3.5 lbs Bass Caught at Buffalo Springs Lake

When I rolled into Buffalo Springs Lake, the electronic marquee said 46 degrees.  The sky was gray and somber, much like my mood.  I honestly wasn't expecting a lot.  Then I caught this beauty.

That's a 3.5 lbs largemouth bass!  Here's a side view.

If it seems like I'm excited, it's because this was my first bass.  I caught the fish on nightcrawlers.

I had the front portion of the worm pierced onto the hook.  The remainder was left off the hook to allow good action in the water.  I have a whole post dedicated to nightcrawlers that will show you how to bait the worm.  Although that post is geared toward carp, you bait the worm in exactly the same way.

The difference with regard to bass is that they're more aggressive.  They are predators who will hit a moving target.  Keep that in mind when you're reeling the line in for a bait check.  Reel in fast enough to avoid getting hung up on the bottom but not so fast that a bass couldn't strike the worm if it so desired.

So where do you find bass?  Like so many other fish, bass tend to be fans of structure and points.  Here's a shot of the area I was fishing.

Above you have large underwater boulders and cattails that come to a sort of point.  This practically screams, "Good fishing spot!"

Take a look below as to another reason I pegged this area.

In the upper left portion of the picture is the bridge that goes over the dam.  On the other side of that bridge is the spillway.  All of this equals deep water and current.  When you're fishing an actual lake rather than a pond or a playa, the dam's where you want to be.  This is especially true in winter when fish tend to stay close to, but not necessarily in, the depths.

Take a look at the photo below.

In most instances, I cast a couple of yards beyond the cattails.  This will keep you from getting hung in them.  If there's a bass in the neighborhood, it will either come looking or stay by the brush and strike as you're reeling in.  My fish grabbed the worm before I ever started reeling.

In addition to the bass, I caught two nice bluegill.  See below.

Last but not least, Buffalo Springs Lake yielded three baby flatheads.

It's rare to catch more than one fish in winter, let alone five fish representing three different species.  Buffalo Springs Lake (5 mi east of Lubbock) delivered today!  And I'm not just talking about fish.  See below.

That, my friends, is how you top off the perfect fishing trip.  As usual, it was all catch and release.

Tight lines!

Structure

When you're fishing, don't forget that structure's important.  Structure refers to fallen trees , pipes, large rocks, and other debris in the water.  It also refers to trees that are alive, well, and upright. An example is pictured below.

Although that tree's not far from the bank, it provides excellent cover for fish.  Notice how the trunk spiders out at the base.  Fish love to hide in the underwater crevices that the tree trunk provides.

There's only one thing that's a bigger calling card than the tree itself, and that would be ducks under the tree.

Especially in smaller bodies of water like ponds and playas, fish follow ducks. That's certainly true of carp who love the bread people throw to the ducks.  Remember to take appropriate measures to keep ducks safe during your fishing endeavors.

Tight lines!

Slip Sinker Rigs

You know I like to keep things simple.  I'm not an advocate of using rigs that require an instructional manual and a Ph.D. to master.  That's not fun, and there's no point in fishing if you're not having fun.

That said, the most successful fishermen put variety on their side.  That's why I take at least three different types of bait on any given fishing trip.  That's also why I use more than one rig.

During the spring and summer when the water's warm and the fish are active, the type of rig you use is almost irrelevant.  If you put a split shot weight and a baited hook on the line, you're going to catch something.

As we've mentioned before, the same is not true in winter.  Particularly in shallow bodies of water like ponds and playa lakes, the fish will head towards the middle, which is the deepest part.  Unless we're talking about a puddle instead of a pond, a split shot weight isn't gonna get your bait out there in the middle.

That's where a slip sinker rig, also known as a Carolina rig, comes in.  The one pictured below is a very basic version, but it's perfect if you're just beginning with this rig.

The weight has a hole in both ends.  The main line runs through it freely.  Hence the name slip sinker.  See the close up below.

This has a couple of advantages.  When you cast, that weight is going to slam against your swivel.  From there, gravity and physics are going to carry your bait out.  I mean WAY out.

I realize that the weight in the photo is very large, but guess what?  The larger the weight, the farther your bait sails.  This one literally carried mine to the center of the pond.  That's important because in the winter you have to put the food in front of the fish.  They won't expend the energy to come looking.

The other advantage of a slip sinker is that it holds the bait down while allowing the fish to take the hook without feeling the weight.  The fish can run with the bait until any slack in the main line is gone.  This provides a much better chance of the hook piercing the fish. 

Enough about the weight.  Next is the swivel.  I've tied it to the main line using an improved fisherman's knot.  If you use a larger weight, use a larger swivel.  You don't want the weight to slip over the swivel.  You want the swivel to STOP the weight.  See below.

Notice the snap device on the bottom of the swivel.  That's called an interlock snap.  You can purchase swivels that come with them or swivels that don't.  

I highly recommend purchasing swivels with snaps.  The reason, again, is variety. Notice that I have a different line attached to the bottom of the snap.  It's secured to the snap with a loop knot, which is the same knot used to tie a hair rig.  See below.

Sorry about the way the hook looks.  It happened to be flipped the wrong way when I layed it down for the picture.  It's secured to the end of the braid with an improved fisherman's knot.

The complete rig is below.  The main line is  either 8 or 10 lbs monofilament.  I honestly can't remember which.  The slip weight comes first, and the main line is fed through it.  Secured to the main line below the slip weight is the swivel with interlocking snap.  It is secured with an improved fisherman's knot.  Below the swivel and attached to the bottom of the snap is the 20 lbs braid, secured with loop knot.  At the end of the braid is the hook, secured with an improved fisherman's knot.  Pictured below is the whole rig.  Sorry again that the hook's facing the wrong way.

Now here's the beauty of this rig.  You can unhook the bottom of that snap.  Since you made a loop knot, you can slide the braid and hook right off.  Now why would you want to do that?

Let's say the catfish just aren't biting and you want to try for carp.  You can remove this catfish rig, put together a hair rig, and secure it to the snap with a loop knot.  Better yet, if you really want to be prepared, have some hair rigs ready to go in your tackle box.  Then all you have to is unsnap, take one rig off, and put another one on.

The proof, as they say, is in the puddin' ... or in this case it's on the hook.  All I got using a split shot and a nightcrawler was this little bullhead.

I tied a slip sinker rig with that heavy sliding weight and cast all the way to the middle of the playa lake, where I caught this guy.

He's not gonna break any records, but this channel catfish was right at keeper size.  I tossed both fish back.

One last tidbit.  That slip weight looks pretty old and corroded, right?  I pulled that thing off of a lake bottom months ago, when my own line got tangled with the line it was on.

We've all pulled in a ball of someone else's old gear at some point.  Obviously you don't want to keep rusty hooks, but let someone else's misfortune bless you. Re-use what you can.  Then you'll be saving money and the environment!

Tight lines !

Why Carp Jump

Carp and many other species of fish can regularly be seen jumping in ponds and lakes.  Often an angler assumes that jumping fish are hungry fish.

Sometimes this is true and sometimes it's not.  The fact that they are jumping has nothing to do with hunger.  Carp and many other fish species jump to remove parasites from their bodies.

Now don't get me wrong, the fact that the carp is active enough to jump provides some hope that it's active enough to do other things ... like feed.

However, If carp aren't feeding ... then they're just not feeding.  There are no guarantees.  I've been skunked more than once with fish jumping like Richard Simmons was leading an aerobics class.

Lubbock's 34th St. Christmas Parade

I went fishing today, but I came up with the old goose egg.  My counterparts in England or Australia would say that I got "blanked."  So I'm departing from the theme of the blog for a moment, but I'm keeping with the Christmas season.

Every year in Lubbock, there's a Christmas parade on 34th street.  I'm sure you catch the Miracle on 34th St tie in.  Here are a few photos to get you in the Christmas spirit!

Thanks to all of our military men and women for your service!

One last photo.  Here I am with my two Christmas miracles.

Merry Christmas and God bless you!

Carp Fishing with Canadian Nightcrawlers

There are many different kinds of worms, most of which are suitable for fishing.  However, there is a certain group of worms that get fish's attention like a steak gets mine.  They're known as nightcrawlers.

I prefer Canadian nightcrawlers.  They're available almost any place where bait is sold.  I usually purchase mine at Walmart or Academy.  See below.

How you put your nightcrawler on the hook depends entirely on what  you're fishing for.  In this case, we're talking about carp.  We need to get the worm far enough into the fish to give the hook a chance to pierce the fish's lip.

At least half or even more than half of the worm should be off of the hook.  This will allow the carp to ingest most of the worm before feeling the hook and trying to eject it.  A carp that's not spooked is a carp that's hooked!  Here's what I'm talking about.

Notice only the top portion of the worm is hooked.  Most of it is hanging free.  Now I know what you're thinking.  What's to keep the carp from eating the portion that's not on the hook and leaving the rest?

It all has to do with how the carp eats.  They don't bite.  They inhale.  A carp will inhale that worm like we inhale a spaghetti noodle.  At the tail end of that worm is a hook that the fish is not expecting, and suddenly it's not so easy for the carp to eject because most of the worm is already have way down its gullet.

There is one other very important reason to leave a large portion of the nightcrawler dangling free:  presentation. Worms are incredibly resilient.  They will stay alive for as much as a couple of hours after being placed on the hook.  During that time, the worm is moving all over the place to get free of the hook.  On a lake bed of otherwise inanimate objects, this sticks out to a fish like a neon sign does to us.  See below.

Check out those photos again.  You're looking through the water at the worm resting on the lake bottom.  See how it stands out?  In the second photo especially, you can see how the worm stretches out to move.

All of that screams to a fish, "Eat me!"  But don't take my word for it.  Ask today's catch, a 4.08 lbs common carp.

The shot below gives you an idea on length.

With regard to the hook, I used an Eagle Claw baitholder size 4.

Tight lines!

Best Fishing Spots in Lubbock

Let me start out by saying that I have not visited every playa lake in Lubbock.  There are dozens, and I have a family and a day job.  What follows is my opinion.

I've been here the better part of two decades.  In that time, I've had the privilege of fishing approximately a dozen playas.  Here are my top five favorites.

At the very top of my list in the number one place is the lake at Phil Hoel Park.  At this playa lake, my kids and I have caught countless flathead catfish, bluegill, sunfish, carp, and even a turtle.  Below is probably our biggest catch from that lake.

Although not as big, here's another one.

Second place, and I do mean a close second, goes to the pond at Leroy Elmore Park.  It's the only place in town where I've landed big carp and big catfish.  See below.

The Lubbock lake that gets my number three award is Buster Long.  If you want big carp, this is where you go.  See below.

At number four is the Buddy Holly Recreational Area in the north part of the city.  We haven't pulled any huge fish out, but we have caught LOTS of quality channel catfish.  See below.

Although I don't have a photo, my number five is the pond at Maxey Park.  

As usual, the fish pictured were released back into the water.  Keep in mind that a Texas fishing license is required for those 17 or older.  Happy fishing, and Merry Christmas!

Best Carp Fishing in Texas

Carp fishing has been popular for a long time in Britain and Europe.  There's a whole industry built around it in similar fashion to the industry that's built around bass fishing in the U.S.  Slowly but surely, carp are gaining popularity stateside.

So the question of where to fish for carp naturally arises.  The good news is that they're found in most lakes, ponds, and rivers.  I'll admit that I'm not exactly a world traveler.

I can't tell you where the best carp spots are in North Carolina, for example.  I can, however, opine on the best carp fishing in Texas.  That would be in Lubbock.  

There are literally dozens of playa lakes that dot the city.  Most, if not all, have carp and many other fish species.  As an added bonus, there's also Texas Tech University and the Buddy Holly Center.

I'm going to keep this post short, sweet, and pictureless.  If you want to see photos of the fish that Lubbock playa lakes produce, you need only read my other posts!

6.41 lbs Carp Pulled from Playa Lake

Today's baits were whole kernel sweet corn and bread.  The big winner was corn, though.  It landed the 6.41 lbs carp pictured with me below.

Look at the length on that fish.  It's longer than the width of my shoulders!  A vertical shot of the same fish really tells the tale on how big it is.  See below.

You can see that it's longer than my torso!  

I was solo this trip.  So big shout out to the lady who took this photo.  She was driving by when she saw me fighting and landing this big boy.  She pulled over, applauded me, and then took those two photos with my cell. 

Of course, there was plenty of nature to observe between bites.  Check out this duck and bird in the same shot.  

If you know what that bird on the upper right is called, would you leave a comment and let me know?  It looks like a seagull, but this was on a playa lake.  This part of Texas is also hundreds of miles from the ocean.

It wouldn't be one of my posts without a shot of the sunset!

Happy fishing!