Sunday, May 5, 2024
Michael Acosta
HOOD OUTDOORS
As a licensed professional fishing guide, Michael Acosta shows you how to find them. The Granbury resident of 30 years has been fishing all of his life, and has been a licensed guide since 1998.
Water temperatures have been a little slow to rebound this year due to the extended cool weather days. Lake temperatures are rising into the 60s and 70s and the fish are near their most active time of the year. If you can get on them when they are feeding right now, look out!
Luckily this time of the year, shallow water action is possible most any day. Many fish will push baitfish in the shallows. This is also when many of the baitfish species are spawning. So where would you be if you were a predator? Most likely you will be shallow.
Though I advertise how I call fish in by thrashing the water most of the year, this is one time that when you’re fishing real shallow you want to be sure to not spook the fish. Keep the big motor off and approach slowly. Long casts may be in order, or if you use live bait, it may be good to float your bait into the shallows under a float or balloon.
Bird action can point you to active fish. Some of our wintering birds are still around and they are always looking for an easy meal. Cranes and other birds may point you to active fish as well throughout the year.
With the recent new moon, the threadfin and gizzard shad are spawning in the shallows on most every reservoir and you can be sure there are predators that are not far behind. If you are a hybrid or striper angler, nothing is better than a tank full of large (4 to 5 inch) threadfin shad, commonly called yellowtails. I would also keep the bigger gizzard shad this time of the year as well.
Many of the sand bass are done with the spawn and are returning to the main reservoir on most North Texas lakes and they will school up on baitfish on the surface. Most any shad imitation lure will put these fish in the boat. Another good thing about schooling fish is that the lazy bigger fish looking for an easy meal will be drawn in due to the noise. If you work below the feeding smaller fish, you will more than likely hook up with bigger sand bass, hybrids and/or striped bass depending on which reservoir you fish. In fact, you never quite know what other predators are feeding in the same area. Blacks, drum, buffalo, catfish or gar may be in the same area ready to take your presentation.
Shallow water presentations include soft plastics, swim baits, crank baits (plugs and poppers) and spinner type baits. A little deeper and you can work slabs and spoons. The slabs and spoons are excellent choices on structure this time of the year.
So if you can get away this time of the year, the top water action is there to be taken. See you on the water.
HOOD COUNTY
FISHING REPORT
Lake Granbury water temperatures are in the 60s and some 70s in the back of creeks. A cool down will occur by the time this article runs, which may cool the lake some. Striped bass action is tremendous mid-lake on large shad. Sand bass action is also good near channel ledges near DeCordova and Indian Harbor. Largemouth bass are good on soft plastics and crankbaits in the backs of most creeks. Crappie catches continue to be good in DeCordova and near The Shores under docks. Large blue and yellow catfish continue to be taken near Hunter Park and near the DeCordova subdivision.
OTHER AREAS
On other reservoirs, Lake Whitney continues to produce limits of striped bass on Alabama rigs and live bait from The Bluffs to Cedar Creek. Possum Kingdom Lake striped bass are also great mid-lake near Broadway to past South D&D.
michael.acosta@att.net | 254-396-4855
