Thursday, April 25, 2024
TALKING SHOP: Manager Bucky Brown (right) talks to Kyle Hall about what works best on Lake Granbury.
HOT RODS: When he’s not fishing Kyle Hall has taken to redesigning the fishing pole.
SUCCESS: Shaun Carswell has found success from his kayak and bass boat.
With a solid reputation for hybrid stripers and catfish, Lake Granbury is a draw for anglers from across the area, but many will tell you it's a hard lake to catch largemouth bass. Local professional fisherman Kyle Hall has some tips that may make things easier this summer.
The 2021 Major League Fishing Rookie of the Year and Tri-Lakes Tackle Town owner hosts three-hour Thursday evening fishing tournaments based at Rough Creek Park. The results have seen three-fish limits that have been as high as 14-17 pounds.
Like people, big fish get a little sloth-like in warmer weather, and they aren't as active or prone to taking that fancy spinner bait that promised to catch fish no matter the conditions. High-dollar lures do land something, starting with the angler who bought them.
"During the summer, when it gets hot, you really must slow down. That would be the number one thing," Hall said. "I go to finesse tactics like shaky heads with a drop shot, not your crankbaits or anything like that. Although crankbaits on rocky points are probably the best fun spots on the lake right now."
Fun spots for catching fish, but you may not find that lunker you are hoping for in shallow waters.
THE GRANBURY LAKE RECORD
Despite its reputation for being hard to fish for largemouth bass, Lake Granbury's record fish is a respectable 11.89 pounds landed by Royce Carnley in 2009. The fish measured 27 inches and was caught in early June.
The lake's junior angler largemouth record is 8.77 pounds and was caught in late March 2021 by Hunter Stuart.
GOING DEEP
According to Hall, anglers need to find deeper water in the summer, where the fish also have cover to lurk under and around.
"Your deeper docks are going to hold better fish, not the real shallow ones, and there are a ton of shallow docks on Lake Granbury," Hall said. "When the waters are deeper, you'll typically find cooler water. The backs of some of the creeks that are clear they hold fish here this time of year."
Hall isn't talking about pitching a lure and letting it sink three feet before starting a retrieve – he's talking about getting down to the bottom.
"You want to work across the bottom and just barely drag it along," Hall said.
COLOR CONSIDERATION
Lake Granbury's water is stained by the muddy bottom between it and Possum Kingdom, where anglers encounter crystal clear waters, requiring a different approach to colors.
"Your blacks and blues work well now; for as many wakeboard boats and stuff they've been out there, it's pretty clear, so your natural colors are typically better at this time. When the water gets darker in color, you should consider the black and blues with a lot more action. Something like a spinner bait to catch their eyes," Hall said.
When Hall finds the fish aren't as active as he would like, he generally seeks those rocky points in the lake.
"We call it cranking rocks," Hall said. "I will get out there with a 1.5 square bill. I successfully use it in a chartreuse color with a black back."
BUCKY'S NOT JUST LUCKY
Bucky Brown is one of Hall's store managers and gets more one-on-one time with customers, and he agrees on the need to slow down your summertime angling.
"I tell our customers to try a blue flag Powerbait seven-inch worm. You can get a bite on it anytime of the year here. That bait is basic 101 since this lake has been impounded. It's been a go-to bait from then until now," Brown said.
Despite all the irons he has in the fire, Hall has ventured into the business of fishing rod designing, and after two years of work that included a year of testing his prototypes, he now has the rods for sale.
The rods feature flexible eyelets with improved handgrips and balancing. The eyelets allow the rod to take a beating, and an angler who switches poles or gets into heavy brush doesn't have to work about snapping off or bending them.
"I'm pretty proud of them, and to be honest, I didn't have an idea of how much work was involved when I first started," Hall said. "Now they are all I plan on using, and I've got plans for more."
A NEW GUY ON THE LAKE
Shaun Carswell is new to Granbury after moving here about three weeks ago, and his fishing method of spinner baits has been keeping him on the water as often as possible. His neighbors in Indian Harbor see him coming in via kayak or bass boat and are pitching the same question that Brown hears: “What are they biting on?”
“I’ve had better luck in my kayak so far than my bass boat, and while I’m no expert, I think I have noticed a pattern with the bass,” Carswell said. “It seems they are coming out the deeper waters and into the mouths of coves to chase shad between 1-3 p.m. I also find great success with spinner baits in 3-5 feet of water along the rocky points.”
Russell@hcnews.com | 817-573-7066 ext. 231
