amistad and Choke but not fished them.  Amistad is in the middle of desert nowhere land.  Choke is a place that I have always wanted to return to and fish.

[Maverickpro201]

Choke has some big Alligators in it, as does areas of Sam Rayburn, and other lakes.  Lot of our lakes down there do. Kids do not seem to mind swimming in the water though.

Belton and Stillhouse you really need to know how to fish them, as they can be tricky fishy to a newby. They are not trophy lakes but can produce some nice 5 fish stringers. Or 30 - 40 fish days.  

[Flysmallie]

1 hour ago, Ham said:

We were in the Five Fingers area when the wind got up. We had to cross the lake back to where we launched. We were in a 19 foot bass boat and very carefully made our way back.

I wasn’t  sure we were going to make it and I would rather not ever be in stuff that waves that big again. 

Did that on Fork and then it started raining so hard we just had to find a place to ride it out where we were.

Also happened on Falcon once but we were deep into Mexico and we weren't spending the night over there. 

[Ham]

Man, when you settle down in that trough and lose the horizon completely, water is way above you on all sides, that’s not a Great feeling

[Johnsfolly]

4 hours ago, Ham said:

Rayburn gets BIG waves when there is a wind from the Northwest. Scary Big. It has been fishing well of late. Toledo Bend should be on your list as well. Caddo has fun scenery and some Big fish. I love the bayou that runs into it (Big Cypress Bayou) and its backwaters, but I am not sure I would consider it a Big Fish destination trip. 

 

BowFUN! Chasing those swamp muskies!

[Ham]

2 hours ago, Johnsfolly said:

BowFUN! Chasing those swamp muskies!

Some people chase and some people catch  😥

[Ketchup]

Thanks for the info guys. Awesome that these posts bring back memories for some. 
 

I originally had planned a mid-Feb. trip, so was looking for a lake with an earlier spawn down south. Im now looking to push that back to the last week of March. Reading lots of past articles online, i think i have narrowed it down to Rayburn for the size of the lake, and the quality, and Fork which i have been to several time due to family close by, and the chance of flipping that creature bait next to a stump and hooking a bruiser.  
 

Yesterday i had a buddy that lives in Austin mention a little sleeper lake that peeked my interest. So online i go, spending 2 hours last night reading about it, past reports, etc. which really got me pumped. Tho a really small body of water at 2880 acres, and a max depth of 100’, i’m hesitant to spend 4 or 5 days on such a small body of water. My buddy Jason said I wouldn’t regret the trip. So, anyone heard of or fished Lake Alan Henry outside of Lubbock?  It has a 15lb lake record, punching out 9lb plus constant. 

[Quillback]

Well you got me to look at that lake.  Looks like it does have potential for some big fish.  I would be a little concerned about the pressure, I bet you'll have lots of company, not a lot of lakes in that area and it's near a couple of decent sized cities.  

Don't know if you have ever watched the HoneyHole outdoors TV show, but the host fishes a lot of Texas lakes.  The shows are archived on the web site, but they charge $9.99 to access the archives.  

[Ketchup]

Quill, being over pressured was one of my concerns on considering that lake. I spoke to a guy i met online that lives in the area, and fishes it weekly. He mentioned that on most days from September thru the end of May, he may see 4 to 8 bass fisherman per day. He said most guys focus on the spotted bass there, as they are not a fixture in the west texas lakes. He gave me a few suggestions on the whats/whens/wheres for my timeframe, so I’m feeling good about it. He said he would be surprised if I didn’t land 50 to 60 bass daily, with a few in the 5lb and bigger range. We plan to stay at a resort close to the lake, so i should be able to get in 8 hours of fishing daily. 
 

Still considering my other options, but Alan Henry is looking good. 

[Quillback]

Cool, sounds like a great place to fish.