![]() If you are on the hunt for trophy-sized largemouth bass then Lake Fork, located in east Texas, is where you need to throw your line. Largemouth bass are best to target in the early spring and mid-to-late fall in shallower water around the boat docks and marinas. If you are targeting crappie, the spring and early fall are the most productive times to catch them in decent numbers. Besides catfish, Lake Conroe has great fishing for black bass, hybrid stripers, white bass, and crappie.Īfter a long day on the water fishing, grab some barbecue at the Pacific Yard House in historic downtown Conroe, which is located inside a restored 1907 ice warehouse.īest Time to Fish Lake Conroe: Catfish fishing in Lake Conroe is great year-round. While we are specifically fishing for catfish from the boat, there are 157 miles of shoreline on the lake, so there is plenty of bank fishing available. We donate our catch to a local family for food.Īn easy way to fish at Lake Conroe is to set up a home base at a hotel like SpringHill Suites Houston The Woodlands, so you are close to amenities to pick up snacks and drinks to take on your fishing trip and hire a local guide to meet you at the marina. Most anglers catch and release the trophy-size catfish while keeping the smaller channel catfish to eat. A local man recently caught a 67-pound blue catfish near the bridge where we are fishing. Taylor says it is not uncommon for a full boat of clients to pull in over 100 catfish on a four-hour trip.Īnglers also target Lake Conroe for trophy-sized catfish, which requires trolling with fresh bait and much larger tackle. We pull in 15 channel catfish in the three- to five-pound range, which is excellent considering the slow bite caused by the cold front pushing through. Some locations on Lake Conroe get to 70 feet deep. Our depth is 27 feet, which is a bit deeper than the average 20 feet in most areas of the lake. Any higher or lower than the strike zone, and the catfish keep going. Taylor tells me that his secret to pulling in the cats from this lake is positioning the bait in what he calls the "strike zone." It is two to three inches off the bottom. It applies like dough bait to the treble hook. Taylor sets me up with a casting rod and reel and a tub of his indulgently scented secret recipe Catfish Killer Cheese Bait. That is why so many people come to catch them." "They are the best-tasting catfish you can get because it is a clean lake. ![]() "The bottom of the lake is carpeted with catfish," Taylor says, referring to the sheer volume of catfish that live in the 22,000-acre lake. We are targeting eating-size channel and blue catfish on this trip because that is why most clients come to Lake Conroe. My guide, Darrell Taylor of Catfish Killer Professional Guide Services, a nickname he earned from his nearly 40 years guiding for catfish on the lake, takes clients out for both. Anglers come to target either large numbers of channel catfish for eating or trophy-size blue catfish for bragging rights. Lake Conroe is less than an hour's drive from Houston, and it is known for its catfish. Lake Conroe Anietra and guide Darrell Taylor | Photo Copyright: Anietra Hamper Find the top spots to cast your line with our list of the best fishing lakes in Texas.ġ. These fisheries are designed to offer convenient fishing opportunities and a way to introduce kids to the sport, with free fishing close to home.īefore you head out onto the water for some exciting lake fishing in Texas be sure to visit the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department website to review statewide fishing regulations and obtain a proper license. There are also numerous Neighborhood Fishin' community lakes and ponds in urban areas throughout the state that are stocked with channel catfish and rainbow trout. Texans target channel catfish for food and blue and flathead catfish for the trophy sizes that grow in many of the southern state's waters. They can be caught in lakes, rivers, ponds, and reservoirs throughout the state. The state's second most popular species is catfish. Largemouth bass are the most popular sportfish for anglers in Texas because they are caught year-round. Author Anietra Hamper fished the inland lakes of Texas and the Gulf Coast for some of the top species in the Lone Star state.Įverything is bigger in Texas, and that includes the fish that come out of the state's more than 1,100 public lakes, each with unique characteristics that create ideal habitats for a wide range of species, from largemouth bass and catfish to crappie and alligator gar.
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